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These are Science News ’ favorite books of 2023

Books about deadly fungi, the science of preventing roadkill, trips to other planets and the true nature of math grabbed our attention this year.

A telescope dropped dark matter data from the edge of space. Here’s why

Electrical brain implants may help patients with severe brain injuries

Ancient Maya power brokers lived in neighborhoods, not just palaces

Giant polygon rock patterns may be buried deep below Mars’ surface

A mysterious ancient grave with a sword and mirror belonged to a woman

A new UN report lays out an ethical framework for climate engineering

Trending stories.

Fish beware: Bottlenosed dolphins may be able to pick up your heartbeat

Capturing methane from the air would slow global warming. Can it be done?

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The Climate Fix

How one device could help transform our power grid

As coal-fired power plants are retired, grid-forming inverters may be key to a future that relies on solar and wind power.

How an Indigenous community in Panama is escaping rising seas

How kenya is helping its neighbors develop geothermal energy, from the archives.

Off on a Possible 84-Day Stay around the Earth

November 24, 1973 Vol. 104 No. #21

Science News Magazine

November 18, 2023 Vol. 204 No. 8

Flint grapples with the mental health fallout from the water disaster

Tiny accelerators get electrons up to speed using lasers, pumping cold water into rivers could act as ‘air conditioning’ for fish.

Featured Media

How ghostly neutrinos could explain the universe’s matter mystery.

If neutrinos behave differently from their antimatter counterparts, it could help explain why our cosmos is full of stuff.

Weird black holes may hold secrets of the early universe

Paleontology has a ‘parachute science’ problem. Here’s how it plays out in 3 nations

How do scientists calculate the age of a star?

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Some picky Australian mosquitoes may target frog nostrils for blood

Crabs left the sea not once, but several times, in their evolution, bonobos, like humans, cooperate with unrelated members of other groups.

Human embryo replicas have gotten more complex. Here’s what you need to know

Lauren schroeder looks beyond natural selection to rethink human evolution, oldest traces of a dysentery-causing parasite were found in ancient toilets, the last 12 months were the hottest on record, 50 years ago, scientists warned of the ‘neglected dangers’ of heat islands.

A rare, extremely energetic cosmic ray has mysterious origins

A rare glimpse at a relatively nearby supernova offers clues to how stars die, the black hole–powered jet in galaxy m87 is making stars explode.

Light, not just heat, might spur water to evaporate

A controversial room-temperature superconductor result has now been retracted , how neutron imaging uncovers hidden secrets of fossils and artifacts, health & medicine.

A brain-monitoring device may one day take the guesswork out of anesthesia

50 years ago, scientists suspected that lost sense of smell could be restored, why a popular breast cancer drug may be less effective for some africans.

Before ancient Egyptians, nature sculpted sphinxes. Here’s how

To form pink diamonds, build and destroy a supercontinent, when discussing flora and fauna, don’t forget ‘funga’, science & society.

Here are 10 early-career scientists you should know about in 2023

Reindeer herders and scientists collaborate to understand arctic warming, why the thanksgiving myth persists, according to science.

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We can trigger positive tipping points to cut carbon emissions faster, major climate tipping points could be triggered within a decade, locusts spun in a centrifuge develop extra-strong exoskeletons, drug prevents fentanyl overdose for a month in monkeys, removing zombie-like cells may help treat multiple sclerosis, stonehenge science: how archaeology reveals the stone circle's secrets, give the gift of knowledge and discovery, inside the secret chocolate garden built to avert a cocoa crisis.

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The wonder particle: How axions could solve more than just dark matter

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Farting: The questions you're too embarrassed to ask

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Stonehenge science: How archaeology reveals the stone circle's secrets

Music created from bioelectric recordings of cancer-treating plants, popocatépetl: predicting mexico's most dangerous volcano, world's largest iceberg a23a tracked by satellite images, striated caracara's puzzle-solving matches that of clever cockatoos, spacex starship explodes after reaching space for the first time, fascinating stories created in partnership with new scientist colab, to discover more visit colab.newscientist.com, inside the coming plastics revolution - the secret to circular manufacture.

