The @newscientist.com YouTube account is about to tick over 500k subscribers. We've been publishing some really amazing videos lately including this smash hit on the ancient species we co-existed with. If you're not already subscribed, now is the time! youtube.com/@NewScientist

Coming up on @newscientist.com podcast: @rowhoop.bsky.social and I try spirits distilled by Jim Smith at the University of Portsmouth from grains and fruit grown in Chornobyl. The ingredients start off radioactive but by the time they make it into a bottle there's no detectable contamination.

a great opportunity to join our team @newscientist.com and get some news editor training on the job www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/44...

the Lyrids peak tonight! here's how to spot them, with our first ever stargazing companion audio guide. pop me in your headphones tonight and let me guide you through the meteor shower 🌠 www.newscientist.com/article/2523...

Christina Koch, who is on the Artemis II mission to the moon, has a very cool job. learn more about the first woman who will see the moon up close... www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...

Love this brilliantly entertaining feature from @stokel.bsky.social www.newscientist.com/article/2517...

Why are we all so obsessed with protein? My review of a book written by sociologists who try to get to the bottom of this wellness trend (and I impressively snuck in a mention of Stephen Merchant somehow) www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...

Last year, our most detailed map of the universe yet suggested our understanding of dark energy has been wrong for decades. The shock result is reigniting the search for a better cosmic story.

Black holes that turn matter into energy could explain dark energy and answer two other cosmic questions. Now, the challenge is to find them.

Our latest special issue is all about dark energy, the mysterious force driving the universe apart, and how we might have got it wrong. With input from loads of experts including Adam Riess, @astroroyalscot.bsky.social and many more. Part one: www.newscientist.com/article/2515...

In case you missed us I’ve pointed it out: THE WORLD, THE UNIVERSE AND US is playing Latitude this year! @cosmicshambles.com

Incredible reporting by @sparkes.bsky.social. "There is no greater incentive for speedy R&D than Russian soldiers fighting their way towards your city"

Ukraine has responded to a war it didn’t start by creating an industry it doesn’t want. I travelled to Kyiv to tour the research labs, factories and military training schools behind the country’s drone defences. The pace and scale of it is incredible. www.newscientist.com/article/2514...

very on board with @jjaron.bsky.social's campaign for a biopic of Paul Erdős' life starring Jeff Goldblum www.newscientist.com/article/2514...

This is why we called PrEP one of the best ideas of the 21st century - truly a miracle of science www.newscientist.com/article/2510...

In which I mount my argument that effective altruism is one of the worst ideas the century so far…

The world, the universe and us is LIVE 🚨 @rowhoop.bsky.social, @abbybeall.bsky.social and the team on the 5 worst ideas of the 21st century: 📱 Social media 🪙 Bitcoin 🌳 Carbon off-sets 🙏 Effective altruism ⛽️ Biofuels podfollow.com/the-world-th...

Podcast: the worst ideas* of the 21st century 💥Social media 💥Bitcoin 💥Carbon offsets 💥Effective altruism 💥Alternative fuels *(in science and tech) open.spotify.com/episode/0Kbr...

What's the best idea of the 21st century so far? It's CRISPR, of course! 🧪 Why? It's already making farming less damaging, could save your life and will transform our kid's genomes 🧬 www.newscientist.com/article/2510...

Really excited to share a new story format now live on @newscientist.com for our 21 best ideas of the 21st century special - explore the full issue here www.newscientist.com/article/2511...

This is a shockingly bad piece, doing very little to actually inform readers about the current state of quantum computers. Don't let your economics editor write about cutting-edge science and technology! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Do you hate fad diets, gruelling exercise regimes and unachievable New Year's resolutions? We've found some easy changes you can make to your lifestyle that will still make a big difference to your health. And you'll actually enjoy them.

"It’s probably the most enjoyable health tip you could be told, but the data supporting it has – to date – remained a bizarrely well-kept secret: engage in the arts." www.newscientist.com/article/2506...

Nice to see @newscientist.com stories @mjflepage.bsky.social and I did on Colossal highlighted in this @theguardian.com long read. Biased take, obviously, but nobody cuts through the hype and explains the facts behind new science claims as well as New Scientist. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

If you're feeling a bit overwhelmed by the thought of New Year's resolutions, we at @newscientist.com have found some easy, fun and relaxing new habits you can vow to take on instead. And the good news is, they'll have a huge impact on your health.

