https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/24110108/SEI_134850381.jpg ## Gliding sensors inspired by floating seeds will biodegrade after use:

[A biodegradable glider based on the seeds of the Javan cucumber, which float for long distances, could be used to monitor the environment without leaving polluting e-waste](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2348531-gliding-sensors-inspired-by-floating-seeds-will-biodegrade-after-use/) https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/29140551/SEI_135597261.jpg ## Boarding school rules on phones and bedtimes help teens get more sleep:

[At one high school, students who boarded had a consistent lights-out time and no phone access in bed, with these students getting almost five hours of extra sleep a week compared with the students who only attended school during the day](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2349006-boarding-school-rules-on-phones-and-bedtimes-help-teens-get-more-sleep/) https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/29124201/SEI_1339847461.jpg ## Do we have 'immunity debt' and how could it affect our infection risk?:

[The covid-19 lockdowns undoubtedly saved many lives, but the prolonged restrictions also reduced our exposure and immunity to other infections, which could be set to spike in the UK this winter](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2348968-do-we-have-immunity-debt-and-how-could-it-affect-our-infection-risk/) https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/28154751/SEI_135493909.jpg ## Brain mapping in mice may explain why pain makes us lose our appetite:

[Researchers have identified different pathways that lower a mouse's desire to eat when it's in pain - and a similar brain circuit could also occur in humans](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2348855-brain-mapping-in-mice-may-explain-why-pain-makes-us-lose-our-appetite/) https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/28135431/SEI_135475790.jpg ## A rat without a Y chromosome could be a glimpse of our genetic future:

[Researchers have figured out how the Amami spiny rat lost its Y chromosome, and some believe the same fate may be in store for humans](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2348800-a-rat-without-a-y-chromosome-could-be-a-glimpse-of-our-genetic-future/) https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/28161648/SEI_135495076.jpg ## Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano is erupting for the first time since 1984:

[For the first time in nearly 40 years, the world’s largest active volcano is erupting in Hawaii, after weeks of increased activity at the caldera](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2348871-hawaiis-mauna-loa-volcano-is-erupting-for-the-first-time-since-1984/) https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/28162714/SEI_135502754.jpg ## Japanese firm ispace is racing to put first private lander on the moon:

[The Japanese Hakuto-R lander is vying to be the first privately-funded spacecraft to land on the moon](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2348517-japanese-firm-ispace-is-racing-to-put-first-private-lander-on-the-moon/) https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/25143639/SEI_135093952.jpg ## Ancient predator was one of first vertebrates to grow fast while young:

[The bones of 2-metre-long tetrapod Whatcheeria reveal that it had an early growth spurt – a trait that was thought to have evolved later](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2348718-ancient-predator-was-one-of-first-vertebrates-to-grow-fast-while-young/) https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/23150054/SEI_134585566.jpg ## Mussel numbers in the river Thames have dropped by up to 99 per cent:

[Populations of native mussels in the river Thames have dropped massively between 1964 and 2020, possibly because of the effects of pollution and invasive species](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2347899-mussel-numbers-in-the-river-thames-have-dropped-by-up-to-99-per-cent/) https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/23105956/SEI_134752927.jpg ## The ancestral language of half the world reveals our shared culture:

[The hunt for the prehistoric mother tongue that gave rise to dozens of the languages we speak today reminds us of the scientific case for international identity](https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25634143-200-the-ancestral-language-of-half-the-world-reveals-our-shared-culture/)