The internet feels super lonely right now. Here's why 21. January 2026 (19:00) Almost 80 years ago, sociologists identified a new personality type that is particularly sensitive to loneliness. It's even more relevant today, says Annalee Newitz(New Scientist)
Can we battle the downsides of a rule-based world, asks a new book 21. January 2026 (19:00) Imposing order on the world is seductive, but it flattens out the diversity and rich messiness of human life. Oddly, playing by the rules may help us fight back, argues C. Thi Nguyen in The Score(New Scientist)
Peter F. Hamilton's latest is an epic slice of sci-fi – with one flaw 21. January 2026 (19:00) Peter F. Hamilton’s new book A Hole in the Sky is set on a troubled ark ship hundreds of years into its voyage, with fantastic plot twists and turns. I'm a big Hamilton fan, but one aspect of the novel proved alienating for me, says Emily H. Wilson(New Scientist)
Let's nitpick about the physics of Stranger Things, not its ending 21. January 2026 (19:00) Feedback has seen all the fuss about the finale of Stranger Things, but would like to point out that if we're going to dissect the plot, we have bigger things to worry about(New Scientist)
How to spot the lunar X and V 21. January 2026 (19:00) Time it right each month, and you can spot two fleeting tricks of light on the lunar surface. Abigail Beall is planning ahead(New Scientist)
How – and why – we chose the best 21 ideas of the 21st century 21. January 2026 (19:00) From smartphones to net zero, there has been no shortage of innovative ideas in the past 25 years, which is why we have taken a look back to choose the best(New Scientist)
Our earliest vertebrate ancestors may have had four eyes 21. January 2026 (17:00) Extraordinary fossils of 518-million-year-old jawless fish, among the earliest known vertebrates, appear to show that these animals had two pairs of eyes(New Scientist)
Oldest known rock art is a 68,000-year-old hand stencil with claws 21. January 2026 (17:00) Newly discovered rock art sites in Sulawesi, Indonesia, that date to nearly 68,000 years ago are thought to be the oldest rock art in the world, pre-dating Neanderthal hand stencils in Spain by 1100 years(New Scientist)
Ape-like hominin Paranthropus was more adaptable than we thought 21. January 2026 (17:00) A fossil discovery in northern Ethiopia expands the known range of Paranthropus, a genus of strong-jawed hominins that lived around 2 million years ago, and suggests they lived in a range of habitats(New Scientist)