Christmas Day Yahtzee will never be the same 😁

My end-of-year leader for 2025 is about the need to defend science against the encroaching darkness, not just because it is the best way to make sense of the world, but also because it is an endless source of wonder and whimsy www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...

Let's hope for a better 2026!

"Three breaths is all you need to tune into the present moment" - how small bursts of mindfulness practices lasting a minute or less can have unexpected benefits for those with busy lives, by @davidarobson.bsky.social www.newscientist.com/article/2502...

From machine learning to voting, the workings of the world demand randomisation, but true sources of randomness are surprisingly hard to find. Now quantum mechanics has supplied the answer - by @drmichaelbrooks.bsky.social www.newscientist.com/article/2494...

this is a fascinating story by @grahamlawton.bsky.social about one of the most audacious scientific experiments ever attempted - a young physicist's quest to recreate the northern lights on the top of a mountain in northern Finland www.newscientist.com/article/2497...

our bumper holiday double issue hits the newsstands this weekend, which means our Christmas features are starting to come out! 🎅 here's one of my favourites, about the saga of a family of interbreeding polar and grizzly bears www.newscientist.com/article/2496...

I wrote a new book and here it is, out in the wild! a lovely Christmas present, perhaps, for any 7 to 12 year-olds interested in space or the stars... uk.bookshop.org/p/books/an-a...

I wrote about the ocean quahog, aka the Icelandic cyprine

One point to add about fake AI journalists: the people that will suffer most are young newbie journalists. I’ve been writing for years and have an extensive footprint: no editor is going to think I’m AI. But someone new, with few published stories, will necessarily look “less real”.

New Scientist is looking for someone to join our brilliant features team! preferably with expertise in evolution, ecology, human sciences and biology, but applicants with any science specialism are welcome www.dmgmedia.co.uk/careers/jobs...

So, is the US actually going to start testing nuclear weapons? Here's what the experts tell @sparkes.bsky.social and New Scientist www.newscientist.com/article/2502...

Here is our exclusive survey asking leading climate scientists to give their views on solar geoengineering: *66% believe we will see it attempted this century *52% say it will probably be done by a "rogue actor" *81% want an international treaty to manage risk www.newscientist.com/article/2498...

The future of space exploration and habitation: with first Briton in space Helen Sharman, biomedical space engineer Irene di Giulio, and BioOrbit CEO Katie King. Recorded live at the @royalsociety.org, with co-host @abbybeall.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVf_...

“The results were surprising, even for me,” says Llavero Pasquina. “I knew they were playing a very little role in the energy transition. I knew it was only for show. It was only for dressing their narrative. But I didn’t expect this low number.” www.newscientist.com/article/2499...

What a panel! ❤️

does this paper...make sense to anyone? "women’s menstrual cycles recorded before the introduction of LEDs in 2010 and the extensive use of smart phones significantly synchronized with the Moon, while those after 2010 coupled to the Moon mostly in January" www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

We analyse the LIFE ON MARS data... with comment from Janice Bishop of @setiinstitute.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzMW...

in a few weeks I'll be hosting a special live episode of our @newscientist.com podcast "The world, the universe and us" at @royalsociety.org. it's going to be all about spaceflight and the human body, with some amazing guests! sign up here www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-world-...

there's a total lunar eclipse this weekend! www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...

How to build a telescope the size of the moon, a 🧵 Very-long baseline interferometry (VLBI) is a clever way astronomers combine inputs from radio telescopes to make a giant network of telescopes. It's how the Event Horizon Telescope imaged the black hole at the centre of our galaxy 1/5

excited to share that I will be starting in a new role when I come back to work @newscientist.com next month, as Specials Editor. I've had a lovely year with my tiny human but I am very excited to get back to editing and commissioning, with a focus on our special issue packages!

An astonishing headline reporting on new observations from a team led to Nikku Madhusudhan claims they’ve found ‘hints of life’ on a planet orbiting a dwarf star some 124 light years away. What’s going on? (1/n) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... 🔭 🧪

Ah yes, April Fool's day on arXiv. Enjoyed this one. arxiv.org/abs/2503.22795

1/ Some things to keep in mind about the “planetary parade” that news reports breathlessly say is happening today: (1) The planets mostly move pretty slowly from day to day, so today's sky is pretty similar to a few days ago or a few days from now — except for Mercury (cont'd)