Two New Science Questions: Monochrome Appeal and Chromosome Count
New Scientist highlights open puzzles about why black-and-white imagery is pleasing and why diploid genomes prevail.
Science
Space, physics, materials, and general research.
DNA Typewriter logs a mouse embryo's cell lineage from first split
A new DNA recording system traced a developing mouse embryo's cells back to its first two divisions, revealing how cell types emerge on their own schedules.
Europe's Sentinel-3C Returns First Images of Earth
Two weeks after launch, the Copernicus satellite is already measuring ocean heights and ice-sheet elevation.
Flash-Flood Work Uncovers 3,000-Year-Old Egyptian Tomb Near Luxor
Researchers protecting ancient tombs from flash floods accidentally found a well-preserved painted chamber belonging to an official named Paser.
UNESCO Warns Mediterranean Tsunami Risk Is Nearly Certain
A UNESCO assessment puts the chance of a Mediterranean tsunami close to 100 percent, with some waves able to hit the French Riviera in under 10 minutes.
Light Can Develop Spinning Patterns in Empty Space, Physicists Find
New experiments show that carefully prepared light can naturally produce left- and right-handed spin as it travels through free space, without special optical components.
Ancient DNA Folding May Explain Octopus Intelligence
A University of Vienna study links a massive ancient genome reorganization in octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish to the evolution of their complex nervous systems.
JWST Finds Ancient Galaxy Cluster With Unexpectedly Dense Dark Matter
Observations of the distant cluster XLSSC 122 reveal a dense central mass concentration that challenges standard cosmological predictions.
Tiny Jurassic Predator Fossil Shows Early Mammal Swallowing Evolution
A 165-million-year-old aquatic hunter named Megacauda sungei had a soft palate that foreshadowed mammals' ability to nurse and, eventually, develop large brains.
Quantum Interference Halts Particle Without Passing Through Magnetic Field
Oxford physicists used a hybrid quantum computer to demonstrate the Aharonov-Bohm effect, showing a particle can be stopped by magnetic flux it never touches.
Dark Matter Detection Hinges on Particle-Wave Question
A New Scientist columnist argues that the key to observing dark matter is determining whether it behaves as a particle or a wave.
Brain Training Eases Depression Symptoms, But Not as Expected
A new study shows that neurofeedback training can reduce negative emotions in depressed people, though the underlying mechanism surprised researchers.
Maternal Cells Persist in Human Brains for Decades
Cells acquired from the mother during pregnancy appear to remain in the brain into old age, a finding that may reshape understanding of human development.
Molecular Tumour Profiling Offers New Hope for Hardest-to-Treat Cancers
A new approach that classifies tumours by their molecular characteristics rather than their location in the body is helping people survive cancers once considered a death sentence.
Land Carbon Sink Rebounds in 2025 After Two Weak Years
Favourable growing conditions restored the ability of forests and grasslands to absorb carbon, but a possible El Niño threatens another downturn.
Rainfall History Reconstructed From Snail Shell Chemistry
A new technique uses the chemical composition of snail shells to reconstruct past rainfall and storm activity, potentially extending climate records far beyond instrumental data.
Study: Overturning Circulation Could Outlast Key AMOC Component
New modeling suggests the global ocean overturning circulation may persist for centuries even if North Atlantic Deep Water formation collapses.
Dogs Share Human Bouba-Kiki Shape Association
New research shows dogs link 'bouba' to round shapes and 'kiki' to spiky ones, hinting the effect is shared across species.