New Scientist - Home

1. SpaceX prepares for Starship flight with first 'chopstick' landing
   SpaceX is gearing up for the fifth launch of its massive Starship rocket, following four increasingly successful tests. What is the company hoping for, and what can we expect?
2. Social media companies change their policies in the wake of bad press
   Between 2005 and 2021, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were more likely to make policy changes in the weeks after negative stories in the media
3. Wafer-thin light sail could help us reach another star sooner
   A mission to the sun’s closest neighbouring star, Alpha Centauri, could be made faster thanks to a tiny light sail punctured with billions of tiny holes
4. Dark matter may solve the mystery of how colossal black holes merge
   Astrophysicists aren’t sure how supermassive black holes get close enough to merge, a mystery called the final parsec problem – but an exotic form of dark matter may explain it
5. AI can reveal what’s on your screen via signals leaking from cables
   Electromagnetic radiation leaking from the cable between your computer and monitor can be intercepted and decoded by AI to reveal what you are looking at
6. Millions of trees could grow faster with a boost from wild fungi
   The largest tree nursery in North America is helping scale up efforts to inoculate seedlings with native fungi and other soil microbes, a treatment that helps trees grow faster and capture more carbon
7. Watch a robot peel a squash with human-like dexterity
   A robot can hold a squash, pumpkin or melon in one hand, while it is peeled by the other
8. Biodegradable microplastics may actually be worse for soil and plants
   Biodegradable plastic that gets broken down into microplastics may decrease soil nitrogen levels more than conventional ones, which stunts plant growth
9. Mars rover found a rock with possible signs of ancient life
   The Perseverance rover has found some of the most promising hints of ancient Martian life yet, but we can’t know for sure until its samples are sent back to Earth
10. A type of brain cell helps explain the calming influence of mothers
    Mouse pups have increased activity in certain neurons in the centre of their brains when they interact with their mothers, which is linked to them showing fewer signs of distress