Unusually tiny hominin deepens mystery of our Paranthropus cousin 31. March 2025 (12:40) Paranthropus was an ape-like hominin that survived alongside early humans for more than a million years. A fossilised leg belonging to a strikingly small member of the group raises questions about how it did so(New Scientist)
Dramatic cuts in China’s air pollution drove surge in global warming 31. March 2025 (11:30) The rate at which the planet is warming has sped up since 2010, and now researchers say that China's efforts to clean up air pollution are inadvertently responsible for the majority of this extra warming(New Scientist)
Does aspirin have potential as an anti-cancer drug? 31. March 2025 (11:00) Taking aspirin was first linked to a lower risk of colorectal cancer in 1988, but the research into its anti-tumour potential has been full of twists and turns since then(New Scientist)
Are Trump's cuts to science the end of the endless frontier? 28. March 2025 (22:39) Since the second world war, US economic prosperity and major technological developments have hinged upon the government’s commitment to funding scientific research. The Trump administration is ending that(New Scientist)
Asteroid 2024 YR4 could still hit the moon, JWST observations reveal 28. March 2025 (16:21) Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to observe asteroid 2024 YR4, which earlier this year seemed to be at risk of hitting Earth in 2032. Earth is now safe, but astronomers are cheering on a possible collision with the moon(New Scientist)
Could a new kind of carbon budget ensure top emitters pay their dues? 28. March 2025 (12:00) Some researchers propose that countries should start to rack up a carbon debt once they exceed their carbon budget, obliging them to do more to draw down carbon dioxide, but the idea is unlikely to form part of international climate agreements(New Scientist)
Distracted by your phone? Putting it out of reach may not help 28. March 2025 (06:00) When researchers asked people to work on a computer with their phones 1.5 metres away, the amount of time they spent on their phone went down – but they just scrolled social media on their laptop instead(New Scientist)
