New Scientist
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Don't know where to start with AI? Kevin Roose's new book has answers
The AGI Chronicles review: Don't know where to start with AI? This new book has answers
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Last Word: This week’s new questions
Why does music evoke emotion, and do people from other cultures feel the same way? Why do we scrunch our faces up when we taste something sour?
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Tom Gauld on the real risks of AI
Tom Gauld's weekly cartoon
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OpenAI announces 722 mathematical discoveries in one go
AI has been growing ever more capable in mathematics and OpenAI has now released hundreds of papers at the same time – to the astonishment of mathematicians
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Nobel prize in chemistry awarded for work on mirror molecules
Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai have been honoured for their work on making molecules form the correct mirror images
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Shoes may change the structure of our ankle bones
Wearing shoes seems to affect the density and volume of a spongy network within a bone in our ankles, which could affect the validity of previous research into the evolution of walking
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The telescope that could reveal what dark matter and dark energy are
The Roman telescope is NASA’s newest space observatory. Every 10 months, it will get the equivalent of about 1000 years' worth of Hubble observations. Will it find the answers to our questions about dark matter and dark energy?
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Impossibly fast-moving stars are revealing the Milky Way's mysterious heart
Near the centre of the Milky Way, a swarm of stars hurtles around a supermassive black hole at extraordinary speeds. Studying them could be the key to understanding our galaxy
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The most ambitious ideas to save the world from El Niño
A monster El Niño is brewing in the Pacific Ocean – but there may be ways we can stop the worst impacts from occurring
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Nobel prize in physics awarded for discovery of high-energy neutrinos
The 2026 Nobel prize in physics has been won by Francis Halzen for his work on neutrinos, which serve as 'ghost-like messengers from the cosmos'
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Can we harness the brain's deep-cleaning system to prevent Alzheimer's?
The glymphatic system is the brain's recently discovered network for flushing out toxins. Now, we're uncovering surprising ways to boost it to protect brain health
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Extinct yak relative discovered from DNA in Denisova cave
Genetic analysis of hundreds of tiny bone fragments found in the same cave that yielded the first fossil remains of the Denisovans has revealed that the region was once also home to a previously unknown species of yak
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AI finds bafflingly complex but beautiful symmetrical Venn diagram
Creating rotationally symmetrical Venn diagrams of increasing size is a long-standing mathematical challenge - now an amateur has used AI to generate the largest ones yet
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arXiv might not survive AI slop onslaught, warn mathematicians
Mathematicians warn that pre-print service arXiv is so flooded with AI slop papers that it has become virtually unusable – but the service has struck back at "low-value" submissions with a new limit for uploaders
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Compressing bones releases molecules that ease traumatic brain injuries
Pressing down on shin bones improved cognitive and motor symptoms in mice and pigs with traumatic brain injuries
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Nobel prize for medicine goes to trio who developed optogenetics
The 2026 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine has gone to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for the development of techniques for controlling brain cells with light
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What disasters will El Niño bring over the next year?
From wildfires to landslides to coral bleaching, past trends suggest what extreme weather the record El Niño will bring – but the world isn’t prepared
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Should we keep children away from sugar for their first 1000 days?
The list of age-related conditions we can avoid by limiting sugar is shockingly long. But does that mean we should stop our children eating any sugar at all? Columnist Alice Klein takes a look at the evidence for cutting out sugar from conception to age 2
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Nearly 200 people isolated after lab worker in Russia dies of plague
A lab accident is said to have led to the death of a woman from pneumonic plague in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, leading to nearly 200 possible contacts being put under observation
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Mathematicians and AI in behind-the-scenes battle over what's true
AI models are solving mathematics problems with increasing pace, and a technique called formalisation is key to demonstrating that their claimed solutions are indeed correct. But can we trust the formalisation process?
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First week of life seems crucial for future allergy and eczema risk
The mainstream view is that there are no particularly critical phases in the development of the immune system, but a study of hundreds of infants suggests otherwise
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Fossil mammal with reptile-like teeth changes picture of our evolution
Unlike most modern mammals, which get just two sets of teeth in their lifetime, an ancient species from the Cretaceous, found in China, appears to have had the ability to replace its teeth throughout its life
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Brain area discovered that may be critical for viable pregnancies
A newly discovered part of the brain is essential for successful embryo implantation in mice. It may help to explain why some pregnancies and IVF attempts fail
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Will the backlash against AI data centres hit quantum computing too?
