Early humans may have begun butchering elephants 1.8 million years ago 06. January 2026 (20:00) A 1.78-million-year-old partial elephant skeleton found in Tanzania associated with stone tools may represent the oldest known evidence of butchery of the giant herbivores(New Scientist)
The first quantum fluctuations set into motion a huge cosmic mystery 06. January 2026 (19:00) The earliest acoustic vibrations in the cosmos weren’t exactly sound – they travelled at half the speed of light and there was nobody around to hear them anyway. But Jim Baggott says from the first moments, the universe was singing(New Scientist)
Jellyfish sleep about as much as humans do – and nap like us too 06. January 2026 (17:00) The benefits of sleep may be more universal than we thought. We know it helps clear waste from the brain in humans, and now it seems that even creatures without brains like ours get similar benefits(New Scientist)
The secret weapon that could finally force climate action 06. January 2026 (17:00) An ambitious form of climate modelling aims to pin the blame for disasters – from floods to heatwaves – on specific companies. Is this the tool we need to effectively prosecute the world’s biggest carbon emitters?(New Scientist)
The first commercial space stations will start orbiting Earth in 2026 06. January 2026 (15:00) For nearly three decades, the International Space Station has been the only destination in low Earth orbit, but that will change this year. Could it be the start of a thriving economy in space?(New Scientist)
US will need both carrots and sticks to reach net zero 06. January 2026 (13:00) Modelling suggests both carbon taxes and green subsidies will be necessary to decarbonise the US economy, but the inconsistent policies of successive presidents are the "worst case" scenario(New Scientist)
Northern Greenland ice dome melted before and could melt again 05. January 2026 (19:30) The Prudhoe ice dome disappeared during a warm period 7000 years ago. Global warming could cause similar temperatures by 2100, showing the Greenland ice sheet’s vulnerability(New Scientist)
What if the idea of the autism spectrum is completely wrong? 05. January 2026 (17:10) For years, we've thought of autism as lying on a spectrum, but emerging evidence suggests that it comes in several distinct types. The implications for how we support autistic people could be profound(New Scientist)
