News
Why early humans radically changed their toolkits 200, 000 years ago
19+ min ago (768+ words) A decline in ancient megafauna in the Middle East coincided with a shift towards smaller, lighter toolkits in the archaeological record " though scientists are still in debate about why The changing abundance of prey animals may have forced early humans…...
We Might Be Wrong About Humanity's Near Extinction
1+ hour, 42+ min ago (161+ words) New Scientist Today there are more than 8 billion humans on Earth. But according to a recent genetic study, there may have been a moment in our past when the entire human population dropped to just 1, 280 adults. That is a number…...
Emperor penguins added to endangered list after rapid decline
2+ hour, 12+ min ago (443+ words) The International Union for Conservation of Nature has updated the Red List status for three of Antarctica's most famous species after a dire assessment of their prospects under climate change Emperor penguins could go extinct by 2100 A third Antarctic species,…...
What to read this week: Beyond Inheritance by Roxanne Khamsi
17+ hour, 12+ min ago (1005+ words) A fresh and important book reveals the messy reality of our ever-mutating cells " and why the quest to defeat ageing is futile, says Michael Le Page Trillions of mutations in our cells may transform each of us every day Beyond…...
Is this the most niche scientific tourist attraction in the world?
18+ hour, 12+ min ago (513+ words) Feedback is delighted by the discovery of a very specific scientific sculpture park in China " and wonders if readers can top it Feedback is New Scientist's popular sideways look at the latest science and technology news. You can submit items…...
Letter: Evolution due to climate change? Not so fast
18+ hour, 9+ min ago (175+ words) New Scientist From Peter Green, Southampton, UK Can species evolve fast enough to survive climate change? The answer is no! What has been observed by these researchers is an example of ecological genetics in action. The genetic polymorphism within the…...
Can a person experience more than 24 hours in a day? Part 3
18+ hour, 12+ min ago (385+ words) There are numerous examples from history of this occuring, explain our readers Herman D'Hondt Sydney, Australia This is easy, as long as you accept that Earth is a rotating sphere. If you are standing at the equator, you move west…...
The invisibility cloak inventor now has better tricks up his sleeve
20+ hour, 12+ min ago (433+ words) John Pendry is known for creating an invisibility cloak. Twenty years on, he has used the same principles to fashion an even more powerful kind of metamaterial that can teach us about the wild frontiers of physics But no, he…...
Disappearing megafauna may have prompted a stone tool revolution
18+ hour, 12+ min ago (766+ words) Massive herbivores became scarce in the Middle East about 200, 000 years ago, and this coincided with a shift towards smaller, lighter toolkits in the archaeological record The changing abundance of prey animals may have forced early humans to invent new tools…...
Stunning photographs show the dynamic patterns of the natural world
17+ hour, 12+ min ago (22+ words) A new book from photographer Jon Mc Cormack collects his shots of patterns in nature from around the world, from flamingoes to icebergs...