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

Big data can help us make better life decisions argues a thought-provoking new book, but there are some important flaws in the argument

Humans

8 June 2022

By Elle Hunt

Piercings, it turns out, correlate with popularity on dating sitesDEEPOL by plainpicture/Gpointstudio
Don’t Trust Your Gut
Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
Bloomsbury

EVERY day, we outsource decisions to the internet: should we stay at that hotel, eat at this restaurant, ride with that driver? We have become so accustomed to the large-scale insights afforded by tech, many of us wouldn’t buy so much as a toaster without first checking reviews online.
Their accessibility and apparent authority mean that to just roll the dice and pick an appliance is almost unthinkable – why wouldn’t you ask Google first? … 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

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

New Scientist’s weekly round-up of the best books, films, TV series, games and more that you shouldn’t miss

Humans

1 June 2022

Amblin Entertainment/Universal Pictures
Watch
Jurassic World Dominion brings the franchise’s biggest stars together for a climactic encounter between the present day and the prehistoric past. Where will humans end up in the food chain? See it in cinemas from 10 June.

Read
The Illusionist Brain is unpicked by Jordi Camí and Luis Martínez. They reveal how magicians sew illusions into our supposedly continuous experience by exploiting our foibles and fragile memories. Available to buy from 7 June.
Pierre Huyghe
Visit
If the Swamp at the Kistefos Museum near Oslo, Norway, is an immersive installation by French artist … More