A brain-computer interface has enabled people with paralysis to turn their thoughts directly into words, requiring less effort than older techniques where a physical attempt at speech had to be made

For a century, quantum theory has passed every experimental test, but physicists can’t agree on how to use it to paint a picture of our reality – or even whether that is possible

As the planet heats up, the atmosphere is holding more moisture – and this is resulting in more days with weather conditions close to the limits of survivability

As the planet heats up, the atmosphere is holding more moisture – and this is resulting in more days with weather conditions close to the limits of survivability

Children seem to be less likely to be obese if they live at high altitude, which may be due to its effect on metabolism and appetite

A study of 150,000 people with ADHD in Sweden confirms that drugs taken to manage the condition have wider benefits beyond improving immediate symptoms

mRNA drugs might be able to protect against a huge range of viruses by turning on key parts of our innate defences against infection

A material made from bacterial cellulose alters its insulating properties in dry and moist conditions, which could help you stay a comfortable temperature whatever the weather

What's the best exercise to help you sleep better? Grace Wade investigates – and makes some unexpected discoveries

Kate Douglas discovers plans for a "nature revolution" in Marc Berman's fascinating and ambitious new book Nature and the Mind

From AMANDA to COSTAR, coming up with a good acronym will help sell a scientific project. Feedback admires the brains behind a new machine-learning model, the Flavor Analysis and Recognition Transformer

Psychiatrist Rami Kaminski says he has observed a previously unrecognised personality type – the "otrovert". Here is what he thinks these people can teach us

A new measure of ageing says today's older people are the healthiest ever – keeping the trend going won't be easy, however

Groundbreaking new research reveals something that should have been obvious all along: trees have a vast, diverse microbiome in their interiors, says Graham Lawton

Psychiatrist Rami Kaminski says he has observed a previously unrecognised personality type – the "otrovert". Here is what he thinks these people can teach us

As part of the exhibition Thirst: In Search of Freshwater, photographer M'hammed Kilito's images showcase the importance and fragility of humanity's relationship with fresh water

From DNA sequencing to rainbows, the world of microfluidics is well-served by Albert Folch's book How the World Flows, says Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

In Here Comes the Sun, environmentalist Bill McKibben argues that the rapid adoption of solar power should quell our worst climate fears. Is he right, asks James Dinneen

A major cycle of Pacific Ocean temperatures is shifting due to climate change, and that could drive decades of megadrought in the western US

Travel through time to witness some of the most remarkable episodes in our solar system's history, uncovering its ancient origins and glimpsing the destiny that awaits it in the distant future

A physics phenomenon discovered 150 years ago allows tiny objects to levitate using just sunlight – and now it could enable swarms of sensors to explore part of Earth’s long-neglected upper atmosphere

Some 2.6-million-year-old teeth found in Ethiopia hint that an unknown species from the Australopithecus genus coexisted with one of our Homo relatives, but it is hard to draw firm conclusions from the evidence

OpenAI’s latest large language model has achieved seemingly underwhelming improvements in performance, leading to questions about whether the AI industry can make significant advancements with its current designs

Meeting online may be the norm in today's dating scene, but connecting offline initially may lead to better relationship outcomes

Fungal species, one of which caused chronic bronchitis in mice, were collected from the mouthpieces of e-cigarettes used by daily vapers

An unrelated pair of people buried in cemeteries in 7th-century Britain probably had grandparents from West Africa

An extinct group of humans that were once widespread in Asia don’t have an official species name – part of the reason is archaeological, and part is a legal question

The textbooks say our ancestors lost the ability to make vitamin C because we didn't need it, but the loss may have protected us from some parasites

Typically, individuals work less effectively in bigger teams, but weaver ants buck this trend by increasing their power output when they pull together

The web is awash with bots that scrape data without permission. Now content creators are poisoning the well of artificial intelligence – but similar technology can also be used to spread misinformation

Experiments involving AI chatbots interacting on a simulated social media platform suggest efforts to design out antagonistic user behaviour will not succeed

Men typically lose Y chromosomes from their cells as they get older, which could be affecting their heart health

Researchers are testing whether increasing UV radiation is altering chemistry of tree leaves, increasing the likelihood and severity of wildfires

A carbon dioxide removal company in Canada is experimenting with ways to treat mining waste to capture and store more CO2

Having a full-time job in later life has been linked to improved emotional, financial and general life satisfaction - but the results vary a lot between men and women

In people with traumatic brain injury, administering the psychedelic drug ibogaine seems to slow down brainwaves, which may explain why it helps treat PTSD

Bone fragments found on King George Island have been identified as Dennis "Tink" Bell, a British meteorologist who fell into a crevasse in 1959

