New Scientist

4 days ago | newscientist.com | Madeleine Cuff

Earth’s climate may be more sensitive to pollution from greenhouse gas emissions than we had hoped, which could mean limiting the rise in global temperature to less than 2°C will be more difficult. This is “bad news” for global efforts to tackle climate change, says Gunnar Myhre at the CICERO Center for International Climate Research in Norway. Researchers have known for decades that pumping greenhouse gases into Earth’s atmosphere will warm the climate, with far-reaching consequences.

4 days ago | newscientist.com | Alex Wilkins

The search for atmospheres around the TRAPPIST-1 star system, one of the most promising locations for life elsewhere in the galaxy, might be even more difficult than astronomers first thought because of short-lived radiation blasts from the star. TRAPPIST-1, first discovered in 2016, is a small red dwarf star about 40 light years from Earth with at least seven planets orbiting it.

4 days ago | newscientist.com | Rowan Hooper

For the first 2 billion years of life on Earth, our planet was dominated by single-celled bacteria and their cousins, archaea. It was Slimeball Earth, and it would have stayed that way were it not for the single most important merger and acquisition in the history of our planet. This story is part of our Concepts Special, in which we reveal how experts think about some of the most mind-blowing ideas in science.

4 days ago | newscientist.com | Madeleine Cuff

We know the only safe and long-term solution to climate change is cutting our greenhouse gas emissions. But in the face of still-rising emissions and escalating climate impacts, some are considering an option that – until recently – would never have escaped a researcher’s lips without a good deal of trepidation. This story is part of our Concepts Special, in which we reveal how experts think about some of the most mind-blowing ideas in science.

5 days ago | newscientist.com | Matthew Sparkes

Even if you have never had your smartphone stolen, you probably know someone who has. In London, 80,000 phones were stolen last year alone. And as victims of phone theft know, while the loss of a pricey gadget can sting, the dreary administrative slog in replacing a device that runs your entire life can, in some ways, be worse. So why can’t we stop phone thieves – and is there a better way to protect your personal data?