This week's magazine

Table of contents

Leaders

Technology

Forget superintelligence – we need to tackle 'stupid' AI first

Tech CEOs and politicians alike are preparing for the day that superintelligent AI takes over, whilst failing to deal with the issues in front of them – from copyright to autonomous killing machines

Comment

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News

Life

Cryopreserved sea star larvae could enable vital species to recover

Sea star larvae have been stored at -200°C and thawed for the first time, a step towards restoring populations that have been ravaged by disease

News

Health

Gene editing could treat damage from 'irreversible' kidney disease

News

Space

Starlink satellites are leaking radio signals that may ruin astronomy

News

Space

These images are the first time we have seen the sun's south pole

News

Technology

The arid air of Death Valley may actually be a valuable water source

News

Physics

Light has been made into a fluid that simulates space-time

News

Space

'Impossible' particle that hit Earth may have been dark matter

News

Health

How you breathe could reveal a lot about your health

News

Space

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is about to totally transform astronomy

News

Mind

Mind-reading AI turns paralysed man's brainwaves into instant speech

News

Mind

Cyborg tadpoles are helping us learn how brain development starts

News

Health

Complex blood vessel nets could be 3D printed for artificial organs

News

Earth

Earth’s mantle may have hidden plumes venting heat from its core

News

Technology

Is superintelligent AI just around the corner, or just a sci-fi dream?

News

Space

Perseverance rover may hold secrets to newly discovered Mars volcano

News

Health

Blood vessel organoids quickly minimise damage to injured tissue

News

Space

Stunning pictures show the first ever artificial solar eclipse

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Analysis

Technology

Disney and Universal lawsuit may be killing blow in AI copyright wars

Two huge movie studios are suing Midjourney, claiming the firm’s AI has been trained on their copyrighted material – the entrance of the Hollywood giants into this legal fight could be a watershed moment for AI and copyright

News

Technology

Can any nation protect against a Ukraine-style drone smuggling attack?

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Aperture

Life

Fish rescue wins New Scientist Editors Award at Earth Photo 2025

This photo series capturing efforts to save the Chinook salmon of the Klamath river in the western US won the New Scientist Editors Award at the Earth Photo 2025 competition

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Features

Physics

The radical idea that space-time remembers could upend cosmology

There are new hints that the fabric of space-time may be made of "memory cells" that record the whole history of the universe. If true, it could explain the nature of dark matter and much more

Features

Health

Why Lyme disease and other tick-borne conditions are on the rise

Features

Health

The surprisingly big impact the small intestine has on your health

Features

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Culture

Mind

A new book argues that revenge is an addiction – but doesn't convince

Recovering "revenge addict" James Kimmel Jr. makes the case for retaliation to be understood as an addiction in new book The Science of Revenge. It's compelling, but doesn't quite add up

Culture

Chemistry

Killer new book uncovers Agatha Christie's knowledge of toxicology

Culture

Space

New Scientist recommends a new space show at the Hayden Planetarium

Culture

Comment

This stunning post-apocalyptic drama is the one you should be watching

Culture

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More

Life

The surprising silver lining to the recent boom in invertebrate pets

From spiders to scorpions, some 1000 different invertebrate species are traded globally as pets. This is bad for biodiversity – but there is an upside, says Graham Lawton

Comment

Space

This is the best time of the year to marvel at the Milky Way

Regulars

BrainTwister #78: One on top

Regulars

Technology

What are we losing by burying ourselves in immersive experiences?

Comment

Tom Gauld on dangerous research areas for biologists

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on education in the age of artificial intelligence

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Comment

The uncanny stork/baby correlation that really is for the birds

Feedback is intrigued by the news that stork and baby numbers appear to track one another, but continues to highlight the fact that correlation does not equal causation

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Letters

Regulars

The last word