Category Science

The Large Magellanic Cloud may have its own supermassive black hole Alan Dyer/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images A supermassive black hole in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) may be the source of nine stars zooming through our galaxy –…

On a low hill near the coast of Maine, the fresh petals of double daffodils shake frills of gold and peach in a gusting breeze. It is the middle of May, a clear blue ­sky overhead, and the lacy burgundy…

Feedback is New Scientist’s popular sideways look at the latest science and technology news. You can submit items you believe may amuse readers to Feedback by emailing feedback@newscientist.com NDCs TBC Everything’s a bit quiet in the fun world of international…

February 13, 2025 2 min read ‘Hot Potato’ Plants Engineered to Flourish in Heat Waves A genetic tweak keeps potatoes efficient in the heat By Julian Nowogrodzki edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier When a scorching heat wave struck Illinois in…

From lawsuits to fumbled advertising campaigns, are we falling out of love with online dating? Recent Ofcom data showed a decline in UK users, and Gen Z seems to increasingly hanker after in-person romantic spontaneity. More broadly, the rise of…

Asteroid 2024 YR4, measuring approximately 40 to 100 meters wide, will pass very close to Earth in December 2032—and might even strike the planet. Because of its size, speed, and the possibility of it making impact, the internet has given…

The Great Ziggurat of Ur, in present‑day Iraq Mohammed Al ali/Alamy Between Two RiversMoudhy Al-Rashid (Hachette (UK, 20 February); W. W. Norton (US, 12 August)) A new and spellbinding book tells the history of the very ancient past of Mesopotamia, the…

A 2011 entry to the International Obfuscated C Code Contest, designed to look like a manga character PGM/PPM images and ASCII art by Don, Yang Computer programmers are being challenged to write the world’s sneakiest and most confusing code in…

People report lower alcohol cravings when on semaglutide Shutterstock/David MG Semaglutide really does seem to help people who are addicted to alcohol reduce their intake, according to the first randomised clinical trial of the drug for this purpose. Sold under…

Back to your cubicles, you impudent pups. The boss wants you in traffic and swilling stale office coffee again. It’s good for business. Except that isn’t true, which poses a puzzle over the “return-to-office” preoccupations of some corporate chieftains. In…