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
Dementia and autism
Focus BBC
DISCOVERIES
FOOD IN BRITAIN
SEARCH AND RESCUE RATS ARE BEING TRAINED TO FIND EARTHQUAKE SURVIVORS AMONG THE RUBBLE • Researchers have successfully trained rats to detect landmines, sniff out tuberculosis and even drive cars, but their next challenge – to find survivors in collapsed buildings – could be their bravest yet
THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT…
YEARS TOGO
AT THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING • Puzzling over the answers to a centuries-old cosmic paradox can teach us profound things about the Universe
MEMORIES ARE OUR OWN TRUTHS… TRUTHS THATCAN LIE • False memories make for thorny debates in research and the courtroom alike
THE ROBOTSARE COMING FOR YOUR JOB… IF YOU’RE A DOLPHIN • The use of performing animals in circuses and aquariums is controversial. Could realistic, animatronic creatures offer a way to ignite people’s interest in the natural world instead?
PATHOLOGICAL LIARS: WHAT DRIVES THEM TO LIE AND WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT? • From high-profile court cases to recent political scandals, lying is all over the news. A psychologist explains how to spot and deal with a habitual liar
MONKEYPOX OUTBREAK: HOW WORRYING IS IT? • This rare disease, mainly found in Africa, is unlikely to become a new pandemic in UK, but cases are going to rise over the coming weeks
CLIMATE: COULD 50°C BECOME THE NEW NORMAL? • A recent heatwave in Jacobabad, Pakistan saw temperatures hit a record 51°C – dangerously close to the limit of human survivability
INNOVATIONS • PREPARE YOURSELF FOR TOMORROW
Ideas we like… • Our pick of the month’s smartest tech
IDEAS WE DON’T LIKE…
THE EYES HAVE IT • TWO FRONT-FACING EYES WORKS WELL FOR US BUT NOT FOR EVERYTHING ELSE. THESE ANIMALS HAVE SOME BIZARRE AND BEAUTIFUL EYES THAT LET THEM SEE THE WORLD IN VERY DIFFERENT WAYS
FUTURE CITIES • GREEN, FRIENDLY AND CLEAN: HOW WE COULD REIMAGINE URBAN LIFE AFTER THE PANDEMIC
THE NEW AGE OF FUSION • FOR DECADES, THE TECHNOLOGY TO DEVELOP CLEAN, SAFE FUSION POWER HAS REMAINED TANTALISINGLY OUT OF REACH.NOW, THOUGH, A NEW BREED OF START-UPS COULD HAVE CRACKED IT AT LAST. WILL WE FINALLY BE ABLE TO WAVE GOODBYE TO FOSSIL FUELS?
CASE STUDY: FIRST LIGHT • IMPLODING FUEL TO RELEASE ENERGY
CASE STUDY: TOKAMAK ENERGY • SMALL REACTOR, SEARING TEMPERATURES
Q&A
ASTRONOMY FOR BEGINNERS
NATURE’S WEIRDEST ANIMALS…
CROWDSCIENCE
WHAT IS THE LIFE CYCLE OF OUR SUN?
DEAR DOCTOR… • HEALTH QUESTIONS DEALT WITH BY SCIENCE FOCUS EXPERTS
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
THE EXPLAINER
CROSSWORD • PENCILS AT THE READY!
NEXT ISSUE
How does Thor’s hammer work? • Is it security coded, or is it simply tampering with physics?