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BBC Science Focus Magazine

May 01 2022
Magazine

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…

CONTRIBUTORS

EYE OPENER

CONVERSATION • YOUR OPINIONS ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND BBC SCIENCE FOCUS

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Focus BBC

WORLD-FIRST STUDY CHARTS HOW OUR BRAINS DECLINE AS WE AGE • The charts could one day be used as a clinical tool to help track patients’ brain development and diagnose neurodevelopmental disorders

Huge DNA study reveals new clues about cancercausing mutations • The findings could lead to better diagnosis and treatments for cancer

Sleepiness in Alzheimer’s patients is caused by damage to neurons that help them stay awake • The finding could lead to new treatments for those with the disease to help them stay alert

Selectively breeding for puppy-dog eyes may be the reason we can’t say no to our canine companions • Thousands of years of breeding has given our canine companions faster facial movements to better communicate with us

Experts call for NHS to provide genetic tests to usher in era of personalised medicine • We must move away from the current “one drug and one dose fits all” model to make treatments safer and more effective

Giant ice volcanoes may have sculpted Pluto’s mysterious landscape • Cryovolcanic activity was ongoing beneath the dwarf planet’s surface in the recent geological past, data from NASA’s New Horizons mission suggests

Prehistoric mammals bulked up to survive the tumultuous world after the dinosaurs • Brawn, not brains, allowed our ancestors to flourish after the asteroid hit

COVID-19 can have long-term impacts on the brain • According to a study on nonhuman primates, effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the brain include reduced oxygen flow, neuron damage and bleeding

NASA to test giant slingshot designed to fling satellites into orbit

How to build the future of social media • At the Polarization Lab in North Carolina, multidisciplinary researchers – including social scientists, statisticians and computer scientists – are breaking apart the social media status quo to rebuild it, one peer-reviewed brick at a time

PEAT-FREE COMPOST: IS IT REALLY BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT? • Compost containing peat is due to be banned for UK gardeners. What’s the debate around ending peat sales, and are there any alternatives?

MICROBIOME-FRIENDLY SKINCARE: DOES IT WORK? • More and more hygiene products are claiming to be ‘microbiome friendly’ but how important is our skin microbiome, and do we need to look after it?

W BOSON: IS ABOUT TO BREAK PHYSICS? • The mass of the W boson, a subatomic particle, appears to be wrong. What could this mean for the Standard Model of particle physics?

INNOVATIONS • PREPARE YOURSELF FOR TOMORROW

Electric chopsticks that tickle your taste buds • Japanese researchers have found a way to lower salt intake without ruining food

iPhone SE: Apple on a budget • At £419, it’s half the price of Apple’s flagship phone, but is it only half as good? Daniel Bennett tests it out

Ideas we like…

A WHOLE NEW WHORL • MANY OF US HAVE SEEN SEASHELLS ON THE BEACH AND MARVELLED AT THEIR COLOURS, AND PATTERNS OF CURVES AND RIDGES. BUT SEASHELLS ARE FAR MORE THAN JUST PRETTY OBJECTS, AND THEIR INTRICATE STRUCTURES CAN HELP US LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INHABITANTS THAT ONCE DWELLED INSIDE THEM

LAB GROWN MEAT

DON’T JUST READ THIS MAGAZINE… LISTEN TO US TOO...


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Frequency: Monthly Pages: 92 Publisher: Our Media Limited Edition: May 01 2022

OverDrive Magazine

  • Release date: May 11, 2022

Formats

OverDrive Magazine

subjects

Science

Languages

English

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…

CONTRIBUTORS

EYE OPENER

CONVERSATION • YOUR OPINIONS ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND BBC SCIENCE FOCUS

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Focus BBC

WORLD-FIRST STUDY CHARTS HOW OUR BRAINS DECLINE AS WE AGE • The charts could one day be used as a clinical tool to help track patients’ brain development and diagnose neurodevelopmental disorders

Huge DNA study reveals new clues about cancercausing mutations • The findings could lead to better diagnosis and treatments for cancer

Sleepiness in Alzheimer’s patients is caused by damage to neurons that help them stay awake • The finding could lead to new treatments for those with the disease to help them stay alert

Selectively breeding for puppy-dog eyes may be the reason we can’t say no to our canine companions • Thousands of years of breeding has given our canine companions faster facial movements to better communicate with us

Experts call for NHS to provide genetic tests to usher in era of personalised medicine • We must move away from the current “one drug and one dose fits all” model to make treatments safer and more effective

Giant ice volcanoes may have sculpted Pluto’s mysterious landscape • Cryovolcanic activity was ongoing beneath the dwarf planet’s surface in the recent geological past, data from NASA’s New Horizons mission suggests

Prehistoric mammals bulked up to survive the tumultuous world after the dinosaurs • Brawn, not brains, allowed our ancestors to flourish after the asteroid hit

COVID-19 can have long-term impacts on the brain • According to a study on nonhuman primates, effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the brain include reduced oxygen flow, neuron damage and bleeding

NASA to test giant slingshot designed to fling satellites into orbit

How to build the future of social media • At the Polarization Lab in North Carolina, multidisciplinary researchers – including social scientists, statisticians and computer scientists – are breaking apart the social media status quo to rebuild it, one peer-reviewed brick at a time

PEAT-FREE COMPOST: IS IT REALLY BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT? • Compost containing peat is due to be banned for UK gardeners. What’s the debate around ending peat sales, and are there any alternatives?

MICROBIOME-FRIENDLY SKINCARE: DOES IT WORK? • More and more hygiene products are claiming to be ‘microbiome friendly’ but how important is our skin microbiome, and do we need to look after it?

W BOSON: IS ABOUT TO BREAK PHYSICS? • The mass of the W boson, a subatomic particle, appears to be wrong. What could this mean for the Standard Model of particle physics?

INNOVATIONS • PREPARE YOURSELF FOR TOMORROW

Electric chopsticks that tickle your taste buds • Japanese researchers have found a way to lower salt intake without ruining food

iPhone SE: Apple on a budget • At £419, it’s half the price of Apple’s flagship phone, but is it only half as good? Daniel Bennett tests it out

Ideas we like…

A WHOLE NEW WHORL • MANY OF US HAVE SEEN SEASHELLS ON THE BEACH AND MARVELLED AT THEIR COLOURS, AND PATTERNS OF CURVES AND RIDGES. BUT SEASHELLS ARE FAR MORE THAN JUST PRETTY OBJECTS, AND THEIR INTRICATE STRUCTURES CAN HELP US LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INHABITANTS THAT ONCE DWELLED INSIDE THEM

LAB GROWN MEAT

DON’T JUST READ THIS MAGAZINE… LISTEN TO US TOO...


Expand title description text