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 The ultimate tent Ophthalmologist Gus Gazzard writes in after taking a close look at a marketing email he received from WildBounds. It advertised a revolutionary new range…
This Ant Has a Sting Worse Than a Fire Ant’s—Here’s How to Avoid It The Asian needle ant looks ordinary, but its sting can be worse than a fire ant’s and can be dangerous for anyone who has experienced anaphylaxis By Stephanie Pappas edited by Andrea Thompson An Asian Needle Ant (Brachyponera chinensis) worker moves…
Pacific compass jellyfish (Chrysaora fuscescens) Heidi & Hans-Jürgen Koch These eerily beautiful images show animals born at Europe’s largest jelly-fish breeding facility: Jellyfish Farm, in Künzell, Germany – hundreds of kilometres from any ocean. Photographers Heidi and Hans-Jürgen Koch used macro lenses and studio flashes to capture the images, but they were most concerned with…
I don’t think it’s overly poetic to say that stars are how we know the universe. When we look out at the night sky, stars are overwhelmingly what we see—thousands of them, ranging from Sirius, the brightest in the night sky, to ones so dim they are known by mere catalog designations instead of names….
A human vascular organoid generated from stem cells Melero-Martin Lab, Boston Children’s Hospital Tiny balls of lab-grown blood vessels helped restore blood flow to injured tissue in mice, minimising necrosis. This approach could one day be used to reduce some of the damage caused by accidents or blood clots. Researchers have previously made clumps of…
Tectonic Plates Can ‘Infect’ One Another with Earth-Shaking Subduction Zones Evidence from Earth’s deep past suggests dramatic subduction zones can spread like a contagion By Evan Howell edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier The Andes Mountains formed from the convergence of the Nazca plate and the South American plate. Aracar, seen in a satellite image from…
An oscilloscope in an electronic testing lab Uwe Moser/Alamy Microwaves seem to be able to spend “imaginary time” inside a material, but this bizarre phenomenon has never been shown to correspond to something real and measurable in the lab – until now. When a pulse of radiation, such as microwaves or light, travels through a…
Quantum Computers Simulate Particle ‘String Breaking’ in a Physics Breakthrough Physicists are a step closer to using quantum computers for simulations that are beyond the ability of any ordinary computers By Davide Castelvecchi & Nature magazine The Aquila magneto-optical trap in QuEra’s facilities. Subatomic particles such as quarks can pair up when linked by ‘strings’…
A suspected volcano (circled) is close to the large Jezero crater on Mars NASA/JPL/MSSS/JHUAPL/ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/Aster Cowart A volcano seems to have been identified near the rim of Jezero crater on Mars, which is being explored by NASA’s Perseverance rover. The vehicle may have already sampled material spewed out by ancient eruptions. Perseverance landed in Jezero…
Imagine it’s Saturday morning. You’re sipping coffee when your best friend texts, “Any chance you could help me move today?” You sigh—there go your weekend plans—but reply, “Of course.” That afternoon you sweat as you carry boxes up a flight of stairs. A week later a co-worker you barely know mentions she’s moving and could…
