Neutrinos spit out by the main processes that power the sun are finally accounted for, physicists report. Two sets of nuclear fusion reactions predominate in the sun’s core and both produce the lightweight subatomic particles in abundance. Scientists had previously detected neutrinos from the most prevalent process. Now, for the first time, neutrinos from the […] More
Ripples in spacetime have revealed a distant collision between a black hole and a mystery object, which appears too massive to be a neutron star but not massive enough to be a black hole. At first glance, the event — detected by the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors on August 14, 2019 — looked […] More
“IN SCIENCE, I am surrounded by a lot of privileged white people,” says Aya Osman, a neuroscientist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Born in Saudi Arabia, she moved from the UK to the US two years ago for her postdoctoral degree. On her first day of orientation, she says, she was one of […] More
Jets of high-energy plasma shooting away from supermassive black holes resemble bell-bottom pants — starting out narrow but ending with a flare. The shape can help astrophysicists tease out how such jets are launched and reveal details of their black holes, researchers report in the July Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. “From studying […] More
New Scientist’s weekly round-up of the best books, films, TV series, games and more that you shouldn’t miss Humans 17 June 2020 Watch Dark, a German-language Netflix thriller about disappearing children, releases its mind-bending final season on 27 June. Next to this difficult but rewarding dish, Stranger Things is a mere dessert. Read The Origins […] More
Playing as a murderous shark on a rampage isn’t nearly as fun as being a horrible goose terrorising a village, finds Jacob Aron Humans 17 June 2020 Maneater Tripwire Interactive PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Untitled Goose Game House House PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch STEVEN SPIELBERG has a lot to answer for. […] More
A man buried at the heart of the 5000-year-old Newgrange passage tomb in Ireland was born from an incestuous union, DNA sequencing has revealed. The discovery suggests that the ruling elite in Stone Age Ireland married within their family, like some ancient Egyptian dynasties. Daniel Bradley and Lara Cassidy at Trinity College Dublin have been […] More
Thousands of scientists participated in a strike against racism in science and academia on 10 June, with prominent academic institutions and scientific journals pledging their support. While these statements have been welcomed, many are keen for institutions to go further. “People are tired of seeing organisations that have released statements, but with no action plan […] More
