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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‘DRAGON MAN’ MAY HAVE BEEN HUMANS’ CLOSEST RELATIVE • Analysis of a fossil found in China in the 1930s could reshape our understanding of human evolution, researchers say
What’s the best way to create a malaria vaccine? Make a mosquito smoothie!
Good month / Bad month
Betelgeuse’s brightness dimmed, and we finally understand why
Birds’ brain activity translated into song • The findings could allow scientists to design high- quality vocal prosthetics for people who can no longer speak
Crayfish given antidepressants
Joke’s on us: fool’s gold may have contained the real thing all along
VR may strengthen your brain waves - and be an effective Alzheimer’s treatment • A new study on rats demonstrated how virtual reality strengthened crucial ‘theta waves’ in the hippocampus
Science’s new weapon against kidney disease: tiny lab-grown organoids • Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California have made a major breakthrough in creating tissues that mirror parts of the kidney
In numbers
Supermassive black holes may be formed by collapsing dark matter halos • The theory may help to explain the presence of supermassive black holes in the early Universe
Astronauts install a new solar power array on the ISS during an epic six-hour spacewalk
Artificial hearts made from magnets and titanium could save many lives • The revolutionary design, which was first patched together using plumbing supplies, could begin human trials soon
HOW DID LIFE ON EARTH BEGIN? • Earth is unlike any other planet we know of by virtue of hosting life – and not just in a single form, life is present in a rich variety of species. But, as MICHAEL MARSHALL explains, we still don’t know what got it started
SHOULD WE LOOK FOR ALIENS? • Even if all we learn is that we’re alone, the search is worth the risk, argues LORD MARTIN REES. Besides which, anyone we do end up finding probably knows about us already
HOW LONG SHOULD WE EXTEND HUMAN LIFE? • We’re all getting older. But how long should we be able to keep getting older for? HAYLEY BENNETT looks into what happens if human lifespans continue to lengthen
IS THERE ANYWHERE ON EARTH LIFE DOESN’T EXIST? • The ‘ideal’ conditions for life don’t have to be ideal for us, because it keeps springing up in the sort of places we least expect
SHOULD WE EDIT THE NATURAL WORLD? • A process that began centuries ago with selective breeding has developed into genetic modification. HAYLEY BENNETT explores the consequences of using these controversial tools
ARE WE LIVING IN A SIMULATION? • Could computers ever become sophisticated enough to build a convincing facsimile of the real world? What if they already have and we’re living in that facsimile? DR PETER BENTLEY looks into the likelihood of us being trapped in the Matrix
WHY ARE FEWER PEOPLE BELIEVING IN GOD? • Is the Divine losing its draw? PROF LINDA WOODHEAD looks into whether we’re a faithful flock that’s temporarily strayed, or if we’re no longer willing to take a leap of faith
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE? • While...
