Hummingbirds can drop their body temperature below 4°C when they rest
Hummingbirds are among the few animals that can enter a hibernation-like state to preserve energy, but now researchers have seen them reaching extremely low body temperatures
New Scientist
This 3.2 gigapixel cauliflower is the largest photograph ever taken
To test the sensors in the largest digital camera ever built, scientists at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory focused in on a Romanesco cauliflower, producing one of the biggest digital photographs ever taken
Rising CO2 levels mean trees increasingly live fast and die young
Trees are growing faster because of rising CO2 levels and temperatures, but also dying younger, meaning existing forests will store less carbon than forecast and climate change will be worse than expected
Small sticker could hide a fighter jet from an enemy drone
Sticking a small, patterned patch on large objects such as planes can trick AI detectors trained to spot military assets in drone images
My Octopus Teacher review: The strange lives of cephalopods up close
We understand so little about octopuses that whenever we look we seem to find out more about them. Netflix documentary, My Octopus Teacher, follows filmmaker and naturalist Craig Foster’s attempts to understand them further
Experimental drug boosts muscle and bone mass of mice in space
Being in space leads to muscle and bone loss, but an experimental drug given to mice on the International Space Station counteracted this effect. It could help people who are bedridden on Earth
Covid-19 news: UK daily coronavirus cases up 2948 after weekend spike
The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic
The moon really may have strange effects on our health
Any lunar influence on our health has long been dismissed as unscientific. But new evidence means it may be time to re-evaluate the moon’s subtle effects on our sleep and mental health
Extinction: The Facts – An Attenborough guide to nature’s destruction
David Attenborough’s new BBC documentary Extinction: The Facts is a whistle-stop tour of our destruction of nature. Biodiversity loss “isn’t just disturbing, it’s deeply tragic”, he says
Ultracold atoms can work together to shape or steer light
When a collection of atoms is cooled to just above absolute zero, they can act as one, and control light through their electrical and magnetic interactions with it
Winter ice in the Bering Sea is doomed to disappear within decades
A study of winter sea ice in the Bering Sea over the past 5500 year suggests that all the ice will be lost within decades, with knock-on effects for the Arctic
Secure quantum communications network is the largest of its kind
A quantum communications network running on optical fibres in Bristol, UK, is the largest of its kind with eight users, but its creators say it could handle more than 100 people in future