New research shows that sourdough fermentation does more than make bread rise—it transforms wheat fibers in unexpected ways. Scientists found that enzymes already present in wheat, activated by the sourdough’s acidic environment, break down key fibres called arabinoxylans. This process may influence…

The asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs didn’t keep life down for long. New research shows that microscopic plankton began evolving into new species within just a few thousand years—and possibly in under 2,000 years—after the disaster. Scientists uncovered this rapid rebound by using a rare…

A new study suggests that eating less sweet food doesn’t make people crave it any less—or improve their health markers. Participants who increased or decreased sweetness in their diets showed no changes in preferences, weight, or disease risk. Many even returned to their old eating habits over time.…

A newly discovered Triassic reptile from the UK looked more like a racing greyhound than a crocodile, built for speed on land. With long legs and a lightweight body, it hunted small animals in a dry, upland environment millions of years ago. Scientists identified it as a new species after spotting k…

Carrying extra fat around the waist may be more dangerous than the number on the scale suggests. Researchers found that belly fat was more strongly linked to heart failure risk than BMI, even in people with normal weight. Inflammation seems to play a key role, helping explain why this type of fat is…

Cycling might be one of the simplest ways for older adults to stay healthier, longer. A 10-year study in Japan found that seniors who rode bicycles had lower risks of needing long-term care and dying—especially those who didn’t drive. Continuing or even starting cycling later in life still delivered…

mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during COVID-19 but have limitations like waning immunity and complex production. Scientists are now testing a new platform called DoriVac, which uses folded DNA nanostructures to better control how the immune system responds. In early studies, it produced stron…

A new clinical study suggests that successful root canal treatment may benefit more than just dental health. Patients treated for infected teeth showed improved blood sugar control, healthier cholesterol levels, and reduced inflammation over time. The infection can allow bacteria to enter the bloods…

Pink granite boulders sitting mysteriously atop Antarctica’s Hudson Mountains have led scientists to a stunning discovery: a hidden granite mass buried beneath Pine Island Glacier, stretching nearly 100 km wide and 7 km thick. By dating the rocks to the Jurassic period and matching them with gravity…

“Forever chemicals” may be affecting kids in ways that last a lifetime. A new study links early PFAS exposure to lower bone density during the teen years, especially in girls. Researchers also found that when exposure happens may play a key role. Reducing exposure during childhood could help protect…

Early life stress may set the stage for long-term digestive problems by disrupting the gut-brain connection. Studies in both mice and thousands of children found links to symptoms like pain, constipation, and IBS. Scientists discovered that different biological pathways control different gut issues,…

Few world leaders seem to get along with President Donald Trump as well as Sanae Takaichi.

KYIV, Ukraine — As the conflict in the Middle East escalates, Ukraine could prove to be an invaluable trove of battle-tested expertise from its own bitter and costly fight against Russia

A group of Mexicans founded "Reta Mexa" on social media, inviting soccer fans to play impromptu matches on different streets in Mexico City.

Israel has again shown its unrivaled ability to assassinate high-level enemies, announcing the killing Tuesday of the man widely seen as running Iran

Gabriel Sherman on "Bonfire of the Murdochs," how Rupert Murdoch turned his children against each other, and what his legacy means conservative media.

U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi castigated the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office for operating illegally.

I don't know where she got this.

Should I preserve their memories of him?

A San Francisco jury concludes Musk’s claims in 2022 were damaging to a group of Twitter investors.

In footage from Russian state broadcaster RT, correspondent Steve Sweeney is seen diving off screen as a missile hits.

Some 260,000 fans are expected to watch BTS perform together on Saturday for the first time since 2022.

The messages are clear: the full-scale invasion is a defensive war and patriotism means unquestionable loyalty.

A recall has been issued for pet food after products tested positive for salmonella, listeria, and E. coli, according to the FDA.

A temporary restraining order was issued on Friday to stop Kalshi, a major player in the prediction markets, from operating in Nevada.

Congress and the administration must prioritize rooting out federal waste by leveraging federal data to prevent benefit fraud and mandating the use of three key databases to ensure that only eligible individuals receive benefits.

Former special counsel Robert Mueller, who led the Russian interference probe tied to the 2016 presidential election and President Trump's campaign, has died at the age of 81, according to a statement from his family. “With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away” on Friday night,…

Senate Democrats voted Saturday to defeat a Republican-sponsored amendment to the SAVE America Act that would prohibit transgender athletes from participating in girls' or women’s sports, an issue that Republicans plan to play up in this year’s midterm elections. The Senate voted 49-41 along party l…

A massive Western heat wave and a potential El Niño event raise concerns about a long stretch of unpredictable and extreme weather.

As Silicon Valley obsesses over a new wave of AI coding agents, Google and other AI labs are shifting their bets.

These apps, some of which use AI and computer vision, were helpful for meeting my caloric and nutrition intake goals. But they also gave me some anxiety.

