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In this week’s issue: From metabolism to mood, the startling role of body fat in shaping our everyday health.
Grab a copy in shops now or download our app for digital editions.
www.newscientist.com/issue/3570/
Grab a copy in shops now or download our app for digital editions.
www.newscientist.com/issue/3570/
As the impact of global warming becomes more obvious, you might expect countries to step up climate action and preparation, but we’re seeing the opposite happen
Why is climate action stalling, not ramping up as Earth gets hotter?
As the impact of global warming becomes more obvious, you might expect countries to step up climate action and preparation, but we’re seeing the opposite happen
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:34 PM
As the impact of global warming becomes more obvious, you might expect countries to step up climate action and preparation, but we’re seeing the opposite happen
The 194 countries still taking part in UN climate negotiations reaffirmed the Paris Agreement following the US withdrawal, even if they agreed on little else
COP30 keeps climate cooperation alive but hanging by a thread
The 194 countries still taking part in UN climate negotiations reaffirmed the Paris Agreement following the US withdrawal, even if they agreed on little else
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:06 PM
The 194 countries still taking part in UN climate negotiations reaffirmed the Paris Agreement following the US withdrawal, even if they agreed on little else
Medical research has long sought to gloss over the hormonal and chromosomal complications typical of female biology. But embracing this complexity could benefit everyone
Finally wrangling with the complexity of female bodies benefits us all
Medical research has long sought to gloss over the hormonal and chromosomal complications typical of female biology. But embracing this complexity could benefit everyone
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Medical research has long sought to gloss over the hormonal and chromosomal complications typical of female biology. But embracing this complexity could benefit everyone
Sex, or just touching your partner, seems to help wounds heal faster by reducing stress - but only if combined with a nasal oxytocin spray.
Sex could help wounds heal faster by reducing stress
Mild wounds healed faster if people took a spray containing the "love hormone" oxytocin and set aside time to praise their partner – but they cleared up even quicker if these individuals were also intimate with their other half
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Sex, or just touching your partner, seems to help wounds heal faster by reducing stress - but only if combined with a nasal oxytocin spray.
Thousands of holes arranged in a snake-like pattern on Monte Sierpe in Peru could have been a monumental accounting device for trade and tax
Mysterious holes in Andean mountain may be an Inca spreadsheet
Thousands of holes arranged in a snake-like pattern on Monte Sierpe in Peru could have been a monumental accounting device for trade and tax
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Thousands of holes arranged in a snake-like pattern on Monte Sierpe in Peru could have been a monumental accounting device for trade and tax
For over a decade, mathematicians have failed to agree whether a 500-page proof is actually correct. Now, translating the proof into a computer-readable form may finally settle the matter
The biggest controversy in maths could be settled by a computer
For over a decade, mathematicians have failed to agree whether a 500-page proof is actually correct. Now, translating the proof into a computer-readable form may finally settle the matter
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:10 AM
For over a decade, mathematicians have failed to agree whether a 500-page proof is actually correct. Now, translating the proof into a computer-readable form may finally settle the matter
Ancient rock art was meant to be heard as well as seen and now acoustic archaeologists are bringing the sounds of prehistoric rituals to life
We can finally hear the long-hidden music of the Stone Age
Ancient rock art was meant to be heard as well as seen and now acoustic archaeologists are bringing the sounds of prehistoric rituals to life
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Ancient rock art was meant to be heard as well as seen and now acoustic archaeologists are bringing the sounds of prehistoric rituals to life
Christine Webb's provocative and moving book The Arrogant Ape explores our unjustifiable sense of superiority in the living world, laying out the evidence against it, says Elle Hunt
Smart new book takes an axe to the myth of human exceptionalism
Christine Webb's provocative and moving book The Arrogant Ape explores our unjustifiable sense of superiority in the living world, laying out the evidence against it, says Elle Hunt
