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Our lifespans may be half down to genes and half to the environment

A reanalysis of twin data from Denmark and Sweden suggests that how long we live now depends roughly equally on the genes we inherit, and on where we live and what we do

29/01/2026

Faecal transplants could boost the effectiveness of cancer treatments

Adults with kidney cancer who received faecal microbiota transplants on top of their existing drugs did better than those who had placebo transplants as their add-on intervention

29/01/2026

The universe may be hiding a fundamentally unknowable quantum secret

Even given a set of possible quantum states for our cosmos, it's impossible for us to determine which one of them is correct

29/01/2026

How your health is being commodified by social media

From health tech developers to influencers, our health is being monetised – and we need to be aware of what's going on, says Deborah Cohen

28/01/2026

New Scientist recommends pioneering artist Ryoji Ikeda's new work

Ryoji Ikeda’s data-cosm [n°1]Alice LubbockThomas Lewton

28/01/2026

Engaging look at friction shows how it keeps our world rubbing along

How much do you know about friction? Jennifer R. Vail's charming, if sometimes technical, "biography" of the force showcases its amazing and largely overlooked role in everything from climate change to dark matter, says Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

28/01/2026

A remarkable book on quantum mechanics reveals a really big idea

Where is physics headed? No one knows for sure, but Beyond the Quantum by Antony Valentini is a striking new book that reminds us what a big idea really looks like, finds Jon Cartwright

28/01/2026

This virus infects most of us – but why do only some get very ill?

The ubiquitous Epstein-Barr virus is increasingly being linked to conditions like multiple sclerosis and lupus. But why do only some people who catch it develop these complications? The answer may lie in our genetics

28/01/2026

Ancient humans were seafaring far earlier than we realised

Thousands of years before the invention of compasses or sails, prehistoric peoples crossed oceans to reach remote lands like Malta and Australia. Doing so meant striking out in unknowable conditions. What do such crossings tell us about ancient…

28/01/2026

Huge fossil bonanza preserves 512-million-year-old ecosystem

A treasure trove of Cambrian fossils has been discovered in southern China, providing a window on marine life shortly after Earth’s first mass extinction event

28/01/2026

We're getting closer to growing a brain in a lab dish

Clumps of cells known as organoids are helping us to understand the brain, and the latest version comes equipped with realistic blood vessels to help the organoids live longer

28/01/2026