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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 37m

The 2025 Nobel prize in chemistry has gone to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi for the development of metal-organic frameworks, custom-made materials that can capture gases or catalyse chemical reactions.

Nobel prize in chemistry awarded for work on molecular architecture

Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi have been honoured for the development of metal-organic frameworks, structures with large cavities in which molecules can flow in and out

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 59m

Work on medical uses of mind-altering substances was sidelined for decades by the political backlash against drugs, a misstep that has echoes in today’s intolerance of some fields of study

Why abandoning psychedelic research in the 1970s was a blow to science

Work on medical uses of mind-altering substances was sidelined for decades by the political backlash against drugs, a misstep that has echoes in today’s intolerance of some fields of study

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 1h

In swamps and marshes, people occasionally see mysterious blue-tinged flashes of light above water, which have commonly been associated with ghosts or spirits. Now physicists may have finally worked out what causes them.

We may finally know what causes will-o’-the-wisps

Mysterious flashes of light seen in swamps and bogs could be caused by burning methane or other gases, ignited by sparks that fly between bubbles in water

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 1h

Severe lung inflammation has been linked to PTSD-like symptoms in mice after they experience trauma, which could help us prevent and treat the mental-health condition.

Lung inflammation may make traumatic events harder to forget

Severe lung inflammation has been linked to symptoms resembling post-traumatic stress disorder in mice, which could help us better treat and prevent the mental health condition

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Reposted by New Scientist

Rowan Hooper @rowhoop.bsky.social · 2h

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 2h

If you are a fan of the moon, then the next four months will give you something special to watch out for, says Abigail Beall

Prepare to enjoy four spectacular supermoons in a row

If you are a fan of the moon, then the next four months will give you something special to watch out for, says Abigail Beall

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 3h

Why do we continue to devour some old books, while others that were popular when published never get picked up? AI may have the answer.

Novels with a certain structure are more likely to be classics

Novels need a gripping story to stay popular as the decades pass, but it seems that other less-obvious factors may also contribute to their lasting success

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 3h

A drug derived from cannabis eases chronic lower back pain without serious side effects or signs of addiction.

Cannabis extract found to be effective for lower back pain

A clinical trial has found that VER-01, a drug derived from cannabis, eases chronic lower back pain without serious side effects or signs of addiction

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 4h

An innovative use of skin cells could provide a route for same-sex couples or women with fertility problems to have children that both partners are genetically related to

Egg cells made with DNA from human skin fertilised in the lab

An innovative use of skin cells could provide a route for same-sex couples or women with fertility problems to have children that both partners are genetically related to

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 4h

Fermented foods make up a third of what we eat and were mostly discovered by accident centuries ago. Now a fermentation revolution is promising extraordinary new flavours and novel ways to boost gut health.

The exceptionally tasty new fermented foods being cooked up in the lab

Fermented foods make up a third of what we eat and were mostly discovered by accident centuries ago. Now a fermentation revolution is promising extraordinary new flavours and novel ways to boost gut health

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 4h

Learning to play an instrument has long been linked to improved reading skills among children, and we may finally understand why

How playing a musical instrument helps children learn to read

Learning to play an instrument has long been linked to improved reading skills among children, and we may finally understand why

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 5h

In most mammals, females live longer than males, but in birds the trend goes the other way . A study of over 1000 species points to possible reasons for these differences.

Evolution may explain why women live longer than men

In most mammals, females live longer than males, but in birds the trend goes the other way – a study of over 1000 species points to possible reasons for these differences

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 6h

Does time still flow the same way in the quantum realm? We may be about to find out, thanks to the world's best clocks.

Ultracold clocks could reveal how quantum physics alters time

The world’s best clocks may be sensitive to an odd mix of quantum and relativistic effects that would stretch time and test the boundaries of physics

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 7h

There are signs deep beneath the Pacific Ocean that an exploding star once sent cosmic rays blasting out towards Earth, and now we have an idea of which stars may be to blame.

Did a star blow up and hit Earth 10 million years ago?

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 9h

Feedback is amazed to find that the audible vocalisations of the house mouse is all but unstudied in favour of the ultrasonic sounds humans can’t hear. SQUEAK!

What might the humble house mouse be trying to tell us?

Feedback is amazed to find that the audible vocalisations of the house mouse is all but unstudied in favour of the ultrasonic sounds humans can’t hear. SQUEAK!

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 9h

Antarctica may have passed a climate tipping point of no return, scientists are warning, with mounting evidence that a sudden slump in sea ice formation since 2016 is linked to human-induced ocean warming.

Antarctica may have crossed a tipping point that leads to rising seas

Scientists are beginning to understand the sudden loss of sea ice in Antarctica – and there is growing evidence that it represents a permanent shift with potentially catastrophic consequences

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 9h

Several species of birds from different continents use and understand similar alarm calls when they see an invader that might lay an egg in their nest – this shared call hints at the origin of language

20 bird species can understand each other’s anti-cuckoo call

Several species of birds from different continents use and understand similar alarm calls when they see an invader that might lay an egg in their nest – this shared call hints at the origin of language

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 10h

Feedback is delighted to learn that researchers have discovered what Taylor Swift is accidentally doing to rescue the science of plants from mid-ness. Just take a look at her videos – sorry, botany teaching aids

How Taylor Swift is helping botany gain celebrity status

Feedback is delighted to learn that researchers have discovered what Taylor Swift is accidentally doing to rescue the science of plants from mid-ness. Just take a look at her videos – sorry, botany teaching aids

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 10h

Some habitable worlds orbiting dead stars could be kept alive for aeons thanks to a quirk of Einstein’s theory of gravity

General relativity might save some planets from death

Some habitable worlds orbiting dead stars could be kept alive for aeons thanks to a quirk of Einstein’s theory of gravity

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 10h

We are quick to place ourselves on the extremes of the social spectrum, but the truth is that personality is more malleable than you think, says Claudia Canavan

Are you an introvert or extrovert? Surprisingly, the answer is neither

We are quick to place ourselves on the extremes of the social spectrum, but the truth is that personality is more malleable than you think, says Claudia Canavan

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 14h

Madeline Lancaster created the first brain organoids, which have revolutionised our understanding of how the brain works - but also raised ethical questions

How brain organoids are revealing what truly makes humans unique

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 15h

Scientists have identified five sleep profiles, each of which is linked to distinct mental health symptoms and brain activity patterns

There are five types of sleep – here's what that means for your health

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 15h

According to the equations that govern black holes, the larger one of these cosmic behemoths is the lower its average density – given that the universe contains a lot of relatively empty space, could the whole cosmos be a black hole?

Is the universe really one big black hole?

According to the equations that govern black holes, the larger one of these cosmic behemoths is the lower its average density – given that the universe contains a lot of relatively empty space, could the whole cosmos be a black hole?

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 16h

Forget the tropes about how violence or maybe volcanic eruptions killed off our ancient cousins, The Last Neanderthal by Ludovic Slimak offers a very different take on how they died out

A compelling book about the end of the Neanderthals is a rare treat

Forget the tropes about how violence or maybe volcanic eruptions killed off our ancient cousins, The Last Neanderthal by Ludovic Slimak offers a very different take on how they died out

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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 16h

Singlet oxygen can be damaging in both cells and batteries but it has taken almost 60 years to work out exactly when it shows up in chemical reactions within both

The mystery of highly reactive oxygen has finally been solved

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