Life expectancy has increased dramatically over the past century, but our years of good health appear not to have kept pace. Now, a new lens on what it means to age well is reshaping our view of our golden years

The numbers of many tropical birds are plummeting, and now it has been shown that heat extremes intensified by global warming are the biggest factor driving these declines

The quickest way to win the board game Guess Who? involves asking sneaky questions that involve a logical fallacy, according to mathematicians

Calculations suggest stars that are very viscous could reflect gravitational waves and produce signals very similar to those produced by black holes

The James Webb Space Telescope has detected a possible gas giant the size of Saturn in the stellar system nearest our own

The deformed wing and sacbrood viruses were thought to cause asymptomatic infections in adult bees. But the viruses make the insects fly slower and faster than normal, respectively

In an unprecedentedly precise accelerator experiment, researchers directly observed how some of the heaviest known elements react and form molecules

A perfect storm of conditions priming the atmosphere for extreme heat could result in devastating droughts and deadly temperatures lasting for weeks across Europe

The latest observations of 3I/ATLAS suggest it resembles comets from the outer reaches of our solar system, but may be smaller than initially estimated

By measuring an 11-atom molecule with a stunningly powerful X-ray laser, researchers have seen the way its atoms make slight, synchronised movements, even when they should be standing still

A single dose of the asthma medication zileuton stopped severe allergic reactions in mice by blocking food allergens from entering the bloodstream

A galaxy billions of light years from Earth houses what may be the most massive black hole in the universe, equivalent to cramming the full mass of a small galaxy into a single object

Hundreds of pieces of bone dating from 5700 years ago carry evidence of being processed and eaten by other humans, bolstering the idea that cannibalism was common in the Neolithic period

An ambitious plan to test extreme physics close to a black hole would involve a space probe weighing only a few grams, travelling at a third of the speed of light

Structured interventions that encourage a good giggle, whether they are laughter yoga or clown visits, could have health benefits

People aged 16 to 24 appear to get less out of NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression than those aged 25 to 65

The US health secretary is cutting funding for mRNA vaccines because he claims they are less effective than other types – but that is not what the evidence shows

Mitochondrial mutations don't seem to build up in women's eggs as they age, which suggests they may have evolved a mechanism to avoid this

A proclivity for dancing seems to be found in at least 10 species of cockatoo, and the birds will even jive to white noise or a financial podcast

People with chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, appear to have eight genetic signals that differ from those without the condition

As the list of health benefits of semaglutide drugs grows, perhaps it is time to think about assessing their impact on people without medical conditions

Melissa Hogenboom's Breadwinners reveals the unseen gender-based power dynamics and cognitive biases that shape our everyday lives. It will make you angry – and rightly so

Feedback falls down a YouTube rabbit hole to discover the world of rug-cleaning videos. Some of these rugs even have maggots. Has carpet cleaning gone too far?

Fear of disease hasn't motivated us to exercise. Perhaps instead it is time to highlight the enjoyable aspects of movement, says Dawn Teh

When it comes to cosmology, answering one question only leads to more. Just take light. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein dives into a reader's question

From squat toadstools to web-like mushrooms, images from Funga Obscura celebrate some of the most striking fungi on our planet

In Neurodivergent, By Nature, Joe Harkness examines the promise and reality of working in the conservation sector for neurodivergent people, and tells us why the natural world could use their help

In The Shrouds, Karsh, Myrna and Maury talk – a lot – about mysterious shrouds, improbable tech and ever-more-complex conspiracy theories. Nothing happens, just grief and, er, death, finds Simon Ings

Social media influencers are convinced that the number of lobes on the base of a bell pepper give us information about its sex and taste. James Wong debunks this myth with some science

Researchers analysed thousands of natural protein sequences and got assistance from AI in order to design a new hydrogel adhesive that can stay sticky underwater or even within a living body

Unexpected archaeological discoveries are rewriting the story of how the big, bad wolf became our first and most beloved pet

People with Alzheimer’s disease have lower levels of lithium in their brains than those without cognitive impairment, and a deficiency of the metal appears to accelerate the accumulation of amyloid plaques and memory loss – but it could possibly be reversed with a small dose of lithium

The Indonesian island of Sulawesi was a likely stepping stone for ancient hominins to reach nearby Flores, the home of the mysterious Homo floresiensis

The acting administrator of NASA, Sean Duffy, announced a directive to build a powerful nuclear reactor on the moon, but it is unclear what it would power – or even if his plan is legal

Just eight sessions of a bespoke form of psychotherapy seems to ease lower back pain even three years later

Piles of dirt can cheaply store renewable energy as heat – and that stored energy can reactivate the machinery of retired coal power plants, letting them provide backup power for the electricity grid