AI Data Centres Can Warm Surrounding Areas by up to 9.1°C
AI‑powered data centres generate enough waste heat to create localized "heat islands" that can raise surrounding land temperatures by as much as 9.1 °C. Researchers estimate up to 340 million people live close enough to feel this effect. Real‑estate firm JLL predicts global data‑centre capacity will double between 2025 and 2030, with artificial‑intelligence workloads accounting for roughly half of that growth. The trend signals a looming intersection of digital infrastructure and climate‑related challenges.
I Almost Drowned in Space when My Helmet Filled with Water
During a July 2013 spacewalk, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano experienced a sudden water leak that flooded his helmet, obscuring his vision, muffling his hearing, and threatening to drown him in microgravity. The incident forced him to abort the EVA and race back...
How Anthony Leggett Pushed the Boundaries of Quantum Physics
Renowned physicist Sir Anthony Leggett, Nobel laureate and pioneer of macroscopic quantum theory, died on March 8, 2026. His work on superfluid helium‑3 and the Leggett–Garg inequality reshaped how scientists probe the boundary between quantum and classical realms. Over a six‑decade career...
Read an Extract From Kim Stanley Robinson's Sci-Fi Classic Red Mars
New Scientist’s Book Club features an opening excerpt from Kim Stanley Robinson’s sci‑fi classic Red Mars, framing humanity’s transition from mythic fascination to actual settlement of the Red Planet. The passage juxtaposes ancient cultural reverence for Mars with modern scientific breakthroughs...
Temperature Gets a New Definition Using a Quantum Device
Physicists have demonstrated a quantum temperature sensor that uses oversized rubidium atoms, offering a direct, calibration‑free definition of the kelvin. Traditional sensors depend on a chain of calibrated devices, each traced back to national institutes like NIST, introducing cumulative uncertainties....
Meta and YouTube Fined $3 Million for Harming Mental Health
A California jury found Meta and YouTube negligent for harming a young woman's mental health, ordering $3 million in compensatory damages. The verdict follows a similar New Mexico case that imposed $375 million on Meta. Both companies plan to appeal, and the rulings...
Rare Andean Bear Captured in Stunning Photograph
Sebastian Di Domenico’s photograph of an Andean bear perched on a moss‑covered branch in Colombia’s Chingaza Ecopalacio Reserve has been shortlisted for the 2026 Sony World Photography Awards. The image captures a roughly five‑year‑old male, a rare sighting that suggests the...
Ancient Elephant Bones Reveal Vivid Details of a Neanderthal Hunt
Researchers have re‑examined elephant fossils and a 2.3‑metre wooden spear uncovered in Lehringen, Germany, dating to roughly 125,000 years ago. The spear was lodged between the ribs of a straight‑tusked elephant, and cut marks on the bones indicate deliberate butchery...
Earth May Have Formed From Two Separate Rings Around the Sun
New computer simulations suggest Earth and its neighboring rocky planets formed from two separate rings of material around the young Sun, rather than a single disc. The dual‑ring model better reproduces Earth’s mixed rock composition, corrects size discrepancies for Mercury...
Cystitis or Tooth Decay Could Trigger Dementia Just a Few Years Later
Researchers in Finland analyzed health records of over 375,000 older adults and found that severe infections such as cystitis, pneumonia, and tooth decay significantly raise the risk of developing dementia within six years. The study identified 29 conditions linked to...
The Shocking Fossils that Show T. Rex Wasn't the King of the Dinosaurs
Recent analysis of newly discovered tyrannosaur fossils shows that T. rex shared its habitat with at least two other large tyrannosaurids, overturning its long‑standing status as the sole apex predator of the Late Cretaceous. The study, led by a team of...
How AI Shook the World's Largest Meeting of Physicists
At the American Physical Society Global Physics Summit in Denver, 14,000 physicists convened to share cutting‑edge research. Throughout the conference, attendees increasingly turned to AI chatbots to translate complex concepts such as transmon qubits and spintronics into plain language. The...
