BBC Science Focus Magazine - Summer 2023

In this issue

REALITY CHECK
The science behind the headlines: Can mewing improve your jawline? Could aliens be signalling us using black holes? What are the risks of becoming a father late in life?

CHRIS PACKHAM VERSUS THE WORLD
We speak to the Springwatch frontman about his epic new series, which delves into the extreme events that shaped the history of the planet we call home..

Blood and bone

The human body is a wealth of parts and connections the skeleton, 86 billion 206 bones in neurons in the brain, roughly 25 quadrillion potential neural pathway routes... and yet there are just 20 arteries carrying your entire blood supply.

1 min

Who needs wings?

This little critter with the cheeky grin is a Mizoram parachute gecko, Gekko mizoramensis, a previously unknown species of gliding gecko from the tropical forests of northern India.

1 min

COSMOLOGY: GRAVITATIONAL RIPPLES COULD HELP CRACK THE UNIVERSE'S SECRETS

New findings provide evidence of a background hum’ produced by low-frequency gravitational waves rippling across spacetime

2 mins

ENERGY: THE COSTS OF SWITCHING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY WILL HIT THE SUPER-WEALTHY HARDEST

A new study says a future fuelled by sustainable energy is possible, if the top 10 per cent are prepared to accept some losses

1 min

BIOLOGY: WORMS CAUGHT HITCHING RIDES ON BEES BY USING ELECTRIC FIELDS

As well as hitchhiking, the nematode worms also form conga lines

1 min

SPACE: A RADIATION 'ECHO' FROM A SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE IS SPREADING ACROSS THE GALAXY

The sleeping cosmological giant woke up around 200 years ago and devoured everything in the vicinity, releasing intense amounts of radiation in the process

1 min

MEDICINE: SCIENTISTS TO TEST 'POO TRANSPLANT' PILLS IN GROUND-BREAKING GUT HEALTH TRIAL

Your number twos could be the number-one defence against liver disease

1 min

MEDICINE: SCIENTISTS DISCOVER WHY SPACE TRAVEL WEAKENS ASTRONAUTS' IMMUNE SYSTEMS

Astronauts routinely break out in rashes or get ill while aboard the International Space Station. Now we know why

1 min

NEUROSCIENCE: AI USES BRAINWAVES TO PERFECT YOUR PERSONALISED PLAYLIST

Your mood and energy levels may reveal your preferred musical genres to streaming services

1 min

CHRIS PACKHAM VERSUS THE WORLD

After conquering wildlife programming, presenter Chris Packham is taking on the planet in Earth, a BBC series that sheds new light on the history of our home. He talks Noa Leach through the show's surprising science and his guilty conscience

7 mins

THE HUNT FOR INVISIBLE PARTICLES IS OPENING A NEW SCIENTIFIC FRONTIER

The link between theory and experiment is opening a window on to the next iteration of physics

3 mins

YOU'RE HARDWIRED TO TRUST CONFIDENT VOICES... EVEN WHEN THEY'RE WRONG

Human evolution has led to us naturally believing statements that are delivered in a more assured manner

3 mins

THE VAGINA'S HUGE MEDICAL POTENTIAL IS GOING UNTAPPED.BUT NOT FOR MUCH LONGER

Scientists are beginning to investigate the organ’s potential healthcare applications... and there’s a lot of them

3 mins

MEWING: CAN THE TIKTOK TREND GIVE YOU THE JAWLINE OF A MODEL?

Its supporters claim a simple tongue exercise can not only reshape your jaw and help you sleep, but can even improve your teeth. Here's what the experts say...

3 mins

SIGNS OF LIFE: COULD A SUPERNOVA BE A SIGNAL?

Astronomers think aliens could use supernova explosions to inform us of their presence

3 mins

OLDER DADS: ARE YOU EVER TOO OLD TO BECOME A FATHER?

What are the risks and rewards, to you and your children, of becoming a father late in life?

3 mins

AI art's hidden echo chamber is about to implode

Artificial intelligence creates millions of images a day, flooding the internet. But what happens when it starts to train on its own data?

4 mins

Five of the best outdoor speakers

A good outdoor speaker needs to be portable, offer great audio and be able to stand up to all types of weather. The BBC Science Focus team picks their faves

3 mins

Ideas we like...

