Can the biggest problems in AI be solved by philosophy? pred 2 urama in 51 minutami AI companies are hiring philosophy graduates to help them understand the nature of consciousness, whether it can be replicated and how their systems can be made better and more reliable(New Scientist)
‘Hobbit’ hominins scavenged meat left over by Komodo dragons 03. July 2026 (21:00) An experiment that involved feeding a dead goat to a Komodo dragon as well as an analysis of thousands of ancient bones suggests that Homo floresiensis was neither a skilled hunter of big game nor a master of fire(New Scientist)
A volcano has erupted remnants of Earth's primordial magma ocean 03. July 2026 (17:13) Earth was once covered by a global magma ocean, which later cooled and crystallised – now traces of this primordial event have been found in magma from a young volcano in the Indian Ocean(New Scientist)
Orangutan mothers seem to plan playdates for their offspring 03. July 2026 (14:28) Female orangutans are generally solitary, but they travel more and eat less in an apparent effort to ensure their offspring have someone to play with(New Scientist)
Evocative photos of Canadian Arctic win New Scientist Editors Award 03. July 2026 (02:05) Natalya Saprunova's photo series exploring coastal erosion and permafrost thaw across Inuvialuit territories in Canada has won the New Scientist Editors Award at the Earth Photo 2026 competition(New Scientist)
June heatwave may have killed around 20,000 people in Europe 02. July 2026 (19:17) It will be some months before the true toll of Europe's worst-ever heatwave is confirmed, but researchers can estimate a death count based on how many people died in Europe during previous hot periods(New Scientist)
Synthetic biology may finally be ready to solve life's biggest mystery 02. July 2026 (17:38) What makes something alive? We simply don't know, but synthetic biologists are a step closer to providing an answer thanks to SpudCell, the most sophisticated attempt at creating an artificial life form yet(New Scientist)
Geoengineering could expose plane passengers to sulphuric acid 02. July 2026 (17:05) A proposed technique to counter global warming by spraying sun-reflecting particles near the poles would cause commercial flights to pass through clouds of sulphuric acid, posing a danger to passengers and crew(New Scientist)
