These photos reveal the unique agricultural system of the Maya people 07. May 2025 (20:00) Combining sustainability, climate resilience and environmental preservation, the ancient “milpa” system of the Maya revealed in these images has been practiced for millennia(New Scientist)
Marcus du Sautoy's new book is good on maths, less so on the arts 07. May 2025 (20:00) The mathematician is out to show the close link between maths and the arts. This idea isn't new, and while Blueprints is lyrical on maths, it falls a bit flat when it comes to covering artists(New Scientist)
Climate drama Families Like Ours deserves to be a word-of-mouth hit 07. May 2025 (20:00) A disturbing new Danish TV series, which follows a wealthy family as rising seas force the evacuation of Denmark, is wildly popular in its home country. We should all be watching it, says Bethan Ackerley(New Scientist)
Can we get better at spotting when someone is lying? 07. May 2025 (20:00) A reader wonders if they can become less gullible. Our science-based advice columnist David Robson has some surprising answers(New Scientist)
What are microplastics doing to your brain? We’re starting to find out 07. May 2025 (18:10) The average human brain contains around 7 grams of plastic, but it’s unclear how this affects us. Now animal studies are revealing links to poor cognition and weird behaviour(New Scientist)
The birds upending our idea of shared parenting 07. May 2025 (18:00) Superb starlings appear to swap between parent and ‘nanny’ roles to help raise chicks over their lifetimes, even when they aren’t related to them(New Scientist)
Strange microbes give clues to the ancestor of all complex life 07. May 2025 (18:00) The origin of complex eukaryotic cells, of the type found in all plants and animals, is shrouded in mystery. Now, strange microbes from wetlands in China are helping us to understand when they first emerged, and what they were like(New Scientist)
Concerns raised over AI trained on 57 million NHS medical records 07. May 2025 (16:28) The makers of an AI model called Foresight say it could help predict disease or hospitalisation rates, but others have expressed concern about the fact it is trained on millions of health records(New Scientist)
Nothing is stronger than quantum connections – and now we know why 07. May 2025 (00:00) The mathematics of graphs has helped reveal a principle that limits the strength of quantum correlations – and explains why physicists have never measured any stronger connections in some post-quantum realm(New Scientist)
