We’re finally reading the secrets of Herculaneum’s lost library A whole library’s worth of papyri owned by Julius Caesar’s father-in-law were turned to charcoal by the eruption of Vesuvius. Nearly 2000 years later, we can at last read these lost treasures

It feels like this is something that AI should be doing, insofar as it "should" be doing anything. It's helping to read and translate carbonised Roman scrolls recovered from Herculaneum, which was destroyed in the Vesuvius eruption.

www.newscientist.com/article/2498...

Is it better to keep a fart or burp in, or let it out? Professors of gastroenterology and other readers weigh in on this important query from a reader

In case you were wondering ...

www.newscientist.com/lastword/mg2...

Physicist Frank Wilczek’s unique insights on the nature of reality Frank Wilczek has one of the most brilliant and original minds in theoretical physics, having come up with the idea of time crystals among much else. Where is his curiosity taking him now?

This week from @newscientist.com: You won't want to miss this fascinating – and charming – conversation with physics don Frank Wilczek.

www.newscientist.com/article/2491...

Thousands of Israelis stayed home from work, flooded city streets and blocked roads and highways across the country on Sunday, staging some of the largest anti-war protests in months as the military prepares for a major assault on Gaza City. wapo.st/4mvMVfK

Your pet dog’s ancestor was a fierce, wild animal. How was it tamed? Unexpected archaeological discoveries are rewriting the story of how the big, bad wolf became our first and most beloved pet

They're good dogs, Brent: a new look at how the domestication of man's best friend might have actually occurred, from @newscientist.com

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

Royal Albert Hall

Happy Proms season to all who celebrate.

Just got a Google News push alert about John Williams' first piano concerto and when I tell you my life flashed before my eyes for a sec. Anyway, congrats, John Williams, on your first piano concerto.

Games | New Scientist

If you want to both stimulate your brain AND avoid having to come to terms with your own mortality for a lil while, good news: @newscientist.com's new digital games hub is now live!

www.newscientist.com/games/

The French far right’s financial Catch-22 The National Rally is under investigation in a string of cases that all point to the same problem: how it funds itself.

The far-right National Rally has never been more popular, and stands a realistic chance of winning the presidency when the next election is held in 2027

But it remains constantly dogged by legal troubles. I looked into why ⤵️

No longer Brit-ish. My citizenship got approved today, ceremony is in a week. Hurrah!

Opinion | We’re About to Find Out if Kennedy Is Serious

Oh hey look, it's @hbottemiller.bsky.social in the NYT

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/o...

How Healthy Are the Oceans? Ask a Whale Shark For scientists, the world’s largest fish is a window onto the seas through which it travels.

As a former marine biology nerd kid, I'm qualified to say: Whale sharks are the coolest.

www.nytimes.com/card/2025/07...

What were ancient humans thinking when they began to bury their dead? Claims that a small-brained hominin called Homo naledi buried its dead raise intriguing questions about ancient minds and why we engage in this peculiar practice

In case you missed it, an incredibly fascinating feature from @newscientist.com about how ancient humans came to bury their dead.

www.newscientist.com/article/2487...

The billionaire and the tax evading gift shops Asif Aziz's Criterion Capital manages a row of high-profile shops at Piccadilly Circus. So why does his team keeping renting them to students who vanish without paying millions of pounds in taxes?

Outstanding reporting from London Centric, digging into tourist-tat gift shops that rotate “directors” and avoid paying millions in taxes. I’d tell visitors to avoid these places but it can be difficult to tell which ones are legitimate.

www.londoncentric.media/p/asf-aziz-l...

Rare images capture snow leopard cubs in their dens Snow leopard cubs have been photographed in Mongolia - the first time researchers have visited one of the animals' dens since 2019

OK, who needs some baby snow leopards?

www.newscientist.com/article/2488...

The truth about de-extinction: is it even possible, and why do it? Ambitious projects aim to put dire wolves, woolly mammoths and passenger pigeons back into our ecosystems. But with so many technical and ethical hurdles, what is the real motivation?

No, dire wolves are not back from extinction.

www.newscientist.com/article/2486...

Opinion | Governors Should Be the Face of the Democratic Party

Finally, someone talking about Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly.

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/o...

The real Salt Path: how a blockbuster book and film were ... Penniless and homeless, the Winns found fame and fortune with the story of their 630-mile walk to salvation. We can reveal that the truth behind it is ve...

I suddenly feel much better about never having any inclination to read these books. Holy shit.

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

The secrets of self-optimisers: why ‘microefficiencies’ are on the rise Whether brushing their teeth in the shower or wearing slip-on shoes to save time, people are finding all sorts of ways to fine-tune their routines. Are these fun life hacks or symptoms of a snowed-und...

I've been doing this since high school (at least), didn't know it was so trendy.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Ancient DNA reveals make-up of Roman Empire’s favourite sauce Bones found at the site of an ancient fish-processing plant were used to genetically identify the species that went into a fish sauce, often known as garum, eaten throughout the Roman Empire

Garum, a fermented fish sauce, was something like the Roman Empire's version of ketchup, in terms of how much it was eaten. Thanks to DNA testing, we now know what kind of fish went into it.

www.newscientist.com/article/2486...

The remarkable tale of how humans nearly didn’t conquer the world Over tens of thousands of years, waves of Homo sapiens set out across Europe and Asia, only for their societies and cultures to mysteriously vanish. At last, ancient DNA is revealing why

This week's cover story from @newscientist.com: In search of our long-ago ancestors who didn't make it.

www.newscientist.com/article/2484...

‘They're Not Breathing’: Inside the Chaos of ICE Detention Center 911 Calls Records of hundreds of emergency calls from ICE detention centers obtained by WIRED—including audio recordings—show a system inundated by life-threatening incidents, delayed treatment, and overcrowdin...

“Records of hundreds of emergency calls from ICE detention centers obtained by WIRED—including audio recordings—show a system inundated by life-threatening incidents, delayed treatment, and overcrowding.”

www.wired.com/story/ice-de...

Was very excited when Last Week Tonight asked @404media.co to help out with research/fact checking for an AI Slop segment that ran last night. I thought it turned out very good! Here's a few mentions of our reporting, and the full segment: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWpg...

Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.

I also feel compelled to point out that (as of 2018-ish when I last visited) Antwerp's zoo has both raccoons and skunks living together in an actual habitat, complete with overturned open barrels to approximate trashcans.

I assume that's because they wash their food before eating it. Is that right or is there a different reason?!

Rampaging raccoons: how the American mammals took over a German city – and are heading across Europe Many in Kassel have embraced the animal but the EU classes it as an invasive species and ecologists are divided about what to do next

A German city has apparently been taken over by trash pandas.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Tick-borne diseases are booming – but we have new ways to fight them Ticks are spreading globally and bringing familiar conditions such as Lyme disease with them, as well as totally new ones. Now research is revealing how to prevent and treat the diseases they carry

Unfortunately, ticks are everywhere these days. Here's how to fight them.

www.newscientist.com/article/2482...

Reporters don't write the headlines

Four science-based rules that will make your conversations flow If you struggle with small talk or find it hard to express yourself, research by psychologist Alison Wood Brooks and others will help you master the art of conversation

If you, like me, would rather stick a fork in your own eyeball than engage in small talk, Alison Wood Brooks has some advice on how to get more comfortable with it.

www.newscientist.com/article/2483...