Our increased reliance on the internet and smart tech means we are watched more than ever before. Is that something to fight – or is our concept of privacy just outdated?

Human attempts to define intelligence are largely motivated by a desire to prove we have more of it – but a look at the world around us suggests a different story

The fossil record tells us extinctions happen all the time. The question is what part we play – and whether we could ever bring back creatures like the dinosaurs

If only the fittest survive, why do good deeds for no return? The enduring mystery of altruism goes to the heart of how evolution does – and doesn't – work

Our conceptions of alien life are based on a sample of one: Earth’s life. That means even our wildest imaginings are likely to be completely off beam

How much of our make-up is predetermined by our genes, and how much by our environment? The truth is that we're asking entirely the wrong question

There are around a hundred billion stars in the Milky Way, and most are rather humdrum – but the oddballs are so strange that they challenge our understanding of physics

Next time you peel yourself a citrus fruit, follow our guide to make your own unique and memorable scientific baubles

So what if Rudolph can’t really fly? He and the herd have some truly amazing evolutionary adaptations that could inspire new treatments for human diseases

Snow may look pristine but even the freshly fallen variety is teeming with microscopic life. This vast and mysterious ecosystem could have a big impact on Earth

New Scientist combines mixology with science fiction to produce recipes for the finest drinks in this – or any other – universe, from Bantha Milk to Ambrosia

The discovery of a species of octopus that lives in groups and mates face-to-face is changing our thinking about what cephalopods are capable of

They’re safer than other kinds of road junction, require less energy for lights and result in less pollution from vehicles. But will they ever conquer the world?

Pennies and cents clog up wallets and pockets. Cold, hard mathematics proves it's time to ditch the shrapnel in favour of a new denomination

Our best shot at understanding and even reversing human ageing will come not from studying ourselves, but from 10,000 of our canine companions

The universe’s most common element could also be its most wondrous. Two different groups of researchers say they've made it - but can either claim withstand scrutiny?

Millions of people will try a vegan diet this month for Veganuary. But can short-term or part-time vegans really reap health and environmental benefits? New Scientist put it to the test

It's not just the food, your dog really does love you - and researcher Clive Wynne has done the studies to prove it

More than half of us breathe the wrong way, missing out on many benefits from better health to altered consciousness. Here's how to do it right

Inactivity is the new smoking and is linked to heart disease and cancer, but we can learn from kids and modern hunter-gatherers to make sitting less dangerous

From the mealtimes you keep and the speed at which you eat to your choice of dining companions, how you eat has a big impact on your health and waistline

Changing your footwear could be kind to your knees, a different gait could lift your mood, but the real secret of successful walking is even simpler

Notorious for making us sick, viruses are weird, undead organisms – but new insights are revealing they may have created life's glorious complexity in the first place

We all need to chill out to reduce our stress levels but does watching TV count? What about running? And what’s the best form of micro-relaxation?

Is toilet squatting really better than just sitting, or are the supposed benefits of a squatty potty just the fantasy of a rainbow-pooping unicorn?

Some people have a visceral fear-like reaction to the holes in sponges, Swiss cheese or seed pods. Known as trypophobia, this response is increasingly common but isn’t what it seems

A massive research effort is under way to understand Antarctica's Thwaites glacier before it is too late. If it collapses, it could trigger catastrophic sea level rise, putting London and New York at risk

It’s the ultimate scientific quest – to understand everything that there is. But the closer we get, the further away it seems. Can we ever get to grips with the true nature of reality?

What our senses allow us to experience may not reflect what actually exists. It may be a creation of our own consciousness, or a computer simulation designed by superintelligent beings

One of civilisation’s most revolutionary inventions was long thought to be the brainchild of ancient Egyptian scribes. But its true creators may have been far less glamorous

Our largest encyclopedia overwhelmingly recognises the achievements of white men. For physicist Jess Wade, fighting this bias has been an uphill battle

Fifty years ago, psychiatrist David Rosenhan went undercover in a psychiatric hospital to expose its dark side. But his shocking findings aren't what they seem, reveals Susannah Cahalan

With the help of their webs, spiders are capable of foresight, planning, learning and other smarts that indicate they may possess consciousness

In a universe that unthinkingly follows the rules, human agency is an anomaly. Can physics ever make sense of our power to change the physical world at will?

Smiling and other facial expressions aren't displays of feelings that transcend cultures but turn out to be full of hidden meaning

Forget fake steaks, the first cultured meat we're likely to eat will be shrimp. How will it compare to the real thing? Will it be better for the environment? And will people eat it?

As the world gets warmer, animals whose sex is determined by temperature are finding cool ways to control their own fate. But can they adapt in time?

Studies of the world's most unflappable people point to ways we can all better manage stress – and are even inspiring the first stress vaccine

Lose your bearings in an unfamiliar landscape and fear shreds your navigational brain. But studies are now revealing the common mistakes lost people make, helping rescue teams to find them before it’s too late

Stress or infection may prompt viruses hidden in our genome to stagger back to life, contributing to some cases of multiple sclerosis, diabetes and schizophrenia

By closely tracking how cancer cells evolve in our bodies, we can identify their hidden weaknesses and find powerful new ways to treat tumours

Julia Ebner infiltrated the hidden forums that extremists use. Her experiences lay bare how they hijack social media and video games to spread hate – and how to beat them

Our images of deep space are spectacular, but don’t reflect what our eyes would see. Here's what their stunning true colours reveal about the cosmos

Does pounding the pavement damage your joints? Can you get away with just walking? Sports engineer Steve Haake pits running against walking and dispels some abiding myths

The data centres servicing our beloved digital devices gobble huge amounts of electricity. A new way to think about heat and energy could help us meet growing demand without burning through the world's resources

Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac led the 2015 Paris climate negotiations. They tell us why they’re hopeful for the future, and explain how fighting climate change is “the most exciting experiment in history”

The hope is that we will have a coronavirus vaccine in 12-18 months, but for that to happen we may have to rely on untested techniques - and that comes with its own risks.

The mysterious Liangzhu civilisation was a neolithic "Venice of the East", rivalling ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia with its engineering marvels

We love to hate wasps, but they pollinate flowers, kill off pests and their venom might even help us treat cancer

The "wave function collapse" transforms vague clouds of quantum possibilities into the physical reality we know – but no one knows how. New experiments are finally revealing reality in the making