The plastics industry is undergoing a revolution. A greater focus on circularity and decarbonisation is about to transform one of society's core industries.

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What’s Causing Mysterious Respiratory Illness in Dogs?

Veterinarians and researchers are investigating mysterious clusters of severe respiratory disease in dogs

Meghan Bartels

See the Brain Like Never Before in This Gorgeous Art

The complexity of the brain comes to life in the annual Art of Neuroscience competition

Lori Youmshajekian and Liz Tormes

Could Blood Transfusions and Tissue Transplants Spread Certain Dementias?

Scattered evidence suggests that aberrant proteins act as “seeds” to transmit neurodegenerative disease, but the jury is still out

Esther Landhuis

Light Can Travel Backward in Time (Sort Of)

Light can be reflected not only in space but also in time—and researchers exploring such “time reflections” are finding a wealth of delightfully odd and useful effects

Anna Demming

IBM Releases First-Ever 1,000-Qubit Quantum Chip

The company announces its latest huge chip—but will now focus on developing smaller chips with a fresh approach to “error correction”

Davide Castelvecchi and Nature magazine

World’s Biggest Iceberg Finally Escapes Antarctica

A giant iceberg called A23a, which broke off from Antarctica in 1986, is finally moving away from the icy continent after being stuck on the seafloor for decades

Harry Baker and LiveScience

Google Taps Hot Rocks to Cool Climate

The potential of geothermal energy as a carbon-free power source is well known. Now companies such as Google are helping to unlock it

Benjamin Storrow and E&E News

Polar Bear Dens Are Hard for Humans to See, but Drone-Mounted Radar Can Help

As humans encroach on polar bear habitats, new tools such as drone-mounted radar can prevent us from disrupting the hidden dens where bears give birth

Andrew Chapman

AI Teaches Robots the Best Way to Pack a Car, a Suitcase—Or a Rocket to Mars

Robots that can fit multiple items into a limited space could help pack a suitcase or a rocket to Mars

Nick Hilden

Most Popular

Climate adaptation can backfire if we aren't careful.

The choices we make in how we adapt to climate change can sometimes come back to bite us

Why Childhood Vaccination Rates Are Falling

Fewer kids got their routine childhood vaccines since before the pandemic. Are lack of access and a loss of trust in science to blame?

How Misinformation Spreads Through Conflict

Three experts break down how misinformation and propaganda spread through conflict, and how to debunk it yourself.

What Would It Mean to 'Absorb' a Nuclear Attack?

The missiles on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota make it a potential target for a nuclear attack. And that doesn’t come close to describing what the reality would be for those on the ground...

Is Too Little Play Hurting Our Kids?

A long-term decline in unsupervised activity may be contributing to mental health declines in children and adolescents.

Beware of ‘Theories of Everything’

Nature is under no obligation to conform to our mathematical ideas—even the most brilliant ones

Special Report

The new nuclear age.

• Inside the $1.5-Trillion Nuclear Weapons Program You’ve Never Heard Of
• Behind the Scenes at a U.S. Factory Building New Nuclear Bombs
• Who Would Take the Brunt of an Attack on U.S. Nuclear Missile Silos?
• The U.S.’s Plans to Modernize Nuclear Weapons Are Dangerous and Unnecessary

View All Articles

What Radioactive Fallout Tells Us about Our Nuclear Future

The U.S. has embarked on the largest and most expensive nuclear build-out ever. The U.S. military says it is necessary to replace an aging nuclear arsenal. But critics fear the risks.

1 minute ago

Great Lakes Fish Are Moving North with Climate Change. But Can They Adapt Fast Enough?

