Life
The power of ignorance and peering into the Milky Way: Books in brief
Nature, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02371-1Andrew Robinson reviews five of the best science p…
Life
114 articles
Life
Read an extract from The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
In this extract from Peter Heller’s novel, the August read for the New Scientist Book Club, we are introduced to pilot H…
Life
How I wrote The Dog Stars, the novel behind Ridley Scott’s new film
Set in an empty world after a superflu pandemic wipes out most of humanity, Peter Heller's The Dog Stars - the August re…
Life
How smallpox reached the Americas: first genomic evidence points to Europeans
Nature, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02366-yViral sequences from Chilean mummies confirm the d…
Life
The genome of a long-extinct ancient human is hiding within us
We all have bits of DNA from a long-lost “ghost ancestor” inside us – and by putting all the different bits together, we…
Life
Smallpox DNA in ancient Inca mummies shows virus came from Europe
The mummies of two people who lived in Chile more than 400 years ago carry DNA from smallpox, providing the first molecu…
Life
Somatic mutations reveal the ontogeny of microglia in human aging
Nature, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10939-0Somatic mutations reveal the ontogeny of microglia…
Life
Author Correction: Sleep chart of biological ageing clocks in middle and late life
Nature, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10920-xAuthor Correction: Sleep chart of biological agein…
Life
Woolly mammoths butchered by humans were mostly female
Genetic tests of mammoth remains have found a stark contrast in the sex ratio between sites where the animals died natur…
Life
Origami-inspired sensor could continuously monitor our vital signs
A tiny sensor that unfolds within the body could continuously monitor our heart activity and breathing after showing pro…
Life
Demand for lithium is surging: here’s how to make mining more sustainable
Nature, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02195-zResearchers are looking for ways to extract the me…
Life
Henrietta Lacks’s descendant on her legacy – and Rebecca Skloot’s book
Rebecca Skloot told the story of Henrietta Lacks and how her cells were taken without her permission in a bestselling bo…
Life
Is district cooling the solution we need for extreme heat in cities?
Networks of pipes carrying chilled water have proven to be an efficient way to cool hospitals and universities. Now, the…
Life
First-of-kind Guillain-Barré drug switches off part of immune system
A treatment that turns off the bit of the immune system that goes haywire in Guillain-Barré syndrome may be the first ta…
Life
Job insecurity is chipping away at me and my cohort. Is it us, or the state of the economy?
Nature, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01843-8The career market is difficult to navigate — and a…
Life
How I use statistics and my law degree to fight human-rights abuses
Nature, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02079-2Some 50 years after exposing gender discrimination…
Life
Flat head syndrome discovered in Iron Age skeletons
Certain sleeping positions can lead to babies developing flattened heads, and an analysis of ancient skulls from Italy r…
Life
Why the most central law in cosmology may need to be broken
The cosmological principle is the foundation of modern cosmology – but its usefulness doesn’t necessarily make it true, …
Life
Spectacular fossil preserves internal organs of ancient marine reptile
A stunningly intact marine reptile named Austronaga minuta that lived around 245 million years ago may have looked like …
Life
Our verdict on Claire North’s space opera Slow Gods: a big thumbs-up
There was unusual consensus amongst New Scientist Book Club members about our read for July, with readers falling over t…
Life
Worry about what your children eat, but don’t forget your own diet
Measures like bans on advertising junk food to children are essential for instilling healthy eating at a young age, but …
Life
Retraction Note: Human HDAC6 senses valine abundancy to regulate DNA damage
Nature, Published online: 29 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10942-5Retraction Note: Human HDAC6 senses valine abundan…
Life
Earthworks spotted in the Amazon hint at huge ancient civilization
Nature, Published online: 29 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02367-xDiscovery of almost 400 structures may help to red…
Life
Lost civilisation in the Amazon may have numbered 3 million people
Laser-scanning surveys reveal that the ancient Aquiry civilisation was bigger than previously thought, building tens of …