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New Scientist - Home
New Scientist - Home
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The truth about de-extinction: is it even possible, and why do it?
Ambitious projects aim to put dire wolves, woolly mammoths and passenger pigeons back into our ecosystems. But with so many technical and ethical hurdles, what is the real motivation?
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Are batteries based on contact lenses the future of energy storage?
UK company Superdielectrics says its polymer technology could make batteries cheaper and easier to recycle, but its energy density must improve to compete with lithium-ion devices
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Most warming this century may be due to air pollution cuts
Satellite data suggests cloud darkening is responsible for much of the warming since 2001, and the good news is that it is a temporary effect due to a drop in sulphate pollution
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LIGO has spotted the most massive black hole collision ever detected
A puzzling gravitational wave was detected, and astronomers have determined that it comes from a record-breaking black hole merger
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How government use of AI could hurt democracy
Countries are eager to use AI to automate some government processes, but this risks eroding citizens’ trust and feelings of democratic control – because AI mistakes can ruin their lives
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We may have finally solved an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray puzzle
The IceCube neutrino detector has allowed researchers to resolve a debate about what types of particles make up ultra-high-energy cosmic rays – but much remains unknown about these rare events
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Artificial cooling 'urgent' for Great Barrier Reef after warming spike
A drop in shipping emissions has caused a surge in warming at the Great Barrier Reef, fuelling calls for drastic actions such as marine cloud brightening to lower the risk of coral bleaching
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Climate could warm another 0.5°C if we fail to capture far more CO2
Models suggest that meeting climate targets will be virtually impossible without steep emissions cuts paired with a huge expansion of carbon management technologies
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Trees on city streets cope with drought by drinking from leaky pipes
Urban trees lining streets fare better in dry spells than those in parks – now it seems that leaky water pipes are the reason for their endurance
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Hay fever relief could come in the form of a nasal 'molecular shield'
Mice experienced far fewer hay fever symptoms when a pollen-blocking antibody was applied within their nose