November 1, 2023

Space Manufacturing is Not Science Fiction

October 23, 2023

In War-Torn Ukraine, a Doctor Evacuates Children with Cancer

September 29, 2023

The Father of Environmental Justice Reflects on the Movement He Helped to Start

September 19, 2023

How Misinformation Spreads Through War

The members of this reservation learned they live with nuclear weapons. can their reality ever be the same.

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Rodents Offer New Insights Into the Diversity of Addiction

A New mRNA Malaria Vaccine 

Detecting the viral elephant in the room, epigenetic changes drive cancer , move over, proteins exploring lipids in adaptive immunity.

Planet Earth

Breach of key global warming threshold 'inevitable' as carbon emissions hit record high.

By Ben Turner published 5 December 23

At the current emissions level, there is a 50% chance that global warming will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius consistently in about seven years, new research suggests.

Strange yellow glass found in Libyan desert may have formed from lost meteor impact

By Elizaveta Kovaleva published 3 December 23

A strange type of glass that was discovered in 1933 in the Libyan desert may come from a meteorite, an analysis shows, but impact crater is still missing.

• 2 How long will Earth exist?
• 3 'Impossible' orange auroras spotted in UK after solar storm slams into Earth
• 4 Space photo of the week: China's 'heavenly palace' space station looms in 1st complete image
• 5 A Russian cargo ship burnt to a crisp in Earth's atmosphere while ISS astronauts watched
• 2 Strange object trapped between Saturn and Uranus is transforming before our eyes
• 3 A Russian cargo ship burnt to a crisp in Earth's atmosphere while ISS astronauts watched
• 4 Is Earth inside a giant void? It could solve one of cosmology's biggest puzzles

Gigantic 'hole' in the sun wider than 60 Earths is spewing superfast solar wind right at us

By Harry Baker published 5 December 23

A monstrous dark patch, known as a coronal hole, recently appeared near the sun's equator. The temporary gap enables unusually fast solar wind to race toward Earth.

How to see the bright Andromeda Galaxy shine overhead this week

By Joe Rao published 5 December 23

Located about 2.5 million light-years from our solar system, Andromeda is the most distant object visible to the naked eye.

archaeology

7 extraordinary african kingdoms from ancient times to centuries ago.

By Tom Metcalfe published 5 December 23

There's much more to ancient Africa than Egypt.

1,400-year-old structure discovered near Sutton Hoo in England may have been a pagan temple or cult house

By Jennifer Nalewicki published 1 December 23

The site is part of a royal compound that archaeologists think may have been overseen by King Raedwald.

This Peloton workout mat is down 40% to its lowest-ever price right now at Amazon

By James Frew published 4 December 23

The reversible mat is perfect for high-intensity training, post-workout stretching, and yoga classes, and can make your exercise more comfortable.

Grab $100 off this adjustable Bowflex barbell and curl bar before the deal ends

The Bowflex SelectTech 2080 replaces seven weights, ranges up to 80 lbs, and comes with a two-month JRNY subscription for virtual workouts.

Kids under 5 with HIV are dying at high rates. Here's why.

By Nicoletta Lanese published 1 December 23

Among people on HIV meds, young children are the likeliest to die, often due to late diagnosis or treatment interruptions.

Watch ancient, giant millipede the size of a car brought back to life in remarkable reconstruction

By Hannah Osborne published 2 December 23

The massive, extinct millipede Arthropleura has been brought back to life in a stunning reconstruction for the Netflix series "Life on Our Planet."

We finally know how tardigrades mate

By Elise Poore published 2 December 23

Researchers have discovered the first evidence that male tardigrades can find females by scent.

Ocean pout: The fish with antifreeze blood

By Richard Pallardy published 2 December 23

Ocean pout live in frigid waters from Labrador in Canada to North Carolina and have evolved a blood protein that serves as antifreeze.

Human Behavior

'yeti hair' found in himalayas is actually from a horse, bbc series reveals.

By Patrick Pester published 4 November 23

DNA from a supposed Abominable Snowman actually came from a horse, but that doesn't mean stories of the Yeti passed on by local people aren't important.

