New Scientist - Technology
First test of CO2 removal with green sand finds no harm to marine life
Adding olivine to the ocean could remove CO2 from the atmosphere, and a pilot project in New York state found no signs of adverse effects on seafloor organisms
Categories: Science
SpaceX is about to launch tallest and most powerful rocket in history
A record-breaking new version of Starship, due to launch within days, could form the basis of NASA's ambitious Artemis programme that aims to put humans back on the moon as soon as 2028
Categories: Science
Cleaning up air pollution could weaken vital AMOC ocean current
Global warming already threatens to destabilise the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, and new research shows that regional clean-air policies could reduce its strength further
Categories: Science
CAR T-cell therapy bolstered by stiffening up cancer cells first
CAR T-cell therapy has been hugely successful in treating certain types of tumours, and stiffening up cancer cells beforehand could make it even more effective
Categories: Science
Where do you think your ‘self’ is? Your answer is revealing
People who imagine their self to reside in their head or their heart have different approaches to life. Columnist David Robson explores the benefits of learning to shift where you sense your self, and how this practice could improve your relationships and decision-making
Categories: Science
Vocal fry is more common in men, actually, find scientists
The creaky noise known as vocal fry that people generally associate with young women – and some find irritating – is actually more common in men
Categories: Science
Will burying dead trees after a wildfire keep their carbon locked up?
Partially burnt trees still standing after a wildfire are typically felled and burned, but a US start-up claims burying them instead will trap the carbon underground for centuries
Categories: Science
3 things you need to know about quantum computers, from an expert
What use is a quantum computer? Perhaps both more and less than you think, according to quantum computing expert Shayan Majidy
Categories: Science
Melting of Greenland ice sheet could release methane 'fire ice'
Seismic surveys and sediment cores suggest that dozens of deep pockmarks on the sea floor were created when Arctic methane stores were disrupted by climate change after the last glacial maximum – and scientists warn it could happen again
Categories: Science
Rebooting stem cells builds aged muscles and assists injury recovery
Muscle stem cells, which are crucial for building new muscle, don’t work as well as we get older, but giving them an artificial boost could rejuvenate them
Categories: Science
Neanderthals treated a dental cavity by drilling into the tooth
A Neanderthal tooth shows clear signs of human intervention to treat bacterial decay, showing that the earliest dentistry began at least 59,000 years ago
Categories: Science
Shocking turtle photo reveals efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade
Winner of an environmental photography award, this shot of a sea turtle seen under ultraviolet light shows how forensic evidence is being used to help catch poachers and animal traffickers
Categories: Science
Arctic fires are releasing carbon stored for thousands of years
A study of soils around the Arctic and boreal forests has found that some wildfires are releasing carbon stored over millennia, meaning higher CO2 emissions than assumed
Categories: Science
New Scientist recommends visiting the blooming corpse flower at Kew
The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week
Categories: Science
Suzanne Simard on the wood wide web, connectedness – and Avatar
Rowan Hooper met ecologist Suzanne Simard under an oak tree in Kew Gardens, London, to talk about her new book, criticism of her work, and getting a call from James Cameron's people
Categories: Science
Asteroid set to fly very close to Earth
Asteroid 2026JH2 has enough mass to wipe out a city and will zoom past Earth next week
Categories: Science
Ancient teeth hint at links between Denisovans and Homo erectus
Six teeth roughly 400,000 years old have yielded some of the first ancient proteins thought to belong to Homo erectus, providing molecular clues to their relationships with other hominins
Categories: Science
Natural sunscreen found in fish eggs can be made by E. coli factories
Genetically altered bacteria can synthesise gadusol, a naturally occurring compound found in zebrafish eggs that could be developed as an alternative to existing sunscreen products that can harm marine life
Categories: Science
New rules confirm public has a right to see how UK government uses AI
Government departments and other public bodies in the UK must consider requests to release information about AI-produced content, regulators have confirmed. The move follows a successful request by New Scientist for the release of a minister's ChatGPT logs
Categories: Science
Carbon credits are flawed, but they can still help save forests
Carbon credits bought by companies to offset their emissions really have reduced deforestation, but not by as much as credit developers claim, according to a rigorous analysis
Categories: Science
