Read an extract from The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks 28. November 2025 (10:40) The New Scientist Book Club is currently reading Iain M. Banks's classic sci-fi novel The Player of Games. In this extract, we meet protagonist Gurgeh for the first time(New Scientist)
Why sci-fi novelist Iain M. Banks was an ‘astounding’ world-builder 28. November 2025 (10:35) The New Scientist Book Club is currently reading the late Iain M. Banks’s Culture novel The Player of Games. Fellow science fiction author Bethany Jacobs reveals how his work inspired her(New Scientist)
Supermassive dark matter stars may be lurking in the early universe 28. November 2025 (07:00) Stars powered by dark matter instead of nuclear fusion could solve several mysteries of the early universe, and we may have spotted the first hints that they are real(New Scientist)
Origin story of domestic cats rewritten by genetic analysis 27. November 2025 (20:00) Domestic cats originated in North Africa and spread to Europe in the past 2000 years, according to DNA evidence, while in China a different species of cat lived alongside people much earlier(New Scientist)
Physicists have worked out a universal law for how objects shatter 27. November 2025 (19:00) Whether it is a cube of sugar or a chunk of a mineral, a mathematical analysis can identify how many fragments of each size any brittle object will break into(New Scientist)
Emergency response needed to prevent climate breakdown, warn experts 27. November 2025 (18:39) Scientists sounded the alarm on the dire consequences of continued inaction at a briefing in London, warning that we could be heading for "unprecedented societal and ecological collapse"(New Scientist)
Warming and droughts led to collapse of the Indus Valley Civilisation 27. November 2025 (17:00) Hotter temperatures and a series of droughts in what is now Pakistan and India fragmented one of the world’s major early civilisations, providing a "warning shot" for today(New Scientist)
Deadly fungus makes sick frogs jump far, possibly to find mates 27. November 2025 (16:00) Chytrid fungus is a scourge to global amphibian populations, but before it kills some frogs, it can produce symptoms that may help the infected animals find mates and spread the fungus further(New Scientist)
Monthly injection could replace daily steroid pills for severe asthma 27. November 2025 (00:30) Daily steroid pills are often necessary for severe cases of asthma, but they raise the risk of several serious conditions. Now, scientists have shown that a monthly antibody injection can eliminate the need for the pills(New Scientist)
Easter Island statues may have been built by small independent groups 26. November 2025 (20:00) Mapping of the main quarry on Easter Island where giant statues were carved has uncovered evidence that the monuments may not have been created under the direction of a single chief(New Scientist)
