Corryn Wetzel

Gold can be heated to 14 times its melting point without melting With fast heating, sheets of gold can shoot past the theoretical maximum temperature a solid can have before it melts – raising questions about what the true limits are

There might be ~no limit~ to how hot you can heat a solid beyond its melting point*

*as long as you do it very, very quickly.

www.newscientist.com/article/2489...

Supergiant crustaceans could live across half the deep-sea floor The enigmatic crustacean Alicella gigantea is the world’s largest amphipod, but like all deep-sea creatures it hasn’t proved easy to find

“We have called this species rare for so long. We call everything in the deep sea rare,” says Paige Maroni ‪@uwaoceans.bsky.social‬. “But in actual fact these species are probably more connected than we would have ever expected.” 🌊🧪

The FBI is getting new technology to see through walls A lunchbox-sized radar system could help the FBI detect moving or stationary people by peering through walls via radio waves

I spotted a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) notice describing the intent to buy a "see-through-wall" technology that uses radar to detect people inside buildings.

This specific system has been undergoing testing by the Department of Homeland Security. 🧪

www.newscientist.com/article/2479...

US government defunds research on misinformation The US National Science Foundation cancelled funding for research on misinformation, disinformation and AI-generated deepfakes, even as misleading information runs rampant on social media

“Burying your head in the sand is not a solution to the problem of misinformation,” says one researcher.

www.newscientist.com/article/2477... @jeremyhsu.bsky.social

First ever confirmed image of a colossal squid in the deep ocean The colossal squid is the largest invertebrate on the planet, but it is also surprisingly elusive. An image of a 30-centimetre-long juvenile is our first glimpse of the animal in its natural habitat

A colossal squid — the largest invertebrate in the world — has been photographed alive in its habitat for the first time. And it's just a baby. www.newscientist.com/article/2476...

One-off gene-editing therapy could permanently lower cholesterol In an early-stage trial, a single dose of a CRISPR treatment lowered cholesterol levels, possibly permanently

A great result for two reasons. First, if this treatment proves safe it could one day could help stave off heart disease ❤️ in a huge number of people 🧪

Second, it will also help pave the way for more CRISPR 🧬 treatments

Comment from @statto.bsky.social

www.newscientist.com/article/2476...

Trump budget cuts would eliminate much of NOAA’s climate research Proposed cuts would wipe out NOAA’s Ocean and Atmospheric Research office among a raft of other reductions to one of the main scientific agencies of the US

The Trump Administration aims to cut funding for NOAA by more than $1.6 billion relative to last year, according to an internal budget document obtained by New Scientist. The cuts would include the elimination of the agency’s office focused on climate and weather research. 🧪#NOAA

You might call it… crying wolf.

How to make great coffee with fewer beans, according to science Physicists have determined that the ideal technique for pour-over coffee can use up to 10 per cent fewer beans to make a cup just as flavoursome

Physics reveals how to make great coffee with fewer beans: pour slower, pour higher. And try not to scold yourself.

www.newscientist.com/article/2475...

No, the dire wolf has not been brought back from extinction Colossal Biosciences claims three pups born last year are dire wolves, but they are actually grey wolves with genetic edits intended to make them resemble the lost species

De-extinction company Colossal Biosciences claims to have brought back the dire wolf – it hasn’t

US government fired researchers running a crucial drug use survey A termination letter obtained by New Scientist reveals that the Trump administration has gutted the office that runs the country’s only nationwide survey on drug use and mental health

Today, @HHSGov abruptly laid off all 17 employees running the United State's only nationwide survey on drug use and mental health. The survey has tracked these issues across the US for more than half a century. Its future is now uncertain. www.newscientist.com/article/2474...

Why it would be utter madness to stop funding mRNA vaccine technology It's not a just a revolutionary and safe vaccine technology – mRNA could help make the best and most expensive drugs in the world affordable for everyone

Even if mRNA vaccine technology was limited to making vaccines, it would be crazy for the US not to fund further research into it

But the technology is not limited to vaccines, as vital as they are. There's so much more that could be done with it

www.newscientist.com/article/2473...

Monkeys choose babysitters based on who has more parenting experience Young female black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys often want to hold other females’ infants, but mothers are much more permissive of experienced caregivers

Young black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys often want to hold other females’ infants, but mothers are choosey. By @sophieberdugo.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/article/2473...

H5N1 flu is now killing birds on the continent of Antarctica A highly pathogenic strain of bird flu is spreading south along the Antarctic Peninsula and could devastate populations of penguins and other seabirds

In 2023, H5N1 bird flu reached islands off Antarctica. Now it's been found in dead 💀 skuas in several nesting sites in the Antarctic peninsula, that is, on the continent itself 🧪

Could be extremely bad news for the penguins 🐧 that breed in the Antarctic 1/2

www.newscientist.com/article/2471...

Thousands join Stand Up for Science rallies across the US Researchers and other advocates for science gathered at Stand Up for Science rallies around the US and the world to protest the Trump Administration’s cuts to scientific research

“I would rather be in my lab working with my cells, but I think we have to bring awareness to these problems,” says a neuroscientist who attended the #standupforscience2025 protest today in New York City. She was carrying a sign that read: “So bad, even introverts are here.”🧪

Why it's a terrible time for RFK Jr to lead US health policy The US Congress is expected to vote on whether to confirm Robert F Kennedy Jr to lead the nation’s public health institutions in the coming days – he would be taking over during a time of turmoil

www.newscientist.com/article/2465...
by @gracewade.bsky.social

Severe droughts are getting bigger, hotter, drier and longer Droughts lasting multiple years are becoming more common and extreme around the globe, expanding by about 50,000 square kilometres annually

Severe droughts that persist for years have grown hotter, drier and larger since the 1980s. These long-lasting droughts – some of which are extreme enough to be classified as “megadroughts” – can be especially devastating to agriculture and ecosystems. 🧪

Mars may have a solid inner core like Earth does A new analysis of marsquakes measured by NASA’s InSight lander indicates Mars has a solid inner core – but other researchers say the evidence is thin

Mars might be even more *hardcore* than we give her credit for
www.newscientist.com/article/2463... by @jamesdinneen.bsky.social

Parker Solar Probe will soon go deeper into the sun than ever before On 24 December, the Parker Solar Probe will be the closest human-made object ever to a star, taking unprecedented measurements of the sun

This Christmas Eve, the sun will be probed deeper than ever before! www.newscientist.com/article/2460...

The amazing talents of pigeons – and why we should learn to love them Rats of the sky? Pigeons are often the target of human ire, but there's a lot to cherish – or at least appreciate – in these scrappy survivors

What do Charles Darwin, Nikola Tesla, and Mike Tyson have in common? If you said a love for the world’s most frequently derided bird, you’d be right!
www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...

The extraordinary ways species control their own evolutionary fate Natural selection isn't just something that happens to organisms, their activities also play a role, giving some species – including humans – a supercharged ability to evolve

Natural selection isn't just something that happens to organisms, their activities also play a role, giving some species – including humans – a supercharged ability to evolve.
www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...