Space to read: the best science fiction novels of the year mikkelwilliam/Getty Images So: what were the best works of science fiction published this year? I will start with two new books that aren’t actually new, but have only just been published in English. First up is Ice by Jacek Dukaj, originally published to great…
Tauhi, Miesa Grobbelaar’s winning photo Miesa Grobbelaar/TNC 2025 Oceania Photo Contest Just moments after Miesa Grobbelaar photographed this endangered humpback whale being freed from a chain, the whale “paused and looked at us, as if saying thanks”, she said. The picture of the rescue effort, which was taken near the coast of Ha’apai, Tonga, won…
The late Iain M. Banks, author of the Culture series of science fiction novels Ray Charles Redman As a writer of space operas set in foreign universes, I’ve always written exhaustive world-building documents, everything from character graphs to hyper-detailed plot outlines to encyclopaedic entries on the cultures I’m creating. This is an essential part of…
“The man is a game-player called ‘Gurgeh’…” diuno/iStockphoto/Getty Images This is the story of a man who went far away for a long time, just to play a game. The man is a game-player called “Gurgeh.” The story starts with a battle that is not a battle, and ends with a game that is not…
Every Version of You by Grace Chan was the November read for the New Scientist Book Club The New Scientist Book Club continued to think about the inner workings of the mind with our November read, moving from neurologist Masud Husain’s look at the brain disorders of some of his patients, Our Brains, Our Selves,…
Ironwood is Google’s latest tensor processing unit Nvidia’s position as the dominant supplier of AI chips may be under threat from a specialised chip pioneered by Google, with reports suggesting companies like Meta and Anthropic are looking to spend billions on Google’s tensor processing units. What is a TPU? The success of the artificial intelligence…
Ancient humans took two distinct routes to what is now Australia Helen Farr and Erich Fisher When and how ancient humans reached what is now Australia and New Guinea has been a long – and hotly contested – discussion. Now, the results of a genetic study suggests it occurred at least 60,000 years ago and…
Maintaining good oral hygiene may be particularly important during pregnancy Kondoros Eva Katalin/Getty Images “Gain a child, lose a tooth”, or so the saying goes. Pregnancy is known to be linked to a heightened risk of dental issues, but we aren’t entirely sure why. Now, researchers have found that the oral microbiome changes while a…
Measles is making a comeback in the Americas. The United States may soon have to return its gold medal status of measles elimination, a ranking bestowed by the World Health Organization that signals the virus is under control and not widely circulating. The status loss would follow a similar loss from the United States’ neighbor…
November 28, 2025 1 min read NASA Recruits Mars Perseverance Rover to Monitor Sun’s Activity Mars is passing behind the sun, giving NASA’s Perseverance rover a view of the star’s far side By Claire Cameron edited by Jeanna Bryner NASA has drafted its Mars rover Perseverance to help monitor the sun’s activity. Every day for…
