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New Scientist - Home
New Scientist - Home
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Common chemical in drinking water hasn't been tested for safety
Chloramine is used as a disinfectant in drinking water systems from the US to Australia. Research now shows it breaks down into a compound that may have negative health impacts
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Worm-like fossil is the oldest ancestor of spiders and crustaceans
Arthropods belong to an evolutionary branch – the ecdysozoa – that contains about half of all animal species, and the earliest fossil evidence of the group dates back 550 million years
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Chimpanzees seem to get more technologically advanced through culture
Groups of wild chimpanzees with more complex tool-using behaviours tend to be genetically linked, providing evidence for cumulative culture in other apes
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Brainwave experiment shows minke whales have ultrasonic hearing
In the first hearing test of live baleen whales, the animals detected much higher frequency sounds than expected, forcing researchers to reconsider how these mammals respond to predators – and humans
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World's thinnest spaghetti won't please gourmands but may heal wounds
Spaghetti strands that are 200 times thinner than a human hair could be woven into bandages to help prevent infections
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A sliver of lab-grown wood has been made from stem cells
Growing wood directly from stem cells could offer an alternative to cutting threatened hardwood trees, but it isn't clear if it has same properties as actual wood
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We've taken a photo of a star in another galaxy for the first time
Using four telescopes linked together, astronomers have captured an astonishing image of a huge star more than 160,000 light years away
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Nectar-loving Ethiopian wolves may be the first carnivore pollinators
Endangered Ethiopian wolves feed on the nectar of red hot poker plants, and may transport pollen from flower to flower as they do so
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Robotic pigeon reveals how birds fly without a vertical tail fin
A flying robot uses its bird-like tail to maintain stability in flight – a technique that could enable more aerodynamic aircraft designs that use less fuel
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Mayors are the leaders we need to help fight climate change
By 2050, 70 per cent of the world's population will live in urban centres - that's just one reason why mayors will be essential to addressing the climate crisis, making vital adaptations to cities to make them more bearable in a warming world