Our elegant universe: rethinking nature’s deepest principle | New Scientist
In the Altes Museum in Berlin stands a boy with his arms raised to the heavens. Aside from the right heel, which is slightly arched, this ancient Greek statue is almost perfectly symmetrical. Did the sculptor impose this balance for purely artistic reasons? Hermann Weyl thought not. We are drawn to symmetry, said the German mathematician, because it governs the very order of the universe.
Orange-Glazed Polenta Cake - David Lebovitz
Apparently I’m not the only one who loves polenta cake. The Italians like it so much that it’s called Amor Polenta. Which means “Polenta Love.”
Well, at least that’s what I thought it meant, because amour in French means “love.” And I assumed that it was the same in Italian. (Another reason for finally getting on that life-long ambition to live in Italy and learn Italian.) But for now, checking in an Italian dictionary, I found out that “amor” means “sake.” (As in, for the purpose of.) So I’m not sure how it got its name, but this cake makes a pretty good argument for the sake of whisking polenta into a cake.
Tarte au citron: Lemon Tart Recipe - David Lebovitz
Not everyone thinks of citrus fruits as “winter fruits.” But that’s when oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, tangy lemons, and enticing limes are often at their peak. And that’s a good thing because there’s nothing that brightens up any season – but especially winter – better than a classic French lemon tart.
Announcing TED Summer School! A unique partnership between Immerse Education and TED
Xixi Wang
What if your summer could change how you see yourself, and how the world hears you?
For over a decade, TED-Ed has helped hundreds of thousands of students around the world find their voices, passion, and confidence with TED-Ed Student Talks. Now, in partnership with the renowned organization Immerse Education, TED is offering a more intensive opportunity for students to discover, shape, and share their best ideas under the guidance of expert tutors over the summer.
Ghostly particles might just break our understanding of the universe | New Scientist
Neutrinos rarely interact with normal matter Shutterstock / betibup33
Notoriously ghostly particles called neutrinos may have revealed a crack in our understanding of all the particles and forces in the universe.
Physicists stirred up controversy with scientific cooking tips in 2025 | New Scientist
A smooth cacio e pepe pasta sauce can be hard to achieve Brent Hofacker/Alamy
Scientists’ new recipes for a classic pasta dish and boiled eggs were among the most talked-about science stories of 2025, provoking delight and fury in equal measure.
A controversial experiment threatened to kill the multiverse in 2025 | New Scientist
The multiverse was proposed as a way to make sense of bizarre quantum behaviour VICTOR de SCHWANBERG/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
A physics experiment published this year that claimed to measure a single photon in two places at once – and, in the process, discredit the idea of a multiverse – drew pushback from many sceptical physicists, but the scientists behind the demonstration stand by their claim.
Inside world's ultimate X-ray machine before it becomes more powerful | New Scientist
An illustration of an electron beam traveling through a niobium cavity, a key component of SLAC’s LCLS-II X-ray laser
Physicists used 'dark photons' in an effort to rewrite physics in 2025 | New Scientist
Dark photons offer a new explanation for the double-slit experiment RUSSELL KIGHTLEY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
A core tenet of quantum theory was imperilled this year when a team of researchers put forward a radical new interpretation of an experiment about the nature of light.
The 8 Best Airbnb Experiences in Tokyo
Tokyo is one of those cities that feels endlessly deep. You can visit a dozen times and still discover new food stalls, hidden shrines, late-night bars, quirky subcultures, and neighborhoods that feel like completely different worlds. (I know because I’ve visited about 10 times already!)