Science News

A nationwide search for giant crayfish uncovered a record-breaking Tennessee specimen and a surprising mystery about how big these freshwater creatures can grow. Scientists found that North American crayfish seem to hit ...

Antarctic sea ice reached its third-lowest winter maximum in 2026, extending a remarkable decline that began after years of record-breaking growth. Scientists are investigating whether the dramatic reversal signals a lon...

Scientists have uncovered a hidden biological mechanism that helps explain how exercise can reverse some of the damage caused by muscle aging. The key is a gene called DEAF1, which becomes overactive with age and interfe...

Computer models suggest that unrealistically cold oceans would be insufficient to stop Thwaites glacier retreating, although a neighbouring glacier might begin to grow

The size of a nucleus (nuclear charge radius) is an important physical quantity that reflects the arrangement of protons and neutrons within the nucleus. Particularly in deformed nuclei, such as those of rare-earth eleme...

Starting in January, students attending Skyview High School in Virginia will learn about the building blocks and principles underlying quantum computers by working with one directly

Error-proofing the most important operations performed on a quantum computer has so far required lots of resources, but a new experiment shows a more efficient way to make the devices reliable

We still don't know for sure how the ice cliffs looming over the sea at the leading edge of some glaciers will behave as the climate warms, but satellite data offers some clues

Silicon spin qubits are a promising platform for building scalable quantum computers as they are compatible with the semiconductor manufacturing technologies used to produce today's computer chips. However, they have...

Space-based solar power has the potential to meet Earth's energy needs many times over. Will it see the light of day?

A 75,000-year-old skeleton offers a glimpse into the violent world in which Neanderthals lived, but also offers hints that they cared for one another

Newly introduced testosterone screening in the US Army could find more than 100,000 male soldiers with low testosterone

A rare discovery reveals that 75,000 years ago, a Neanderthal from Shanidar Cave in Iraq died a grisly death, likely from a wooden spear.

Physicists at Auburn University have used flashes of laser light to bring order to tiny electrically charged "islands" inside a crystal. The discovery helps answer a decades-old question about how the material or...

On the eve of New Scientists 70th anniversary, newsroom legend Andy Coghlan reveals four of the most dramatic and surprising moments from his storied career

When light hits a tiny defect embedded in a solid material like diamond or silicon carbide, it can kick the defect's electrons into an excited state. These spin defects have the potential to be used as stable, readab...

Women are using testosterone in the hope that it will treat their menopause symptoms, but little evidence supports the approach, experts say.

Even under general anesthesia, the human brain can analyze language, recognize different types of words, and predict what comes next in a story, according to a surprising discovery by Baylor researchers. The findings cha...

Arctic sea ice is shrinking in both winter and summer, with satellite records revealing that the region's remaining ice is becoming thinner, younger, and more vulnerable to melting. Despite a recent slowdown in summe...

Eating late at night could be putting your liver at risk, according to a large study led by Oregon Health & Science University. Researchers analyzed data from nearly 200,000 people and found that those who regularly ate ...

Scientists have discovered a potential new weapon against a devastating fungus that threatens rice, wheat, and barley worldwide. By engineering a special type of plant immune receptor, researchers created defenses capabl...

Arctic sea ice is shrinking in both winter and summer, with satellite records revealing that the region's remaining ice is becoming thinner, younger, and more vulnerable to melting. Despite a recent slowdown in summe...