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Christine Webb's provocative and moving book The Arrogant Ape explores our unjustifiable sense of superiority in the living world, laying out the evidence against it, says Elle Hunt
Spinning vortices of water trapped under the Thwaites glacier ice shelf account for 20 per cent of the ice melt. They’re expected to get worse as the world warms
Undersea ‘storms’ are melting the ‘doomsday’ glacier’s ice shelf
Spinning vortices of water trapped under the Thwaites glacier ice shelf account for 20 per cent of the ice melt. They’re expected to get worse as the world warms
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Spinning vortices of water trapped under the Thwaites glacier ice shelf account for 20 per cent of the ice melt. They’re expected to get worse as the world warms
The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week
New Scientist recommends the Society of Wildlife Artists' annual expo
The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:18 AM
The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week
We admire grit and perseverance, but surprising research suggests that giving up on ambitions in the right way can actually improve our physical and mental health
Why giving up on goals is good for you, and how to know which to ditch
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:34 AM
We admire grit and perseverance, but surprising research suggests that giving up on ambitions in the right way can actually improve our physical and mental health
Lake Turkana in Kenya, known as the cradle of humanity, has shrunk in recent millennia – and the loss of water has led to increased seismic activity, which could have impacted our ancient ancestors
When rift lakes dry up it can cause earthquakes and eruptions
Lake Turkana in Kenya, known as the cradle of humanity, has shrunk in recent millennia – and the loss of water has led to increased seismic activity, which could have impacted our ancient ancestors
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Lake Turkana in Kenya, known as the cradle of humanity, has shrunk in recent millennia – and the loss of water has led to increased seismic activity, which could have impacted our ancient ancestors
Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe's album Liminal is being transmitted into space by Nobel laureate Robert Wilson. They give Chelsea Whyte the lowdown
Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe discuss their new spacebound album, Liminal
Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe's album Liminal is being transmitted into space by Nobel laureate Robert Wilson. They give Chelsea Whyte the lowdown
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe's album Liminal is being transmitted into space by Nobel laureate Robert Wilson. They give Chelsea Whyte the lowdown
Mary Roach's new book Replaceable You explores what we do when bits of our bodies break down or need switching out. It makes for a brilliant read – just beware the gory details, warns Carissa Wong
A fascinatingly grisly guide to replacing and repairing body parts
Mary Roach's new book Replaceable You explores what we do when bits of our bodies break down or need switching out. It makes for a brilliant read – just beware the gory details, warns Carissa Wong
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Mary Roach's new book Replaceable You explores what we do when bits of our bodies break down or need switching out. It makes for a brilliant read – just beware the gory details, warns Carissa Wong
The distant universe might be littered with supermassive stars between 1000 and 10,000 times the mass of the sun, which could solve a cosmic mystery about the origins of extremely large black holes
Astronomers may have glimpsed evidence of the biggest stars ever seen
The distant universe might be littered with supermassive stars between 1000 and 10,000 times the mass of the sun, which could solve a cosmic mystery about the origins of extremely large black holes
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:25 AM
The distant universe might be littered with supermassive stars between 1000 and 10,000 times the mass of the sun, which could solve a cosmic mystery about the origins of extremely large black holes
Facing its worst drought in decades, Iran is attempting to stimulate rain by spreading seeding agents in clouds. Will it work?
What is cloud seeding and could it end the drought in Iran?
Facing its worst drought in decades, Iran is attempting to stimulate rain by spreading seeding agents in clouds, but the technique is likely to have modest benefits at best
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Facing its worst drought in decades, Iran is attempting to stimulate rain by spreading seeding agents in clouds. Will it work?
