New Scientist
How CRISPR gene drives could help eliminate pesticide-resistant ‘superweeds’
A gene drive – a bit of DNA that cheats evolution and can spread even if harmful – has been ...
Only cats and a few other animals purr. Here’s the science of how they do it
Scientists have struggled to understand how cats produce a low-pitched rumbling sound when they purr, but a new study sheds ...
1 in 3 children at risk: Lead exposure in childhood linked to committing crimes as adults, correlation study claims
Higher exposure to lead in childhood is associated with a greater likelihood of criminality, a review of 17 studies has ...
mRNA technology revolution: Battling sickle cell, aging and other tough-to-tackle diseases will soon be easier and cheaper
A technique for delivering mRNAs to blood stem cells should enable better and cheaper treatments for conditions from sickle cell ...
Next gut health trend? You’ve heard of prebiotics — but what are postbiotics?
Postbiotics are the newest gut health trend promising to improve our skin, boost our strength and even reverse signs of ...
As plants fight each other for access to sunlight, shorter crops with ‘unselfish’ genes could be more productive
Identifying genes that make plants “cooperate” with their neighbours rather than compete with them could enable breeders to develop more ...
Plaque on our teeth reveals secrets of our ancient ancestors
Plaque fossilises while we are still alive. Now, dental calculus is giving up the secrets of our ancient ancestors, from ...
‘Mind-controlled wheelchairs’: Helping paralyzed people navigate the world with just their thoughts
Three people with paralysis of all four limbs used their thoughts to steer a wheelchair through a cluttered room with ...
Drilling down on the roots of chronic fatigue syndrome? 200 genetic variants now linked to the disorder
Scientists have discovered possible genetic risk factors involved in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). ME/CFS ...
Why ‘superagers’ retain ‘super memories’ well into their 80s
“Superagers” – people aged 80 or over with exceptionally good memories – may have larger than expected neurons in a ...
The gene-edited CRISPR twins are growing up — raising questions about the ethics of continuing to study them
More than a billion people live in China, but researchers in the country have proposed the creation of a healthcare ...
Rwanda uses biotech potato variety to fight same blight that caused Irish Potato Famine — saving 80% of potatoes
Late blight, a potentially devastating disease affecting potatoes and tomatoes, infecting leaves, stems, potato tubers and tomato fruits, spreads quickly ...
A single mutation in one human gene contributes to why humans are so cancer-prone. What was the evolutionary trade-off?
A tiny change in our DNA that occurred after we evolved away from other primates has made us more prone ...
Purple tomatoes? Superfood genetically engineered tomato rich in antioxidants nearing United States rollout
The purple tomato was created by Cathie Martin at the John Innes Centre in the UK. In 2008, her team reported that ...
Homo bodoensis: New ancient human species might have been identified — but not all experts agree
A new species of extinct human has been named: Homo bodoensis. The species hasn’t been identified based on new fossils, ...
UK relaxing restrictions on testing CRISPR gene-edited crops
Law changes later this year will make it easier to run field trials in England on crops that are gene-edited ...
Exoplanets and alien life: Next generation orbital telescopes open windows to the universe
There are about 25 billion stars in our galaxy that are just like our sun, and astronomers suspect that about ...
Food from thin air? Transforming carbon emissions into protein could clean up pollution and reduce land needed to feed billions of people
Around the world, forests are being cut down to grow protein-rich soya to feed to animals. Using solar power to ...
Viewpoint: ‘Smart pesticide use’ — Here’s a way we can protect crops while preserving beneficial insects
Currently, products are developed and marketed to kill pest insects immediately. This has become the goal of crop treatments, and ...
‘A woman’s blood could signal that birth is approaching’: Test in development uses biomarkers to predict delivery date
At the moment, women are given a due date that is 40 weeks from the first day of their last ...
‘Lucy the Human Chimp’: Meet the chimpanzee raised with people and Janice, her caretaker, who tried to integrate her back into the wild
Lucy the Human Chimp, a new television documentary from HBO and Channel 4, explores... the story of one unique relationship: ...
Nature’s mistake? Meet the ‘world’s ugliest orchid’
[A new species], Gastrodia agnicellus, was discovered earlier this year in the deep shade underneath leaves on the forest floor in Madagascar ...
Has a less deadly version of COVID evolved in Europe?
In England, the proportion of people infected by the coronavirus who later died was certainly lower in early August than ...
Engineering soil bacteria could help develop enhanced, ‘non-GMO’ crops for Europe
Plant breeding – a method of selecting plants from a group that have the desired properties – is central to ...
Video: How to boost your immune system to guard against COVID and other illnesses
Scientists have recently developed ways to measure your immune age. Fortunately, it turns out your immune age can go down ...
Elon Musk unveils Neuralink brain implant in live pigs that could lead to integrating computers into humans
In an announcement on 28 August, Neuralink unveiled prototypes of its device and showed off pigs with the devices implanted ...
12 lifestyle changes to cut risk from dementia
[A major] review identified the biggest known risk factors for dementia as smoking, excess alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, head injury, depression, hearing loss and exposure to air ...
CRISPR provides ‘functional cure’ for patients with beta thalassemia, sickle cell disease, preliminary study shows
Result of this ongoing trial, which is the first to use CRISPR to treat inherited genetic disorders, were announced [June ...