Orangutan mothers seem to plan playdates for their offspring 03. July 2026 (14:28) Female orangutans are generally solitary, but they travel more and eat less in an apparent effort to ensure their offspring have someone to play with(New Scientist)
Evocative photos of Canadian Arctic win New Scientist Editors Award 03. July 2026 (02:05) Natalya Saprunova's photo series exploring coastal erosion and permafrost thaw across Inuvialuit territories in Canada has won the New Scientist Editors Award at the Earth Photo 2026 competition(New Scientist)
June heatwave may have killed around 20,000 people in Europe 02. July 2026 (19:17) It will be some months before the true toll of Europe's worst-ever heatwave is confirmed, but researchers can estimate a death count based on how many people died in Europe during previous hot periods(New Scientist)
Synthetic biology may finally be ready to solve life's biggest mystery 02. July 2026 (17:38) What makes something alive? We simply don't know, but synthetic biologists are a step closer to providing an answer thanks to SpudCell, the most sophisticated attempt at creating an artificial life form yet(New Scientist)
Geoengineering could expose plane passengers to sulphuric acid 02. July 2026 (17:05) A proposed technique to counter global warming by spraying sun-reflecting particles near the poles would cause commercial flights to pass through clouds of sulphuric acid, posing a danger to passengers and crew(New Scientist)
The best new popular science books of July 2026 02. July 2026 (17:00) From friendship in a world of chatbots to what it means to be alive, this month’s new popular science books are asking some big questions. Liz Else rounds up the ones she’s most looking forward to(New Scientist)
