Josh Howgego

We’ve glimpsed before the big bang and it’s not what we expected The big bang wasn’t the start of everything, but it has been impossible to see what came before. Now a new kind of cosmology is lifting the veil on the beginning of time

Our cover story this week is a really nice read from Miriam Frankel on a new way to see back beyond the big bang www.newscientist.com/article/2514...

Today I learned that we’ve never known what Richard Carrington (of “Carrington event” fame) looked like… but we do as of this week. Nice beard, 10/10.

Thank you! It seemed to go down well. Delighted to be able to speak this morning

Nobel prizewinner Omar Yaghi says his invention will change the world Chemist Omar Yaghi invented materials called MOFs, a few grams of which have the surface area of a football field. He explains why he thinks these super-sponges will define the next century

The Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Silicon Age... and now for the Age of... er, Metal-Organic Frameworks! www.newscientist.com/article/2511...

Home - European AstroFest 2026 RETURNING TO A PLANET NEAR YOU IN FEBRUARY 2026 Kensington Conference and Events Centre | 6 & 7 February 2026 Educate. Learn. Share. CONFERENCE Listen to top speakers spanning the fields of profession...

Excited to be speaking at Astrofest this coming Saturday, alongside lots of other brill speakers. I'll be telling the story of micrometeorites and how these tiny, shiny specks of cosmic dust can be found on any urban rooftop. europeanastrofest.com

In which I mount my argument that effective altruism is one of the worst ideas the century so far…

This was so much fun to do. Thanks for inviting me! And brilliant to meet Isabel and Tom, who are total pros

Scientific concepts | New Scientist How experts think about some of the most mind-blowing ideas in science.

Bit late to post this, as I've been so busy! But it was a pleasure editing our latest special, looking at how to understand some of the most mind-bending concepts in science, from quasiparticles to metaphysics to symbiosis.
www.newscientist.com/article-topi...

Meteorite causes rethink of how and when our solar system formed Rocky bodies called protoplanets were thought to have formed slightly earlier in the inner solar system than those beyond the asteroid belt, but now a meteorite from the outer solar system is rewritin...

Important meteorite news, incoming! www.newscientist.com/article/2486...

Lovely to be back at the Cheltenham Science Festival — still has that same chilled summer vibe I remember from years ago. And excited to speak at 20:30 about the marvels of meteorite hunting!

How Amsterdam will transform into a circular city by 2050 YouTube video by New Scientist

All we hear about these days is growth, growth, growth. I think there are more interesting conversations! Which is why I went to Amsterdam some months ago to understand its mission to become a circular city...

youtu.be/wdsobgg9o3w

Meteorites | Cheltenham Festivals Look through the prism of meteorites for this gripping and illuminating exploration of deep space and our relationship to the natural world. Natural histor

Very much looking forward to heading back to Cheltenham Science Festival - had so much fun as a volunteer a decade ago. I'll be chatting with @helenlpgordon.bsky.social and @markmiodownik.bsky.social about the wonders of meteorites on 8 June. Come join us! www.cheltenhamfestivals.org/events/meteo...

How an ancient alchemy technique is transforming modern chemistry Today’s chemistry is a wet business, mostly done by mixing compounds in liquid solvents. But a push towards using dry powders instead is proving surprisingly effective

Visit any chemistry lab today and you'll see a lot of liquids. That's because the received wisdom is that chemical reactions are often best done in solution. But an alternative vision is starting to take off: what if we instead just smash dry powders together? www.newscientist.com/article/2479...

The wild idea that we all get nutrients from the air that we breathe Growing evidence suggests a source of nutrition might be right under our noses. But how important are such aeronutrients – and can we harness them to better treat deficiencies?

A person cannot live on air alone. But they can get at least some of their nutrients by breathing them in - or so it seems. The new science of aeronutrients is one of those "can't believe I never thought about this!" ideas that don't come along often -- love it. www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...