The ActiveBreeze smart bed cools from within, pairing airflow tech with surprisingly detailed sleep data.

The Amazon Prime prank series amplifies the hijinks of workplace dynamics, while showing how people find purpose—and community—in their jobs despite impossible situations.

The Aisuru, Kimwolf, JackSkid, and Mossad botnets had infected more than 3 million devices in total, many inside home networks, according to the US Justice Department.

Lightweight shoes now dominate the trails, so do you still need boots? Here’s how to choose the right footwear for your outdoor adventures.

OpenAI plans to allow sexting with ChatGPT. A human-AI interaction expert warns of a privacy nightmare.

Last year, as FCC chair Brendan Carr threatened ABC over a Jimmy Kimmel monolog, a civil servant overseeing West Coast stations privately pledged support, according to emails obtained by WIRED.

The musician reached a legal settlement with police on March 20.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter have ridden a tank together, days after they watched rocket launches and fired pistols

Police in Scotland have charged an Iranian man and a Romanian woman after they tried to enter a naval base that houses Britain’s nuclear-armed submarines

The Vatican has launched a campaign that urges Catholic institutions to divest from mining and align investments with church ecology teaching

For years, Jay Manuel helped create reality television. Now, he finds himself on the other side of the production.

While he was supposed to serve in a limited role as an adviser to Kristi Noem, Mr. Lewandowski had wide influence over contracts, personnel and operations inside the agency over the last year.

The president issued a threat to deploy ICE agents in an apparent attempt to force Democrats to approve a new budget for the Department of Homeland Security.

You would think you’d get texts, emails, phone calls and letters if your insurer was about to drop you. But you may be wrong.

Nothing artificial about this Hollywood A.I. smackdown.

A stalwart of the mass media century, the longstanding network that launched the careers of journalists like Edward R. Murrow will air its final broadcast in May.

President Trump says he is considering “winding down” operations in Iran. But many of his original war goals remain unaccomplished.

Oil prices slipped as major economies announced joint efforts to stabilize energy markets.

A Nevada court issued a 14-day ban on a wide range of contracts from prediction market firm Kalshi as the firm continues battling with state regulators.

The Hyperliquid network has seen significant growth, with weekly derivatives trading volume exceeding $50 billion and 24-hour fee revenue of $1.6 million.

Lin examines the role of the Consensus event in providing founders with structured access to the sector’s most influential decision-makers.

Qualifying for Trump’s crypto gala can cost as little as $70,000 or as much as several million, with rankings driven by timing and strategy rather than sheer holdings.

A wave of crypto job cuts in early 2026 exposes the gap between two convenient narratives: macro headwinds and AI transformation.

Simon Helberg almost missed out on “The Big Bang Theory.” “I went: ‘Thank you, I don’t need to do another pilot. I played enough nerds and now I work with Aaron Sorkin’.’ Smart.” At the time, he had a recurring role in “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” “I didn’t really care. They already had […]

BTS’ “Arirang,” the group’s first studio album in six years, appears to be living up to its commercial promise, based on first-day streaming results on Spotify. The album bowed with a reported 110 million streams on the service globally, which is easily the best opening number on Spotify so far in 2…

Shortly after the Associated Press reported the death of former FBI director Robert Mueller, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate his passing. “Robert Mueller just died,” Trump wrote. “Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people! President DONALD J. TRUMP.” Mu…

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for Ava Reid‘s “Innamorata,” released March 17 by Penguin Random House. Ava Reid’s latest novel, “Innamorata,” ended with such a twist that the author says she would do a $1,000 bank transfer to any reader who was able to predict it. The epic fantasy novel…

It’s still early in the year, but already “Project Hail Mary” looks like it could have a strong gravitational pull on Oscar voters. Ryan Gosling is the first name worth circling on any early Oscar ballot this year, thanks to “Project Hail Mary,” the wildly entertaining space dramedy from Oscar-winni…

A new study has suggested that the transformation of Twitter into X under Elon Musk marks the rise of a new, illiberal regime of governing social media platforms, which can be controlled by one person and used to push their own political agenda. Alongside researchers from the WZB Berlin Social Scien…

Opioid-class drugs are commonly prescribed as powerful pain medications in both humans and animals, though they can also be accessed or used illicitly. These substances carry a significant risk of overdose in people and in pets because they slow the central nervous system. At high doses, this effect…

Most of Europe's original natural forests have been transformed for agriculture and managed forests producing energy, paper, and timber. The few remaining "old-growth" natural forests are relics of the past that illustrate how forests would have looked in the absence of human management. They can, t…

A burst of unusual March heat is hitting the United States this week and into next, busting previous monthly heat records by wide margins. While heat is most acutely felt by people exposed to it, graphics and charts convey the scale of this extreme event. Temperatures in the West remain far above wh…

The increasingly urban lifestyles of seagulls in the UK and around Europe has made them experts at grabbing food from unsuspecting outdoor diners. Herring gulls in particular are gaining a reputation for food theft in seaside towns like Falmouth in Cornwall, where I live.

