Falling satellite will give clues to how objects burn up on re-entry
A chance to observe the high-speed re-entry of a falling satellite will give researchers important insights on how debris burns up in our atmosphere ⌘ Read more

Windows computers around the world are failing in a major outage
An update to a piece of software called CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor appears to be negatively impacting Windows computers worldwide, with banks, airports, broadcasters and more finding that devices display a “blue screen of death” instead of booting up ⌘ Read more

Light-activated drugs could keep sleep-deprived military pilots alert
A US military program led by DARPA is modifying the stimulant drug dextroamphetamine so it can be switched on or off in the brain using near-infrared light, avoiding risks like addiction ⌘ Read more

Einstein’s theory was wrong about black holes made out of light
The theory of relativity predicts black holes should be able to form from light alone, but incorporating quantum effects makes it impossible ⌘ Read more

Hybrid design could make nuclear fusion reactors more efficient
Two types of fusion reactor called tokamaks and stellarators both have drawbacks – but a new design combining parts from both could offer the best of both worlds ⌘ Read more

Did rock art spread from one place or was it invented many times?
Rock art is a truly global phenomenon, with discoveries of cave paintings and etchings on every continent that ancient humans inhabited – but how many times was it invented over human history? ⌘ Read more

UK election: How can next government get climate goals back on track?
The UK’s journey to net zero has stalled – whoever wins the 4 July election will need to get it moving again, but many climate scientists are frustrated with what the main parties are offering ⌘ Read more

JWST spotted an incredible number of supernovae in the early universe
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have increased the number of known supernovae in the early universe by a factor of 10 and found the most distant one ever confirmed ⌘ Read more

Polycystic ovary syndrome could be treated with a malaria drug
The malaria treatment artemisinin improved hormone levels and regulated menstrual cycles in women with polycystic ovary syndrome ⌘ Read more

Cooling fabric blocks heat from pavement and buildings in hot cities
A three-layered textile made from fabric, plastic and silver nanowires can keep a person several degrees cooler than silk or other cooling materials ⌘ Read more

Lung-targeted CRISPR therapy offers hope for cystic fibrosis
Gene therapies for cystic fibrosis have previously struggled to reach the faulty lung cells, but a new approach has succeeded in achieving long-lasting modifications in mice ⌘ Read more

Odd black holes smaller than protons may have once littered the cosmos
Minuscule black holes that formed right after the big bang could have had a strange property called colour charge, and spotting them could help unravel the mystery of dark matter ⌘ Read more

Walking with irregular strides may help you burn more calories
Taking a combination of short and long strides as you walk increases the amount of energy used by the body ⌘ Read more

Mathematicians discover impossible problem in Super Mario games
Using the tools of computational complexity, researchers have discovered it is impossible to figure out whether certain Super Mario Bros levels can be beaten without playing them, even if you use the world’s most powerful supercomputer ⌘ Read more

Russia faces $32 billion bill for carbon emissions from Ukraine war
The estimated greenhouse gas emissions caused by the war in Ukraine are equivalent to around 175 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, and Ukraine plans to include the associated climate damage in its compensation claim against Russia ⌘ Read more

Martin Rees: Why challenge prizes can solve our most pressing issues
As the winner of the Longitude Prize on Antimicrobial Resistance is announced, chair of the prize committee Martin Rees, the UK’s Astronomer Royal, explains why it pays to reward ideas ⌘ Read more

Quantum sensor gets a read on tiny worm implanted with nanodiamonds
Tiny diamonds and quantum sensors can be used to measure conditions inside cells or living organisms, potentially offering a way to detect diseases or study biology in minute detail ⌘ Read more

What would a wormhole look like if we ever found one?
How could we tell the difference between an ordinary black hole and one connected to a tunnel through space-time? ⌘ Read more

We could detect a malfunctioning warp drive on an alien starship
Faster-than-light warp drives are theoretically possible to build, and if aliens are using them, we should be able to detect the gravitational waves produced when one goes wrong ⌘ Read more

Australian pterosaur had a huge tongue to help gulp down prey
Scientists have identified a new species of pterosaur from a 100-million-year-old fossil in Australia, which appears to have had a massive tongue to push prey down its throat ⌘ Read more

Muscle zapping during exercise helps people recover after a stroke
A small trial has found that electrical stimulation of arm muscles while people do physiotherapy exercises leads to more improvement ⌘ Read more

What “naked” singularities are revealing about quantum space-time
Are points of infinite curvature, where general relativity breaks down, always hidden inside black holes? An audacious attempt to find out is shedding light on the mystery of quantum gravity ⌘ Read more

Astronaut medical records reveal the health toll of space travel
The largest collection yet of detailed medical data and tissue samples from astronauts should help researchers better understand the impacts of space flight on health ⌘ Read more

How many moons and moonmoons could we cram into Earth’s orbit?
Earth is lagging behind other worlds with its single moon, so on this episode of Dead Planets Society we are giving it more – and giving those moons moonmoons to orbit them ⌘ Read more

Marine fungus can break down floating plastic pollution
The plastic-digesting capabilities of the fungus Parengyodontium album could be harnessed to degrade polyethylene, the most abundant type of plastic in the ocean ⌘ Read more

