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.
FROM THE EDITOR
ON THE BBC THIS MONTH…
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CONVERSATION • YOUR OPINIONS ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND BBC SCIENCE FOCUS
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NASA’S SOLAR PROBE ‘TOUCHES’ THE SUN • The Parker Solar Probe is part of the way through its seven-year mission to investigate the inner workings of our nearest star
Elderly with elevated heart rates may be at greater risk of dementia • The discovery could help doctors to identify people with higher dementia risk for early intervention
Gene editing used to create all-male or all-female litters of mice • The breakthrough could help to stop the culling of livestock and animals used in scientific research
Palaeontologists figure out how a pterosaur the size of a doubledecker bus was able to fly • Quetzalcoatlus, the largest known animal capable of flight, launched itself into the air using its powerful legs
Method of predicting which bacteria are likely to become resistant to antibiotics developed • The researchers made the discovery by studying the emergence of ‘pre-resistance’ in tuberculosis bacteria
Frenchies more at risk of common health disorders than other breeds • Selectively breeding away from these health issues could mean that French bulldogs start to look different in the future
A genetic form of hearing loss could be reversed • A recent study performed on mice could lead to new therapies for patients with hearing loss
Dinosaur treasure trove unearthed in Italy
Living robots capable of self-replication created in US lab • Sam Kriegman tells us about Pac-Man-shaped ‘xenobots’ made from frog cells that could one day lead to breakthroughs in medicine
ANIMAL EMISSIONS: HOW BIG IS MY PET’S CARBON PAWPRINT AND WHAT CAN I DO TO MINIMISE IT? • Globally, pets chomp their way through about 20 per cent of the planet’s meat and fish. Could Fido and Mr Tibbles adopt a more carbon-friendly lifestyle?
OMICRON VARIANT: HOW WORRIED SHOULD WE BE ABOUT IT? • Research has started to emerge on the latest variant of COVID. How concerned should we be about it, and what makes it different from previous variants?
HAVANA SYNDROME: WHAT’S CAUSING THE MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS? • Some have blamed top-secret weapons, but the condition could be all in the mind
INNOVATIONS • PREPARE YOURSELF FOR TOMORROW
Scientists build working camera the size of a grain of salt • Honey, I shrunk the camera... to revolutionise surgery
Why do we find human-like androids so unsettling? • Alex Hughes spoke to the creator of Ameca, a humanoid robot that’s been going viral online for its uncanny facial expressions
Ideas we like...
WELCOME TO YOUR FUTURE COMMUTE • JUST A FEW YEARS AGO, IT FELT LIKE FLYING CARS WERE STILL A DISTANT SCI-FI FUTURE WE COULD ONLY DREAM ABOUT. BUT INVESTMENT HAS INCREASED RAPIDLY, AND A NUMBER OF COMPANIES ARE NOW BUILDING AIR TAXIS TO MAKE OUR CITY JOURNEYS FASTER, EASIER AND CLEANER
AN END TO AGEING? • Eternal youth is the stuff of religion and mythology, but what if we could just have a bit more of it? What if there was a pill that could slow down the ravages of time, so that you could feel younger for longer. It sounds like snake oil, but there’s a growing body of research that’s betting on making it a reality
THE HALLMARKS OF AGEING • Scientists have started to identify key...
