February 27, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm NASA scraps 2027 Artemis III moon landing in favor of 2028 mission The announcement that NASA will rejigger Artemis III not to land on the moon in 2027 came after the agency’s Artemis II mission encountered problems, delaying its launch By Claire Cameron edited…
Adam Weiss at SEEQC, a quantum chip foundry, configuring a dilution refrigerator SEEQC There’s a lot I love about the 1980s, from the new wave of British heavy metal to abundant purple blush favoured by the era’s make-up artists. But among all that hair, noise and glam, there were some ignored superstars: superconducting circuits. In…
Adults whose brains still have strong neuron production seem to have better memory and cognitive function than do those in whom the ability wanes, finds a study published today in Nature. The authors examined brain samples from deceased donors ranging from young adults to ‘super agers’ — people older than 80 with exceptional memory. They…
Taking time to paint in Cornwall, UK Ashley Cooper/Alamy Russell stood with his hand on the door, wondering whether to go in. It just wasn’t his scene. He was only here because his doctor had told him to come. It had started with a stroke. He’d been walking home from work when the blood supply…
February 28, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS captured speeding through the solar system by Jupiter-bound spacecraft This mysterious interstellar visitor is on a whirlwind journey through our solar system By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron A camera on the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Jupiter Icy Moons…
Regular engagement in the arts can lead to ‘widespread longer-term physiological changes’ Maskot/Getty Images I can pinpoint the precise comment that made me want to embark on a career researching the health benefits of the arts. I was fresh out of university, working in the NHS, managing the performing arts programme at Chelsea and Westminster…
February 27, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm This weekend, six worlds will align in a rare ‘planetary parade’ This weekend will offer a chance to see a rare celestial event—Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all aligned in the sky like beads on a string By Joseph Howlett edited by…
The New Scientist Book Club read Tim Winton’s novel Juice in February The New Scientist Book Club moved from reading about the emancipation of a sex robot in January, with Sierra Greer’s Annie Bot, to a scorching vision of Australia many generations from now in February, with Tim Winton’s Juice. Winton’s story follows an unnamed…
February 27, 2026 3 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm NASA spots new signs of lightning on Mars Two NASA spacecraft—the MAVEN orbiter and the Perseverance rover—have now seen very different signals suggesting lightning on Mars By Meghan Bartels edited by Lee Billings An artist’s concept depicting NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN)…
A screen image of Doom being played by human neurons on a chip Cortical Labs A clump of human brain cells can play the classic computer game Doom. While its performance is not up to par with humans, experts say it brings biological computers a step closer to useful real-world applications, like controlling robot arms….
