The Best of New Scientist
20+ most popular New Scientist articles, as voted by our community.
The best place to find out what’s new in science – and why it matters.
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How to beat your family at board games with quantum tricks
Quantum pseudotelepathy is just one of the party tricks that can take the bored out of board games this Christmas, as Philip Ball explains
Glass frogs turn translucent by ‘hiding’ blood in their liver
By channelling nearly 90 per cent of their blood into their liver while sleeping, glass frogs more than double their transparency – without any apparent health consequences
New Scientist on Biology
Recordings reveal that plants make ultrasonic squeals when stressed
For the first time plants have been recorded making sounds when stressed. The sounds differed when they were injured or thirsty, a finding that could help farmers
New Scientist on Environment
Rescue plan for nature: How to fix the biodiversity crisis
We’ve been ravaging the planet’s ecosystems for too long, but crucial decisions this year could be the turning point that help us restore our relationship with nature
New Scientist on Health
Why everything you know about nutrition is wrong
Are carbs good for you? Or eggs? Every week seems to bring contradictory new diet advice. New Scientist unpicks the surprising flaws in nutritional science
How postbiotics could boost your health and even help reverse ageing
Postbiotics are the newest gut health trend promising to improve our skin, boost our strength and even reverse signs of ageing. But what are they and do they live up to the hype?
New Scientist on Meditation
Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety
The first systematic review of the evidence on meditation suggests that 8 per cent of people experience a negative effect such as depression, anxiety, psychosis or thoughts of suicide
New Scientist on Physics
Why the laws of physics don't actually exist
What we call laws of physics are often just mathematical descriptions of some part of nature. Ultimate physical laws probably don't exist and physics is all the better for it, says theoretical…
General relativity
General relativity is one of two pillars of modern physics – our working theory of gravity and of the very large, of planets, galaxies and the universe as a whole
New Scientist on Quantum Computing
Quantum city simulation shows how to make Paris-sized quantum internet
A simulated version of Paris where universities and telecommunication hubs are connected by a quantum communication network suggests that existing technology is already nearing the ability to create…
New Scientist on Quantum Entanglement
Tardigrade is first multicellular organism to be quantum entangled
A tardigrade cooled to near absolute zero and placed in a state of quantum entanglement survived its ordeal
New Scientist on Religion
Deliver us from evil: How biology, not religion, made humans moral
Our survival instinct should undercut morality – but our mammalian brains pulled off an amazing evolutionary trick, says neurophilosopher Patricia Churchland
New Scientist on Self Discovery
Your true self: How your personality changes throughout life
You are not the person you were as a child, or even last year. The discovery that our characters change is unnerving, but embrace it and it can be empowering
New Scientist on Space
The cosmologist who claims to have evidence for the multiverse
Cosmologist Laura Mersini-Houghton says our universe is one of many – and she argues that we have already seen signs of those other universes in the cosmic microwave background, the light left over…
Aluminium alloy could boost spacecraft radiation shielding 100-fold
A new metal alloy keeps its flexibility and strength after high doses of radiation, making it potentially useful for building spacecraft or Mars colonies
Popular
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Chip can transmit all of the internet's traffic every second
Splitting data into a spectrum of colour packets has enabled a single computer chip to transmit a record 1.84 petabits of data per second via a fibre-optic cable
Can a tech billionaire squash Australia’s coal industry by buying it?
Frustrated with the Australian government’s inaction on climate change, software king Mike Cannon-Brookes is trying to buy several big coal plants so he can shut them down in favour of renewables
James Lovelock at 100: The creator of Gaia theory on humanity's future
The influential scientist talks about his Earth-as-superorganism hypothesis and predicts a new era for humanity, unfettered by the constraints of our bodies
Heatwave in China is the most severe ever recorded in the world
A long spell of extreme hot and dry weather is affecting energy, water supplies and food production across China
Climate change means people are losing 44 hours of sleep per year
Analysis of data from sleep-tracking wristbands in 68 countries reveals that unusually hot nights are causing people fall asleep later, rise earlier and sleep less
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