Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in jail after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a case related to millions of euros of illicit funds from the late Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi. The Paris criminal court acquitted him of all other charges, including passive corruption and illegal campaign…
One of the cheetah mummies inside the cave it was found in Ahmed Boug et al. 2025/National Centre for Wildlife, Saudi Arabia The mummified remains of seven cheetahs, some dating back thousands of years, have been reported in caves in Saudi Arabia – the first naturally mummified big cats ever found by scientists. Cheetahs (Acinonyx…
Nowaczyk/Shutterstock The average size of trees in the Amazon rainforest has been steadily increasing as carbon dioxide levels have risen, meaning these larger trees play a more important role in determining whether the forest can remain a carbon sink. How forests will react to a changing climate is an open question. For example, one hypothesis…
“Refuting the idea of rigid personality types could make us all happier” Simone Rotella There is a meme in modern therapy culture saying that you shouldn’t try to change – you are perfectly imperfect, and that the right people will accommodate your every idiosyncrasy. Relatedly, personality has traditionally been defined as a pretty stable collection…
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 A Swift botany lesson We never miss a beat, so Feedback, prompted by assistant news editor and Swiftie Alexandra Thompson, has been taking a close…
“Solar panels today will eventually reach the end of their life and need recycling or disposing of” Jacques Hugo/Getty Images By the mid 2020s, solar power had become the cheapest form of electricity generation in history and the fastest-growing type of energy supply. The lifespan of solar panels had increased significantly, to 30 or 40…
Ludovic Slimak helped uncover the remains of Thorin, a Neanderthal Laure Metz The Last NeanderthalLudovic Slimak (translated by Andrew Brown) (Polity Press (UK, 26 September; US, 24 November)) A Neanderthal skeleton spotted by chance under some leaves, calcified soot and a trove of remarkably tiny arrowheads. These assorted finds from Grotte Mandrin in France have…
Brugmansia suaveolens Jill Pflugheber and Steven F. White From ayahuasca and cannabis to psilocybin mushrooms and tobacco, people have been using mind-altering plants and fungi in spiritual rituals and ceremonies for thousands of years to filter and change their view of the world. Justicia pectoralis Jill Pflugheber and Steven F. White Now the lens has…
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