They were written by Daniel Cossins and Catherine deLange.
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Some of our biggest-hitting stories this year asked mind-bending questions about physics, spoke to our readers about the issues facing their daily lives or were in-depth exclusives uncovered by New Scientist staff. As a holiday gift to you, we've put together a selection of our best feature articles, from the latest anti-ageing research to hints of entirely new physics. Between 25 December and the end of the year, you'll be able to read these in-depth stories for free, even if you're a paid subscriber. We picked the best and why.
It's obvious to say that what you eat can prolong your life. Too much processed food, red meat and fat can cause us to die early, but this article isn't about that kind of wisdom. The latest research shows that people who switch away from a typical Western diet add decades to their life. This isn't a fad diet, it's a real diet. The research featured in the article brings together decades of biological studies into diet and aging, including clinical trial data and research into centenarians. This article is also true news you can use, with plenty of information about what this new longevity diet really consists of, as well as being rigorous. It was our most read feature of the year.
According to a new diet based on research into the body's aging process, you can increase your life expectancy by up to 20 years by changing your eating habits.
You may have heard about the anomalies at the Large Hadron collider. There were intriguing hints of new physics teased back in 2021, but anyone holding their breath was in for an uncomfortable time. New Scientist staff got an exclusive preview of new results coming out of the LCHb experiments that suggested not only that the anomalies were getting better, but that they pointed to a new force-carrying particle that could explain the strange patterns we observe in known matter particles.
Physicists might be able to make progress towards a grand unified theory if they can show that three of the four fundamental forces of nature are the same force. Our understanding of the universe would be changed if the results are confirmed. The inside track on what could be one of the biggest discoveries of the decade can be found in this story written by a particle physicist at the University of Cambridge.
Physicists are convinced that a new particle carrying a fifth force of nature is the big one.
You are in good company if you scrolled upon this article on your phone at an hour when the world is sleeping. 10% of people meet the criteria for insomnia, which can have a huge impact on day to day life. The results of research have been disappointing. Powerful insights into how we can treat insomnia are brought about by a new flurry of findings. Insomnia has become a problem that can be solved. If you are reading this because you can't sleep, here's hoping our article can help send you to sleep.
Millions of people struggle with insomnia, but the sleep disorder is now a solvable problem, and the most effective therapy might be your phone.
What place is there for consciousness in our understanding of the universe is a question that draws you in to engage with. Physicists try to get an objective view from nowhere in their quest to explain the universe. There isn't a thing like that. The observer can't be ignored in time and quantum theory. Some brave souls are attempting to reformulate physics to include subjective experience as a physical component of the world. These ideas can be a tad confusing, ranging from the idea that consciousness is an inherent property of matter to the idea that events are more important than objects in space time. We think this article is thought- provoking and entertaining.
To understand mysteries like quantum mechanics and the passage of time theorists are trying to reformulate physics to include subjective experience as a physical component of the world.
With various anniversaries in Egyptology this year, researchers working on ancient Egyptian texts have been in the spotlight, but far less attention is paid to people who study the civilisations who wrote in the Cuneiform script. The marks on the clay tablets that make up the world's oldest written language are hard to read. Artificial intelligence is being used to crack the code of Cuneiform. This charming feature goes behind the scenes at London's British Museum, giving an exclusive look at technology in action, as artificial intelligence is used to piece together the tiny fragments of the greatest library of antiquity.
A lot of the world's first writing, carved into clay tablets, is undeciphered. The incredible stories of men, women and children at the dawn of history are revealed by the help of Artificial Intelligence.
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