FROM THE EDITOR

COVER: RAMON AVELINO/PATSWERK THIS PAGE: PANAGIS MATSANGOURAS ,

EYE OPENER

REUTERS A helping hand LA PAZ, BOLIVIA

FEEDBACK

YOUR OPINIONS ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND OUR MAGAZINE

DISCOVERIES

“A world without plants and fungi is a

DID THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE JUST SPOT GALAXIES THAT SHOULDN’T EXIST?

COMMENT

SAYING NO TO DRUGS CAN BE HARD, ESPECIALLY WHEN OUR BRAINS HAVE EVOLVED TO SAY ‘WHY NOT?’

COMMENT

WOMB TRANSPLANTS ARE NOW A REALITY AND THEY’RE CHANGING PEOPLE’S LIVES

COMMENT

REVIEW SICK DAYS: WE’RE TAKING MORE THAN EVER. SO WHAT’S KEEPING US AWAY FROM WORK?

REVIEW

ANTIGRAVITY: A RECENT TEST RESULT MIGHT HAVE RULED IT OUT

Hoverboards and flying cars may be off the cards… but dark energy may yet come to the rescue

BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER: WHY IS IT STIGMATISED?

Despite being recognised for decades, the condition remains misunderstood and undertreated as a result

INNOVATIONS

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR TOMORROW

Sony WF-1000XM5: An audio home run, but in a smaller package

REVIEW

These vibrating vests bring music to life for deaf gig-goers

Haptic tech is making music accessible to people with impaired hearing

Ideas we like…

Our pick of this month’s smartest tech

WHY IS SOCIALISING SO TIRING?

FAYE CHASE, VIA EMAIL

HOW DOES THE BBC KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WATCHING DOCTOR WHO?

RODNEY MINNS, HAMPSHIRE

HOW DO PEANUTS GROW?

MARK ONEAL, BRIGHTON

HAMMERHEAD BAT

NATURE’S WEIRDEST CREATURES

CAN I REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY RECYCLING?

JENSEN PITTS, VIA EMAIL

WHAT IS THE DEADLIEST CREATURE IN THE UK?

ADRIANNA GARDNER, CHELMSFORD

HOW DO IQ TESTS WORK?

FABIAN MCNEIL, VIA EMAIL

IF YOU FARTED HARD ENOUGH IN SPACE, COULD YOU MOVE YOURSELF AROUND?

ALICE SKINNER, NOTTINGHAM

Seasons of Sleep

How taking a nap can be the ultimate survival tool

DEAR DOCTOR

IS IT REALLY BETTER TO HOPE FOR THE BEST, BUT BRACE FOR THE WORST?

HOW CAN WE STILL TALK TO VOYAGER 2, WHEN IT’S BILLIONS OF MILES AWAY?

ELOUISE PACE, ST ALBANS

WHAT IS ASHEN LIGHT?

HERMAN TOWNSEND, LIVERPOOL

IF MY BRAIN WAS IN MY STOMACH, WOULD I ‘THINK FROM MY STOMACH’?

BILLY WILSON, VIA EMAIL

CROSSWORD

PENCILS AT THE READY!

THE TRUTH ABOUT AI

Busting the myths about artificial intelligence at the Royal Institution’s Christmas Lectures

HELLO DARKNESS, MY OLD FRIEND

With the evenings drawing in, could embracing the darkness be good for you?

DEEP & BROODY

On the side of a hill next to some thermal springs 3,000m beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean, scientists have discovered the world’s biggest octopus nursery. Join them as they explore it on Planet Earth III

Octopus nurseries

To date, there are four known deep-sea octopus nurseries, all of them in the Pacific Ocean

HOW TO MAKE THE MOON ON EARTH

The expense and prestige involved in sending landers and rovers to the Moon means you can’t afford for them not to work when they get there. But the lunar landscape is like nothing here on Earth. So how, and where, do you test equipment that’s bound for the Moon?

The Power of Caffeine

For many, caffeine is considered a guilty pleasure. But there is growing evidence that our daily fix isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it might actually be doing us some good

THE SCIENCE OF DOCTOR WHO

At 60 years old, Doctor Who, the BBC Show following the adventures of the regenerating Time Lord, continues to be highly enjoyable fiction. But it’s science fiction. The Doctor’s primary tool is a sonic screwdriver, not a magic wand. The Gallifreyan takes science seriously. And so should we…

TIME TRAVEL

A s for time travel, even with Special

THE SMART TARDIS

Another aspect of TARDIS technology is its controlling

INVASION EARTH

The Earth of Doctor Who has suffered multiple

ROGUE PLANETS

Daleks were found on the planet Vulcan,