science

Researchers at Google have used their Willow quantum computer to demonstrate that “quantum contextuality” may be a crucial ingredient for its computational prowess Source link

The author of the award-winning science fiction novel Annie Bot, the January read for the New Scientist Book Club, on how she created her startling protagonist Source link

Chess960 involves shuffling the pieces at the back of the board, and an analysis suggests doing so can increase the complexity of the game to favour white, black or neither player Source link

An explorer and a glaciologist are kite-skiing across Antarctica with a ground-penetrating radar to gather data that will help understand the past and future of the ice sheet Source link

In 1892, astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard thought he saw a bright star near Venus, but then it vanished. We may now know why Source link

The science behind why stroking your seedlings actually works. If you’re worried about your seedlings getting long and leggy, try a bit of home thigmomorphogenesis, advises James Wong Source link

In 2026, the European Union will start charging a carbon-emissions-based tax on imported goods such as steel, cement and fertilisers – and countries including the UK are likely to follow Source link

A photon was apparently detected in two places at once in a twist on the classic double-slit experiment, but many physicists didn’t accept the results Source link

Some of the world’s most advanced robots showed off their skills at tech shows and sporting events, doing everything from cooking shrimp to running half marathons Source link

A village buried by a landslide, the world’s largest tidal bore and the aftermath of ferocious storms and wildfires appear in our pick of images from environment stories this year Source link