The biggest science news stories of 2023 as chosen by New Scientist

From extraordinary heat to stunning space imagery, New Scientist has brought you extensive coverage of the biggest developments, discoveries and events in science, technology, health and environment in 2023. Here is our recap of some of the best stories this year. The number of heat records broken in 2023 is simply astounding. While we can't officially say for sure until final figures are in next month, this year was almost certainly the hottest year ever recorded. In a sign of how extraordinary temperatures have been this year, New Scientist was already reporting this possibility in mid-June, well before the northern hemisphere summer had got into gear.