New Scientist

New Scientist covers the latest developments in science and technology that will impact your world. New Scientist employs and commissions the best writers in their fields from all over the world. Our editorial team provide cutting-edge news, award-winning features and reports, written in concise and clear language that puts discoveries and advances in the context of everyday life today and in the future.

The heat is on • It is vital we understand the differing effects of heat and humidity on our bodies

New Scientist

Heat rising dangerously • As Europe and North America swelter, Jacklin Kwan and Alec Luhn take a look at the data to see how heatwaves have changed over the past 50 years

Climate crop losses

Softer ovaries could lengthen fertility window

‘Major breakthrough’ for IVF • Lambs born from immature eggs could pave the way for improved success rates for IVF in people, finds Carissa Wong

mRNA jab for older eggs reduces risk of chromosome error

Rewriting thermodynamics • Two hundred years after the laws of physics concerning heat and work were first devised, they could get a stronger mathematical underpinning, discovers Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

AI put to work on Fermat’s last theorem • Mathematicians are making quick progress in formalising the famous problem after turning to AI for help, reports Matthew Sparkes

Special relativity seen warping chemical bonds for the first time

Ancient worm preferred to turn right

Allergy culprit also boosts our memory

Resuscitated retinas respond to light

How to prevent a super El Niño • Seeding clouds with seawater could shade the eastern Pacific and reduce the temperature spike from El Niño, but there could be unexpected consequences, finds Alec Luhn

Peter Shor’s algorithm could break the internet – but he’s not worried

The inner lives of bumblebees

Hints humans and Neanderthals shared culture

Salt batteries are about to shake up EVs and grid storage • Stand aside, lithium: batteries made with sodium ions hold the promise of being cheaper and less flammable, reports Alec Luhn

Heating up • A short spell in a heat chamber showed Alec Luhn that his body isn’t adapted to high temperatures – but regular exposure can train the body to respond more effectively

Purple patch • Some marathon runners and other athletes swear by beetroot juice shots, but is there evidence they really do anything for our bodies? Alice Klein investigates

On thin ice

‘I’d throw myself in front of a T. rex’ • As Chris Packham’s new show Evolution airs, he tells Penny Sarchet why it is vital we change our relationship with nature – and some unexpected details about his favourite animals

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What horses are really saying • There is much to like in this exploration of horse “language” and the equine mind, but beware unexpected flaws, says Christa Lesté-Lasserre

Your letters

Heat therapy • Sauna and hot baths don’t just make us feel good – they can also have a positive impact on our heart and brain health, finds Bill Gifford

Living the good life • A Portuguese city is showing us how we can walk the tightrope between our well-being and that of Earth, discovers April Reese

Earth’s safe operating space • Nine planetary boundaries define the guardrails for human activities, beyond which we risk triggering catastrophic environmental collapse. Analysis suggests we are already transgressing seven of them

Less is more • Over the past 200 years, humanity has shifted its labour away from the most extractive sectors, such as manufacturing and food production. To proposer within planetary boundaries, estimates suggest we need to accelerate this trend, with a renewed focus...