Microsoft’s quantum computer hit with criticism at key physics meeting 19. March 2025 (18:37) After weeks of criticism, Microsoft promised to show new data about its Majorana 1 quantum computer at the biggest meeting of the world's physicists. Researchers in the room tell New Scientist they were not impressed with what they saw.(New Scientist)
Budgie brains have a map of vocal sounds just like humans 19. March 2025 (17:00) Recordings of brain activity in budgerigars reveal sets of brain cells that represent different sounds like keys on a keyboard – a structure never seen before in any bird brain(New Scientist)
Quantum satellite sets globe-spanning distance record 19. March 2025 (17:00) A record-setting test of quantum communication used a microsatellite to connect ground stations in China and South Africa, bringing a global quantum internet closer to reality(New Scientist)
Is our cosmos just a membrane on the edge of a far stranger reality? 19. March 2025 (17:00) String theory may be our best attempt at a theory of everything, except that it can't describe an expanding universe like ours. Now a radical new twist on the idea could finally fix that – but it requires us to completely reimagine reality(New Scientist)
Microdosing LSD is not an effective ADHD treatment 19. March 2025 (16:00) The first randomised controlled trial of microdosing LSD as a treatment for ADHD found the psychedelic drug wasn’t any more effective than a placebo in alleviating symptoms(New Scientist)
Euclid space telescope captures 26 million galaxies in first data drop 19. March 2025 (12:00) The European Space Agency has released the first batch of large-scale images from the Euclid space telescope, which astronomers have already used to find hundreds of strong gravitational lenses(New Scientist)
The world's climate is in uncharted territory, warns major report 19. March 2025 (01:01) A World Meteorological Organization report details a long list of grim records for everything from CO2 levels and temperature to sea ice loss and sea level rise(New Scientist)
Weird meteorite may be relic of lost planet that no longer exists 18. March 2025 (19:00) A meteorite discovered in north-west Africa in 2023 didn’t come from a large asteroid or any of the known planets of the solar system – but it might have formed on a planet that was destroyed long ago(New Scientist)
Will we soon be able to charge electric cars in minutes? 18. March 2025 (18:00) Speedy new chargers from Chinese automaker BYD take just 5 minutes to restore 400 kilometres of an electric car’s range, but will they be widely used?(New Scientist)
