Science

How Loreto stood up to the cruise industry and reversed a presidential decree

When a presidential decree opened the UNESCO-designated Loreto Bay National Park to large-scale maritime traffic, residents of the coastal Baja California Sur town were prepared to fight. The town of Loreto, with a population of around…

Our brains change as a result of parenthood – just not in the way you think

Up to 81 per cent of women who have been pregnant report “baby brain”. So why does a new study confirm it’s a myth?

China’s next big leap: becoming a frontier science civilisation

Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew once offered a striking observation on the nature of American power, wrote Harvard professor Joseph Nye in 2011. China, Lee argued, could draw upon its massive population but the United…

Why the Ebola and Hantavirus Outbreaks Have Confounded Scientists

The types of Ebola and hantavirus worrying officials are very different from the species identified decades ago, raising new questions about how to respond.

Brazil to invest in highway cutting through the Amazon rainforest

Brazil’s government announced Wednesday that it will invest $75 million in the BR-319 highway cutting through the Amazon rainforest, a project environmentalists say could accelerate deforestation and worsen climate change.

Nasa images show wildfire damage to island dubbed ‘Galapagos of California’

The satellite visuals reveal vast burn scars after blaze tore through rare ecosystems on Santa Rosa Island Images from a Nasa satellite showcased the devastating scars left behind by a wildfire that consumed roughly a third of Santa Rosa…

Why Tax Havens Keep Growing, and What It Costs

GLOBAL · FINANCE Key Facts —The scale: roughly the equivalent of 10% of world output is held in tax havens, researchers estimate. —The cost: tax havens are estimated to cost governments hundreds of billions of dollars a year in lost…

Our verdict on Luminous by Silvia Park: a fascinating take on robots

The New Scientist Book Club read Silvia Park's near-future sci-fi novel Luminous in May, and had lots of good things to say (along with a few complaints)

New Scientist recommends Turi King's expert book about DNA's secrets

From clearing people convicted of murder to identifying a monarch's remains, Michael Le Page is fascinated by The Secrets of Our DNA, an insider's must-read book

Scientists not holding out hope for big Budget boost after year of cuts and sector overhaul

Last year saw the biggest shake-up to the science system in 30 years.

FAA orders SpaceX to investigate Starship booster mishap

Embryos made without sperm or eggs reveal why many pregnancies fail

Embryo organoids made from stem cells are enabling scientists to recreate early pregnancy in the lab, unlocking treatments for infertility, miscarriage and pre-eclampsia