Everything you need to know about semaglutide weight loss drugs
From how well they work to side effects such as hair loss, here’s the skinny on new weight loss injections that work by blocking a hormone that normally reduces appetite ⌘ Read more

Flu vaccine for children linked to pneumonia risk for their relatives
The nasal flu vaccine may reduce cases of pneumonia illness in population over the whole flu season because flu infections are likely to lead to even higher boost in bacteria ⌘ Read more

We are about to hear echoes in the fabric of space for the first time
Gravitational waves can be lensed by massive galaxies so that they repeat, like an echo. Scientists are now readying to snare their first one and explore the cosmic secrets it holds ⌘ Read more

How could we give boring blobby galaxies a new, exciting shape?
Galaxies could do with a few more arms or some decorative designs – on this episode of Dead Planets Society, our hosts are using collisions, black holes and dark matter to reshape our galaxy ⌘ Read more

Underwater data centres could be destroyed by loud noises
Underwater data centres being installed off the coasts of China, the US and Europe could be disrupted by sounds from military-grade sonar on ships and submarines, or even whales ⌘ Read more

Mystery of ‘impossible’ star resolved by three-body solution
A white dwarf star orbiting a sun-like star was thought to be impossibly small, but now astronomers have found another star in the system that solves the puzzle ⌘ Read more

Oldest known human viruses found hidden within Neanderthal bones
Genetic analysis of 50,000-year-old Neanderthal skeletons has uncovered the remnants of three viruses related to modern human pathogens, and the researchers think they could be recreated ⌘ Read more

ChatGPT got an upgrade to make it seem more human
OpenAI’s new ChatGPT model, called GPT-4o, provides more human-like interactions through a voice mode, and it is capable of conversations that incorporate text, audio and video in real time ⌘ Read more

Sticky oil sprayed onto plants offers alternative to pesticides
A sticky liquid made from vegetable oil could be sprayed onto plants to catch small pests such as thrips without affecting larger insects such as bees ⌘ Read more

Edible gel prevents and treats alcohol intoxication in mice
Mice given unlimited access to alcohol recovered faster after consuming a gel based on a milk protein, with the same treatment also preventing intoxication in another group of mice. If proved safe and effective in humans, it could offer a quick way to sober up ⌘ Read more

Did humans evolve to chase down prey over long distances?
Outrunning prey over long distances is an efficient method of hunting for humans, and it was widely used until recently, according to an analysis of ethnographic accounts ⌘ Read more

Watch a Möbius strip robot move and climb when hit by light
When light strikes a soft robot made from a twisted strip of hydrogel sheets, it moves in a predictable way and can climb a vertical rod or haul up a load ⌘ Read more

Pigs seem less stressed if their barn is scented with lavender
If a lavender scent is sprayed into pig pens three times a day, the animals show less aggressive behaviour and appear more relaxed ⌘ Read more

Does using the internet make us happier or sadder?
A study of more than 2 million people in 168 countries suggests that having access to the internet is linked to higher life satisfaction, but many questions remain unanswered ⌘ Read more

Doughnut-shaped swirls of laser light can be used to transmit images
Ultra-fast pulses of laser light can be shaped into vortices similar to smoke rings – when chained together, they can carry enough information to transmit a simple image ⌘ Read more

How to see tonight’s northern lights – the strongest in 20 years
A rare geomagnetic storm not seen for nearly 20 years could cause a stunning aurora borealis on 10 and 11 May ⌘ Read more

Dozens of stars show signs of hosting advanced alien civilisations
Sufficiently advanced aliens would be able to capture vast quantities of energy from their star using a massive structure called a Dyson sphere. Such a device would give off an infrared heat signature - and astronomers have just spotted 60 stars that seem to match ⌘ Read more

Heavy or painful menstrual periods are linked to worse exam results
Heavy, prolonged or painful menstrual periods are associated with more days off school and scoring worse on compulsory exams in a UK study ⌘ Read more

500-year-old maths problem turns out to apply to coffee and clocks
A centuries-old maths problem asks what shape a circle traces out as it rolls along a line. The answer, dubbed a “cycloid”, turns out to have applications in a variety of scientific fields ⌘ Read more

Monkeys can learn to tap to the beat of the Backstreet Boys
With a bit of training, macaques can make rhythmic movements in time with music, an ability only shown before by a handful of animals ⌘ Read more

Extreme exercise may help you live longer without stressing your heart
People who can run a mile in less than 4 minutes generally live almost five years longer than would otherwise be expected, challenging the idea that too much strenuous exercise is bad for the heart ⌘ Read more

Invisible ‘dark radiation’ may explain a big problem with dark energy
Surprising recent measurements hint that the universe isn’t expanding in the way we had thought, and it could be explained by still-theoretical dark radiation ⌘ Read more

Has the biggest problem in cosmology finally been solved?
For decades, cosmologists have been fighting over the Hubble constant, a number that represents the expansion rate of the universe – it may have finally been pinned down ⌘ Read more

How to reconnect with long-lost friends, according to science
We are generally as reluctant to contact a long-lost friend as we are to talk to a stranger, but scientists have come up with an approach so it’s easier to make the first move ⌘ Read more

DeepMind is experimenting with a nearly indestructible robot hand
A new robotic hand can withstand being smashed by pistons or walloped with a hammer. It was designed to survive the trial-and-error interactions required to train AI robots ⌘ Read more