New Scientist Feed

The US Navy has many tasks it wants quantum devices to tackle, from setting maintenance schedules to enabling nearly unhackable communication

A survey of more than 56,000 sun-like stars reveals that “superflares” that could play havoc with electronics on Earth may happen every 100 to 200 years and the last big one to hit us was in 1859

The oldest genomes ever recovered from modern humans have helped pin down when and how the momentous mingling of two hominins played out

Large drones have been spotted flying over the US for weeks, and state and federal officials say they still have no idea who is behind the flights

A fungus named Psilocybe ochraceocentrata is the closest relative of a widely cultivated psychedelic mushroom, giving clues to their evolutionary origins

La Niña conditions are expected to lead to a slightly cooler average global surface temperature in 2025, though it does not mean the planet as a whole has stopped warming

More and more people under 50 have been diagnosed with bowel cancer in different parts of the world over the past few decades

On 24 December, the Parker Solar Probe will be the closest human-made object ever to a star, taking unprecedented measurements of the sun

Just a few months after the previous record was set, a start-up called Quantinuum has announced that it has entangled the largest number of logical qubits – this will be key to quantum computers that can correct their own errors

From a fish with a tiny brain to the world’s oldest cheese, we have reported on plenty of strange and unusual science discoveries this year. Challenge yourself and see what you can remember in this fiendish set of questions from our quizmaster Bethan Ackerley

We challenge you to find the scientific terms in this monster of a puzzle – and we’re not even telling you exactly what they are

The past 12 months have seen animals of all shapes, sizes and colours strut their stuff – here are just a few of the best pictures from the year

Featuring everything from eggnog to uranium oxide, these 12 brain-twisting conundrums will get you in the festive spirit and test your scientific knowledge

Choosing presents at Christmas can be a bewildering task. Brain studies are revealing the surprising truth about which toys support cognitive development in kids

The Great British Bake Off's Josh Smalley explains how to bake the perfect freestanding gingerbread Christmas tree, complete with strong icing glue, windows and just the right biscuit texture

Geologists surprisingly declined to formally declare a new epoch, but proponents of the Anthropocene will continue to highlight humanity’s impact on the planet

Neuralink’s first two human trials grabbed headlines this year, but it still isn’t clear how the firm’s technology compares with other brain-computer interfaces

Three people in the US received a genetically modified pig kidney in 2024, marking another step towards animal-to-human organ transplants becoming routine

In the 1970s, John Calhoun built a sprawling mouse metropolis. The dystopian results influenced human society for decades

From warp drives to quantum tricks, here are five ways that physicists have figured out how to theoretically travel back in time