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Simon Ings

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Simon Ings writes for New Scientist about books, films and all things culture.

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Kris Tompkins holds up a heartshaped rock during her hike up the mountain range in Patagonia, Chile. (Jimmy Chin)

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Wild life review: The couple who bought up Chile to conserve it

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Orion Nebula in Infrared NASA ID: PIA25434 This new image of the Orion Nebula produced using previously released data from three telescopes shows two enormous caverns carved out by unseen giant stars that can release up to a million times more light than our Sun. All that radiation breaks apart dust grains there, helping to create the pair of cavities. Much of the remaining dust is swept away when the stars produce wind or when they die explosive deaths as supernovae. This infrared image shows dust but no stars. Blue light indicates warm dust heated by unseen massive stars. Observed in infrared light ? a range of wavelengths outside what human eyes can detect ? the views were provided by NASA's retired Spitzer Space Telescope and the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), which now operates under the moniker NEOWISE. Spitzer and WISE were both managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, ...more 508 Description:This infrared image of the Orion Nebula features plenty of dust but no stars. In these infrared wavelengths, it's possible to see hot spots where new stars are forming, while unseen bright, massive stars have carved out caverns of empty space. Date Created:2022-11-22 Center:JPL Keywords: Herschel Space Observatory , Spitzer Space Telescope , Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) , Orion Nebula Secondary Creator Credit: ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech Visit JPL Website

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Under Alien Skies review: A terrific guide to our spectacular universe

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Hang Son Doong A Crack In The Mountain - PRINCIPLE FILM STILL.

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A Crack in the Mountain review: Stunning cave shows tourism's paradox

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The Human Mind review: Ambitious, up-to-the-minute guide to the mind

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The Human Mind review: Ambitious, up-to-the-minute guide to the mind

Culture

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Hilma af Klint The Ten Largest, Group IV, No. 9, Old Age, 1907 Courtesy of The Hilma af Klint Foundation

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Famed abstract artists capture nature as you’ve never seen it before

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Big data. Information concept. 3D render

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The Battle for Your Brain review: A guide to neuro nightmares ahead

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Stefanie Martini & Emma Appleton in LOLA (Signature Entertainment)

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LOLA review: Great sci-fi film is rich in ideas, but poor in budget

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Credit: David Blandy, Atomic Light, installation view, John Hansard Gallery, 2023. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Reece Straw

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Atomic Light review: Solar astronomers rescue an uneven installation

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Plaster bust of philosopher Anaximander and group of other busts. Portraits of ancient historical persons. Mass-product souvenir in Turkey. Copy space, selected focus; Shutterstock ID 2261783295; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Humans

Anaximander review: Did Anaximander create science, asks Carlo Rovelli

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Creature review: Human nature is key to a sci-fi ballet

Humans

Creature review: Human nature is key to a sci-fi ballet

Culture

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A scene from NEXT EXIT, a Magnet release. Photo courtesy of Magnet Releasing.

Humans

Next Exit film review: New tale of the afterlife takes a wrong turn

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2A7XK59 Lisbon, Portugal. 4th Nov, 2019. Edward Snowden, former intelligence officer who served the CIA, NSA, and DIA for nearly a decade as a subject matter expert on technology and cyber security, speaks from Russia to the audience for an interview by James Ball, during the annual Web Summit technology conference in Lisbon. Credit: Henrique Casinhas/SOPA Images/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News

Technology

Pegasus review: Terrifying exposé of the world's most powerful spyware

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