By Jacob Aron AI chatbots and a weight-loss drug swept the world, temperature records tumbled and India landed on the moon in a year of astonishing science news. Environment The number of […]
The biggest science news stories of 2023 as chosen by New Scientist
Billionaire Politicians: A Global Perspective
Abstract We introduce an original dataset of formal political participation for over 2,000 individuals included in the Forbes Billionaires List. We find that billionaire politicians are a surprisingly common phenomenon: Over 11% […]
Suppressing negative thoughts may be good for mental health after all
The commonly-held belief that attempting to suppress negative thoughts is bad for our mental health could be wrong, a new study from scientists at the University of Cambridge suggests. Researchers at the […]
Wildfires are much worse than a sign of climate change
Expert explains the dual threat posed by a crisis spreading beyond our control Summer headlines have screamed of climate extremes: Record temperatures, an ocean heat wave, and rampant wildfires, including Canadian blazes […]
Small-winged and lighter coloured butterflies likely to be at greatest threat from climate change
The family, wing length and wing colour of tropical butterflies all influence their ability to withstand rising temperatures, say a team led by ecologists at the University of Cambridge. The researchers believe […]
Stanford Medicine researchers take part in HuBMAP, showing what healthy human tissue looks like
Stanford Medicine scientists describe details of the human intestine and placental tissue as part of the National Institute of Health’s Human Biomolecular Atlas Program. More often than not, studies of human biology […]
Online consumers at risk from ‘intelligent’ price manipulation: Oxford and Imperial experts
Sophisticated computer algorithms used to set prices in online marketplaces put consumers at risk of collusion among sellers, according to a study today from computer scientists at the Oxford Internet Institute and Imperial College. Widespread […]
Taking a lesson in evolutionary adaptation from octopus, squid
Two new studies describe path of divergent sensing capabilities, tracking lineage from common ancestral neurons Cephalopods such as octopus and squid evolutionarily diverged from mollusks like slugs and snails. These animals have […]
February 12, 2023: Darwin’s Drink
The Future Leadership Institute celebrates the birthday of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin: 12 February 1809 – 12 February 2023 Date: 12 February 2023, 19.00h Venue: Private (Belgium) Tickets: By invitation only Attendance: […]
New modelling study shows that most plastic debris on Seychelles beaches comes from far-off sources
A new modelling study shows that the Seychelles and other islands in the western Indian Ocean are not responsible for most of the plastic waste that accumulates on their beaches. Vast amounts […]
Food industry shows ‘stalled progress’ to reduce salt intakes, new Oxford-led analysis finds
Excess salt consumption* increases the risk of high blood pressure and is thought to be responsible for at least 2.5 million deaths worldwide each year, mostly from strokes and cardiovascular disease (World […]
Study reveals how hunting hawks home in on prey inside a chaotic swarm
New research by the University of Oxford has found that hawks hunting swarming bats steer towards a fixed point in the swarm rather than targeting any one individual A study published this […]
February 12, 2022: Darwin’s Coronadrink
The Future Leadership Institute celebrates the birthday of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin: 12 February 1809 – 12 February 2022 Date: 12 February 2022, 19.00h Venue: Your Own House Tickets: Please invite yourself, to have drink […]
Nora Eisner: “Anyone can do real science”
Nora Eisner is an astrophysicist affiliated with KU Leuven’s Astronomy Unit. For her PhD at the University of Oxford, she is assisted by more than 30,000 volunteers. “I would never have been […]