Received this from a friend?
Sign up now to get every issue direct to your inbox each weekday

A mathematician claims that a US spy agency may be undermining work to make encryption more secure. Plus: what drives the desire for legacy?

Like what you see? Subscribe today to gain unlimited access to all our subscriber only content.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Next-gen encryption

A prominent cryptography expert has told New Scientist that a US spy agency could be weakening a new generation of algorithms designed to protect against hackers equipped with quantum computers. Daniel Bernstein at the University of Illinois Chicago says that the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is deliberately obscuring the level of involvement the US National Security Agency has in developing new encryption standards for “post-quantum cryptography”. He also believes that NIST has made errors – either accidental or deliberate – in calculations describing the security of the new standards. NIST denies the claims. Read more

Flu-resistant chickens

Chickens have been gene-edited to acquire resistance to bird flu, suggesting a possible way to protect flocks from future outbreaks. All subtypes of the bird flu virus use a chicken protein called ANP32A to replicate inside chicken cells. Researchers found that changing two amino acids in ANP32A prevented the virus from being able to replicate in chicken cells. When they did the same in chicken embryos to produce live chickens with the altered form of ANP32A, they found nine out of 10 of these chickens did not get infected after exposure to influenza. However, years of further testing and regulatory approval are needed before gene-edited birds can be farmed for consumption. Read more

Whether it’s the impact microbes in our body have on our health and wellbeing or how solar eclipses can help to solve the biggest mysteries surrounding the Sun – New Scientist covers it all. Get unlimited digital access with a 4 week free trial.

More headlines

• AI’s energy use: Large models depend on power-hungry servers, and some researchers are concerned that our increasing use of AI will make it a significant contributor to global carbon emissions.

   

• The Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event: Ocean life flourished 500 million years ago because of cooler sea temperatures.

   

• Viking queen: Commemorative runestones hint that Thyra, the mother of Harald Bluetooth, may have helped unify Denmark in the 900s.

   

• Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Orcas hunting a seal, duelling Nubian ibexes and a stunning horseshoe crab appear in winning images from the annual competition.

Ben Giles

Across time and cultures, people have sought to etch their names into humanity’s history books, from the pharaoh Khufu’s Great Pyramid of Giza to scientific discoveries, works of art, sporting achievements and public philanthropy. This drive for legacy is puzzling. Why devote so much time and energy while you are alive to being warmly remembered when you won’t be around to benefit? Researchers addressing this question have come up with some surprising answers. Meanwhile, others are discovering how our legacy drive can be leveraged to tackle long-term, global issues including climate change, biodiversity loss and inequality. Read more

The science of the deep Antarctic: Shackleton’s expedition and the Weddell Sea | 23 March 2024 | 15 days

Journey to one of the most remote, breathtaking regions of Antarctica, the Weddell Sea. Encounter gigantic tabular icebergs, huge calving glaciers and an array of marine wildlife on this trip of a lifetime.

Ashley Brooks-Russell at the Colorado School of Public Health says there is no simple way to determine if a cannabis user is too high to drive.

Sponsored by: Farmers Weekly

Thanks for reading and have a great day.

Sam Wong

Assistant news editor, New Scientist
Email me at [email protected]

Received this from a friend? Sign up here

For the latest science and technology news, in-depth articles and video, visit newscientist.com