New Scientist

New Scientist covers the latest developments in science and technology that will impact your world. New Scientist employs and commissions the best writers in their fields from all over the world. Our editorial team provide cutting-edge news, award-winning features and reports, written in concise and clear language that puts discoveries and advances in the context of everyday life today and in the future.

Life 0.1 • Synthetic biology hasn’t cracked artificial life – but it is getting closer

New Scientist

Solving gravity’s greatest mystery • The question of how gravity interacts with the quantum world has long perplexed physicists, but wobbles in time could help us find an answer, finds Leah Crane

Ovaries may spark inflammation after menopause

Childbirth for some primates is harder than for humans

Why did our brains get bigger? • Our brains are large compared with other animals, so it is tempting to assume there was an evolutionary advantage to them – but that may not be true, discovers Michael Marshall

June heatwave may have killed 20,000 people in Europe

Synthetic cell breakthrough • A protoype cell partly capable of replicating itself is arguably the greatest feat of bioengineering yet, reports Michael Le Page

Collapse of key ocean current may already be locked in

AI firms turn to philosophy • Philosophers are joining AI companies to help them understand the nature of consciousness and improve their models, finds Matthew Sparkes

Audacious mission to rescue NASA’s falling telescope

Traces of Earth’s primordial magma ocean spotted in lava

Mapping the stars • The most detailed survey yet of our solar system and beyond has begun

Geoengineering may cause air-travel health risks

‘Hobbit’ hominins scavenged meat left over by Komodo dragons

Orangutan infants go on playdates

Fibre that may stop weight gain approved for use

Remodelling particle physics • The weirdness of neutrinos could lead us to rethink how particles are defined within the standard model, discovers Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

Number sense is present from birth • The neural foundations of maths have been seen in brain recordings from newborns

Useful quantum computer targeted by US government

When extinction is a good thing • We have developed genetic technologies that could wipe out harmful pests like mosquitoes or flesh-eating screwworms. We should start to use them, says Michael Le Page

Playing quantum games • The world of quantum video games is vast – and they could help us better understand quantum physics, finds Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

Melting ice

Our favourite sci-fi TV so far… • The first half of 2026 has seen bright threads in sci-fi series including Fallout and Paradise. But for pure gold, says TV columnist Bethan Ackerley, try Star City

… and our top documentaries • From AI with Hannah Fry to David Attenborough’s early days and the Artemis mission, these are the five must-watch science shows of the year to date

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The science of fatherhood • Dads are often overlooked when it comes to parenting science. A fascinating new book is out to change that, says Olivia Goldhill

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Your brain check-up • In our efforts to keep our brains healthy, how do we know what is working? Helen Thomson looks into what the latest tests can tell us

“If we explore with fewer guard rails, we could speed up discovery” • Seeking out the simplest, most elegant explanations has served scientists well for centuries, but cognitive scientist Marina Dubova tells Thomas Lewton there is a better way to help us uncover reality

Unusual conduct • Metals that conduct electricity in a bizarre way are forcing...