Haunting 'mermaid' mummy from Japan is a gruesome monkey-fish hybrid with 'dragon claws,' new scans reveal

By Harry Baker published 31 October 23

Scientists have scanned the mummified remains of a supposed "mermaid" from Japan. The initial results suggest it is a horrifying mix of fish, monkey and lizard parts.

Are ghosts real?

By Benjamin Radford last updated 6 October 23

One difficulty in scientifically evaluating is ghost are real is the surprisingly wide variety of phenomena attributed to ghosts.

Physics & Mathematics

Electricity flows like water in 'strange metals,' and physicists don't know why.

By Ben Turner published 1 December 23

A weird phenomenon in which electricity flows like water was spotted in a nanowire made of "strange metal" — a bizarre metal phase that has stumped physicists for 40 years.

Large Hadron Collider could be generating dark matter in its particle jets

By Keith Cooper published 29 November 23

If dark matter is made from "dark" versions of the basic building blocks of ordinary matter, the world's largest particle accelerator should be able to pin it down, a new study suggests.

'Vampire' stars that bleed their companions dry may have a hidden accomplice, new study reveals

By Anna Demming published 25 November 23

Scientists suspect that type-Be 'vampire' stars grow by preying on their smaller companions. New research suggests there may be an important third player in these systems.

Why does ice float?

By Hannah Loss published 2 December 23

Why does ice float in water, instead of sinking to the bottom? It has to do with water's density and molecular structure.

Building blocks of life may have formed on dust in the cold vacuum of space

By Paul Sutter published 15 November 23

Far from any galaxy, icy grains of dust in deep space may be able to form organic molecules, a new preprint study finds.

Scientists get rare glimpse of 'nesting doll' isotope nitrogen-9

By Ben Turner published 3 November 23

With five more protons than should be stable, the newly discovered nitrogen-9 isotope sits right on the borderline of physical possibility.

Scientists uncover the secret to building Star Wars-style laser weapons — but don't worry, we won't have a Death Star anytime soon

By Keumars Afifi-Sabet published 2 December 23

Today's infrared lasers are only powerful enough to disable aerial targets, but scientists now have the keys to building high-powered laser weaponry that can 'melt' distant targets.

This AI model can tell if you're at high risk of lung cancer by analyzing a single X-ray scan

By Keumars Afifi-Sabet published 1 December 23

An AI model found that 28% of non-smokers are at high risk of developing lung cancer, with 2.9% of high-risk individuals developing the disease within six years.

Chinese scientists build robo-chemist that can extract oxygen from water on Mars

By Keumars Afifi-Sabet published 30 November 23

The robot was tested in a simulated Martian environment, and can one day be used to aid humanity's survival on the Red Planet.

Best of What's New: The 50 greatest innovations of 2023 »

These 10 scientists are on the cusp of changing the world

It's the Brilliant 10 class of 2023.

The best telescopes for astrophotography in 2023

Capture the cosmos with a telescope for astrophotography.

Mice may be able to recognize their own reflections

Watch your favorite holiday movies on a “big screen” with this xgimi projector deal at amazon, watch the mucus-filled, synchronized mating dance of bioluminescent ‘sea fireflies’, tracing the crocodiles’ curious evolutionary family tree.

Multiple extinct relatives of the crocodile like the Poposaurus lived 237 to 201.3 million years ago.

Millions of years ago, male mosquitoes may have been blood suckers too

The world’s largest experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor is up and running, go (virtually) adopt an axolotl, the ‘peter pan’ of amphibians, youtuber sentenced to prison after intentionally crashing his plane.

Trevor Jacob’s infamous stunt with a single-prop Taylorcraft BL-65 sparked two years of federal investigations, fabrications, and millions of views.