Adrian Tchaikovsky: 'I Try and Do Interesting Aliens'
Adrian Tchaikovsky’s latest installment, Children of Strife, hit shelves on 26 March 2026, continuing his award‑winning Children of Time saga that blends speculative evolution with hard science fiction. The novel centers on a human‑sized mantis shrimp, a species he researched through...
Are Humans Degenerating Genetically and Getting Dumber as a Result?
Humans inherit roughly 100 new genetic mutations each generation, a rate that fuels ongoing debate about a potential decline in physical and mental fitness. Geneticist Michael Lynch warned that industrialized societies could see reduced fitness over centuries, while some studies...
The Simple Questions Cracking the Hard Problem of Consciousness
Physicist Johannes Kleiner and neuroscientists are moving beyond binary consciousness tests toward a “structural” approach that maps specific qualia to brain activity. Integrated Information Theory (IIT) underpins a consciousness detector that can confirm awareness in unresponsive patients, providing a tangible...
'Zombie' Cells Created by Transplanting Genomes Into Dead Bacteria
Researchers have revived a dead bacterial cell by transplanting the complete genome of Mycoplasma capricolum into a chemically inactivated host, creating the first living synthetic bacterium assembled from non‑living parts. The experiment builds on the 2010 landmark where a synthetic...
Security Credentials Inadvertently Leaked on Thousands of Websites
A recent investigation uncovered that critical security credentials, including RSA private keys, have been inadvertently exposed on thousands of websites, affecting organizations from small firms to major banks and healthcare providers. The leak could enable attackers to impersonate servers, decrypt...
You Can Now Buy a DIY Quantum Computer
Barcelona‑based Qilimanjaro has unveiled EduQit, a DIY quantum‑computer kit that bundles a superconducting qubit chip, a dilution refrigerator, and the necessary microwave control electronics in a flat‑pack format. The company markets the system as a relatively affordable entry point for...
Inside the World’s First Antimatter Delivery Service
On 21 March 2026 CERN performed the world’s first road transport of antiprotons, moving roughly a hundred particles in a compact, vacuum‑sealed trap aboard a truck. The demonstration used the BASE‑STEP transportable trap system, a filing‑cabinet‑sized container that weighs slightly less than...
Major Leap Towards Reanimation After Death as Mammal's Brain Preserved
Researchers at Nectome have successfully cryopreserved an entire pig brain, locking cellular activity with minimal damage. The method uses rapid vitrification to prevent ice formation, preserving neural architecture and synaptic connections. Nectome now plans to offer the service to terminally...
What to Read This Week: Katrina Manson's Terrifying Project Maven
Katrina Manson’s new book, *Project Maven*, chronicles the U.S. military’s decade‑long push to embed artificial intelligence in drone surveillance, beginning with the 2017 initiative that automated video analysis. Drawing on more than 200 interviews, the work reveals a hidden ecosystem...
Your Partner May Wake You up Six Times a Night – but Does It Matter?
Sleeping with a partner leads to significantly more nighttime awakenings, with research showing up to six disturbances per night compared to sleeping alone. While many couples subjectively feel they sleep better together, objective measurements reveal increased sleep fragmentation. The study...
3I/ATLAS: Interstellar Comet Has Water Unlike Any in Our Solar System
Astronomers have confirmed that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS carries water and carbon compounds with a deuterium abundance at least ten times higher than any comet observed in our solar system. The comet also shows unusually high carbon‑dioxide levels and is estimated...
Forget the Multiverse. In the Pluriverse, We Create Reality Together
The article introduces the "pluriverse" concept, arguing that reality emerges from interlocking subjective perspectives rather than an objective, detached view. It claims this relational framework can dissolve longstanding quantum paradoxes by placing observers at the core of the cosmos. The...
