Q&A

FROM THE EDITOR

COV ER: CODY MUIR THIS PAGE: BBC, GETTY

Māori land-burning practices triggered a rise in carbon emissions

The arrival of the Māori people to New Zealand in the 14th Century led to a major increase in black carbon, hundreds of years before the Industrial Revolution

ISS gets a power up

THERMOSPHERE, EARTH

Star of the show

KYUSHU, JAPAN

CONVERSATION

YOUR OPINIONS ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND BBC SCIENCE FOCUS

WORLD’S FIRST MALARIA VACCINE

The World Health Organization’s director-general hails ‘historic moment’ as mass immunisation of African children begins

Humans used ‘modern’ fish ing tools more than 12 ,0 00 years ago

The peo ple who used these weights, hooks and lures “knew all there was to know about fish”

Stone Age humans hatched and raised cassowary chicks in New Guinea

Thousands of years before the domestication of the chicken, humans were collecting cassowary eggs before they hatched

Vitamin B12 could protect the brain against Alzheimer’s, wiggling worm study suggests

Healthy levels of vitamin B12 may help to prevent damage from the buildup of toxic proteins in the brain

Psychedelic drug found in magic mushrooms enhances our emotional response to music

The finding could be important for the therapeutical use of psychedelics

Volcanoes may have given dinosaur evolution a helping hand

The rise of the dinosaurs seems to be connected to a period of violent volcanic activity more than 230 million years ago

A ‘supplement’ for bees could save colonies from a deadly virus

Scientists have found a plantbased compound that could save honeybee colonies from a virus that deforms wings, causes paralysis and wipes out hives

Image of spawning groupers nets Wildlife Photographer of the Year prize

PHOTOGRAPHY Now in its 57th year, the Wildlife

Beethoven’s unfinished 10th Symphony completed by an AI

Computer scientists teamed up with historians, musicologists and composers to teach an artificial intelligence how to compose like Beethoven

MEGA SPACESHIP: IS IT POSSIBLE FOR CHINA TO BUILD A KILOMETRE-LONG SPACECRAFT?

Buoyed on by its successful Moon missions, China has launched a five-year study to investigate the possibility of building the biggest-ever spacecraft

PRIVACY: WHAT ISSUES DO FACEBOOK’S NEW SMART GLASSES RAISE?

The specs enable users to take pictures and record video using cameras embedded in the frames

CELEBRITIES : WHY DO THEY LOVE BIZARRE FADS?

Why are famous stars so drawn to the allure of questionable health products and trends?

Google uses AI to create twohour weather forecasts

‘Nowcasting’ could help the UK anticipate catastrophic rainfall events

Is this the end of the satellite dish?

SKY GLASS

Ideas we like…

…a smart telescope that deals with light pollution

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WHAT ANIMALS COULD MOST HUMANS BEAT IN A FIGHT?

According to a recent YouGov poll that asked

ASTRONOMY FOR BEGINNERS

THE GRE AT SQUARE OF PEGASUS

DOES SITTING BY A WINDOW HELP YOU WORK BETTER?

Yes. A 2018 study at Cornell University found

COULD WE HARNESS ENERGY FROM A BL ACK HOLE ?

GETTY X2 ILLUSTRATIONS: PETE LAWRENCE, DANIEL BRIGHT Scientists

EXISTENTIAL CRISIS OF THE MONTH...

HACKERS ARE MONITORING MY EVERY MOVE THROUGH MY PHONE

CAN ANY ANIMALS PHOTOSYNTHESISE?

Photosynthesis is a really efficient way of making

WHY IS HUMAN SKIN SO RUBBISH?

CROWDSC IENCE ALAMY, SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY, GETTY IMAGES

WHY DO OUR VEINS LOOK BLUE?

Your blood gets its colouration from red blood

HOW MANY BIRDS ARE STRUCK BY WIND TURBINE BLADES?

As wind energy has grown in popularity, reports

DEAR DOCTOR...

HE ALTH QUESTIONS DE ALT WITH BY SCIENCE FOCUS EXPERTS

THE EXPLAINER

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HEADACHE AND A MIGRAINE?

CROSSWORD

GIVE YOUR BRAIN A WORKOUT

NEXT ISSUE

BLUE LIGHT EXPLAINED

Do ghosts exist?

Should we get Venkman and co. on speed dial?

Product of the environment

DSWF registered Charity No:1106893 When polar ice melts,

OCTOPUSES ON PARADE

WITH THREE HEARTS, BLUE BLOOD, EIGHT BENDY ARMS AND INTELLIGENCE THAT OUTSMARTS OTHER SPINELESS ANIMALS, THERE’S NOTHING QUITE LIKE AN OCTOPUS. JOIN US ON A DIVE INTO THEIR WEIRD WORLD…

YOUR MYSTERIOUS BRAIN

Science has mapped the surface of Mars and translated the code for life. By comparison, we know next to nothing about what’s between our ears. Over the next few pages, we ask leading scientists to answer some of the most important questions about our brains…

Do we really have free will?

DR LISA FELDMAN BARRETT Lisa is a professor

Do genetics affect mental health?

ILLUSTRATIONS: CHRISTINA KALLI DR DEAN BURNETT Dean is

Can you improve your brain with food?

KIMBERLEY WILSON Kimberley is a chartered psychologist, author

What is brain fog?

ILLUSTRATIONS: CHRISTINA KALLI DR CHRISTIAN JARRETT Christian is

Can the brain heal itself?

ILLUSTRATIONS: CHRISTINA KALLI HAYLEY BENNETT Hayley is a

Do we really have brain regions?

DR LISA FELDMAN BARRETT Lisa is a professor

What is intelligence and is it inherited?

DR DEAN BURNETT Dean is a neuroscientist and

The best habits to keep your brain healthy, happy and sharp

ILLUSTRATIONS: CHRISTINA KALLI DR CHRISTIAN JARRETT Christian is

Are people in comas conscious?

DR ADRIAN M OWEN Adrian is a British

BREATHE IN… AND OUT

Deep breathing isn’t just for yogis. Evidence suggests it can soothe anxiety, help you sleep and even ease your pain

THE NEW WORLD OF WORK

We shouldn’t have to force ourselves to contend with a commute or an office, if they no longer work for us

IN THE BEGINNING…

Brian Cox’s new show, Universe, is a scientific creation story. He tells Sara Rigby why the series doesn’t shy away from the unknown, why he sees the stars as gods, and why he wants to launch Boris Johnson into space

THE BRST BLACK HOLES

Since just af ter the Big Bang, ancient black holes may have been shaping the Universe as we know it. Now, scientists are tantalisingly close to glimpsing these mysterious objects for the first time

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