Is it any wonder ancient people thought lightning came from the gods? Even today, a close lightning strike feels like a terrifying brush with the supernatural.

Two University of Victoria (UVic) geologists have integrated field geology with statistical modeling to give scientists a new view of the chemical reactions happening on ocean floors billions of years ago. The revised picture shows that big changes in the carbon cycle were happening earlier than exp…

What would happen if AI becomes capable of performing essentially all economically valuable work? In a wide-ranging Q&A, Yale economist Pascual Restrepo dives into how economists view the future of labor markets.

A research team from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has made an advance in understanding the molecular machinery of RNA silencing. The team uncovered how the human enzyme DICER achieves highly precise processing of microRNAs (miRNAs), advancing gene regulation research an…

Two mass strandings involving hundreds of dolphins in Argentina probably happened because the pods were being hunted by orcas, highlighting the role of predators in these mysterious events

This International Women's Day, we should prioritise groundbreaking research into women's health, such as strengthening the reproductive system's natural defences, says Anita Zaidi

The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week

Two popular quantum computing algorithms for problems in chemistry may have very limited use even as quantum hardware improves

The reliable internet connections provided by Starlink offer a huge advantage on the battlefield. But as access is dependent on the whims of controversial billionaire Elon Musk, militaries are looking to build their own version

Looking for molecular evidence of life on other worlds is tricky, but a test based on the reactivity of carbon compounds could be a useful indicator

Some Samoyeds adjust the pitch of their howls depending on the music being played, showing a form of vocal ability they might have inherited from their wolf ancestors

Their species name is well known, but until recently we’ve understood very little for certain about Homo habilis. Columnist Michael Marshall reveals what new fossils are telling us about the hominins that have been considered the first humans

Most of us don’t worry about our health in old age until we get there, but research is increasingly showing that how you live in your mid-50s can have a real impact in your 90s

Fentanyl-related overdose deaths fell by nearly 30 per cent in the space of a year in the US, which could represent a significant turning point in the country's opioid addiction crisis

An upcoming book from presenter and author Dallas Campbell collects both iconic and lesser-known images of space, from illustration to photography

The speed at which artificial intelligence is gaining in mathematical ability has taken many by surprise. It is rewriting what it means to be a mathematician

'The Housemaid' is now streaming. Find out how to watch the Freida McFadden thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried.

Blenders, espresso machines, air fryers, and more make up some of the best kitchen deals we've found already live ahead of Amazon's Big Spring Sale.

The best creator-approved deals from DJI, Insta360, SanDisk and more take over 50% off ahead of Amazon's Big Spring Sale.

The latest endorsement of banning children under 16 from social media? The CEO of social media platform Pinterest.

On your birthday, you deserve all the free things. Here are 50+ places to get freebies on your birthday including gifts from Sephora, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Cheesecake Factory.

Fitness tracker deals are already starting to roll in for the Amazon Big Spring Sale. Here's the best deals on Apple, Garmin, and more.

"The AI Doc" co-director Charlie Tyrell and producers Daniel Kwan and Ted Tremper sound off on how to make a doc about tech's fast-evolving tools, like artificial intelligence.

Here's how to use Apple Pay on Amazon as your go-to payment method for seamless shopping during the Big Spring Sale 2026.

The New York Times' latest game, Pips, brings domino fun to your desktop. How to play Pips as well as hints in case you get stuck.

How to watch NHL for free. Live stream Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL for free.

Shop the best early robot vacuum deals from top brands during Amazon's 2026 Big Spring Sale. Save onDreame, Shark, and Eufy.

PopSockets just launched a new Day and Night collection featuring fan-favorite Pokémon like Mew, Gengar, Espeon, and Umbreon. Here is where to buy the new MagSafe grips, cases, and wallets.

The DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo is on sale for $1,099 at Amazon. That's the record-low price at Amazon.

Answers to each clue for the March 20, 2026 edition of NYT's The Mini crossword puzzle.

Ahead of Amazon's Big Spring Sale, TV deals on top models

Grab a refurbished Apple MacBook Air (2017) for $199.97 (reg. $999) — a lightweight, reliable Mac perfect as a travel laptop or backup computer.

Online prediction market platform Polymarket is opening a bar called The Situation Room in Washington, D.C.

Amazon's Big Spring Sale is coming up, but tablets are already on sale. Save on Apple iPads, Samsung Galaxy Tabs, and Amazon Fire Kids tablets.

Fuelled by new funding and transatlantic links, Christian groups are playing an increasingly prominent role on the UK right

Ministers conclude that some of these projects cannot go ahead and will be ‘deprioritised’