To succeed at scale, quantum computing must differentiate itself from AI, says columnist Karmela Padavic-Callaghan. But the two technologies are already mixed up in the eyes of the public
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I am a top drone pilot in the Ukrainian Army – this is what it is really like
Kratos is the call sign of one of the leading drone pilots in Ukraine. As part of the Aquila regiment, 3rd Army Corps, he has taken down almost 1000 enemy drones
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Read an extract from Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel
In the opening to Emily St. John Mandel's new novel Exit Party, the October read for the New Scientist Book Club, we are introduced to Los Angeles in 2031, as a curfew lifts from the city
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Placenta wrap hastens erection recovery after prostate surgery
Dried amniotic membranes from donated placentas can be wrapped around delicate nerves during prostate cancer surgery to hasten the time to a first erection after the procedure
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Elephants imitate each other when they produce deep rumbling sounds
African savannah elephants use a variety of calls to communicate, and now machine learning has shown that they tune their deepest sounds to match those of other nearby elephants
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Earth’s geographic poles wander more than we had thought
A phenomenon known as true polar wander, different to the movement of the magnetic poles, may be more common and more dramatic than previously known
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Ukraine rolls out drone-stopping razor fence to thwart attacks
Most of the drones being used by Russia in the war with Ukraine are controlled by cables several tens of kilometres long. A new defensive tool cuts the cables to stop the drones
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The best popular-science books of October 2026
With a new book from the late primatologist Frans de Waal and a deep dive into artificial intelligence from New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose, there is some hard-hitting popular science to look forward to this month – with added Pokémon, says Liz Else
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A lack of rockets is creating a crisis for space technology companies
SpaceX’s changing priorities, the war in Ukraine and a lack of competitors are all causing a launch crisis that might last years
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Can mathematicians still refuse to use AI at this point?
There’s no question AI has transformed the field of mathematics in the past few months. Columnist Jacob Aron wonders if it will soon be impossible to be an AI refusenik and continue working in the field
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Anglo-Saxons got special treatment in medieval Rome
A small hoard of medieval English coins found near the Vatican in Rome suggests that early English residents held a privileged status in the holy city
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Twisteddoodles on the discovery of a new cat species
This week's cartoon from Twisteddoodles
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The New Scientist Book Club's verdict on The Edge of Space-Time by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein: a wild ride
The September read for the New Scientist Book Club was a challenging trip to the edges of space-time with Chanda Prescod-Weinstein – but one which most book club members thoroughly enjoyed
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Why do we have hair – on our heads and elsewhere? A new book explores
Anxious and Hairy: Why do we have hair – on our heads and elsewhere? A new book explores
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A 'unique opportunity': is this the weirdest RightMove listing ever?
Feedback is a little saddened to discover that a historic scientific building is up for sale, and wonders if any readers fancy opening a museum
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Unsettling images reveal stark impact of humans on the environment
These aerial shots from photographer and environmental activist J. Henry Fair, drawn from a new exhibition, show the impact of human activity on the landscape
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Benjamin Labatut has written an utterly haunting novella about science
Using real scientists as characters, When We Cease to Understand the World looks at what happens when science unravels the conceit that we can understand reality. It is a brilliant piece of writing, says Jacklin Kwan
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Moonfish, a haunting animation, captures a tragedy in space
Daniel Zvereff’s animation, Moonfish, exposes the grief-filled and strange reality of space miner Cassius’s life working on an asteroid after things go tragically wrong. Drawn in black and white, it’s a tiny budget wonder
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Tom Gauld on an audience with the great theoretical scientist
Tom Gauld's weekly cartoon
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Last Word: This week’s new questions
Why do dogs generally follow instructions, whereas cats largely ignore them? Will we ever build a space telescope that can see as far as the big bang?
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Why a modern approach to healthcare must consider more than illness
Pills and other medications may seem like the most rigorous way to treat illness, but we increasingly know that our health must revolve around the whole mind and body
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Explainer: What is El Niño?
Every few years, a disturbance in the Pacific Ocean is amplified by feedback mechanisms in the atmosphere, unleashing heat and extreme weather around the globe
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The best new science-fiction books of October 2026
From Becky Chambers to Audrey Niffenegger, there are some heavy hitters with new sci-fi novels out this month – and a hefty dose of time travel, says Alison Flood
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The astonishing collective impact of household energy shifts
A subtle change in household power habits could eliminate the need to build new gas power plants, say researchers studying energy usage
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Urban trees in south-east England can't cope with the changing climate
In cities such as London, trees are already struggling with hot and dry summers. Botanists warn that we need to start replacing them with drought-adapted species
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Spectacular feathered dinosaur fossil shows bird-like adaptations
An exquisitely preserved fossil found in China shows that many anatomical features seen in birds also evolved independently in another group of dinosaurs
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Why are so many animals moving to hotter places as the world warms?
We’ve long expected animals to move to cooler habitats as climate change bites, but it now appears that many are actually doing the opposite. What on earth is going on?