'If a drug had the same benefits as the arts, we’d take it every day' 27. February 2026 (10:00) As the New Scientist Book Club embarks on its read for March, Art Cure, author Daisy Fancourt gives a sneak preview into the myriad ways in which the arts can improve our health(New Scientist)
Read an extract from Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt 27. February 2026 (10:00) In this extract from Daisy Fancourt's Art Cure, the March read for the New Scientist Book Club, we learn about how art classes transformed life for Russell after he had a stroke(New Scientist)
We all harbour 9 secrets and they are eating us up inside 27. February 2026 (10:00) Secret-keeping evolved to maintain social harmony, but it can weigh heavily on us when we can’t stop thinking about them. So, what is the best way to deal with things that we don't want anyone else to know?(New Scientist)
Could a niche 80s technology be the key to better quantum computers? 27. February 2026 (10:00) Superconducting computing circuits were briefly heralded as the future of computing in the 1980s. Columnist Karmela Padavic-Callaghan visits a quantum chip foundry where one company is betting this technology’s second act will revolutionise quantum computers(New Scientist)
Stem cell patch reverses brain damage in fetuses with spina bifida 27. February 2026 (00:30) The congenital condition spina bifida is often treated surgically in the womb, but many children still go on to have mobility issues. The addition of a patch made up of stem cells from donated placentas could improve their long-term outcomes(New Scientist)
Banning children from VPNs and social media will erode adults' privacy 26. February 2026 (17:51) Legislation working its way through the UK parliament would ban children from using social media and virtual private networks – but the proposals would endanger online privacy and may not make children safer, say legal experts(New Scientist)
Is geothermal energy on the cusp of a worldwide renaissance? 26. February 2026 (11:00) The UK's first geothermal plant in Cornwall is part of a wave of projects aiming to meet growing electricity demand, some of them enabled by technology from oil and gas fracturing(New Scientist)
