Humans

By Sam Wong
StockFood / Parissi, Lucy
STALE bread may seem like it has simply dried out, but staling is actually a complex process that still isn’t fully understood.
In the 19th century, the French chemist Jean-Baptiste Boussingault noted that stale bread can be refreshed by putting it in the oven, and showed that bread will still go stale if it is hermetically sealed and doesn’t lose any moisture.
In fact, staling is to do with the chemistry of starch, which is found in flour and consists of two kinds of sugar molecules, amylose and amylopectin. Raw starch has a rigid, crystalline structure, but it … More

A test uses epigenetic marks on your DNA to determine which parts of your genome came from each biological parent

Humans

8 June 2022

By Carissa Wong
It is now possible to work out which parts of someone’s genome came from which biological parent via a genetic testJozef Polc / Alamy
A genetic technique can identify which parts of your genome came from your biological mother and which parts are from your biological father. The method could be useful in cases where an individual is carrying a disease-associated gene variant by helping to establish which other family members should consider undergoing screening for the gene.
“It’s a very, very cool study,” says Shai Carmi at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, … More

In the parkland of Penge, in south London, dinosaurs roam. The Art and Science of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs by Mark Whitton and Ellinor Michel is a visual feast that examines these Victorian sculptures

Humans

1 June 2022

By Simon Ings

THE Great Exhibition of 1851 was a huge success – so huge that in 1852 the iron and glass structure that had contained it was reassembled on parkland in Penge in south London, forming the nucleus of a permanent complex of gardens, fountains and unusual attractions. The Geological Court, arguably its most beguiling exhibit, still enchants and inspires today.
Cleverly designed to evoke lost landscapes and peppered with sculptures of long-extinct creatures, this naturalistic celebration of geology … More

If you make your own compost at home, you can participate in a citizen science project that investigates whether products are as biodegradable as they claim

Humans

1 June 2022

By Layal Liverpool
Alistair Berg/Getty Images

HOW biodegradable is your teabag? Are plastics labelled as biodegradable really what they claim to be? You can have a go at answering these questions and more by conducting your own home composting experiment.
If you live in the UK, you can submit your findings via the Big Compost Experiment citizen science project and contribute directly to waste innovation research. Start by choosing some items labelled as biodegradable or compostable. You might find inspiration from the project’s ongoing Teabag Trials, which encourage volunteers to test out the supposedly environmentally friendly teabags that are now on offer from various brands.
Before … More

From the death rites of animals to gang initiations, rituals are found everywhere. This new book explores why

Humans

1 June 2022

By Simon Ings

This fire ritual in Bulgaria involves a barefoot dance on smouldering embersCylonphoto/Getty Images
Ritual
Dimitris Xygalatas
Profile

“I always feel my stomach churn when I look at someone being impaled by a spear through the cheeks,” writes Dimitris Xygalatas, an anthropologist at the University of Connecticut specialising in the study of extreme rituals. The version of the Thaipusam Kavadi ritual found in Mauritius is his favourite – if that is quite the word. Devotees endure many piercings, from a few needles through their cheeks to several hundred spikes perforating their entire … More

A mind-expanding new exhibition in Liverpool, UK, sets out to explore how science has influenced the making of Doctor Who

Humans

1 June 2022

By Clare Wilson

The science behind the Face of Boe is explored at Doctor Who: Worlds of wonderSarner International courtesy of National Museums Liverpool
Doctor Who: Worlds of wonder
World Museum, Liverpool, UK Until 30 October

IF YOU know one thing about Doctor Who, it may be that the TARDIS, the titular Doctor’s spaceship, is based on a physical impossibility: it is “bigger on the inside”. Externally, it looks like a small, blue telephone box, but those who enter find themselves in a multi-dimensional labyrinth.
While such a premise might seem fantastical, in fact, many of the ideas from the … More

Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more

Humans

1 June 2022

Josie Ford
Rogue editors
If you ever feel in need of some light entertainment alongside insights into the decline of research integrity and the scientific method, try perusing a website called Retraction Watch.
As New Scientist has previously described, some fear that papers in peer-reviewed journals – once seen as the most authoritative source of information – are increasingly untrustworthy, because scientists’ careers these days hinge on their publication tally, incentivising quantity over quality. Retraction Watch documents official retractions of papers – either due to honest errors or outright fraud – often accompanied by wry commentary and the occasional eye-roll.
Feedback thought we already knew … More

The physics in this meandering but engrossing novel adds flavour rather than substance, with the focus more on mental health

Humans

1 June 2022

By Anna Demming

The Red Arrow takes place on a train – with the odd metaphysical detourSephirot17/Getty Images
The Red Arrow
William Brewer
John Murray

DAYDREAMERS often love train journeys. When it comes to navigating a maze of fancy and reflection while hurtling at high speed from A to B, few do it with such deft eloquence as William Brewer’s introspective protagonist in The Red Arrow.
The novel is named after the train Frecciarossa, on which the protagonist is travelling for the whole course of the novel, although most of the time his mind is … More