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In this week’s issue: Why our bodies are ageing faster than ever - and how to hit the brakes.
Grab a copy in shops now or download our app for digital editions.
www.newscientist.com/issue/3568/
Grab a copy in shops now or download our app for digital editions.
www.newscientist.com/issue/3568/
A planet is about to be destroyed by the collapse of a binary star system in Slow Gods, Claire North’s first venture into classic science fiction. Read it! says Emily H. Wilson
Deep-space sci-fi novel is delightful, profound and not to be missed
A planet is about to be destroyed by the collapse of a binary star system in Slow Gods, Claire North’s first venture into classic science fiction. Read it! says Emily H. Wilson
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:30 AM
A planet is about to be destroyed by the collapse of a binary star system in Slow Gods, Claire North’s first venture into classic science fiction. Read it! says Emily H. Wilson
We're starting to understand how genetics influences our risk of polycystic ovary syndrome, which could help us better treat the common condition.
We're closing in on how genetics may influence your PCOS risk
In the largest genetic analysis of polycystic ovary syndrome to date, scientists have identified new variants linked to the condition, which could help us treat it more effectively
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:13 AM
We're starting to understand how genetics influences our risk of polycystic ovary syndrome, which could help us better treat the common condition.
How do we know the speed of light – and why does it have a speed limit at all? Leah Crane explores the history of one of the most important numbers in the universe
The fascinating story of the ultimate cosmic law
How do we know the speed of light – and why does it have a speed limit at all? Leah Crane explores the history of one of the most important numbers in the universe
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:40 AM
How do we know the speed of light – and why does it have a speed limit at all? Leah Crane explores the history of one of the most important numbers in the universe
There has never been so many satellites in orbit, and their growing number is starting to reveal previously overlooked threats from solar storms
SpaceX's Starlink and other satellites face growing threat from sun
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:11 AM
There has never been so many satellites in orbit, and their growing number is starting to reveal previously overlooked threats from solar storms
Thousands of holes arranged in a snake-like pattern on Monte Sierpe in Peru could have been a monumental accounting device for trade and tax
Mysterious holes in Andean mountain may be an Inca spreadsheet
Thousands of holes arranged in a snake-like pattern on Monte Sierpe in Peru could have been a monumental accounting device for trade and tax
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:08 AM
Thousands of holes arranged in a snake-like pattern on Monte Sierpe in Peru could have been a monumental accounting device for trade and tax
Can sea slugs form abstract thoughts? Do we dare to see any "purpose" in evolution? Is the subjective just a complicated form of the objective? Nikolay Kukushkin's One Hand Clapping is a bold voyage around the mysteries of the human mind, finds Thomas Lewton
Provocative book sets out to solve the hard problem of consciousness
Can sea slugs form abstract thoughts? Do we dare to see any "purpose" in evolution? Is the subjective just a complicated form of the objective? Nikolay Kukushkin's One Hand Clapping is a bold voyage around the mysteries of the human mind, finds Thomas Lewton
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:28 AM
Can sea slugs form abstract thoughts? Do we dare to see any "purpose" in evolution? Is the subjective just a complicated form of the objective? Nikolay Kukushkin's One Hand Clapping is a bold voyage around the mysteries of the human mind, finds Thomas Lewton
Getting covid-19 for the first time slightly increased the risk of heart inflammation, blood clots and bleeding disorders among children, whereas being vaccinated against the virus was much safer and sometimes protective
Covid raises risk of heart issues in children more than vaccination
Getting covid-19 for the first time slightly increased the risk of heart inflammation, blood clots and bleeding disorders among children, whereas being vaccinated against the virus was much safer and sometimes protective
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Getting covid-19 for the first time slightly increased the risk of heart inflammation, blood clots and bleeding disorders among children, whereas being vaccinated against the virus was much safer and sometimes protective
Orcas have devised a clever trick to gang up on great white sharks and eat their livers, which has been captured on video for the first time.
Orcas are ganging up on great white sharks to eat their livers
For the first time, video footage has captured orcas in the Gulf of California hunting young great white sharks, using a trick to flip them over, paralise them and get at their energy-rich livers
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Orcas have devised a clever trick to gang up on great white sharks and eat their livers, which has been captured on video for the first time.
Alzheimer's-related cognitive decline could be slowed by taking as few as 3000 steps a day, possibly due to the effects of regular exercise on brain health
Walking 3000 steps a day seems to slow Alzheimer's-related decline
Alzheimer's-related cognitive decline could be slowed by taking as few as 3000 steps a day, possibly due to the effects of regular exercise on brain health
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Alzheimer's-related cognitive decline could be slowed by taking as few as 3000 steps a day, possibly due to the effects of regular exercise on brain health
Grace Chan, author of Every Version of You, the November read for the New Scientist Book Club, explores the philosophical implications of the choices her characters make
If you could upload your mind to a virtual utopia, would you?
