New Scientist Australian Edition

New Scientist covers the latest developments in science and technology that will impact your world. New Scientist employs and commissions the best writers in their fields from all over the world. Our editorial team provide cutting-edge news, award-winning features and reports, written in concise and clear language that puts discoveries and advances in the context of everyday life today and in the future.

Elsewhere on New Scientist

The great moon rush • A flood of lunar missions will be a boon for science, but we must proceed with care

New Scientist Australian Edition

Vulcan launches

Giant ape’s extinction explained • We now know more about why the mysterious Gigantopithecus blacki died out up to 295,000 years ago, after failing to adapt to a changing climate, reports James Woodford

First working graphene semiconductor could lead to faster computers

2023 was officially the world’s hottest year on record

A way to solve the black hole paradox • We may be able to measure “islands” that contain copies of information that black holes have lost

Grinding bones into an edible paste could reduce food waste

Analysis Cryptocurrency emissions • Should nations try to ban bitcoin because of its environmental impact? Miners of the cryptocurrency aren’t curbing its energy and water use, leading some to argue that governments should intervene, says Matthew Sparkes

Bubbles could do photosynthesis • Soap films with distinct sides are a step towards copying the way plants create useful chemicals

AI sheds light on origins of England’s place names

Poisoned by a gold boom • People living along rivers in Bolivia have neurological symptoms and dangerously high levels of mercury because of pollution from gold mining, reports Dan Collyns

Psychedelic drug helps treat PTSD and traumatic brain injuries

Renegade moon may have flipped Venus’s spin

Covid-19 linked to schizophrenia • Severe infections with the SARS-CoV-2 virus seem to increase risk of mental health issues

5% chance that AI will drive humans extinct, says survey

Submerged Australian area may have hosted 500,000 people

Humanoid robot acts out phrases as if playing charades

Notoriously complex ‘nightmare’ substance created

Tiny T. rex fossils may be from a distinct species after all

Neptune isn’t as blue as we thought it was

Early fossil evidence for photosynthesis

Most large fishing boats operate as ‘dark vessels’

Really brief

Teaching without teachers • The global shortage of science teachers should worry everyone concerned about diversity and equity in the field, says Alom Shaha

Field notes from space-time • Stellar prospects The past year saw developments that upend our ideas about galaxies. What a time to be an astrophysicist, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Flock together

Your letters

A world to save • From climate change to deforestation, a smart but controversial new book makes a strong case for optimism about Earth’s fate, says Madeleine Cuff

Earth’s beautiful satellite • Intriguing facts and forgotten history mingle in what is essentially a love letter to the moon, finds Abigail Beall

New Scientist recommends

The games column • Playing to win This year should bring rich gaming with Star Wars Outlaws, wonderful surprises such as World of Goo 2 – a satirical physics puzzle game – and, maybe, the much-delayed Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, says Jacob Aron

An olive a day… • Decades of research suggest a Mediterranean way of eating carries important health benefits. We are finally starting to figure out why, finds Michael Marshall

On the trail of Africa’s elusive manatees • Rumour has it that a unique group of...