Kia’s EV9 can power an average home and then some

23andme says a data breach affected nearly half of its 14 million users, digitized records from wildlife centers show the most common ways that humans harm wild animals, gear & reviews, the best cotton sheets of 2023, tested and reviewed, grab these bose deals on speakers and headphones to drown out holiday gatherings, cyber monday savings keep going on this refurbished 10.5″ apple ipad pro, now only $289.97, this nespresso coffee maker is even cheaper than it was on black friday—but only for a limited time, two meteor showers and a bright mercury to light up december’s sky, astronomers spot an extragalactic star with a disc around it for the first time, scientists want to use the sun’s gravity to communicate between stars, how ai could help scientists spot ‘ultra-emission’ methane plumes faster—from space, how to speed up your web browser, how to change the default music service on an apple homepod, the opt out: 5 reasons to skip at-home genetic testing, the 50 greatest innovations of 2023, it’s stuffy nose season. here’s how to cope, in hong kong’s shoebox flats, an opportunity for targeted care, ptsd patients’ brains work differently when recalling traumatic experiences, scientists are developing a handheld eye-scanner for detecting traumatic brain injury, environment.

Watch this eel robot effortlessly glide underwater

Fiber optic cables can pick up cicadas’ droning din

US military says national security depends on ‘forever chemicals’

An unknown respiratory illness is sickening dogs in the US, but ‘don’t panic’

A legendary Vangunu giant rat was finally caught on camera

All the fish we cannot see

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Will AI render programming obsolete?

It's exhilarating to think that, with the help of generative AI, anyone who can write can also write programs. It’s not so simple.

The first Tesla Cybertrucks have arrived

'If Al Capone showed up with a Tommy gun... you would still be alive,' said Tesla CEO Elon Musk during Thursday's delivery event livestream.

Facebook watches teens online as they prep for college

An investigation by The Markup found Meta’s pixel tracking students from kindergarten to college.

Meet ‘anthrobots,’ tiny bio-machines built from human tracheal cells

The researchers behind the frog embryo ‘xenobots’ are now focusing on similar automatons made from human material—with unexpected results.

Geothermal energy now helps power Google’s desert data centers

The unique facility is part of the tech company's ongoing sustainability goals, and potential the first of many to come.

Toyota just electrified its popular compact pickup

A hybrid engine-motor combination boosts the torque on the latest-generation pickup truck.

FDA authorizes at-home chlamydia and gonorrhea test for the first time

Accessible testing for the infections may help curb the STI epidemic, but there is still a long way to go.

Female Taricha newts are more poisonous than males

Tetrodotoxin is more than a poison. It may also be a mating signal.

AirDrop changed big time in iOS 17, so check your iPhone settings

What you need to know about NameDrop and other features.

Inside look: This vault holds the world’s greatest collection of historic cameras

The George Eastman Museum hidden archive features a moon orbiter, a magnesium flash bomb, and a dogfight practice rig for pilots.

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Are Psychedelics the Future of Eating Disorder Treatment?

The drugs have been shown to reduce depression and anxiety symptoms and make individuals more flexible in their thinking

Daliah Singer

Australia's Oldest Known Bird Tracks Are 120 Million Years Old

An Inside Look at the Effort to Curb Deadly Snakebites in India

Does Vanilla Flavoring Actually Come From Beaver Butts?

Hundreds of Dogs Across the U.S. Are Falling Ill With Unknown Respiratory Illness

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The 'Comet of the Century' Failed to Impress, but It Wasn't Such a Disaster After All

Highly anticipated before its arrival in late 1973, Kohoutek became an interplanetary punchline. But astronomers may have gotten the last laugh

December 4, 2023

These 15 Photos Capture the Beauty of the Northern Lights

Spiking solar activity could mean more chances to see the awesome aurora borealis

December 1, 2023

Chinstrap Penguins Sleep Over 10,000 Times a Day—for Just Four Seconds at a Time

The amazing microsleep strategy may be an adaptation to group living and lurking predators in a harsh Antarctic environment

November 30, 2023

Why Wildfires Are Burning Hotter and Longer

As conflagrations become more difficult to contain, a citizen movement to try to manage them through “prescribed burns” is growing

