With accessible features illustrated with the world’s best photography, BBC Focus Magazine explains the theory behind scientific phenomena and really brings science to life. In every issue you’ll find news of the latest major scientific developments, a lively Q&A section plus exclusive and astonishing photographic reports that range from the breathtaking to the downright odd.
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SCIENTISTS CREATE HUMAN-MONKEY EMBRYOS
Good month/Bad month
‘One who causes fear’: newly discovered dino was a top predator • The abelisaurid family were all good hunters, but Llukalkan aliocranianus’s hearing set it apart from its relatives
Octopuses have sleep stages like humans – and may even dream
Scientists have measured the core of Mars, and found something unexpected
Cheers! Beer-brewing waste can be turned into food and fuel with a little help from friendly microbes
In numbers
The Perseverance rover is sending weather reports back from Mars
Sensitive teeth? Scientists discover why cold drinks and ice cream can be so painful
Scientists implanted false memories... then removed them
Rabbits that do handstands reveal why some animals can hop • The Alfort jumper rabbit has a mutation in a gene known as RORB that prevents it from hopping like most other breeds
Bird Photographer of the Year 2021 finalists announced
Hungry all of the time? It could be in your blood • Researchers working on the largest in-depth nutrition study in the world have found that some of us experience big dips in blood sugar levels after eating, and it makes us hungrier, sooner
COVID-19: WILL MY DOG GET LONELY WHEN I GO BACK TO THE OFFICE AFTER LOCKDOWN? • With lockdown turning us into constant companions for our canines, how are they likely to react when we start leaving them home alone for most of the day?
POO: SHOULD WE BE PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO IT? • The trend for stool-gazing has health-conscious people staring into their toilet bowls. Before you don the rubber gloves, let’s flush out the truth from the pseudoscience
COVID-19: WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO FIGURE OUT WHICH ANIMAL IT CAME FROM? • Was it bats? Was it pangolins? Was it both? Was it something else? Finding the origin of SARS-CoV-2 is vital for fighting future epidemics
INNOVATIONS • PREPARE YOURSELF FOR TOMORROW
The atomic superyacht on a voyage to save the planet • You can join 160 scientists on board for a cool £2.2m
UPGRADE YOUR GARDEN • Those post-lockdown garden parties are coming – here’s our pick of the best kit to spruce up your green space this summer
Ideas we like…
TIME TO SHINE • A FEW YEARS AGO, SCIENTISTS BELIEVED ONLY A TINY BAND OF CREATURES COULD EMIT LIGHT. BUT A STRING OF NEW DISCOVERIES HAS ILLUMINATED A WIDER WORLD OF GLOW-IN-THE-DARK LIFE FORMS
THE AWESOME POWER OF SLEEP
HIDE AND SEEK IN CYBERSPACE • A puzzle that remained unanswered for more than 14 years has now been solved, thanks to technological leaps in image searching
FOR GUT’S SAKE • Gut-boosting foods are popping up on supermarket shelves, but are they more than just a trendy side dish?
LOOT BOXES THE NEXT BIG BATTLEFRONT • Periodically, there have been moral panics about video games, with headlines claiming that “violent” and “addictive” titles are affecting impressionable players. At present, it is loot boxes’ turn to be put under the microscope. But should we be worried about video games, and are loot boxes a cause for concern?
HOW WILDLIFE VACCINES WILL PREVENT THE NEXT HUMAN...
