Megan Eaves-Egenes's Nightfaring explores our connection with the night sky Here in the northern hemisphere, January always feels like the longest, drabbest month of the year, so how lucky we are to have a host of new science books to enliven our days. This month, we can explore everything from what the arts bring to our lives to the unsung hero that is friction. Or what we lose when we light up our skies? Daisy Fancourt's Art Cure investigates the impact of the arts, including dancing, on our minds and bodies What if playing the piano, dancing, visiting art galleries or even lying in the mud listening to Wolf Alice at Glastonbury was good for the body, mind and longevity? Or what if it could help us develop brain resilience against dementia? In theory, she's well-placed to make the case as a professor of psychobiology and epidemiology at University College London and director of the WHO's arts and health initiative.

A strange kind of quantumness may be key to quantum computers' success What is it about quantum computers that makes them more powerful than conventional machines? A new experiment shows that the property of "quantum contextuality" may be a key ingredient. Quantum computers are fundamentally different from all other computers because they harness uniquely quantum phenomena absent from conventional electronics. For instance, their building blocks, which are called qubits, are routinely put into superposition states - they seemingly assume two properties at once that are normally mutually exclusive - or they get connected through the inextricable link of quantum entanglement . Quantum computers have finally arrived, but will they ever be useful? Now, researchers at Google Quantum AI have used their Willow quantum computer to carry out several demonstrations showing that the property of quantum contextuality also plays a significant role.

Big hitter Peter F. Hamilton has a new sci-fi novel out this month - and Booker winner George Saunders ventures into speculative fiction with his latest book, Vigil Is it an asteroid or an alien in Van Jensen's Godfall? Welcome to January, a month when many of us are keen to escape from the world into the pages of a book. Thankfully, science fiction is here to help, whether that's with a story set on a generation ship where things aren't as they seem, courtesy of Peter F. Hamilton, or journeying to an alternate version of this world where the Roman Empire is still in charge, in Solitaire Townsend's . Add to the mix a time-loop murder, a UFO romance and some eco-horror, and there's plenty of choice for sci-fi fans this month. A generation ship is in search of a new home in Peter F. Hamilton's latest sci-fi novel Big hitter Peter F. Hamilton sets his latest outing on a generation ship in search of a new world, where people are only allowed to live for 65 years so they don't deplete the ship's resources. When a teenager Hazel's brother has an accident that means he is no longer productive, he is set to be killed off.

A new book explores how humans evolved to be wired for intimacy. It can save our lives. Intimate relationships provide stability, safety, and reassurance, especially when we are in pain. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Adapted from THE INTIMATE ANIMAL by Justin Garcia, PhD. Used with permission of Little, Brown Spark, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. Jen and Dave's second child was born in November 2002. Two weeks later, on a cold Thursday night, the phone rang.

In 1986, we had huge leaps forward, tragic steps back, and life changing innovations. NASA's STS-51L crew members pose for photographs during a break in countdown training at the White Room, Launch Complex 39, Pad B. Left to right are Teacher-in-Space payload specialist Sharon Christa McAuliffe; payload specialist Gregory Jarvis; and astronauts Judith A. Resnik, mission specialist; Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, mission commander; Ronald E. McNair, mission specialist; Mike J. Smith, pilot; and Ellison S. Onizuka, mission specialist. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. It was a year that saw roughly six million Americans hold hands in a continuous (more or less) line across the country to raise money for homelessness. A news anchor named Oprah Winfrey debuted her new talk show.

Scientists are trying to understand why. New book explores the philosophy of addiction. Our understanding of addiction is changing. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Reprinted by permission of Princeton University Press.

Microwave Vacuum Drying, or MVD, may be a real MVP for snack foods. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. It's hard to stop after eating a single potato chip --and that's kind of their whole problem. The deep-fried, popular salty snack is loaded with unhealthy fats, oils, and other unwanted ingredients that are linked with numerous health problems. Unfortunately, those are also the flavor profiles humans are evolutionarily wired to crave.

The new designs honor the Constitution, Civil War, and more. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. While we've said goodbye to both the year 2025 and the penny, five new United States quarters will be finding their way into your pocket soon enough. The designs of each new quarter will honor the country's 250th anniversary (aka its semiquincentennial). According to a press release from the U.S. Mint, the coins "commemorate 250 years of American Liberty by reflecting our country's founding principles and honoring our Nation's history."

Why do elephants have such big ears? The multi-use appendages are kind of like their superpower. The African elephant has some of the world's biggest ears, measuring more than six feet long and more than four feet wide. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. While real life elephants can't fly, they certainly have enormous ears.

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