Science
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Meta Ran Ads That Contained AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Imagery
More than 50 offending image and video ads were published across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or Threads, according to Meta’s ad library data. Some ran as recently as this week.
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Tom Gauld visits the entomology department | New Scientist
Tom Gauld's weekly cartoon
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The BenQ GV50 Projector Lets You Watch Movies Anywhere—Including Your Ceiling
This affordable, portable projector doesn’t try to be a cinematic marvel, but it’s fun to use.
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Cougars Lower the Risks of Car Crashes by Hunting Deer
A new study shows how the big cats cause deer to move away from roads and deeper into the forest, where they pose less of a hazard to motorists.
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No One Can Afford to Make ‘Myst’ Games Anymore
“Myst” sold over 6 million copies in the ’90s. Its latest sequel couldn’t shore up any funding, pointing to an existential crisis among double-A games.
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Ancient Egyptians may have built a massive dam near the Red Pyramid | New Scientist
Large structures near the Red Pyramid may be the remnants of a major dam, suggesting that the Egyptians used water to help power their construction projects
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Gene-Edited Puppies Will Melt Your Heart—but Won’t Trigger Your Allergies
A startup has created beagles without the gene that causes runny noses and watery eyes for allergy sufferers.
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SpaceX rocket crashes into moon at 8700 kilometres per hour | New Scientist
A rocket launched last year is thought to have smashed into the lunar surface this morning, creating the moon's newest crater
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A New Device Eases One of the Most Annoying Parts of Routine Physicals
Nobody likes getting a swab shoved up their nose. A startup in Japan has developed a much less intrusive system.
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The AI Notetaker Has Been Invited to All the Meetings
Wispr Flow, a popular dictation tool, has released a live notetaker that transcribes and summarizes meetings. It joins a growing wave of AI notetakers for the workplace.
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Viral Mugshot Accounts Are Ruining Women’s Lives
Mugshawtys and similar pages often frame mugshots as thirst traps. The women featured are humiliated and are sometimes harassed for months and years after their arrests.
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AI Influencers Are Heading Into Uncharted Territory
Some creators fear the EU AI Act’s regulatory chaos will upend their lucrative businesses. Others are owning it by incorporating AI transparency into their creative process.
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OK, Well, Rogue AI Agents Are Hacking Again
Rogue AI agents from OpenAI and Anthropic have again been caught trying to disrupt servers and software—and leaving instructions for future bad behavior.
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The White House Is Keeping Its AI Cybersecurity Framework Secret
The Trump administration shared the details of its plan with OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI labs on Tuesday. For now, the public remains in the dark.
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Most people prefer AI-written stories – and can't tell when they are made by humans | New Scientist
People appear to prefer short stories created by AI over those written by humans. They are also no better than chance at telling which is which
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Should you stop using preventive flea treatments on your pets? | New Scientist
It has been assumed for decades that tick and flea treatments for pets pose no threat to wildlife or people, but there’s growing evidence that we have got it wrong
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The once-impossible black holes that could break thermodynamics | New Scientist
The laws of physics seemed to forbid a strange variety of black holes that could have zero temperature. Columnist Jacklin Kwan explores research that shows these strange behemoths can really exist – and how they could test the limits of thermodynamics
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Darwin proved right about gnat-trapping carnivorous plant | New Scientist
Botanists have finally proved what Charles Darwin was unable to nail down – that a genus of plants known to catch insects also digests them, suggesting the extent of plant carnivory has been underestimated
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Landmark Deal Would Officially Add Laser Weapons to US Army Arsenal
Facing a growing drone threat, the Pentagon is poised to sign a first-of-its-kind contract for “Enduring High Energy Lasers”—and make directed energy weapons an official part of the Army’s kit.
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We’re beginning to understand the sudden ‘grief attacks’ that hit mourners | New Scientist
A few years ago, psychologist Sherman Lee experienced a "grief attack". When he set out to study them, he discovered just how powerful and all-consuming grief can be
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Is This Poker Player Bluffing? The AI Thinks So
ESPN unveiled an “AI tells detection” tool during broadcasts of the 2026 World Series of Poker. Is it a neat computer-powered party trick, or a real threat to poker’s future?
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The best new popular science books of August 2026 | New Scientist
From which diets work best to the ethics of octopus farming, here’s Liz Else’s round-up of the most interesting popular science books published this month
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Canadian wildfires are reducing solar power generation in Europe | New Scientist
Lost solar power due to smoke blocking the sun cost Europe and North America nearly $2 billion in 2023 alone
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The Real Story Behind the 2018 Google Walkout
In 2018, more than 20,000 employees walked out to protest how Google handled allegations of sexual harassment. Here’s how they organized it from inside the company.
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How Data Centers Broke American Politics
What the Unabomber, Steve Bannon’s tech guy, and Bernie Sanders taught me about the great data center backlash of 2026.