Bluefin Tuna Get Busy Off North Carolina

The extremely valuable fish likely spawn in a patch of the Atlantic Ocean called the Slope Sea

November 29, 2023

The World’s Smallest Reindeer Get Their Day in the Sun

On Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, a rare animal is thriving—for now

December 2023

Smithsonian Scholars Recommend Their Favorite Books of 2023

Curators and staffers satisfied their endless curiosity with novels, short stories, biographies, art collections and journalistic reporting

November 28, 2023

The Man Who’s Saving America’s Forgotten Grapes

Bordeaux. Napa Valley. Missouri? This vintner wants to put this once-booming wine region back on the map

The Surprise Reappearance of a Rare Frog Has Scientists Leaping to Protect Its Habitat

The marsupial frog, which incubates its young in a pouch on its back, was thought to be extinct in some countries

Why Can't Machines Process CO2 Like Trees? And More Questions From Our Readers

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts

Ten Engineer-Selected STEM Toys to Give as Gifts in 2023

From coding to building to circuitry, these educational activities support basic skills to serve children in science, engineering and beyond

November 24, 2023

One Reason Migrating Birds Get Lost Is Out of This World

Solar energy can alter the Earth’s magnetic field and likely lead the animals astray

November 22, 2023

With around 58,000 human deaths from snakebites each year in the country, a lot more must be done to save lives

November 21, 2023

An Interactive 3D Model of the JFK Assassination Site, Grassy Knoll and All

A Danish graphic designer has pieced together historic photos and maps to create an interactive digital diorama of the fateful moments

Updated: November 20, 2023 | Originally Published: November 22, 2013

November 17, 2023

How NASA Captured Asteroid Dust to Find the Origins of Life

The sample of the space rock Bennu that OSIRIS-REx collected could unlock an ancient existential mystery

November 16, 2023

In that age, the continent was attached to Antarctica, but migrating animals still traveled to the polar region for sustenance

November 15, 2023

How Citizen Scientists Rescued Crucial World War II Weather Data

Newly declassified documents from the Pacific theater have been digitized and could improve climate models

November 14, 2023

How Stone Walls Became a Signature Landform of New England

Originally built as barriers between fields and farms, the region’s abandoned farmstead walls have since become the binding threads of its cultural fabric

Italian Divers Revive Centuries-Old Tradition to Help Save European Perch

Nurseries built from bundles of tree branches may help conserve the freshwater fish in the age of climate change

November 13, 2023

Mesmerizing Reindeer Cyclone

Baby Piglet Struggles to Find Her Mealtime Place

A Vervet Monkey Befriends Some Hostile Dogs

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Brain implants help people to recover after severe head injury

Electrodes placed inside the brains of five people with traumatic injuries improved their performance in attention and memory tests

Featured Content

Forecast warns when sea life will get tangled in nets — a year in advance

Computational model uses sea-surface temperatures to predict when whales and turtles are likely to get stuck in fishing gear.

• Carissa Wong

IBM releases first-ever 1,000-qubit quantum chip

The company announces its latest huge chip — but will now focus on developing smaller chips with a fresh approach to ‘error correction’.

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Remote collaboration fuses fewer breakthrough ideas

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Catastrophic change looms as Earth nears climate ‘tipping points’, report says

Polar ice, coral reefs and other Earth systems could cross irrevocable thresholds soon, but urgent action could stave off the worst effects.

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The genetic diversity of Bantu-speaking populations helped to shape African history

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Carbon rings push limits of chemical theories

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Tackling extreme poverty around the world need not impede climate action

A study has revealed that eliminating extreme poverty would result in a relatively small increase in global greenhouse-gas emissions, dispelling the idea that efforts to combat climate change and poverty are incompatible.

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Whole-genome alignment with primates reveals DNA elements conserved in humans

Atomic-level structures show how accuracy is maintained in protein synthesis, the myth of cosmopolitan cities: why large urban areas are more segregated, pesticide cocktails harm bumblebees in european fields.

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