Grace Chan, author of Every Version of You, the November read for the New Scientist Book Club, explores the philosophical implications of the choices her characters make
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Grace Chan, author of Every Version of You, the November read for the New Scientist Book Club, explores the philosophical implications of the choices her characters make
The very first generation of stars, called Population III stars, are mostly expected to be too distant to see directly – but astronomers may have found some for the very first time
We may have found a surprisingly nearby cluster of primordial stars
The very first generation of stars, called Population III stars, are mostly expected to be too distant to see directly – but astronomers may have found some for the very first time
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:51 AM
The very first generation of stars, called Population III stars, are mostly expected to be too distant to see directly – but astronomers may have found some for the very first time
In this passage from the opening of Grace Chan’s sci-fi novel, the November read for the New Scientist Book Club, we are introduced to her protagonists as they spend time in a virtual utopia which is becoming increasingly tempting in a dying world
Book Club: Read an extract from Every Version of You by Grace Chan
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:16 AM
In this passage from the opening of Grace Chan’s sci-fi novel, the November read for the New Scientist Book Club, we are introduced to her protagonists as they spend time in a virtual utopia which is becoming increasingly tempting in a dying world
Standard techniques for removing kidney stones often require repeated surgery, but a magnetic gel seems to make the process more efficient
Magnetic gel could remove kidney stones more effectively
Standard techniques for removing kidney stones often require repeated surgery, but a magnetic gel seems to make the process more efficient
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Standard techniques for removing kidney stones often require repeated surgery, but a magnetic gel seems to make the process more efficient
All over the world people are ageing more rapidly and succumbing to diseases that typically affected the elderly. But there are ways to turn back the clock on your biological age
Our bodies are ageing faster than ever. Can we hit the brakes?
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:45 AM
All over the world people are ageing more rapidly and succumbing to diseases that typically affected the elderly. But there are ways to turn back the clock on your biological age
We admire grit and perseverance, but surprising research suggests that giving up on ambitions in the right way can actually improve our physical and mental health
Why giving up on goals is good for you, and how to know which to ditch
www.newscientist.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:20 PM
We admire grit and perseverance, but surprising research suggests that giving up on ambitions in the right way can actually improve our physical and mental health
Jacob, an 11-year-old lion, has defied expectations by surviving for years after losing a leg – now we know his success is down to an innovative hunting strategy
A three-legged lion has learned to hunt in a completely unexpected way
Jacob, an 11-year-old lion, has defied expectations by surviving for years after losing a leg – now we know his success is down to an innovative hunting strategy
www.newscientist.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Jacob, an 11-year-old lion, has defied expectations by surviving for years after losing a leg – now we know his success is down to an innovative hunting strategy
COP's negotiations this month will focus on money for climate change adaptation. While more money is essential, even a big increase won't be enough on its own and we need to face up to this, warns Susannah Fisher
Tough choices lie ahead when it comes to climate change adaptation
COP's negotiations this month will focus on money for climate change adaptation. While more money is essential, even a big increase won't be enough on its own and we need to face up to this, warns Susannah Fisher
www.newscientist.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:37 PM
COP's negotiations this month will focus on money for climate change adaptation. While more money is essential, even a big increase won't be enough on its own and we need to face up to this, warns Susannah Fisher
We now have only the second high-quality genome from an ancient Denisovan human, which reveals there were more populations of this species than we thought
Denisovans may have interbred with mysterious group of ancient humans
www.newscientist.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:54 PM
We now have only the second high-quality genome from an ancient Denisovan human, which reveals there were more populations of this species than we thought
Lise Barnéoud's Hidden Guests shows how this fascinating new field brings with it profound implications for medicine, and even what it means to be human, finds Helen Thomson
This book is a great insight into the new science of microchimerism
Lise Barnéoud's Hidden Guests shows how this fascinating new field brings with it profound implications for medicine, and even what it means to be human, finds Helen Thomson
www.newscientist.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Lise Barnéoud's Hidden Guests shows how this fascinating new field brings with it profound implications for medicine, and even what it means to be human, finds Helen Thomson
Formula 1 cars have been the fastest road vehicles for the past 50 years. But electric vehicles may soon become the quickest on earth, as the battery-powered cars of the upstart Formula E racing championship are making huge technological strides.
Could electric race cars soon be faster than Formula 1?
www.newscientist.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Formula 1 cars have been the fastest road vehicles for the past 50 years. But electric vehicles may soon become the quickest on earth, as the battery-powered cars of the upstart Formula E racing championship are making huge technological strides.
There is growing evidence that our reliance on generative AI tools is reducing our ability to think clearly and critically, but it doesn’t have to be that way
AI may blunt our thinking skills – here’s what you can do about it
www.newscientist.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:30 PM
There is growing evidence that our reliance on generative AI tools is reducing our ability to think clearly and critically, but it doesn’t have to be that way
Ultrasound pulses to the brain could boost survival after a stroke by mopping up brain debris.
Ultrasound may boost survival after a stroke by clearing brain debris
www.newscientist.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Ultrasound pulses to the brain could boost survival after a stroke by mopping up brain debris.
From Claire North’s new novel Slow Gods to a 10th anniversary edition of a brilliant Adrian Tchaikovsky book, there’s lots to watch out for in November’s science fiction
The best new science fiction books of November 2025
From Claire North’s new novel Slow Gods to a 10th anniversary edition of a brilliant Adrian Tchaikovsky book, there’s lots to watch out for in November’s science fiction
www.newscientist.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:09 PM
From Claire North’s new novel Slow Gods to a 10th anniversary edition of a brilliant Adrian Tchaikovsky book, there’s lots to watch out for in November’s science fiction
Brain activity from more than 1000 people shows a rapid transition from being awake to being asleep, rather than a slow transition between the two states
Falling asleep isn’t a gradual process – it happens all of a sudden
Brain activity from more than 1000 people shows a rapid transition from being awake to being asleep, rather than a slow transition between the two states
www.newscientist.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Brain activity from more than 1000 people shows a rapid transition from being awake to being asleep, rather than a slow transition between the two states
Biochemical evidence suggests Norse people settled in Iceland almost 70 years before the accepted arrival date of the 870s, and didn't chop down the island's forests
Ancient DNA may rewrite the story of Iceland's earliest settlers
Biochemical evidence suggests Norse people settled in Iceland almost 70 years before the accepted arrival date of the 870s, and didn't chop down the island's forests
www.newscientist.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Biochemical evidence suggests Norse people settled in Iceland almost 70 years before the accepted arrival date of the 870s, and didn't chop down the island's forests