Our pick of the month's smartest tech

2 mins

FEELING SUPERSONIC

IT'S 20 YEARS SINCE THE PUBLIC COULD BUY A TICKET TO FLY ON A PLANE CAPABLE OF BREAKING THE SOUND BARRIER. BUT THERE'S A BAND OF ENGINEERS AND PILOTS WHO THINK COMMERCIAL AIRLINE PASSENGERS ARE ONCE AGAIN FEELING THE NEED... THE NEED FOR SUPERSONIC SPEED

6 mins

OUR BEST FRIENDS

Many of us share our homes and lives with a canine companion. But how much do we really know about what's going on inside their heads? Cognitive scientists Dr Zazie Todd and Prof Alexandra Horowitz explain what we're learning about how our four-legged friends think, and share a few tips on how you can make their lives better...

4 mins

ALBIE HEWITT, RIPON HOW RADIOACTIVE IS MY HOUSE? (DO I NEED TO WORRY?)

Pedantically, we could say that your house is literally bathed in radiation day and night, since visible light is radiation, and so are the infrared wavelengths coming from your radiators and the 2.4GHz frequency radio waves from your home Wi-Fi and mobile phone. But what you're probably referring to is ionising radiation - the kind powerful enough to knock electrons out of atoms and thereby cause cancer and, at very high doses, radiation poisoning and burns.

2 mins

SHEEPSHEAD FISH

Someone slap a lawsuit on the dentist who fitted this fish with the freakishly human teeth... What's that you say? Evolution did this. By natural selection? What was it thinking! The sheepshead fish, aka the lovechild of Billy Bass and my granny's dentures, is a scaly, sparkly swimmer that can be found in the shallow waters of the western Atlantic, from Nova Scotia to Brazil. It's a euryhaline species, which means it can tolerate a wide range of salinity.

2 mins

SPLENDID PERSEIDS WHEN: EARLY-LATE AUGUST

The Perseid meteor shower shows activity from mid-July through to late August. Generally the meteor rate is low, but between 10-16 August, rates are higher, reaching a peak in the early hours of 13 August.

1 min

HOW DO VARIFOCAL GLASSES WORK?

Varifocals are lenses that allow you to see close-up, far away and somewhere in between, all through the same pair of glasses.

1 min

SHOULD I EAT DESSERT WITH BREAKFAST TO HELP ME DIET?

It's hard to say whether devouring a dessert at breakfast actually helps with weight loss. The most reported research comes from a team led by endocrinologist Prof Daniela Jakubowicz at Tel Aviv University in Israel. In 2012, her team published a study of 193 people on a calorie-controlled diet who consumed either a low-carbohydrate breakfast or one with high protein and high carbohydrate, including a sweet treat such as a piece of cake or a doughnut.

2 mins

WHY DO I GO RED WHEN I'M EMBARRASSED OR HAVE BEEN DRINKING?

Blushing, or turning red in the face, is a fascinating physiological response that occurs in certain situations, such as embarrassment or alcohol consumption.

1 min

WHY DOES MY DOG GIVE ME SIDE EYE?

Dog side eye, aka 'the shady gaze', is the subject of many seemingly humorous memes. But this canine characteristic is often more loaded than the videos suggest.

1 min

BEFORE WE HAD LONG COVID, WAS THERE LONG SARS?

The SARS epidemic of 2002-2004, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), affected over 8,000 people globally.

1 min

DEAR DOCTOR: HOW DO I STOP HICCUPING? WHAT WILL ACTUALLY WORK?

Hiccups, those sudden and sometimes annoying contractions of the diaphragm, can be a perplexing phenomenon. During a hiccup your diaphragm contracts and, immediately after this, the top of your windpipe (your glottis) closes, making the typical 'hic' sound.

2 mins

How does the fitness app on my phone know how many steps I've taken, especially if it's in my bag?

Your phone uses GPS to track distance travelled. But try disabling it and you'll notice that fitness apps will still give you step counts.

1 min

ANEMOIA: WHY AM I NOSTALGIC FOR A TIME I DIDN'T KNOW OR A PLACE I'VE NEVER BEEN?

The term nostalgia’ was coined by a Swiss doctor in the 17th century to describe the homesickness experienced by mercenaries fighting far from home from the Greek nostos’ the desire to return home and algos’, meaning pain).

2 mins

Read all stories from BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus Magazine Description:

BBC Focus Magazine is the magazine of popular science and technology that explains the wonders of the Universe through stunning photography and accessible articles. Contributors include the very best writers and science experts, with columns every issue from renowned science writer Robert Matthews, TV presenter and scientist Helen Czerski, and science fiction author Stephen Baxter. From archaeology to neuroscience, climate change and particle physics, BBC Focus Magazine keeps you up to speed with the cutting-edge science and gadgets that will change our world.