Subscribe now
Two wasps

Wasps are the first invertebrates seen to use a type of logic

7 May 2019

Wasps may be able use a type of logical reasoning called transitive inference to avoid an electric shock and are the first invertebrates we've seen doing so


primate

We’re being overwhelmed by a deluge of insignificant decisions

10 April 2019

Our information-heavy modern world makes us more likely to follow the herd than find an expert opinion and make the right decision, argues a new book


All the info our brain needs for language nearly fits on a floppy disc

All the info our brain needs for language nearly fits on a floppy disc

27 March 2019

To learn language, we store information about word sounds, syntax and more. It turns out that all this amounts to about 1.5 megabytes of data – just over the size of a floppy disc


students in class

First direct evidence that later school day really does help teenagers

12 December 2018

Since Seattle high schools decided to start an hour later, students have been getting more sleep – and school attendance and grades have improved


Monica Gagliano

Smarty plants: They can learn, adapt and remember without brains

21 November 2018

We’re barking up the wrong tree if we think plants have no higher sentience, says researcher Monica Gagliano – they just don’t show it like we do


Sugata Mitra

Don't teach kids – I've shown their hive mind can learn on its own

31 October 2018

Educationalist Sugata Mitra's pioneering experiments suggest teaching facts doesn't work in the internet age – fostering creativity and collaboration is the key


How to hack your unconscious… to boost your memory and learn better

How to hack your unconscious… to boost your memory and learn better

25 July 2018

It seems like hard conscious work, but much of the learning process goes on deep in the mind. Here are the top tips to improve how you recall facts


Seals only sleep with half their brain when they're out at sea

Seals only sleep with half their brain when they're out at sea

7 June 2018

Northern fur seals mostly sleep with half their brain while they’re at sea, but sleep with all their brain while on land – unlike any other animal studied


An oddly coloured landscape

The dreams you forget are the most important for learning

1 June 2018

Dreams help us store memories, enabling us to learn. Now a study has revealed that it’s the boring dreams we have during deep sleep that are the most important


Cute but dim quolls have been taught to stop eating toxic toads

Cute but dim quolls have been taught to stop eating toxic toads

27 April 2018

Northern quolls are an endangered species thanks to an epidemic of poisonous cane toads in Australia, but now some of them have been trained to steer clear


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