This state’s power prices are plummeting as it nears 100% renewables 11. February 2026 (13:13) South Australia is proving to the world that relying largely on wind and solar energy with battery back-up is incredibly cheap, with electricity prices tumbling by 30 per cent in a year and sometimes going negative(New Scientist)
Newborn marsupials seen crawling to mother's pouch for the first time 11. February 2026 (01:01) Scientists have captured remarkable footage of the young of a mouse-sized marsupial, called a fat-tailed dunnart, making their way to their mother’s pouch soon after being born(New Scientist)
Which humans first made tools or art – and how do we know? 10. February 2026 (19:00) Building the human story based on a few artefacts is tricky – particularly for wooden tools that don’t preserve well, or cave art that we don’t have the technology to date. Columnist Michael Marshall explores how we determine what came first in the timeline of our species(New Scientist)
Time crystals could be used to build accurate quantum clocks 10. February 2026 (18:00) Once considered an oddity of quantum physics, time crystals could be a good building block for accurate clocks and sensors, according to new calculations(New Scientist)
How teaching molecules to think is revealing what a 'mind' really is 10. February 2026 (17:00) Networks of molecules in our body behave as though they have goals and desires. Understanding this phenomenon could solve the origins of life and mind in one fell swoop(New Scientist)
Old EV batteries could meet most of China's energy storage needs 10. February 2026 (16:00) Electric vehicle batteries are typically retired once they reach about 80 per cent of their original capacity, but they could be repurposed in electricity grids to balance out slumps in renewable generation(New Scientist)
Why 1.5°C failed and setting a new limit would make things worse 10. February 2026 (13:42) Setting a limit for global warming didn't succeed in galvanising climate action quickly enough – now we should focus on making the annual average temperature rise clear for all to see, says Bill McGuire(New Scientist)
Is this carved rock an ancient Roman board game? 10. February 2026 (01:01) The lines worn into an engraved limestone object from the Netherlands are consistent with the idea that it was a Roman game board, according to an AI analysis(New Scientist)
Gravitational wave signal proves Einstein was right about relativity 09. February 2026 (19:00) Ripples in space-time from a pair of merging black holes have been recorded in unprecedented detail, enabling physicists to test predictions of general relativity(New Scientist)
'Hidden' group of gut bacteria may be essential to good health 09. February 2026 (17:00) Scientists have pinpointed a group of bacteria that consistently appear in high numbers in healthy people, suggesting that these could one day be targeted through diet or probiotics(New Scientist)
