Why 1.5°C failed and setting a new limit would make things worse 10. February 2026 (13:42) Setting a limit for global warming didn't succeed in galvanising climate action quickly enough – now we should focus on making the annual average temperature rise clear for all to see, says Bill McGuire(New Scientist)
Is this carved rock an ancient Roman board game? 10. February 2026 (01:01) The lines worn into an engraved limestone object from the Netherlands are consistent with the idea that it was a Roman game board, according to an AI analysis(New Scientist)
Gravitational wave signal proves Einstein was right about relativity 09. February 2026 (19:00) Ripples in space-time from a pair of merging black holes have been recorded in unprecedented detail, enabling physicists to test predictions of general relativity(New Scientist)
'Hidden' group of gut bacteria may be essential to good health 09. February 2026 (17:00) Scientists have pinpointed a group of bacteria that consistently appear in high numbers in healthy people, suggesting that these could one day be targeted through diet or probiotics(New Scientist)
We’re finally abandoning BMI for better ways to assess body fat 09. February 2026 (17:00) People classed as “overweight” according to BMI can be perfectly healthy. But there are better measures of fat, and physicians are finally using them(New Scientist)
Jeff Goldblum should make a film about this legendary mathematician 09. February 2026 (13:00) Paul Erdős was one of the most prolific mathematicians to ever live, known for showing up at the door of others in the field and declaring they should host and feed him while they do maths together. His radical life should be immortalised by Hollywood in a comedy biopic, says columnist Jacob Aron(New Scientist)
Physicists can now take control of 'hidden' friction in devices 09. February 2026 (12:00) One type of friction can waste energy even when two perfectly smooth surfaces move against each other, but researchers are getting a handle on how to attenuate or stop it completely(New Scientist)
Seafarers were visiting remote Arctic islands over 4000 years ago 09. February 2026 (01:01) The first people to reach the Kitsissut Islands off the north-west coast of Greenland were Indigenous peoples, who crossed over 50 kilometres of treacherous water(New Scientist)
