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This year’s most powerful scientific experiments, in 14 images

The annual Wellcome Trust image award shortlist showcases the most powerful images of global health challenges
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This simple snacking habit could help cut your cholesterol, study finds

Good news for those who love a nibble between meals
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Feeling just 'meh' about life? It could be anhedonia – here's how to reverse it

When everything feels... well, 'meh', there's complex chemistry at play in your brain
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These are the worst ChatGPT prompts for the environment, study claims

Politeness costs nothing? Tell that to the planet
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New issue: Are we aliens?

Is there life elsewhere in the Universe? If you look at the deep-field images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, it’s easy to believe there might be something. Those images capture a portion of the sky smaller than a grain of sand held at arm’s length, and yet, in them, you can see thousands of galaxies. Within each of the galaxies are billions of stars. In the face of those odds, it just feels implausible to think our little rock is the only one where life found a way. The more we study other-worldly materials, like meteorites from Mars and dust collected from asteroids, the more we find the type of ingredients needed for biological processes. The most compelling discovery of this kind came in January, when scientists declared they’d found 14 of the 20 amino acids that make up human proteins inside a sample returned from the asteroid Bennu. In fact, they found all five of the nucleotide bases that make up our DNA (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil). So, what does it all mean? Could life be quite common in the cosmos? Did life on Earth come from another world? Jonathan O’Callaghan picks up the story in this issue.
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Quantum science is humanity's next giant leap. Here's what that means for planet Earth

Quantum physics is really confusing, but scientists are finally beginning to make some sense of it all
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7 small changes that will significantly cut your risk of heart disease

New studies have shown that several small lifestyle changes can drastically improve your heart health
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What makes tardigrades so indestructible?

Scientists are beginning to understand what makes tardigrades (otherwise known as 'water bears') so indestructible
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How to protect your memory in middle age, according to a study of 10,000 people

A study on more than 10,000 adults found links between outlook on life and memory in middle age
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Can humans live under the sea? This live experiment plans to find out

An advanced new research station is being developed to explore the potential for a human settlement under the ocean
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