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 [email protected] 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

Athletes wearing a friction-reducing swimsuit dominated the 2008 Beijing Olympics Adam Pretty/Getty Images Friction: A biography Jennifer R. Vail, Harvard University Press IN 2009, World Aquatics banned a specific type of swimsuit from all international competitions in water sports, ruling that it gave athletes an unfair advantage. The development of this swimsuit included using NASA’s

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

Humans Thousands of years before the invention of compasses or sails, prehistoric peoples crossed oceans to reach remote lands like Malta and Australia. Doing so meant striking out in unknowable conditions. What do such crossings tell us about ancient minds? By Michael Marshall Facebook / Meta Twitter / X icon Linkedin Reddit Email Tùng Nâm

With his tail whipping furiously, Massi, an Italian-bred 4-year-old Lagotto dog, runs around in a quiet forest in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The fur around his paws has gone dark and muddy from all the digging and darting across the forest floor; his curly muzzle brownish from rooting in the soil. Massi rushes down the slope

An artist’s illustration of life in Earth’s oceans at the time of the Huayuan biota Dinghua Yang An extraordinary 512-million-year-old fossil site has been discovered in southern China, preserving in vivid detail almost an entire ecosystem from a time shortly after Earth’s first mass extinction event. The fossils date from the Cambrian period, which began

Tesla is now reporting the paid robotaxi miles in the quarterly. It was about 200,000 miles in December. Tesla now has 500+ cars in Austin and SF Bay Area and is doubling each month (verbally reported as the number of robotaxi and the goal to increase on earnings call). A fleet of 2,000 cars in

Transplantation > Transplantation — Agency aims to increase federal oversight amid reports of "unsafe practices" by Joyce Frieden, Washington Editor, MedPage Today January 28, 2026 • 4 min read Organs from medically complex donors would get more use as part of a proposed rule for greater federal government oversight of organ procurement organizations (OPOs). The proposed

When you’re struggling yet again to poop, you might wonder if there’s a better way to stay regular. While you’ve probably heard of doing things like upping your fiber intake and drinking more water, new research suggests a slightly different approach—and it involves a vitamin. A new study published in the journal Gut found a

Social media has a way of turning medical misinformation into viral trends, and the latest example is making gynecologists everywhere cringe. Videos claiming that you can simply “scoop out” your period have racked up millions of views. Some posts even suggest that doctors can do this ahead of big events like weddings, vacations, or athletic

There’s a pervasive mentality in the fitness world that the best workouts leave you soaked in sweat and gasping for air. Popular phrases like “no pain, no gain” and “sore today, strong tomorrow” embody this pedal-to-the-metal mindset. While there are legit benefits to exercising at or near maximum effort, “you don't have to work at

It is an undeniable fact that wellness retreats used to have pretty terrible food. Picture your parents checking into a “health spa,” and you probably envision some joyless combination of cottage cheese, pineapple, and steamed vegetables. Maybe a hard-boiled egg, yolk likely scooped out, or a little turkey roll-up for good measure. Times were bleak!

The first thing many women notice on a silent retreat isn’t the calm: It’s the noise they brought with them. When Sarah Harmon originally considered attending a silent retreat back in 2019, the draw went beyond a scenic getaway from screens and the chaos of family life. She wanted something rarer: the opportunity to escape

When Astrid Andersen launched Stel she used the catchy phrase “tailoring you can skate in” as part of her tagline. For fall she set out to prove the point by photographing the collection on professional skateboarder Beatrice Domond. Somewhere along the line the idea of creating clothes you can move in merged with ways of

All images were generated by Alexis Mabille using AI Question: How long did it take you to realize that no part of these images is real? Not the dresses; not the models; neither the audience in the shadows; nor the gleaming runway. The show we attended was real insofar as we arrived at the lobby

Make Your Choice in Choose Your Own Alternative Indie developer F(r)ictions Ludiques has released a Steam demo for its upcoming narrative-driven title Choose Your Own Alternative, giving players an early look at its surreal, text-based exorcism adventure. In the demo, players step into the role of a close friend tasked with confronting an Inner Demon