FROM THE EDITOR

What genre of music makes you most productive?

Here’s mud in your eye

HVERAVELLIR, ICELAND

Just some ’armless fun

ARIZONA, USA

Some assembly required

SAINT PAUL-LEZ-DURANCE, FRANCE

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YOUR OPINIONS ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND OUR MAGAZINE

THE TEAM

EDITORIAL Editor & brand lead Daniel Bennett Managing

DON’T JUST READ THIS MAGAZINE… LISTEN TO IT TOO

Discover the podcast from the team behind BBC Science Focus, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Amazon Music

DISCOVERIES

“Thrillingly, this planet is the closest Earth-sized and

SECRETS OF MAYA HUMAN SACRIFICES UNCOVERED IN NEW STUDY

ANTHROPOLOGY

THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET KEEPS YOUR BRAIN YOUNG, ACCORDING TO NEUROSCIENTISTS

HEALTH

NEW COLOUR OF CAT DISCOVERED, THANKS TO RARE GENETIC MUTATION

NATURE

‘ALIEN EARTH’ SIMILAR TO OUR PLANET COULD HOST LIFE

SPACE

MYSTERY OF HOW THE BIGGEST EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS WERE BUILT MAY FINALLY BE SOLVED

ARCHAEOLOGY

FEEDING PEANUT BUTTER TO BABIES COULD CUT ALLERGY RISK BY 71 PERCENT

HEALTH

CHILDREN FIND INCREDIBLY RARE REMAINS OF TEENAGE T. REX

PALAEONTOLOGY

WOMEN HAVE COGNITIVE BOOST WHEN MENSTRUATING

NEUROSCIENCE

LOOK BEYOND INTERSTELLAR DUST WITH EUCLID’S LATEST IMAGES

ASTRONOMY

MICHAEL MOSLEY: A GREAT, AVANT-GARDE SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR

1957 – 2024

WHY MUSIC COULD SOLVE THE UNIVERSE’S DEEPEST SECRETS

COMMENT

ALARM BELLS ARE RINGING AGAIN ABOUT THE HOLE IN THE OZONE LAYER

COMMENT

What’s the big deal with lymphatic drainage massage?

REVIEW

The ‘Doomsday Glacier’ is melting faster than scientists thought. And it’s putting Earth’s biggest cities at risk

ANALYSIS

Nicotine pouches are a danger to public health, but especially for kids

Just because there’s no tobacco, doesn't mean nicotine pouches are risk-free

ALL FINGERS… AND EXTRA THUMBS

We’ve had two thumbs for around two million years and they’ve helped us do amazing things. Imagine what we could do if we had three…

Barbecues with brains

Cooking outdoors over a naked flame is one of life’s simple pleasures. Here are five of the best high-tech barbecues to help you complicate it

…THE SMART BBQ FOR INDOOR COOKING

Not all of us are lucky enough to

…THE SMART BBQ FOR HANDS-OFF COOKS

The Brisk It Origin-580 aims to take the

IS CREATINE THE ONE SUPPLEMENT THAT REALLY WORKS?

Every supplement claims to offer benefits for your body. But tests suggest creatine actually does. It might also have benefits for your brain, too

HOW MUCH WILL AI CHANGE THE FILM INDUSTRY?

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

WHY SHOULDN’T I DRINK ALCOHOL WHEN I’M TAKING ANTIBIOTICS?

It’s actually unlikely that drinking alcohol in moderation

WHY DO BATTERIES DRAIN FASTER IN COLD WEATHER?

Rechargeable batteries such as lithium-ion cells don’t like

THE PIGBUTT WORM

What lives around 1,000m (approx 3,200ft) underwater, is

ARE HURRICANES GETTING WORSE?

JONNY ADAMS, PETERBOROUGH

WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST DOPING METHOD AT THE TOUR DE FRANCE?

In 2007, a scientist called Dr Franck Zal

WHAT GENRE OF MUSIC MAKES YOU MOST PRODUCTIVE?

Various studies have tried to address the question

I FEEL LIKE NOTHING I EVER DO IS GOOD ENOUGH. HOW DO I GET OUT OF THIS MINDSET?

GETTY IMAGES X2 ILLUSTRATIONS: JAMES YATES, PETE

HOW TO SEE THE CROWN SPARKLING

ASTRONOMY FOR BEGINNERS

DEAR DOCTOR

CAN YOU REALLY TELL WHAT TYPE OF HEADACHE YOU HAVE BASED ON WHERE THE PAIN IS?

COULD WE BE LIVING IN A BLACK HOLE?

This possibility has been seriously considered by modern

CAN EMBRACING THE JAPANESE CONCEPT OF IKIGAI HELP ME LIVE LONGER?

People on the Japanese island of Okinawa are

IN TERMS OF OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT, IS IT REALLY BETTER TO EAT FRESHLY SOURCED, LOCALLY GROWN FOOD?

ROSE ANNE DECRISTOFORO, VIA EMAIL

CROSSWORD

PENCILS AT THE READY!

THE ORCA OFFENSIVE

Why have killer whales started to charge boats sailing in the Mediterranean?

HOW TO FLY FEARLESSLY

Simple, science-backed techniques can help you overcome your sky-high anxiety

Ideas we like…

Our pick of the month’s smartest tech

THE TIES THAT BIND

Cosmic strings are hypothetical ‘scars’ running across the cosmos. Nobody yet knows if they exist, but if they do, they could tie everything we know about the Universe together in one unified theory. The thing is, astronomers may have just uncovered the first evidence of their existence

PAIN-PROOF YOUR BACK

With cases of vertebral aches surging, most common remedies don’t stand up to scientific scrutiny. However, recent research could help you swerve the biggest spinal traps and finally put the problem behind you

6 WAYS TO REDISCOVER YOUR HAPPINESS

SICK OF CHASING HAPPINESS, INSTEAD OF ENJOYING IT? YOU MAY BE STUCK ON WHAT PSYCHOLOGISTS CALL THE HEDONIC TREADMILL. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN STEP OFF IT AND SPEND MORE TIME RELISHING HAPPINESS AND LESS TIME PURSUING IT

SUPERVOLCANOES

The planet is peppered with various types of volcanoes and all of them hint at the massive forces at work beneath the surface. But only one type is big enough to fully unleash those forces and all their destructive potential…

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