Good immune health may come at the expense of chronic inflammation 16. September 2025 (13:03) Inflammation is a vital part of the immune response, but it seems that the system can sometimes go awry, resulting in chronic inflammation that has been linked to conditions such as cancer(New Scientist)
Lunar missions may contaminate the moon with hardy Earth microbes 16. September 2025 (10:00) Experiments on Earth indicate some common species of bacteria and fungi could survive for several days on the moon's surface, suggesting missions must take stronger precautions to avoid contamination(New Scientist)
The oldest human mummies were slowly smoked 14,000 years ago 15. September 2025 (22:00) For at least 10,000 years, humans across South-East Asia were being carefully preserved after death by being smoke-dried – a tradition that continues to this day in some cultures(New Scientist)
Modular nuclear reactors sound great, but won't be ready any time soon 15. September 2025 (20:46) The UK government has announced a raft of tiny nuclear power projects, while Russia, China and a host of tech giants are also betting big on small nuclear reactor designs. Does the idea make sense and can they really be built any time soon?(New Scientist)
Mars once had an atmosphere that was thicker than Earth's today 15. September 2025 (20:00) While Mars today only has a wispy remnant of an atmosphere, it may once have had one hundreds of times thicker with a pressure three times that on Earth(New Scientist)
What it’s like to run the world’s best dark matter detector 15. September 2025 (18:00) Chamkaur Ghag is on a mission to find the 85 per cent of the universe’s matter that we haven’t yet identified. He details his hopes for the major scientific experiment – and what the future could hold(New Scientist)
Covid-19 vaccine benefits worth up to $38 trillion in first year alone 15. September 2025 (17:00) The global health and economic benefits of covid-19 vaccines came to between $5 trillion and $38 trillion in their first year, showing an incredible return on investment(New Scientist)
Stealth radio hides signal in background noise to protect drone pilots 15. September 2025 (14:00) As drones have risen to prominence on the battlefield, so too has electronic warfare, in which adversaries attempt to mask, jam or trace radio signals. Now, a new stealthy radio device could help give people the edge, letting them fly drones without detection(New Scientist)
The death of dinosaurs dramatically re-engineered Earth's landscapes 15. September 2025 (12:43) Changes in rock formations from before and after the mass extinction event 66 million years ago may reflect how dinosaurs acted as ecosystem engineers, shaping vegetation and even the meandering of rivers(New Scientist)
Higher dose of Wegovy ups both weight loss and side effects 15. September 2025 (01:30) Trial participants who received an increased weekly dose of Wegovy lost 19 per cent of their body weight in a year on average, but also saw a higher risk of painful skin sensations and nausea(New Scientist)
