Science

A study in 13 species of ungulates, including horses, sheep, deer and llamas, found that the most innovative individuals were also less integrated in social groups...

A thin material made from seaweed can handle high temperatures but only takes a few weeks to break down in a composting bin...

Children who go to bed later on the weekends than they do midweek have a larger waist circumference and a higher body mass index than those with a consistent bedtime...

Fungus farming by ants has evolved independently in populations separated by the Atlantic Ocean the latest example was observed in cocktail ants in Cameroon, which cultivate fungus to build their nests...

By quickly analysing where and when NBA players take their shots, an artificial intelligence could help their opponents gain an advantage...

A facility in Massachusetts has been analysing thousands of wastewater samples from across the US every week, looking for viruses and signs of disease. It could soon become permanent...

Tonight, after sunset, it will be possible to see three planets line up with the crescent moon and a fourth, if you have binoculars and a dark sky...

In the Galapagos Islands, finches that live near cities have higher survival rates against parasitic flies than those who live in the country...

Just a few days after hatching, zebrafish larvae can discriminate between bigger and smaller numbers, suggesting they may have an innate numerical ability...

Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka explains how her unconventional way of combining public health and conservation is helping to bring mountain gorillas back from the brink after years of population decline...

A device that uses supersized rubidium atoms could make it possible to transmit outputs from quantum computers through standard optical fibres. That in turn could make it easier to build networks of quantum computers...

Genetic sequencing of Beethoven's hair shows that he didn't have lead poisoning after all, but it doesn't shed light on why he lost his hearing...

Flies and mice fed a high-protein diet were less likely to be awoken by movement during sleep than animals on a regular diet...

An unusually virulent strain of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, primarily found in cat faeces, has been reported in marine animals for the first time...

Luis Caffarelli has been awarded the most prestigious prize in mathematics for his work on nonlinear partial differential equations, which have many applications in the real world...

To celebrate the launch of our new Essential Guide all about exercise, New Scientist editors have selected some of our most insightful premium articles about the science of physical fitness...

Saturn's moon Titan is too cold for many types of chemical reactions, but quantum tunnelling could present a loophole that would allow reactions that are crucial for life...

H5N1 cases in birds are expected to rise in the coming weeks as migratory species wing their way across the planet. Veterinary epidemiologist Victoria Hall explains why this outbreak is different and what it could mean for humans...

Methods to generate the random numbers we need for secure communications are all flawed in some way, but quantum computers that exist today could produce random numbers that can't be faked...

Swabs taken from the suspected seafood market in Wuhan contain both the coronavirus and DNA from raccoon dogs and other animals...

Dissolvable glass made from amino acids can be used to create 3D-printed components that aren't harmful to organisms they could one day be used to make medical devices that dissolve in the body after use...

The World Health Organization says the coronavirus is likely to be no longer seen as a public health emergency within 2023, as long as a more dangerous variant does not evolve...

A form of oestrogen known to be related to positive mood was found to be 43 per cent lower in premenopausal women with depression than those without the condition...

A material called red matter, after the colour change it undergoes when subjected to pressure, was hailed as a potential room temperature superconductor, but now other researchers are finding they can't replicate the results...

Most of the contracts loaning giant pandas to US zoos are expiring without extensions some say this could be a reflection of rising tensions between the US and China, though others suggest it may be coincidence...

It was thought that Japan was home to only one species of Spiranthes orchid, but researchers have now found another...

Just 44 years ago, red goshawks were found along Australia's eastern coastline. But the copper-feathered predators are now missing from 34 per cent of their former range...

The US saw a 40 per cent rise in maternal death rates from 2020 to 2021, with the rate among Black people more than twice as high as white people...

Tens of thousands of living brain cells have been used to build a simple computer that can recognise patterns of light and electricity. It could eventually be used in robotics...

Amphibians with vivid colours to warn predators they are poisonous or bad-tasting typically evolve from species that only show their colours when they flee or deliberately display them...

A transparent material made from cellulose nanofibres and pockets of gas could replace air in double-glazed windows to improve thermal insulation...

A woman is in remission for HIV after she received HIV-resistant stem cells from umbilical cord blood to treat her leukaemia...

Tiny pieces of stone found in a rock formation in Western Australia may be the oldest evidence of a meteorite impact on Earth, dating back nearly 3.5 billion years...

The 2019 fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris unexpectedly led to discovery of the building's use of iron staple reinforcements throughout its structure. It's the first Gothic cathedral known to have used such a method...

A spacesuit designed for the Artemis moon missions is much lighter than those worn by the Apollo astronauts, and allows a greater range of motion...

Astronomers have spotted an object with all the hallmarks of a galaxy cluster, but containing only one galaxy hinting it may have swallowed up all of its neighbours...

Palaeolithic hand stencils with missing fingers could indicate ritual mutilation or frostbite but new research suggests they might be trying to tell us something...

Genetic evidence supports the idea that higher blood caffeine levels lead to lower weight and less chance of type 2 diabetes...

Millimetre-long worms use powerful muscles to jump onto their bee or fly hosts to feed. But their expert leaping may be helped by an electric attraction that pulls them to their targets mid-air...

We only have a few fossil bones of Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum, but researchers have estimated its neck length by analysing its vertebrae and comparing them with those from related dinosaurs...

The world's best Go-playing AIs can beat the best humans at the game, but their introduction has also helped human players improve their skills...

Most iridescent fish shine because of structures in their scales or skin, but the transparent ghost catfish gets its shine from prism-like structures in its muscle fibres...

Most experts think we have to tweak general relativity to fit with quantum theory. Physicist Jonathan Oppenheim isn't so sure, which is why he's made a 5000:1 bet that gravity isn't a quantum force...

A drug that is commonly used to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia stopped the most common type of breast cancer cells from dividing after they had spread to the lungs in mice...

Ichthyosaur bones found in 250 million-year-old rock hint that these swimming reptiles may have appeared before Earth's biggest mass extinction and survived...

Huge snowstorms between December 2021 and January 2022 made Antarctic petrels, snow petrels and south polar skuas abandon attempts at nesting and return to sea...

Black widow spiders are waning in the southern US and brown widows may be the culprit in lab tests, they were more than six times as likely to kill southern black widows than other arachnids they were offered...

A computer game being developed by Amazon, called Alexa Arena, is designed to harvest information on how humans interact with robots so the firm can train the machines on how best to go about their duties in offices and homes...

To lure squid to the surface, fishing vessels often use bright lights than can be seen by satellites. This has allowed researchers to track squid fishing that occurs away from oversight...

When macaques use stones to crack nuts, they accidentally create flakes that look like early human artefacts, raising questions about whether such objects were made deliberately...