FROM THE EDITOR

COVER: JIAQI WANG THIS PAGE: BBC STUDIOS, GETTY

Birthday wishes

This is the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex. It’s

Let’s work together

There’s a reason they call the ocean Earth’s

Show your stripes

DOVER, UK Pictures may tell a thousand words,

DISCOVERIES

“It’s very rare to find ultra-cool brown dwarf

EERIE ‘SONG’ OF TWINKLING STARS DRIVES UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR NUCLEAR CORES

Taking a musical approach helps scientists determine how much a star should shine

NEW AI COULD IDENTIFY VIRAL ‘DARK MATTER’ OF NEXT PANDEMIC

The early warning system is based on machine learning and could have predicted the emergence of the COVID variants

ANT HONEY USED IN INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN MEDICINE COULD INSPIRE POWERFUL NEW ANTIBIOTICS

It’s a first for Western science, but Indigenous Australians have been using the honeypot ant medicinally for thousands of years

MOTHERS ARE FORCED TO FIGHT A NUTRIENT WAR WITH THEIR UNBORN BABIES

A study on mice enabled scientists to discover that children inherit ‘greedy genes’ from fathers

RARE ‘ULTRACOOL’ BROWN DWARF STAR FOUND EMITTING RADIO WAVES

Unusual radio signals have led astronomers to a surprising astronomical object

SCIENTISTS PRODUCE THE FIRST CELLULAR MAP OF THE HUMAN INTESTINE

Fluorescent antibodies reveal the atlas of cell ‘neighbourhoods’ that cooperate to protect you

DEEP-SEA MINING

Why the next gold rush is happening at the bottom of the ocean

PALEO IS A FLINTSTONE FANTASY

‘Big farmer’ has changed our digestive capabilities… and that’s just one of the reasons why you can’t eat like a caveman

WHO’S AFRAID OF THE BIG BANG SINGULARITY?

The Big Bang marks the beginning of the Universe, right? The physicists brave enough to look beyond it aren’t so sure

DON’T KICK THE ROBOT

If something’s got no feelings, you can’t hurt it, right? So where’s the harm?

REALITY CHECK

THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE HEADLINES

SKIN CANCER: CASES ARE RISING. WHAT CAN WE DO?

Annual cases are expected to reach 2.7 million by 2040

HAY FEVER: IS IT REALLY GETTING WORSE?

Hay fever sufferers say their allergies are getting worse… and climate change could be to blame

INNOVATIONS PREPARE YOURSELF FOR TOMORROW

Cook up a storm with a high-tech outdoor

Artificial intelligence discovers drugs to fight ageing

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh use machine learning algorithm to identify drugs with potential new applications in minutes

Five of the best BBQs for the summer

There are hundreds of BBQs on the market, all boasting their own impressive features. But which is the best? The BBC Science Focus team picks their faves…

Ideas we like…

Our pick of the month’s smartest tech

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I GET STRANDED ON SNAKE ISLAND?

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

WHY ARE STRAWBERRIES RED?

Substances called anthocyanins give strawberries their luscious red

HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD IT TAKE TO BUILD ROME IN A DAY?

THOUGHT EXPERIMENT

GREAT EARED NIGHTJAR

Lock up your goats, it’s the great eared

OBJECTS IN OPPOSITION

WHEN: LATE AUGUST – EARLY SEPTEMBER 2023

WHAT IS BLUE LAVA?

Most people – if they’ve heard of it

HOW DO I STOP POTATOES FROM SPROUTING IN THE CUPBOARD?

OLIVIER GRUNEWALD, GETTY IMAGES X3 If you’ve ever

A SCIENTIST’S GUIDE TO… PILLOWS

THE RIGHT SUPPORT CAN HELP RELIEVE BACK PAIN

IS IT TRUE THAT WEARING HEADPHONES INCREASES EAR BACTERIA?

Your ears are already dark, moist and full

Bloody Science

How can bloodstain pattern analysis help to solve crime scene mysteries? 

DEAR DOCTOR

WHY DO I CATASTROPHISE SO MUCH AND HOW DO I STOP?

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU SENT TWO M&MS DOWN THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER?

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is capable of

IS WATER WET?

The answer to this question requires some philosophical

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF A FIREWORK EXPLODED IN SPACE?

In the vacuum of space, there’s no oxygen

THE EXPLAINER SHARKS

PASCAL KOBEH/ NATUREPL.COM BBC IPLAYER WATCH Why

CROSSWORD

PENCILS AT THE READY!

NEXT ISSUE

THE BRAIN: EXPLAINED 

Should you underestimate the power of the Force?

It’s an energy that lets you control people’s minds and… make things float. So where do midi-chlorians fit in?

Princeton Nature|ExploreYour World

CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE?

PENGUIN

RAPID INFLATION

GULPER EEL

BOTTOM FEEDER

SEA URCHIN

THE ULTIMATE UNDERBITE

COOKIECUTTER SHARK

UNFUSSY EATER

STRIPED MACKEREL

MONSTER MOUTH

LAMPREY

PLATEFULS OF FOOD

HUMPBACK WHALE

SAW THROAT

LEATHERBACK TURTLE

NUTCRACKER

PACU FISH

THE POWER OF HABIT

Our lives are filled with habitual behaviours, both good and bad, but how do they form and how can we build better ones?

WHAT MAKES A HABIT?

A habit is your brain on autopilot

BREAKING BAD HABITS

Take temptation out the equation

FORMING HEALTHY NEW HABITS

Habits, like Rome, are built in more than a day…

EASY WAYS TO HACK YOUR HABITS

ILLUSTRATIONS: KYLE SMART GREENER HABITS Make it easier

JUST ONE THING

Dr Michael Mosley investigates the potentially big effects that one small good habit can have on your health and wellbeing in his Just One Thing podcast

A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN

Earth is blanketed by a swarm of human-made debris hurtling around at speeds of up to 8km per second – about five times the speed of a bullet. The UK’s Earth & Space Sustainability Initiative hopes to catch these fast-moving projectiles and clean up the nasty, and potentially lethal, mess our cosmic littering habit has caused

The ESSI's Principles for Sustainability

The considerations for ensuring space remains a useable resource