A NATO-backed project held its first test simulating how to reroute vital communications from severed undersea cables to satellites. This comes amidst a spate of apparent sabotage targeting undersea cables from the Baltic Sea to Pacific Ocean. newscientist.com/article/246439…

The US Supreme Court unanimously upheld the government ban on TikTok set to take effect on January 19. But now the ball is in Trump's court - and he has expressed interest in finding a way to keep the app going for US users. newscientist.com/article/246417…

In 2024, Earth received about 2.9 millimetres of rain per day on average. That may not sound like much, but it could represent a new record for the planet, according to preliminary data from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project. newscientist.com/article/246455…

“The idea is that space-time somehow has to go, that it has to be replaced by something more primitive and deeper,” says Nima Arkani-Hamed at IAS. “The notion of space-time has got to emerge out of some more abstract objects.” My latest for New Scientist: newscientist.com/article/246464…

Sleeping a solid 8 hours isn't the whole story and the quality of your sleep might matter more. But what does sleep quality mean and how can we measure it? newscientist.com/article/mg2653…

Kinling Lo 盧建靈 “American social platforms were born as extensions of our TV or newspaper industries. Chinese tech platforms seem much more influenced by e-commerce. They’re playing different games” — Ryan Broderick restofworld.org/2025/tiktok-al…

As someone who has reported on AI for 7 years and covered China tech as well, I think the biggest lesson to be drawn from DeepSeek is the huge cracks it illustrates with the current dominant paradigm of AI development. A long thread. 1/

The new AI model from China's DeepSeek performs on a level with leading US models without requiring as much computing power – but despite a huge drop in their stock, it's not game over for US tech companies. newscientist.com/article/246575…

UPDATE: Numerous sources now ARE reporting problems with the Medicaid payment system, per Dan Diamond. More TK

“The experiment really matches the quantum prediction. It is an extremely beautiful confirmation that nature is really following quantum mechanics to an incredible degree of precision,” a researcher said in my latest on quantum oddities for New Scientist newscientist.com/article/246554…

Boom Supersonic’s experimental XB-1 aircraft broke the sound barrier during three test runs in California, a step toward the possible return of supersonic commercial flights. newscientist.com/article/246596…

Mysterious continent-sized masses lurk under Earth's surface – and new measurements suggest they may have remained stable for billions of years, resisting the powerful churn of the planet's interior. newscientist.com/article/246525…

There is now a 1-in-43 chance that asteroid 2024 YR4 will hit Earth in 2032. It could be as wide as 100-metres, and would cause serious damage if it collides in populated areas. How worried should we be? My analysis for New Scientist newscientist.com/article/246716…

An early-warning system for disease outbreaks and pandemics is possible with an aircraft waste-water surveillance network consisting of just 20 airports. But such an effort could be complicated by Trump's actions roiling global public health initiatives. newscientist.com/article/246798…

It's time for #SciFri 📻 We kick off with Sophie Bushwick, who joins us to talk about the discovery of a neutrino with a record-breaking level of energy and other top science news of the week. buff.ly/4hDq8fB

🚨 SCOOP: Thousands of civil servants have chatted nearly 45,000 times with a proprietary generative AI system, Redbox. The government won't say what advice they're getting, and how or if those outputs filter into policy. My latest for New Scientist newscientist.com/article/247818…

It's time for #SciFri 📻 We kick off with Sophie Bushwick, who joins us to discuss the Trump administration's proposed 24% budget cut for NASA, and other science news of the week. sciencefriday.com/segments/nasa-…

Two more stories from me on New Scientist today. First up, SpaceX’s ninth Starship flight once again didn’t quite go to plan. What if the rocket never works? newscientist.com/article/248233…

Tech companies' abandoning fact-checking on their platforms has led to disinformation about the protests against the #ICERaids in LA to go viral. And AI-powered chatbots like Grok and ChatGPT are making the situation considerably worse wired.com/story/grok-cha…

Changes to a CDC vaccine panel and close brushes with dark matter: this and more in our news update with New Scientist's Sophie Bushwick. Plus, the EPA’s plan to expedite Superfund site cleanup—even in the face of budget cuts. buff.ly/3LL5Jc4