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The magazine that feeds minds!

SCALLOP SIGHT

© Shutterstock Did you know that scallops have

YELLOWSTONE’S HOT SPRING

© Getty Located in America’s Yellowstone National Park,

A STAR IS BORN

© NASA The Small Magellanic Cloud is a

FILTRATION UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

© Getty This image looks like an ultraviolet

Astronomers spot the fastest star in the galaxy

An image shows a newly discovered magnetar that

Massive Anglo-Saxon cemetery and treasure trove unearthed

Anglo-Saxon textiles became mineralised due to close proximity

Upward ‘blue jet’ lightning spotted from ISS

A new report published 20 January 2021 revealed

Tomb of murderous Chinese emperor identified

The mausoleum is located in the city of

Man tries to smuggle chameleons in socks

It has not yet been identified which species

NASA finds ‘Lost Galaxy’ shining in Virgo

The spiral galaxy NGC 4535 is better known

Elephants counted from space using satellites and AI

It is the first time animals have been

CO2 levels to pass an alarming milestone in 2021

We are approaching a 50 per cent increase from

Gorillas at San Diego park catch COVID-19

These cases are the first in the world

WISH LIST

The latest FITNE SS gadgets

How to make a water clock

Practical projects to try at home

Why are heartbeat rhythms unique?

Because enquiring minds need to know… ◼ The simple

If squirrels hibernate, why do I see them in Britain all year round?

© Getty ◼ There are lots of different

How do electric showers work?

Thankfully these days our powerful electric showers heat

What is New Horizons doing now that it’s done a flyby of Pluto?

DID YOU KNOW? Cats bite their owners to

Are cats capable of loving their owners? Do they just show it in a different way to dogs?

House cats have been bred to act

Considering how far space exploration has come in 60 years, where will we be by the 2080s?

An artist’s impression of a future mining colony

Why are the tips of my hair lighter than at the root?

© Getty ◼ It’s all down to how much

How does activated charcoal work?

© Getty ◼ Activated charcoal soaks up smells

How do sunglasses protect our eyes and how do polarised sunglasses work?

© Getty ◼ Sunglasses reduce how bright light

What’s the minimum number of individua ls needed to save a species from extinction, like the white rhino?

When almost 90 per cent of wild

Why is the sky red on Mars?

© NASA ◼ Although the Martian atmosphere is

BOOK REVIEWS

The latest releases for curious minds

BRAIN GYM

GIVE YOUR BRAIN A PUZZLE WORKOUT

INBOX

Speak your mind…

DEADLY RADIATION

FROM DENTAL X-RAYS TO NUCLEAR REACTORS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IONISING RADIATION, ITS USES AND HAZARDS

EXTREME TEMPERATURES

Why leaving our usual range of warm and cold makes materials do strange and exciting things

Taking the universe’s temperature

The wide range of possible temperatures makes familiar materials do strange things

HOW TIME WORKS

From the beginning of the universe to the present day, it’s one of the few things we regard as regular and unchanging. But is it really so constant? We take a look at the physics of time…

TIME COMPARISON

How do these different lengths compare?

What is dandruff?

The causes of an itchy and flaky scalp

COLD WARFAR

Discover the events of history’s  wintery wars, where the weather  was the most lethal weapon

Chuck Yeager

The man who made history by breaking the sound barrier

INSIDE THE TOXIC CLOUD

How does city-wide smog  form, and what damage  can it cause?

The beauty of MINIBEASTS

The true beauty of invertebrates is  often only appreciated up close. View  the majesty of the insect world

ANIMALS OF THE ARCTIC WILDERNESS

Explore a strange frozen world and meet the  wide variety of life that calls it home

Shape-shifting cuttlefish

The anatomy of one of the most intelligent animals in the ocean

NEXT-GEN DEONCOR

IS THE FUTURE OF PASSENGER JETS  SUPERSONIC ONCE AGAIN?

Commuting in the future

SkyTran is an evolving concept aiming to lift public transport off the ground and eliminate city traffic

BILLIONAIRES’

HOME TECHNOLOGY

ULTIMATE SECURITY

How can the world’s richest keep their luxury mansions safe?

Playground for the rich

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ entertainment facilities demonstrate how the richest relax

KEEPING SUPERCARS

With the high prices of these cars, it’s worth spending more to keep them secure

PlayStation 5 teardown

Peek inside Sony’s latest console to see how the PlayStation has levelled up

How bricks are made

A look at how the world’s building blocks are created

Supersonic space parachutes

How space pushes our ordinary parachute technology to the extremes

What’s in interstellar space?

The darkest regions of the galaxy birth the brightest stars

Why do stars twinkle?

How Earth’s atmosphere turns starlight on and off