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How One Startup Built a (Mostly) China-Free Robot
Ati Robotics assembles its robots in India and uses just a few Chinese parts—a strategy that could pay off as the Trump administration cracks down on Chinese humanoids.
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Parts of the UK endure first ever month without any rain | New Scientist
For the first time since records began, there was no rain at all for parts of southern England and Wales in July, in a “truly exceptional” month of heat and sunshine
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Mistral Is in the Right Place at the Right Time
Open-weight AI models are having a moment in the wake of recent turmoil at US tech giants. For French AI lab Mistral, that’s the the best thing that could have happened.
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‘Everyone Is Doing It’: The Truth About AI in Hollywood
Puck’s Matthew Belloni says AI has quietly become part of everyday filmmaking. The battle now isn’t whether Hollywood will use the technology—it’s who controls what’ll come next.
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Did an AI Music App Just Snitch on the Song of the Summer?
Fenix Flexin’s hit song “Rubberz” has hip-hop fans arguing over whether it was generated by AI. Some say they have proof it’s machine-made, but will anyone care?
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The SpaceX Falcon Lunar Crash Is a Warning for Moon Bases
The risk of more debris hitting the moon is on the rise as the space race heats up.
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OpenAI announces solutions to 10 longstanding maths problems | New Scientist
Ten conundrums that stumped human mathematicians for years have been cracked by OpenAI's Astra model, continuing a hot streak of AI-driven breakthroughs that are shaking up the field
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Why winner of biggest prize in maths has decided to work on AI instead | New Scientist
Jacob Tsimerman won a Fields medal last month – now he is leaving mathematics to work on AI safety
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Why sitting under a parasol is barely cooler than being in the sun | New Scientist
A beach umbrella might protect you from sunburn, but when it comes to keeping you cool, it makes surprisingly little difference
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Will a new kind of AI that understands physical reality change the world again? | New Scientist
AI chatbots can describe reality in words, but don’t truly understand cause and effect in the real world. Now, a fresh kind of machine intelligence that does just that is emerging
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He Went Viral for Posting About Flock Cameras. Then Someone Destroyed Them
Steve Elmers, also known as the “Guardrail Guy,” is done calling out license plate readers after two that appeared in his videos were vandalized.
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Are beef-liver or standard iron supplements better for boosting iron? | New Scientist
Beef-liver supplements are said to be more effective at raising iron levels than standard tablets, but is it true? Columnist Alice Klein looks into the evidence behind the claims
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The Nothing Ear (3a) Are Some of the Best $100 Earbuds You Can Get
They sound just as good as earbuds nearly twice as pricey, if you can stomach so-so noise canceling.
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People Are Ghosting Long-Term Partners. Some Don’t Regret It
The communication-free form of breaking up has become ubiquitous. “I no longer had to bear her energy,” a man who ghosted his partner of four years tells WIRED.
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An Old-House Owner’s Guide to New Technology
What I chose—and what I compromised on—while adding modern conveniences to a historic Portland home.
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ICE Collected Nearly 1 Million People’s DNA Last Year—Including Young Children
Internal documents show ICE's DNA collection has skyrocketed in the second Trump administration. Now hundreds of thousands of people never convicted of a crime are in an FBI criminal database forever.
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My Toddler Can Operate the Best Kids’ Audio Players by Herself
Whether you want an audio player that’ll grow with your kid or one that your toddler can operate independently, I have a recommendation for you.
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A $350 OLED Gaming Monitor Can’t Really Be Good, Can It?
We’ve come a long way since exclusively $1,000+ OLED gaming monitors. Alienware’s latest display brings the price down to a shocking $350, though it comes with some important compromises.
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There Are 2 Eclipses This August. Here’s How to See Them
Everything you need to know about the solar eclipse and lunar eclipse that will occur in August 2026.
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The Best Car Vacuums for Crumbs, Sand, and Pet Hair
We tested handheld and cordless vacuums to find the best options for cleaning seats, floor mats, trunks, and every crevice in between.
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The James Webb Telescope Is Changing Astronomers’ Understanding of the Ancient Cosmos
From how galaxies form to the beginnings of the universe, the images from the space telescope are giving cosmologists new data to explore—and theories to build out.
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Is It Possible to Make Smart Glasses That Aren’t Creepy?
As more big companies invest in glasses that record audio and video and pack AI on board, privacy concerns are only getting louder.
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YouTube Star AboFlah Made Streaming His Life. He Wants His Kids to Live Offline
AboFlah talks about his new goals, streaming for charity, and when it’s time to log off.
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Europeans Are About to Find Out How Entrenched AI Is in Their Daily Lives
New EU rules stipulate that people must be told when they’re interacting with AI or looking at AI-generated or -edited content, leading to fear of “disclosure fatigue.”
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7 States’ Water Systems Hit by Cyberattacks Likely Tied to Iran
Plus: The FBI eyes AI-powered tech to detect future crimes, Russia charges Telegram’s founder, xAI sues to stop a state’s “nudification” ban, and the Democrats learn a lesson about getting scammed.