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Columnist

Tackling topics from the cutting edge of dark matter research to the latest developments in the tech world, explore the incisive opinions of New Scientist's expert columnists.

Mind

How the US used science to wage psychological war

The US has been honing its psychological warfare skills since the 19th century, when it started sending anthropologists onto battlefields, says Annalee Newitz

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Abstract virtual artificial Intelligence interface with human head hologram on USA flag and sunset sky background. Multiexposure; Shutterstock ID 2177872151; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Environment

Why carbon offsetting your flight isn't the answer

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Environment

The shift to LED lighting is stopping us from seeing our night skies

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Free

View Los Angeles financial district skyline at night
2R6BX6F Illustration of symbolic representations of good and evil AI morality.

Technology

Why curbing chatbots' worst exploits is a game of whack-a-mole

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Humans

Untangling the enigmatic origins of the human family’s newest species

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WW4018 Planes at Las Vegas airport

Environment

We can't get to net zero without tackling inequality

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Space

I might be an astrophysicist, but I'm still learning about stargazing

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Life

Is every species necessary or can we let some die out?

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Is the truth out there? Yes, but it doesn't involve aliens

Space

Is the truth out there? Yes, but it doesn't involve aliens

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Sand Martin Wood in Faugh near Carlisle, Cumbria, UK, was acquired by the carbon offset company co2balance in September 2006 It has been planted with a broad mix of native trees over 6 hectares and is managed for wildlife as well as the companies offset clients Though seen as controversial by some carbon offsetting is one way of a company or individual to reduce their emissions, as the trees absorb and sequestrate carbon as they grow. (Photo by Ashley Cooper/Construction Photography/Avalon/Getty Images)

Environment

Why biodiversity offsetting is a contentious issue in conservation

As a new law is introduced in England, requiring developers to create 10 per cent more wildlife habitat than they destroy when developing a site, does it really work to destroy nature in one place, but preserve it elsewhere, asks Graham Lawton

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35-ton-capacity Prototype cryostat for LBNF / DUNE, Anode Plane Assemblies - Construction of the DUNE 35-ton prototype detector

Physics

A tale of two mysteries: ghostly neutrinos and the proton decay puzzle

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A woman holding several small flags of the United States checks her mobile phone while waiting with other onlookers prior to the arrival of the US President in Warsaw on February 21, 2023. - US President Biden is due to deliver a speech in Warsaw later on February 21 at Royal Warsaw Castle Gardens. (Photo by Wojtek Radwanski / AFP) (Photo by WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Technology

How will AIs like ChatGPT affect elections this year?

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2WHYG59 Taylor Swift kisses Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Chiefs won 25-22. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Society

The Taylor Swift 'psy op' conspiracy theory offers a troubling lesson

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Pitcairn Islands

Environment

What a trip to far-flung islands taught me about protecting our oceans

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