Heat Waves Endanger Data Centers That Power AI A new analysis warns that AI facilities could be forced to stop operating because of water shortages and blackouts By Sara Schonhardt & E&E News Christoph Burgstedt/Science Photo Library/Getty Images CLIMATEWIRE | Data center hubs worldwide are increasingly threatened by rising temperatures as climate change continues to…
Illustration concept for the US DARPA Liberty Lifter program Aurora Flight Sciences It’s not a boat. It’s not a plane. It’s a flying, sea-skimming craft called an ekranoplan. These large vehicles reminiscent of Soviet technology from the Cold War are making a comeback as China and the US develop modern versions for a possible military…
Most Plastic in the Ocean Is Invisible—And Deadly Nanoplastics—particles smaller than a human hair—can pass through cell walls and enter the food web. New research suggest 27 million metric tons of nanoplastics are spread across just the top layer of the North Atlantic By Katharine Sanderson & Nature magazine Sergi Escribano/Getty Images Marine plastic litter…
Microglia are specialised immune cells in the brain Science Photo Library/Alamy Replacing the brain’s immune cells pauses the progression of a rare and deadly brain disorder called ALSP – and it lays the groundwork for future trials to treat other neurological conditions. Numerous studies indicate that dysfunctional microglia – specialised immune cells in the brain –…
A millennium-long story about Greenland is written in the genes of the island’s sled dogs. A new genomic analysis, published July 10 in Science, suggests that humans (and their sled dogs) arrived in the region roughly 1,000 years ago — centuries earlier than previously thought. The results weave new threads into the story of humanity’s 20,000-year-long…
Trump Names Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as Interim NASA Chief The selection of Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to temporarily lead NASA adds to the deep political uncertainties already facing the space agency By Josh Dinner & SPACE.com Sean Duffy, U.S. secretary of transportation, during a news conference in Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2025….
Smooth horsetail plants have segmented stems piemags/nature/Alamy A strange plant that has existed since animals first walked on land can distil water to an extreme degree, making it look more like water from meteorites than regular water from Earth. As well as being key to understanding ecosystems today, the plant’s fossilised remains could shed light…
On January 29 a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with an American Airlines passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing 67 people. Although air traffic controllers in the airport tower at the time saw warning signals flash across their screens at least 20 seconds beforehand and attempted to notify both aircraft,…
Feedback is New Scientist’s popular sideways look at the latest science and technology news. You can submit items you believe may amuse readers to Feedback by emailing feedback@newscientist.com Electric dreams Recently, Feedback was delighted to peruse the raciest conference invitation we have ever received. We get a lot of conference invites from organisers labouring under…
An army of treelike creatures called Ents marches to war in the second The Lord of the Rings movie, The Two Towers, walking for miles through dark forests. Once they arrive at the fortress of the evil wizard Saruman, the Ents hurl giant boulders, climb over walls and even rip open a dam to wipe…
