European summers will be hotter than predicted because of cleaner air
By ignoring declining air pollution, regional climate models have greatly underestimated how hot Europe’s summers and heatwaves will become ⌘ Read more

Kill the sun! How wild thought experiments drive scientific discovery
My colleagues call me a supervillain for trying to destroy the cosmos, but this kind of imaginative thinking isn’t so far from what scientists do, says space reporter Leah Crane ⌘ Read more

India’s next leader will have the chance to lead the world on climate
The future prime minister of this increasingly powerful nation should be prepared to play a key role in global climate policy ⌘ Read more

Why warm drinks taste more alcoholic than cold ones
Chemists have found a link between the taste of a beverage and the shapes formed by its water and ethanol molecules, which explains why spirits like whisky taste more alcoholic at warmer temperatures ⌘ Read more

Father’s gut microbiome may affect infant health
Disrupted gut microbiomes in male mice increase their offspring’s risk of low birth weight, stunted growth and premature death ⌘ Read more

The new drugs preventing allergic reactions to peanuts and other foods
Incredible results from trials of several new medications show they can prevent potentially deadly reactions to foods like peanuts, eggs and dairy - and may one day treat asthma ⌘ Read more

Being angry for just 8 minutes could increase risk of a heart attack
People who were asked to recall past events that made them angry experienced a change to their blood vessels that has been linked with heart attacks ⌘ Read more

Odd bump on praying mantis chest is actually world’s weirdest tongue
A bristly bump on some mantises’ chests is a never-before-seen “gustifolium”, which may have evolved to help the insects with their highly specialised lifestyles ⌘ Read more

The best new science fiction books of May 2024
A new Stephen King short story collection, an Ursula K. Le Guin reissue and a celebration of cyberpunk featuring writing from Philip K. Dick and Cory Doctorow are among the new science fiction titles published this month ⌘ Read more

Want to move fast? Look for these materials in your next running shoes
Spiked running shoes with a rubbery material between the inner and outer soles, and a stiff plate to improve stability, seem to help people move faster ⌘ Read more

Running around a ‘wall of death’ could keep moon settlers fit
Lunar settlers could avoid health problems like muscle wasting by running on the inside of a circular wall to mimic the pull of Earth’s gravity on the body ⌘ Read more

Carbon-negative cement can be made with a mineral that helps catch CO2
A process to dissolve the mineral olivine in acid could provide a plentiful, energy-efficient material for carbon-negative cement ⌘ Read more

Can these awesome rocks become central Asia’s first UNESCO Geopark?
Long feted by fossil hunters and geologists, if UNESCO recognises the extraordinary rock formation at Madygen in Kyrgyzstan, it will soon be a player on the world stage ⌘ Read more

How could we make a solar eclipse happen every day?
Total solar eclipses are astonishing, but travelling to get to one is less so – this episode of Dead Planets Society is all about rearranging the solar system to create a more convenient eclipse ⌘ Read more

Most brain monitors sold to consumers don’t keep your data private
A report found data privacy problems with the vast majority of 30 companies that sell neurotechnology devices to consumers. New US state laws aim to change that ⌘ Read more

Australia places A$1 billion bet on quantum computing firm PsiQuantum
A joint investment by the Australian federal government and the government of Queensland makes PsiQuantum one of the largest dedicated quantum computing firms in the world ⌘ Read more

How India has slowly but surely become a major player in space
India’s space agency has been remarkably successful in recent years, growing the country’s prestige on the global stage – and the 2024 election is unlikely to change that ⌘ Read more

India is poised to become a climate leader, but is it up to the task?
As the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, climate policy decisions taken by India will shape the fate of the entire world. But can it continue to develop its economy while keeping carbon dioxide down? ⌘ Read more

Foxes’ skulls are specially adapted for diving into snow
Red foxes and Arctic foxes dive headfirst into snow at up to 4 metres per second to catch small rodents, and the shape of their snouts reduces the impact force ⌘ Read more

English oaks can withstand warming – but other trees will struggle
Climate change means many tree species planted today in Europe won’t survive to the end of the century, but English oaks could thrive in many areas ⌘ Read more

A new approach to dark matter could help us solve galactic anomalies
Cosmological puzzles are tempting astronomers to rethink our simple picture of the universe – and ask whether dark matter is even stranger than we thought ⌘ Read more

Toxic chemicals from car tyres can get into soil and contaminate food
Governments need to take action to protect people from potentially toxic additives in tyre rubber, say researchers after finding they can get into food from contaminated soil ⌘ Read more

Image-generating AI creates uncanny optical illusions
Generative AI models designed to create images from text can be adapted to construct complex optical illusions - pictures that look like different things when viewed from far away or with motion blur ⌘ Read more

How the US is preparing for a potential bird flu pandemic
As the US grapples with an ongoing bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle, the country’s health agencies are ramping up surveillance efforts and working to develop a vaccine if needed ⌘ Read more

Bowhead whales still harmed from whaling that ended a century ago
Commercial bowhead whaling ended in the early 20th century, but the industry’s lasting effects on the whales’ genetic diversity are leading to declines again ⌘ Read more