Emily, a lot has happened in the past month, including ‘It is all but impossible life exists, and yet it is here’ and UK spurns European invitation to join ITER nuclear fusion project.

Catch up on the latest breakthroughs and science news below.

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Environment

Boiling tap water can remove 80 per cent of the microplastics in it

Tap water contains tiny particles of plastic and we don’t know how they affect our health – now it seems that boiling the water for 5 minutes can remove most of them. Read more

Environment

El Niño will cause record-breaking heat across the world this year

A climate model has forecast where the most extreme heat will occur during the current El Niño phase, including the Caribbean and the South China Sea. Read more

Health

Hard-to-digest starch supplements may help people lose weight

A small trial has strengthened the idea that foods containing the special form of starch could lead to weight loss and improve blood glucose control. Read more

Space

Tiny new moons have been spotted orbiting Neptune and Uranus

Astronomers have found a new moon around Uranus and two orbiting Neptune – the first moons discovered orbiting these planets in a decade and the faintest ever spotted. Read more

Life

Squid-like plant that lives mostly underground is new to science

For the first time in nearly a century, a new genus of plant has been discovered in Japan, but it looks more like a squid or an alien than a plant. Read more

Mind

We finally know why live music makes us so emotional

Hearing live music tugs at our heartstrings more than a recording, probably because it increases activity in an emotion-processing region in our brain. Read more

Health

Light and sound may slow Alzheimer’s by making the brain remove toxins

An experimental treatment for Alzheimer's disease involving sounds and flickering lights has shown promise in mice and people. Now, research suggests the novel approach ramps up our brain’s waste disposal networks. Read more