There is an odd streak in the universe – and we still don’t know why 03. October 2025 (18:00) Astronomers have long thought the universe should look generally the same in every direction, but an anomaly in the radiation from the big bang persists even after a new analysis from radio telescopes(New Scientist)
20 bird species can understand each other’s anti-cuckoo call 03. October 2025 (12:00) Several species of birds from different continents use and understand similar alarm calls when they see an invader that might lay an egg in their nest – this shared call hints at the origin of language(New Scientist)
Kids as young as 4 innately use sorting algorithms to solve problems 03. October 2025 (12:00) It was previously thought that children younger than 7 couldn't find efficient solutions to complex problems, but new research suggests that much earlier, children can happen upon known sorting algorithms used by computer scientists(New Scientist)
Why Our Brains, Our Selves won the Royal Society science book prize 03. October 2025 (11:00) Sandra Knapp, chair of the judging panel for the 2025 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize, explains why neurologist Masud Husain’s collection of case studies is such an enlightening, compassionate book(New Scientist)
Read an extract from Our Brains, Our Selves by Masud Husain 03. October 2025 (11:00) In this passage from Our Brains, Our Selves, winner of the Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize, neuroscientist Masud Husain recounts how novelist Marcel Proust became convinced, wrongly, that he'd had a stroke(New Scientist)
Our verdict on ‘The Dispossessed’: A tricky but rewarding novel 03. October 2025 (11:00) The New Scientist Book Club has just finished reading Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed. Most of our members enjoyed it, even if the sheer volume of ideas in the book made it a challenging read(New Scientist)
Antarctica may have crossed a tipping point that leads to rising seas 02. October 2025 (17:00) Scientists are beginning to understand the sudden loss of sea ice in Antarctica – and there is growing evidence that it represents a permanent shift with potentially catastrophic consequences(New Scientist)
