Studying twins is key to understanding the heritability of lifespan Halfpoint/iStockphoto/Getty Images In wealthy, relatively safe countries, how long people live now probably depends just as much on the genetic variants they inherit from their parents as on their environment and lifestyles. That’s the implication of a study reanalysing data from research in twins in…
Previously, rape was defined as a sexual act carried out with “violence, constraint, threat or surprise”. Now it is any act where there is no “informed, specific, anterior and revocable” consent. Silence or an absence of reaction do not imply consent, the law says.
Researchers tracked the body condition of polar bears in Svalbard Jon Aars, Norsk Polarinstitutt Polar bears have been getting fatter even as sea ice disappears in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, the fastest-warming place on Earth – but scientists don’t expect the good times to last. The northern Barents Sea, which stretches between Svalbard and Russia’s Novaya…
Bacteria in stools could be an unexpected weapon in the fight against cancer LEWIS HOUGHTON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY For people not responding to a type of cancer treatment, a faecal transplant from someone who had success with the drug could boost their odds. Altering the gut microbiome has knock-on effects on the immune system, which seemed…
We may never know the universal wave function VICTOR de SCHWANBERG/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images From the vantage point of quantum physics, the universe may in some ways be fundamentally unknowable. In quantum physics, every object, such as an electron, is matched to a mathematical formula called the wave function. The wave function encodes all the…
Responding to Trump’s latest warning, Araghchi said: “Iran has always welcomed a mutually beneficial, fair and equitable NUCLEAR DEAL – on equal footing, and free from coercion, threats, and intimidation – which ensures Iran’s rights to PEACEFUL nuclear technology, and guarantees NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS.”
Health workers by a triage tent for people suspected of having covid‑19 in Lisbon, Portugal, in April 2020 PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images The Great ShadowSusan Wise Bauer, St. Martin’s Press It may be perverse to say it, but this is a fine time to publish a book about the history of sickness.…
Elaine Knox It is no secret that money shapes our health. From pharmaceutical ads to research agendas, money has always been part of medicine. What’s new is the scale, speed and intimacy of it all. A wave of new players is nudging our everyday health choices, often stepping into the cracks left by overstretched healthcare…
Josie Ford Feedback is New Scientist’s popular sideways look at the latest science and technology news. You can submit items you believe may amuse readers to Feedback by emailing feedback@newscientist.com Online psychics If you are engaged in pseudoscience, it isn’t a good idea to send Feedback a press release about it. We will only make…
Epstein-Barr virus is a very common infection, but that doesn’t make it harmless Science History Images/Alamy About 1 in 10 people carry genetic variants that make them particularly vulnerable to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a ubiquitous pathogen that is increasingly being linked to conditions like multiple sclerosis and lupus. The finding, which comes from a…