Weekly Newsletter

In this week’s issue

Broken jet stream

Scientists are scrambling to understand how climate change may be interfering with the winds that carry our weather, with potentially catastrophic consequences. Read more

Can wearable tech boost your mood?

A range of brainwave-reading devices and other gadgets aim to monitor our nervous systems and intervene to improve our well-being. Do they work? Read more

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This week’s top news stories

Aurore Simonnet/Sonoma State University

A supermassive black hole is sending out a mysterious pulsing beat

Regular pulses of X-ray radiation emanating from a supermassive black hole could be explained by a white dwarf star on the verge of falling in. Read more

Golden oyster mushrooms may stave off signs of ageing

Middle-aged mice fed golden oyster mushrooms had healthier hearts, suggesting an antioxidant in the fungi protects against the effects of ageing. Read more

Melting ice reveals millennia-old forest buried in the Rocky mountains

Trees dating back almost 6000 years have come to scientists' attention due to ice melting in the Rocky mountains, offering a "time capsule" into the past. Read more

New Scientist podcast

Gene editing to make superhumans

Creating disease-resistant humans may before too long be a reality thanks to advancements in CRISPR gene editing. As the field progresses rapidly, a controversial paper published in Nature explores just how powerful this technology could be. Hosts Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet discuss with guests Michael Le Page and Grace Wade.

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This week’s most popular stories

Paul Ryding

The physicist on a mission to understand Mercury's epic solar storms

Suzie Imber is a co-investigator for the BepiColombo mission, currently on its way to Mercury. She explains how it will cast new light on the planet's many oddities, including its awful space weather and the fact it appears to have shrunk. Read more

Rereading the best science fiction writers of all time: Iain M. Banks

At his best, Iain M. Banks could be extraordinarily stylish, inventive and downright funny. So how does his genre-redefining science fiction stand up to the test of time? Emily H. Wilson delves into his back catalogue to find out. Read more

A new definition of obesity could help treat millions of people

Obesity is typically assessed by measuring someone's body mass index, but now researchers are calling for a more nuanced approach that could help with treatment. Read more

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Mars may have a solid inner core like Earth does

A new analysis of marsquakes measured by NASA’s InSight lander indicates Mars has a solid inner core – but other researchers say the evidence is thin. Read more

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