Representative Zoe Lofgren prepares to lead the House science committee that microbiologist Jasmine Clark hopes to serve on

From a “modern bestiary” by Richard Dawkins to a book co-authored by Robert Macfarlane and an Ecuadorian cloud forest, there are plenty of exciting new popular-science books out this month, says Liz Else

Expert listeners can often form an immediate impression of a singer's performance. But what exactly in the voice drives that judgment? In classical vocal competitions, performers are rated on an overall score. However, the criteria behind that score are rarely made explicit. Moreover, voice quality is often described in vague, metaphorical terms, such as "ringing," "warm" or "focused," which can mean different things to different listeners.

An audio drama produced by The Martian author Andy Weir, a fictional autobiography from Michael Moorcock and a new John Scalzi novel – November is a big month for sci-fi fans, says Alison Flood

What's that chirping sound coming through the detector? Did you feel something whiz past? Those are just some ways people react when they encounter microbats for the first time. Microbats are small, mostly nocturnal mammals that use ultrasonic sounds to navigate and hunt at night. They do this through echolocation, producing calls and listening to the echoe…

Briefing Chat: Dog years: could longevity science extend your pets' lives?

The Mediterranean Sea still holds species unknown to science. One of them is Copula lucentia, a tiny jellyfish measuring just a few millimeters. Discovered off El Campello, in Alicante, it was formally described in 2024 by a research team at the University of Alicante (UA) Marine Laboratory in Dénia, which forms part of the university's Ramón Margalef Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Research.

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Fluorescent materials usually emit a single consistent color. They are typically made from dyes or metallic components. In contrast, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have created carbon dots that can fluoresce in a range of colors under UV light, depending on the concentration and the liquid they're in. The team incorporated the new carbon dots…

The Nobel prize in economic science has a serious gender problem