A quantum chemistry upgrade

Hello and welcome to New Scientist’s weekly run-down of the best stories in science and technology. Today, we’re looking at clouds on Mars, lonely Neanderthals and a new understanding of OCD – but first, it’s time for some chemistry.

Quantum experiment rewrites a century-old chemistry law

One of the reasons for developing quantum computers is that they should be able to help us better probe the quantum nature of reality, because they can simulate quantum objects directly. It is thought that this should be particularly useful when it comes to chemistry, and as this latest story shows, that seems to be the case – an important equation in chemistry is now getting a quantum upgrade.

Cloud atlas of Mars reveals an atmosphere unlike our own

I had no idea that clouds on Mars were different to the ones we see on Earth, and now you can take a look at them yourself thanks to a cloud atlas made up of images captured over the past 20 years.

Genome of Neanderthal fossil reveals lost tribe cut off for millennia

A Neanderthal dubbed Thorin, after a character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s?The Hobbit, has revealed that a population of the ancient humans lived an isolated existence from the main population, despite living close together.

More from New Scientist

• My colleague James Woodford got to try out a humanoid NASA robot, and had a great time
• Our magazine cover story this week is about a new understanding of OCD and what that might mean for treatment
• Join us in London later this month for a day exploring the maths that explains our world

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Jacob Aron, News Editor