Science News

As lasers go, those made of Titanium-sapphire (Ti:sapphire) are considered to have "unmatched" performance. They are indispensable in many fields, including cutting-edge quantum optics, spectroscopy, and neuroscience. Bu...

A new study reveals how depression affects brain activity in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) of rats. Using a microelectrode array, researchers found increased theta frequency activity in the BLA correlated with depressiv...

A novel study uncovers how the protein Gephyrin aids in synapse formation, providing new insights into brain connectivity. The findings could help develop treatments for disorders like autism, epilepsy, and schizophrenia...

A non-invasive ultrasound device can stimulate deep parts of the brain with far greater precision than previously achieved, which could help to treat depression, long-term pain and post-traumatic stress disorder

Quantum computers have the potential to be revolutionary tools for their ability to perform calculations that would take classical computers many years to resolve.

A falling piece of space junk from the ISS crashed through two floors of a Florida family's house in March. The family has now asked NASA to pay for the damages.

The more than 30 tombs include family burials, including of children buried with their parents, in a hillside in Aswan, Egypt.

ChatGPT-written exam submissions for a psychology degree mostly went undetected and tended to get better marks than real students' work

A fossil bone displaying features consistent with Down's syndrome belonged to a Neanderthal child who survived beyond 6 years old, adding to evidence that these extinct humans cared for members of their community

Scientists at the University of Konstanz in Germany have advanced ultrafast electron microscopy to unprecedented time resolution. Reporting in Science Advances, the research team presents a method for the all-optical con...

The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week

Photographer Ignacio Evangelista's stark shots shine a light on the little-known VOR beacons, once key to aviation navigation but now being replaced by GPS

Influencers won't stop talking about the health benefits of stimulating the vagus nerve. But the science doesn't stack up, says Kevin Tracey

Feedback delves into a new study about snotty-nose prevention in children, and is intrigued to discover that hardening, rubbing and water procedures are the cutting edge of cold science these days

While time is relative, it still flows in one direction for every observer. We don't yet understand why, but some physicists are looking for answers that invoke the evolution of entropy, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Stand-up mathematician Matt Parker's Love Triangle is fast-paced, with nuggets about everything from impossible soccer balls to duck wakes. But it doesn't leave our reviewer understanding trigonometry any better

The CDC has issued a new health alert as global cases of dengue fever soar.

Researchers discovered how the brain controls sensitivity to threats, influencing escape behavior in mice. The study found that inhibitory neurons in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) regulate both the initiation and termina...

Through science, we are striving for objective knowledge about the universe around us. But physicists increasingly believe achieving this will never be possible

A new study uncovers the different patterns and reasons behind procrastination using a mathematical framework. It shows that procrastination is influenced by factors like immediate rewards and uncertainty about future ou...

If you studied advanced physics at high school, there's a good chance that you remember Snell's law, which states how a ray of light bends when it crosses a boundary between two media. According to this law, the ratio of...

During electron-impact ionization (EII), high-energy electrons collide with atoms, knocking away one or more of their outer electrons. To calculate the probability that ionization will occur during these impacts, researc...