Brain activity from more than 1000 people shows a rapid transition from being awake to being asleep, rather than a slow transition between the two states
Falling asleep isn’t a gradual process – it happens all of a sudden
Brain activity from more than 1000 people shows a rapid transition from being awake to being asleep, rather than a slow transition between the two states
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:34 AM
Brain activity from more than 1000 people shows a rapid transition from being awake to being asleep, rather than a slow transition between the two states
An experiment 180 years ago first demonstrated a connection between light and electromagnetism – but the link is deeper than we thought
Physics of light and magnetism rewritten after almost two centuries
An experiment 180 years ago first demonstrated a connection between light and electromagnetism – but the link is deeper than we thought
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:58 AM
An experiment 180 years ago first demonstrated a connection between light and electromagnetism – but the link is deeper than we thought
The discovery that a toxin made by bacteria found in dirty water might help trigger ulcerative colitis could lead to new treatments for this form of IBD
Common type of inflammatory bowel disease linked to toxic bacteria
The discovery that a toxin made by bacteria found in dirty water might help trigger ulcerative colitis could lead to new treatments for this form of IBD
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:00 AM
The discovery that a toxin made by bacteria found in dirty water might help trigger ulcerative colitis could lead to new treatments for this form of IBD
Around 1000 markings on a slab of rock that was once a seafloor during the Cretaceous period may have been made by sea turtle flippers and swiftly buried by an earthquake
Ancient tracks may record stampede of turtles disturbed by earthquake
Around 1000 markings on a slab of rock that was once a seafloor during the Cretaceous period may have been made by sea turtle flippers and swiftly buried by an earthquake
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:39 AM
Around 1000 markings on a slab of rock that was once a seafloor during the Cretaceous period may have been made by sea turtle flippers and swiftly buried by an earthquake
Why we age has been a conundrum for millennia. One theory states that the effort of reproducing diverts energy away from repairing DNA or fighting illness, which causes us to become old - but a new study suggests it's more complicated than that.
Having children plays a complicated role in the rate we age
The effort of reproducing may divert energy away from repairing DNA or fighting illness, which could drive ageing, but a new study suggests that is only the case when environmental conditions are tough
www.newscientist.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Why we age has been a conundrum for millennia. One theory states that the effort of reproducing diverts energy away from repairing DNA or fighting illness, which causes us to become old - but a new study suggests it's more complicated than that.
A newly discovered cluster of objects called the “inner kernel” of the Kuiper belt could teach us about the early history of the solar system – including the movement of Neptune
We’ve found an unexpected structure in the solar system’s Kuiper belt
A newly discovered cluster of objects called the “inner kernel” of the Kuiper belt could teach us about the early history of the solar system – including the movement of Neptune
www.newscientist.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:59 PM
A newly discovered cluster of objects called the “inner kernel” of the Kuiper belt could teach us about the early history of the solar system – including the movement of Neptune
Physics has a reputation for being dominated by men, especially a century ago, as quantum physics was just being invented – but there have been so many women who helped shaped the field since its inception
The forgotten women of quantum physics
Physics has a reputation for being dominated by men, especially a century ago, as quantum physics was just being invented – but there have been so many women who helped shaped the field since its inception
www.newscientist.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Physics has a reputation for being dominated by men, especially a century ago, as quantum physics was just being invented – but there have been so many women who helped shaped the field since its inception
To make quantum computers more efficient and reliable, some of their basic components must be constantly reused – several quantum computer designs can now do just that
Quantum computers that recycle their qubits can limit errors
To make quantum computers more efficient and reliable, some of their basic components must be constantly reused – several quantum computer designs can now do just that
www.newscientist.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:01 PM
To make quantum computers more efficient and reliable, some of their basic components must be constantly reused – several quantum computer designs can now do just that
Being born with two X chromosomes brings a host of health benefits, and recognising this could lead to personalised medical treatments for men and women.
Women have supercharged immune systems and we now know why
Being born with two X chromosomes brings a host of health benefits, and recognising this could lead to personalised medical treatments for men and women
www.newscientist.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Being born with two X chromosomes brings a host of health benefits, and recognising this could lead to personalised medical treatments for men and women.