New Scientist

Software that is free to use creates many opportunities – not all of which are good

Sublimation, in which a person can split into two when crossing an international border, is tip-top stuff. Don't miss it, says science-fiction columnist Emily H. Wilson

While Europe’s heatwave makes us run for shade, the intriguing In Defense of Sunlight reveals sunlight’s health-giving effects – in moderation, says David Robson

This week's cartoon from Twisteddoodles

Tom Gauld's weekly cartoon

Feedback is surprised to learn that geology is a particularly deadly speciality to pick if you're a fictional character, with a new study revealing an "alarming rate" of mortality for geologists in films

What is the optimal way to ice a cocktail: fewer big cubes or lots of small ones? And what is the smallest creature that needs to sleep, and what does this tell us about the nature of and need for sleep itself?

Readers take issue with a former answer to this question, arguing for the different behaviour of wasps and flies – and for a more defined plan of escape than has previously been posited

Another expert reader explores this thorny topic, including reference to the behaviour of their own archerfish

Readers weigh in on this one, debating everything from the meaning of “stale air” to its heat capacity