Volunteer ‘glow-getters’ overseeing reintroduction of endangered beetles at Nosterfield nature reserve The bioluminescent beams of “fairy folk” are shining again from a nature reserve in North Yorkshire for the first time in a century after the successful reintroduction of endangered glowworms. Female glowworms were spotted over multiple weeks at Nosterfield...
Hawking by Graham Farmelo review – the dark side of genius
A biography of the physicist recognises his achievements, but also reveals the selfish narcissist underneath When I wrote an unadoring review of Stephen Hawking’s final book, a collection of essays published posthumously in 2018, New Scientist suppressed some of my criticisms on the grounds that it was “too early” to...
Cravings ‘like heroin withdrawal’: what happens when weight-loss drugs don’t work?
GLP-1 medications have been a gamechanger in the fight against obesity. But for a minority of patients, their impact is negligible. Why? When Mercedes was told by her doctor that she could be prescribed GLP-1 weight loss jabs in 2024, she broke down. “[When] she said yes, I cried in...
You can now play PS3 games straight from the disc, without owning a PS3
The RPCS3 team recently unveiled a major upgrade for the emulator: PS3 games can now run directly from their original Blu-ray discs, giving retro gaming enthusiasts a new way to use their physical collections. The developers are billing it as a "plug & play" solution, though users will still need......
Microsoft promises faster Windows 11 boot times and better performance on 8GB PCs
As reported by Windows Latest, Mark Linton, Corporate Vice President of Windows & Devices at Microsoft, spoke about the improvements being made to Windows 11, including "significant gains on things like boot time, Windows Hello responsiveness..." Read Entire Article
Elon Musk’s xAI loses second bid to block Minnesota’s AI nudify-app ban
On August 1, Minnesota banned apps and websites that allow users to generate non-consensual sexualized imagery. The companies behind these services can be fined $500,000 for each unlawful access or download of images that were altered to make someone appear naked or worse, which could add up to the hundreds......
Japan is launching a mission to bring back the first samples from a Martian moon
The "Martian Moons eXploration" mission, or MMX, is expected to take about a year to reach Mars. It will then spend three years operating around the planet and its moons before beginning a roughly one-year trip back to Earth. The sample return is expected in 2031. Read Entire Article
Humanoid robots are being prepared for combat as China moves them from labs to military training grounds
August saw the World Humanoid Robot Games take place in China, where robots took parts in several events. The same month, Unitree claimed its Superman robot can run faster than Usain Bolt, although the figure has not been independently verified. Read Entire Article
Kentucky man with a meat allergy was craving a burger. So he got into ostrich farming
U.S. ostrich farmers say they’re finding new customers who developed a red meat allergy triggered by tick bites
A whiplash election year enters its final stretch as Trump holds wild cards
The political landscape in the U.S. is volatile as the final midterm of President Donald Trump's presidency approaches