From mother to offspring: Young birds show how 'forever chemicals' accumulate

New research has found young birds living near contaminated industrial and military sites in suburban Melbourne carry especially high concentrations of PFAS, so-called "forever chemicals."

Storms impact the architecture of webs and the survival of spiders

In the dense forests of the Ecuadorian Andes, the survival of a spider relies not only on its ability to prey on insects but also on its capacity to resist a threat coming from the skies. A new study revealed that the heavy rainfall that hits the region acts as an "ecological filter," bombarding spider webs and, in the process, determining which species and silk architectures are able to master each environment.

Artefacts hint at cultural exchange between Neanderthals and humans | New Scientist

About 59,000 years ago, Homo sapiens moved into a coastal cave in Turkey that was previously home to Neanderthals. Yet the tools and trinkets found in the cave remained remarkably consistent, hinting that these ancient hominin species had a shared material culture.

Can the biggest problems in AI be solved by philosophy? | New Scientist

Some of the biggest challenges in artificial intelligence are being worked on not by computer scientists head down in code but by philosophers lured from academia into jobs at AI firms. The philosophers are tasked with making the next generation of models more capable and reliable, but they also shed light on the mystery of consciousness and whether intelligence can be replicated in software alone.

5,000-year-old wolves found on remote island rewrite what we know about domestication

A surprising discovery on a small island in the Baltic Sea is changing how scientists think about the relationship between ancient humans and wolves.

Researchers have identified wolf remains dating back roughly 3,000 to 5,000 years on the Swedish island of Stora Karlsö. The finding is remarkable because the island is isolated and has no native land mammals. The wolves could not have reached the island on their own, leading researchers to conclude that people must have transported them there.

Record-breaking ocean drilling reveals why Japan's 2011 tsunami was so deadly

Researchers have uncovered a hidden feature beneath the Pacific Ocean that helps explain why Japan's devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami became so destructive. The discovery also offers new clues that could improve forecasts of future megaquakes and tsunamis.

New optical centrifuge unlocks the secrets of frictionless superfluids

Physicists have developed a new way to control the rotation of molecules inside tiny droplets of liquid helium, marking an important advance in the study of superfluids. By using a specially designed optical centrifuge, the team was able to precisely spin molecules suspended in liquid helium nano-droplets, giving scientists a powerful new tool for exploring these unusual frictionless materials.

A strange LIGO signal could reveal the missing link behind dark matter

Primordial black holes have remained one of astronomy's most intriguing ideas for decades. Now, researchers at the University of Miami believe a recent gravitational wave detection may bring scientists closer to confirming that these ancient objects are real, a breakthrough that could also help solve the enduring mystery of dark matter.

June heatwave may have killed around 20,000 people in Europe | New Scientist

Europe’s most extreme heatwave so far may have killed between 17,000 and 25,000 people, according to an early estimate based on past deaths from heat in the region.

Random wobbles in time could finally solve gravity’s greatest mystery | New Scientist

The most vexing question in physics right now is how general relativity – the laws that govern gravity and space-time on large scales – meshes with quantum mechanics, the laws that govern very small scales. There are many potential solutions, none proven, and so far very few of them have been conclusively ruled out either – or even rigorously investigated. Now, though, the day is approaching when one of those ideas could be put to the test. If it holds up, it could dramatically change our view of time.