How 2016’s war on encryption will change your way of life
There's a debate raging over the technology that makes modern life possible. New Scientist sketches four possible futures, and what they mean for you
Hate exams? Now a computer can grade you by watching you learn
Artificial intelligence can predict a student's ability to solve problems by looking at past performance – and help them learn better too
Wavy air patterns mean UK’s extreme storms are here to stay
Storm Frank is the latest freak weather event made possible by an unusual combination of factors that may persist for years to come
Halting march of Zika virus is health priority for 2016
The virus, which is linked to brain damage in unborn babies, spread rapidly in the Americas in 2015. Global health agencies are hoping they can thwart it next year
Learning to live with floods will be key to UK policy review
UK flood policy needs a complete overhaul says the Environment Agency, including accepting that flooding is inevitable
Nippy wheeled robot speeds straight up a wall without problems
A four-wheeled robot can drive along the ground as well as climb up vertical surfaces by coordinating a pair of propellers
El Niño and a polar vortex behind deadly US tornadoes
Extreme weather in the southern and Midwestern US has killed at least 43 people. El Niño and a strong polar vortex are being blamed
New quantum record as ball of atoms ends up in two spots at once
A Schrödinger's cat-like experiment has used lasers to kick a cloud of atoms into locations half a metre apart simultaneously
Liver hormone could tame our love of cakes and booze
Dubbed the "sweet tooth hormone", FGF21 reduced how much sugar and alcohol monkeys wanted to consume
Sleep isn’t needed to create long-term memories – just time out
Sitting for 10 minutes with no stimulation helps people remember new information, suggesting we consolidate memories without the need to sleep on it
