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A synthetic mouse embryo (left) and a natural mouse embryo (right) show comparable brain and heart formation

Synthetic reproductive cells will help us understand fertility in 2023

1 January 2023

Laboratory-grown sperm, placentas and embryos in animals will help us gauge why some pregnancies don't reach full term, but whether these procedures could one day be safe or even ethical in humans is unclear

People queue up to receive the Medigen and Moderna vaccines for the Covid-19 coronavirus at Taipei's main train station on April 29, 2022. (Photo by Sam Yeh / AFP) (Photo by SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images)

Why we probably won't get new covid-19 vaccines in 2023

28 December 2022

Any new covid-19 vaccine must be better than the ones we already have, setting a high bar for approval that is not expected to be met in 2023

SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). Here the delta variant is shown budding (cyan dots) from an apoptotic Caco-2 human gut epithelial cell 24 hours after infection. SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant took over globally from the alpha variant in 2021. The delta variant has evolved to better replicate in its new human host allowing it to spread between people more efficiently. The coronaviruses take their name from their crown (corona) of surface proteins, which are used to attach and penetrate their host cells. As of mid-September 2021 226, 130, 821 cases and 4, 653, 230 deaths have been recorded world- wide. Magnification x 8000 at 10cm wide. Specimen courtesy of Greg Towers, UCL

2022 preview: What will the coronavirus do next?

29 December 2021

The coronavirus will continue to evolve and could trigger further waves of infections, requiring more vaccinations and boosters

FILE -- Henry Magendantz, a participant in the Aduhelm clinical trial, finishes receiving an infusion of the drug at Butler Hospital in Providence, R.I., May 27, 2021. Two months before the Food and Drug Administration's deadline to decide whether to approve Biogen's controversial Alzheimer's drug aducanumab, a council of senior agency officials resoundingly agreed that there wasn't enough evidence it worked. (Kayana Szymczak/The New York Times) / Redux / eyevine Please agree fees before use. SPECIAL RATES MAY APPLY. For further information please contact eyevine tel: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709 e-mail: info@eyevine.com www.eyevine.com

2022 preview: Expect a row over controversial Alzheimer's drug

29 December 2021

In 2021, the US approved the first drug designed to treat the cause of Alzheimer's, but the European Union rejected it. Whether the drug can actually treat the chief symptoms of the disease will be a point of contention in 2022

MARBURG, GERMANY - MARCH 29: Employees in special suits test the procedures for the manufacturing of the messenger RNA (mRNA) for the Covid-19 vaccine in German company BioNTech, in Marburg, Germany on March 29, 2021. BioNTech Marburg's coronavirus vaccine production target will be 2.5 billion doses for 2021, up from 2.3 billion as it is considered as one of the largest manufacturing facilities producing mRNA vaccines in the world. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was developed by Ozlem Tureci and Ugur Sahin, a couple who are children of Turkish immigrants in Germany. (Photo by Abdulhamid Hosbas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

2022 preview: mRNA tech behind covid-19 vaccines could get new uses

29 December 2021

Once seen as experimental, the mRNA tech that has enabled us to quickly develop covid-19 vaccines could also be used to tackle other stubborn diseases

2021 preview: We will find out if microplastics are harming our cells

30 December 2020

Despite mounting evidence that we eat, drink and breathe microplastics it still isn't clear if they enter our bodies and cause harm, but in 2021 we should get some answers

2021 preview: How soon will a covid-19 vaccine return life to normal?

24 December 2020

We have a coronavirus vaccine, but normal life is still some way off. In the meantime, here are the big issues facing us in the months ahead

Don't miss: A Nobel prizewinner's inside story of modern physics

10 June 2020

New Scientist's weekly round-up of the best books, films, TV series, games and more that you shouldn't miss

Don't miss: The science of taking a stroll

20 May 2020

New Scientist's weekly round-up of the best books, films, TV series, games and more that you shouldn't miss

What to expect from the cutting edge of science and tech in 2020

18 December 2019

From anti-ageing drugs to self-driving cars and long-lost human ancestors, New Scientist experts reveal what the biggest science stories will be in 2020