Subscribe now
woman put products on the line near cashbox. grocery shopping concept

How maths can help you pack your shopping more efficiently

7 June 2023

How can you ensure you use the fewest bags when loading your shopping? A dash of maths will help, says Peter Rowlett


Donate your fingers to science, they said. It will be fun, they said

Donate your fingers to science, they said. It will be fun, they said

7 June 2023

Feedback weighs the benefits of testing injuries on dead or alive fingers and learns of more trivial superpowers


Someone throwing rubbish in bin. rubbish bin. Trash.

This week’s new questions

7 June 2023

Is it more sustainable to flush a tissue or put it in the bin? And why do humans pat animals on the head?


2FERAXY Crowded groups of people crossing the street at Times Square during rush hour

How and when did the North American accent develop? (part 2)

7 June 2023

One reader tells of isolated communities in the US where Elizabethan English could still be heard well into the 20th century


Aerial View of Mount Everest 8,848 m (29,029 ft), Himalaya, Nepal, Asia.

Could a mountain as high as Mars’s Olympus Mons be possible on Earth?

7 June 2023

A mountain can only get so high before the crust below it cannot support its weight, say our readers


Open dishwasher with clean utensils in it; Shutterstock ID 218515030; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Is there a correct way to fill a dishwasher to maximise cleanliness?

7 June 2023

Don’t block the path of the water jets, say our readers – and avoid arguments by delegating the task to one person


Puzzle #225: Can you work out which dominoes I hid?

Puzzle #225: Can you work out which dominoes I hid?

7 June 2023

Can you solve this week’s logic puzzle, Dominoku? Plus the answer to puzzle #224


Sir Maurice Youge, Internationally renowned marine zoologist (1899-1986). His hybrid form is based on the local murex shell

These beautiful sculptures are watching over the Great Barrier Reef

7 June 2023

Ocean Sentinels is a series of mostly underwater sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor, who hopes the statues will be colonised by corals and other threatened marine life


Tom Gauld: Science fiction author or tech company boss?

Tom Gauld: Science fiction author or tech company boss?

7 June 2023

Tom Gauld's weekly cartoon


Twisteddoodles interprets science news

Twisteddoodles interprets science news

7 June 2023

This week's cartoon from Twisteddoodles


Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop