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What makes something alive? We simply don't know, but synthetic biologists are a step closer to providing an answer thanks to SpudCell, the most sophisticated attempt at creating an artificial life form yet

A proposed technique to counter global warming by spraying sun-reflecting particles near the poles would cause commercial flights to pass through clouds of sulphuric acid, posing a danger to passengers and crew

From friendship in a world of chatbots to what it means to be alive, this month’s new popular science books are asking some big questions. Liz Else rounds up the ones she’s most looking forward to

A prototype cell partly capable of replicating itself has been created using 36 existing bacterial genes, but it's not really a living organism – yet

Aya Koda's Tree is an account of the late writer's visits to Japan's most famous, and ancient, trees. Featured in Wim Wenders's film Perfect Days, it is original and thought-provoking, says Rowan Hooper

The vibrant colours and delicate details of New Zealand's fungi and slime moulds are documented in these images, taken from Jay Lichter's new book The Secret Life of Fungi

Feedback is informed of an exciting new development in underwear design from a brand that says it infuses its products with beneficial bacteria to nourish the skin microbiome

A philosopher has put forward an argument for rethinking how particles are defined within the standard model of particle physics

A form of fibre that boosts the release of the hunger-reducing hormone GLP-1 has been approved as safe by a European regulator, and could be added to foods within a year

Sci-fi fans can enjoy a new Red Dwarf novel – the first for 30 years – this month, as well as sci-fi horror from Paul Tremblay and a journey to Planet Happy with Riley August

Scientists worry that a surge of meltwater from Greenland could irreversibly collapse the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, but new modelling suggests the weakening of the current could be reversed if CO2 levels come back down

The most comprehensive database ever compiled of how fast arachnids can run has shown how leg anatomy and evolutionary history influence spiders’ running speed

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile is beginning its extraordinary survey of the southern sky, which will use the largest camera ever built to map the solar system, the galaxy and beyond

Astronomers have recently started looking for black holes bigger than galaxies. Brian Lacki explains how these “stupendously large black holes” might be used by alien civilisations, and what makes them such an intriguing possibility

Brain recordings from newborns reveal the first neural evidence that humans are born with an innate sense of numbers

When standard leukaemia treatments failed, 13-year-old Alyssa Tapley was told she had only weeks left – but then she was offered an experimental procedure

The US government is trying to speed up the development of quantum computers so it can have one sooner

For decades, we’ve thought that childbirth is uniquely challenging for humans, but it turns out that many other primates find the birth process just as difficult

Sleep is essential, yet humans have evolved to need so little of it. When evolutionary anthropologist David Samson delved into our ancient past to find the reasons why, he discovered surprising ways to get a better night’s rest

Women who were vaccinated against covid-19 in the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle reported having a breakthrough infection sooner than those vaccinated during their follicular phase