The Asteroid Ryugu Has All of the Main Ingredients for Life
Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft retrieved Ryugu asteroid samples in 2020 after impacting the surface in 2018. Laboratory analysis has now identified all five nucleobase precursors needed for DNA and RNA within the debris. The discovery strengthens the hypothesis that asteroids delivered...
Why Global Warming Is Accelerating and What It Means for the Future
Over the past three years, global temperatures have risen faster than most climate models predicted, confirming a consensus that warming is accelerating. Some researchers argue the surge reflects systematic model underestimation, while others attribute it to short‑term natural variability that...
AI Is Nearly Exclusively Designed by Men – Here's How to Fix It
The article highlights that artificial‑intelligence systems are overwhelmingly created by men, leading to gender‑bias in products such as transcription tools that misrecognize women’s names. It draws on observations from the Royal Society’s Women and the Future of Science conference, where...
The Ancient Goths Were an Ethnically Diverse Group
A new ancient‑DNA study of Gothic burial sites reveals that the Goths were a genetically heterogeneous population, drawing ancestry from Scandinavia, the Near East and North Africa. The findings overturn the long‑held view that the Goths originated solely as a...
Our Extinct Australopithecus Relatives May Have Had Difficult Births
A new analysis of Australopithecus pelvis fossils reveals that these early hominins experienced birth forces comparable to modern humans, exposing mothers to significant perineal stress and potential tearing. Researchers, including midwife Pierre Frémondière, argue that the pelvic floor was subjected...
The 3 Things You Need to Know About Passwords, From a Security Expert
Cybersecurity expert Jake Moore urges users to adopt password managers, citing low global adoption of roughly one‑third. He explains that managers generate long, unique passwords and store them securely, eliminating the need to remember multiple credentials. The article highlights that...
Single-Celled Organism with No Brain Is Capable of Pavlovian Learning
Researchers have demonstrated that the unicellular ciliate Stentor coeruleus can perform Pavlovian learning, specifically habituation, despite lacking a brain or neurons. The organism reduced its response to a repeated, harmless stimulus, mirroring the simplest form of learning observed in animals...
The Race to Solve the Biggest Problem in Quantum Computing
Quantum computers remain hampered by high error rates that prevent practical use. Recent advances in quantum error correction—particularly the development of logical qubits that spread information across entangled groups—are narrowing the gap to fault‑tolerant operation. Researchers have demonstrated surface‑code implementations...
We Don’t Know if AI-Powered Toys Are Safe, but They’re Here Anyway
AI‑powered toys are entering the market despite serious safety concerns. Recent research shows these devices struggle to understand children’s emotions and can present fabricated facts as truth. A study highlighted a toy’s awkward response when a five‑year‑old said \"I love...
Can Species Evolve Fast Enough to Survive as the Planet Heats Up?
Researchers documented the first confirmed case of evolutionary rescue in the wild, where the scarlet monkeyflower (*Mimulus cardinalis*) developed drought tolerance within three years of California's megadrought. Genetic analysis revealed multiple mutations linked to climate adaptation, enabling surviving populations to...
A Glimpse Into the Rare Earth Riches of Greenland
Greenland’s Kvanefjeld deposit, rich in rare earth elements, is attracting global mining interest. A recent photo by Jonas Kako captures sodalite stones at the site glowing under ultraviolet light, highlighting the mineral’s visual appeal though it holds no commercial value....
Why Are We so Obsessed with Protein? A New Book Looks for Answers
Samantha King and Gavin Weedon’s new book *Protein* examines why the nutrient has become a cultural obsession, tracing its scientific importance and its elevation in media and marketing. The authors explore protein’s role in muscle growth, immune function, and hormone...
Why the US Is Using a Cheap Iranian Drone Against the Country Itself
The United States has begun deploying copies of Iran’s Shahed‑136 loitering‑munition drone, a simple, motor‑bike‑engine‑powered platform that costs roughly $50,000 per unit. Despite its modest speed of 185 km/h and 15‑kg payload, the drone can strike targets up to 2,500 km away,...