A dramatic rethink of Parkinson’s offers new hope for treatment Mounting evidence suggests there might be two separate types of the world’s fastest-growing neurological condition. Can this fresh understanding lead to much-needed new treatments?

What if Parkinson's disease isn't one condition, but two? Alex Thompson's cover this feature this week reports on what could be a huge and hugely helpful insight into this disease www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...

‘I’m touching space’: the fascinating insights meteorites can bring us Two books discuss how these space rocks are entwined with science, commerce, policy and life.

Delighted to see that Sara Russell has reviewed my book The Meteorite Hunters for @nature.com and calls it "wonderfully engaging, admirably accurate and up to date — a must-read for budding planetary scientists" www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Well, with only one feature a decade, that's not much training data for an LLM...

Oh, and also this super fun alternative history from the inimitable @jjaron.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/jjar...

What does quantum theory really tell us about the nature of reality? For 100 years, quantum theory has painted the subatomic world as strange beyond words. But bold new interpretations and experiments may help us to finally grasp its true meaning

Lastly - and for me, most intriguingly - we ask what quantum theory's infamous weirdness is really telling us about the nature of reality. And how a new breed of metaphysical experiments might finally lift the veil...
www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...

What exactly would a full-scale quantum computer be useful for? As quantum computers mature, they will be transformational. But there are good reasons why we don’t yet know exactly which problems they will excel at – and that makes them all the more exciting

Then we turn our attention onto the technological impact of quantum theory and explain why quantum computers will be so transformative... www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...

Carlo Rovelli on what we get wrong about the origins of quantum theory Conventional accounts of the birth of quantum theory often overlook the pivotal role of one of its luminaries – and this has led to a persistent misunderstanding of what it really means, argues physic...

We kick off with a piece from the wonderful Carlo Rovelli on the origins of quantum theory, why we've tended to overlook one of its key founders, and why (he thinks) that's led us astray in grasping the overall meaning of the theory www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...

Quantum mechanics news, articles and features | New Scientist

This week at New Scientist HQ we're joining with the celebrations of the centenary of Quantum Mechanics. We have a amazing package of features probing the theory's beginnings, impact and true meaning... check it all out here: www.newscientist.com/article-topi...

Just got back from a holiday The Azores! Which was just such a privilege. Saw dolphins and walked in lush forests. Would recommend…

Very pleased to be speaking at this year's Cheltenham Science Festival -- (about meteorites, naturally!) I remember being a volunteer there years ago and having a great time, so it will be lovely to go back!

It makes you wonder how many planets the solar system originally had. At least one other now-lost gas giant predicted by simulations of the Nice model. So 10 (not counting Pluto)?!

Weird meteorite may be relic of lost planet that no longer exists A meteorite discovered in north-west Africa in 2023 didn’t come from a large asteroid or any of the known planets of the solar system – but it might have formed on a planet that was destroyed long ago

It turns out the solar system may have lost a planet, and no, I'm not talking about Pluto www.newscientist.com/article/2472...

A fresh understanding of tiredness reveals how to get your energy back Radical new insights from the science of interoception – how the body senses its internal state – explain the real reasons we feel tired all the time, and how to re-energise

We also have this fabulous long read out this week from the wonderful Caroline Williams - on a new understanding of why so many of us feel so tired all the time and how to reverse it www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...

Such a scoop, Chris, you’re a hero

Revealed: How the UK tech secretary uses ChatGPT for policy advice New Scientist has used freedom of information laws to obtain the ChatGPT records of Peter Kyle, the UK's technology secretary, in what is believed to be a world-first use of such legislation

A brilliant piece www.newscientist.com/article/2472...

The critical computer systems still relying on decades-old code Software used by banks and the space industry may still rely on archaic code. We went in search of the oldest code in use and asked, what happens when it glitches?

What's the oldest computer code that's still running? Matt Sparkes' journey to find out was a fun read! www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...