Ozempic and Wegovy linked to lower risk of alcoholism
People taking semaglutide, also called Ozempic and Wegovy, either for weight loss or type 2 diabetes, were less likely to become addicted to alcohol ⌘ Read more

The first stars in the universe could have formed surprisingly early
Huge stars might have formed in the first million years of the universe if there was enough matter clumped together, according to a computer model ⌘ Read more

How dodo de-extinction is helping rescue the extraordinary pink pigeon
The same genetic tools being used to resurrect the woolly mammoth and dodo could help many other vulnerable species that have yet to die out ⌘ Read more

Elephants seem to invent names for each other
An analysis of their vocalisations suggests that African savannah elephants invent names for each other, making them the only animals other than humans thought to do so ⌘ Read more

The largest volcanoes on Mars have frosted tips during winter
We know that there is ice at the Martian poles and underground, but until now it wasn’t clear it could exist on the surface of the Red Planet ⌘ Read more

A surprisingly quick enzyme could shift our understanding of evolution
Biological processes such as DNA replication or cellular structure formation may become more accurate when done as quickly as possible, offering new hints into life’s origins ⌘ Read more

Bacteria evolve to get better at evolving in lab experiment
When bacteria were put in alternating environments, some became better at evolving to cope with the changes – evidence that “evolvability” can be gained through natural selection ⌘ Read more

Cosmic cloud exposed Earth to interstellar space 3 million years ago
The protective bubble around the sun retreated dramatically after colliding with a freezing interstellar cloud, leaving much of the solar system exposed to radiation that shaped our evolution, a study suggests ⌘ Read more

The word ‘bot’ is increasingly being used as an insult on social media
The meaning of the word “bot” on Twitter/X seems to have shifted over time, with people originally using it to flag automated accounts, but now employing it to insult people they disagree with ⌘ Read more

Starliner and Starship launches propel space industry into a new era
SpaceX successfully launched its Starship rocket on the same day that Boeing’s Starliner craft made its first crewed flight, a sign that the space industry is hotting up ⌘ Read more

What is a heat dome and are they getting worse with climate change?
Mexico and the southern US have seen extreme temperatures due to a heat dome, a weather phenomenon that will become more intense with climate change ⌘ Read more

Writers accept lower pay when they use AI to help with their work
When writers are allowed to get help from ChatGPT, they accept lower pay, fuelling fears that AI will lower the value of skilled workers ⌘ Read more

Physicists want to drill a 5-kilometre-deep hole on the moon
Going deep into lunar rock could give us an opportunity to see if protons can decay into something else – a finding that could help us unify conflicting physics theories ⌘ Read more

Male lemurs grow bigger testicles when there are other males around
Dominant male Verreaux’s sifakas always have the largest testicles in their group to make the most sperm, and they can grow their gonads to make sure of it ⌘ Read more

Atoms at temperatures beyond absolute zero may be a new form of matter
Physicists have coaxed a cloud of atoms into having a temperature beyond absolute zero and placed them in a geometric structure that could produce an unknown form of matter ⌘ Read more

Would an AI judge be able to efficiently dispense justice?
Judges are only human and can make mistakes, so could an artificial intelligence make better and more efficient decisions? ⌘ Read more

Single-celled predator extends its ‘neck’ with the help of origami
The mystery of how a single-celled predator extends its “neck” by more than 30 times its overall length has finally been solved ⌘ Read more

Origins of modern horses traced to breeding revolution 4200 years ago
A genetic analysis of ancient horses reveals that breeding techniques developed by people in the Pontic-Caspian steppes enabled the rapid spread of horse-powered travel ⌘ Read more

Starship launch: Fourth test succeeds as both stages splash into sea
SpaceX’s Starship has been to orbit and back in its fourth flight test, with both rocket stages soft landing in the ocean, though parts of the spacecraft appeared to be damaged during descent ⌘ Read more

Sweetener xylitol linked to higher risk of heart attacks and strokes
People who had higher levels of xylitol in their blood were more likely to have a heart attack or stroke within the next three years, with lab experiments suggesting the sweetener promotes blood clotting ⌘ Read more

These are the best new science fiction books to read this June 2024
New books from Adrian Tchaikovsky and the late Michael Crichton (with James Patterson) are among the great new sci-fi novels out this month ⌘ Read more

Dutch police trial AI-powered robot dog to safely inspect drug labs
The Dutch police force is already using a remotely controlled Spot robot dog made by Boston Dynamics to examine drug labs in raids, and now it wants to make the robot fully autonomous ⌘ Read more

Starship launch 4: What time is the SpaceX flight today?
SpaceX is getting ready to launch its massive Starship rocket today at 12.30pm UK time and we have all the details on the mission ⌘ Read more

Does coming off antidepressants really cause withdrawal symptoms?
People who stop taking antidepressants may get mental and physical symptoms as their bodies adjust to the lack of medicines - now we know how common this is ⌘ Read more

Boeing launches first crewed Starliner mission to the ISS
The Starliner spacecraft is on its way, carrying two astronauts to the International Space Station, having finally launched on its third attempt ⌘ Read more