Speculative novel layers Groundhog Day with existential dreaminess 10. April 2025 (13:00) Solvej Balle's newly translated speculative novel, On the Calculation of Volume (parts I and II), examines the numbing effects of time through the old trope of being stuck in a single day. It is an effective meditation(New Scientist)
US congressional speeches are getting less evidence-based over time 10. April 2025 (12:00) An AI analysis finds that since the 1970s, speeches by US Congress members have shifted to favour language such as “fake news” and “mislead” over words such as “science” and “statistics”(New Scientist)
Why quantum computers may continue to fail a key test 10. April 2025 (02:35) There have been several claims of quantum computers performing at a level impossible to match with a classical computer – most of which have been refuted. Could there be a mathematical reason why this keeps happening?(New Scientist)
Plant-based waterproof material could replace single-use plastics 09. April 2025 (21:00) Cellulose, the main component of paper, can be turned into clear, waterproof objects such as cups that are almost indistinguishable from plastic, but break down more quickly(New Scientist)
What politicians so often get wrong about science 09. April 2025 (20:00) Governments love asking what scientific research will bring society, but the most important discoveries come from wondering without direction(New Scientist)
Could brain-computer interface let us inhabit robot avatars on Mars? 09. April 2025 (20:00) In the latest instalment of our Future Chronicles column, which explores an imagined history of inventions yet to come, Rowan Hooper reveals how brain-computer interface let us travel to Mars via robot avatars in the late 2020s(New Scientist)
