A Hubble Space Telescope image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Background stars appear as streaks because the telescope was tracking the comet NASA, ESA, David Jewitt (UCLA)/Joseph DePasquale (STScI) Telescopes trained on the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS have revealed that it looks much like comets found in the outer reaches of our own solar system. However, … Read more
Artistic concept of what the gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A could look like ESA/Webb Copyright: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, R. Hurt (Caltech/IPAC) A giant planet the size of Saturn orbiting a sun-like star has potentially been identified in our nearest neighbouring stellar system, Alpha Centauri. At just four light years from Earth, Alpha Centauri … Read more
Potato tubers are the result of an ancient hybridisation event Jackie Bale/Getty Images The humble potato, it turns out, is the product of a tryst between an ancient tomato plant and a lesser-known South American lineage named Etuberosum. Etuberosum plants are often described as looking like a potato plant, except for one crucial difference – … Read more
E. coli can cause severe illness, but is also often used in drug development VICTOR HABBICK VISIONS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY We have gone further than ever before in creating life that is unlike anything that has evolved naturally. The genome of an Escherichia coli bacterium has been redesigned on a computer to use just 57 of … Read more
Illustration of Tyrannosaurus rex Roger Harris/Getty Images/Science Photo Library A closer look at the skulls of gigantic dinosaurs reveals some preferred to shred their prey, while others attacked with bone-crushing force. Andre Rowe and Emily Rayfield at the University of Bristol in the UK looked at the skulls of 18 species of theropods from across … Read more
“Pepper fruit are the fertilised ovaries of flowers” Gary Lenhart/Shutterstock When I was a kid, my Malaysian grandma used to drag me around the local market, where she spent what felt like hours scrutinising each item of fruit and vegetable before buying it, as only Asian grandmothers can. She would lift every papaya to examine … Read more
The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week
Cage fungus Alison Pouliot “I’ve been hanging around fungi for more than 30 years now, working more at the scientific end. But this time I wanted to really explore the aesthetics of fungi,” says photographer, writer and ecologist Alison Pouliot. “Many of them are aesthetically beautiful. But they are also bizarre, unusual and crazy. I … Read more
White cockatoos seem to have a natural proclivity for dancing Andrew Angelov / Alamy The headbang, the side-to-side and the body roll are some of at least 30 dance moves used by captive cockatoos. Cockatoos have been grabbing limelight online ever since Snowball, a sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita), became an internet dance sensation back in … Read more
Honeybees routinely battle infectious fungi, bacteria, mites and viruses Anthony Brown/Alamy Two seemingly innocuous viral infections in adult honeybees may be secretly insidious, meddling with the insects’ airborne athletics. One virus makes them fly faster, while the other pumps the brakes. Honeybees routinely battle infectious fungi, bacteria, mites and viruses – some of which can … Read more