FROM THE EDITOR

COVER: MAGIC TORCH THIS PAGE: BBC X2, ALAMY,

Dude, where’s my tank?

BEERSHEBA, ISRAEL REUTERS As it turns out, goldfish

With love, from Mars

MARS NASA/ESA Towards the end of last year,

CONVERSATION

YOUR OPINIONS ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND BBC SCIENCE FOCUS

THE VOLCANO THAT SHOOK THE EARTH

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano was a once-in-a-century geological event – and now the clock is ticking to study its effects…

Surgeons save terminal patient’s life with a genetically modified pig’s heart

This world-first operation proves that an animal heart can function just like a human heart, without the body rejecting it

Mystery of Jupiter’s polar cyclones solved using ocean physics

NASA’s Juno spacecraft has sent back the first evidence that the massive polar storms are driven by a similar process to those governing oceans on Earth

Pandas’ gut bacteria help them stay chubby on an all-bamboo diet

Changes in the bears’ gut microbiome in the season when nutritious bamboo shoots are sprouting helps them to gain weight and store fat ahead of leaner times

Malaria drug shows promise for hard-to-treat multiple sclerosis

Hydroxychloroquine, which is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, delayed the progression of disability in some multiple sclerosis patients

New blood test can tell if cancer has spread around the body

The test could be performed at a GP practice and would help doctors prioritise patients with widespread and later stage cancer

Exoplanet shaped like a rugby ball spotted by Cheops telescope

SPACE The European Space Agency’s (ESA) exoplanet-hunting satellite

NASA preps a solar sail mission to chase down an asteroid

SPACE A space rock the size of a

Microscopic water bears could be the first interstellar space travellers

A group of NASA-funded physicists, philosophers and biologists have come up with a list of organisms that could withstand interstellar space. Team member Stephen Lantin tells us more…

VEGAN FAST FOOD: ARE PL ANT-BASED ALTERNATIVES GOOD FOR YOUR HE ALTH?

From sausage rolls to chicken nuggets, plant-based junk food options are everywhere now. But are we really being kinder to our bodies and the planet if we switch to meat-free fast food?

LOVE AND INTIMACY: ARE WE HAVING LESS SEX?

Research suggests that adults and teenagers are having less sex now than 30 years ago. But is there more to the story, and why does it matter anyway?

NEW DADS: DO THEY GET POSTNATAL DEPRESSION?

Nearly one in four new fathers suffers from anxiety and depression in the first year following their children’s birth. Should we be doing more to help them?

This robot arm can be controlled with your mind

It’s hoped the tech will one day help tetraplegic patients with day-to-day life

The metaverse: will it be safe for use?

The next stage of the internet could be a Wild West if we’re not careful. Alex Hughes spoke to Prof David Reid, an expert in AI, virtual reality and spatial computing, to find out more

Ideas we like…

…a car that changes colour at the touch

WHY WE NEED TO EAT MORE PROTEIN

Load up on eggs, tofu, Greek yoghurt, fish and lean meat to help you feel full for longer

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

None of us can peer into the future to see how life-changing decisions will pan out, but we can find joy in our new lives once we make the leap

Q&A

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

IS IT TRUE YOU CAN’T JUST CUT THE MOULDY PARTS OFF FOOD?

ILLUSTRATION: DANIEL BRIGHT You may think you are

HOW TO USE THE PLOUGH AS A SIGNPOST

ASTRONOMY FOR BEGINNERS

ARE THERE ANY GENETIC FACTORS THAT AFFECT SEASONAL DEPRESSION?

There is preliminary evidence that people with blue

HOW DO SOLID-STATE BATTERIES WORK?

Most conventional electric vehicles and mobile phones use

WHAT ARE NURDLES?

Nurdles are tiny plastic pellets used by the

HOW DO MACROPHAGES WORK TO KILL BACTERIA?

ALAMY X2 ILLUSTRATIONS: PETE LAWRENCE, DANIEL BRIGHT 1.

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO MAKE A DECISION?

CROWDSCIENCE Every week on BBC World Service, CrowdScience

COULD ANY CREATURES BLOW FIRE LIKE A DRAGON?

Out of its mouth? No. Out of its

THE WOBBEGONG

The wobbegong shark takes camouflage to new heights.

HOW ARE ARTIFICIAL GLACIERS (ICE STUPAS) MADE?

Artificial glaciers, or ice stupas, are made using

HOW CAN I CONTROL MY CHOLESTEROL?

DEAR DOCTOR... HEALTH QUESTIONS DEALT WITH BY SCIENCE

TOP 10 BOOZIEST COUNTRIES

* AVERAGE CONSUMPTION OF PURE ALCOHOL IN LITRES

WHAT WOULD IT MEAN FOR BIODIVERSITY ON EARTH, IF THE MOON WAS COMPLETELY BLACK?

GETTY IMAGES X2 ILLUSTRATIONS: DAN BRIGHT A matt

HOW DOES STRIPED TOOTHPASTE ALWAYS COME OUT STRIPED?

The answer does not lie with clever engineering,

THE EXPLAINER SYNAESTHESIA

WHAT IS SYNAESTHESIA? Synaesthesia is a perceptual phenomenon

CROSSWORD

PENCILS AT THE READY!

NEXT ISSUE

AN IMMUNE SYSTEM FOR THE PLANET GETTY IMAGES

How realistic is Batman?

Could any of us (with a suitably wealthy background) become Gotham’s caped crusader?

THE BIO BOTS

BIO-INSPIRED ROBOTS THAT CAN FLY LIKE BIRDS AND CREEP LIKE COCKROACHES ARE HELPING RESEARCHERS TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT HOW ANIMALS MOVE AND BEHAVE

ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE?

The search for alien life is ramping up. But what if, instead of searching for signs of biology, we looked for something more familiar: an extraterrestrial civilisation

ME, YOU, AND INTIMACY TOO

When was the last time you were intimate with someone, emotionally, intellectually, or physically? Psychologist Dr Michelle Drouin says we are in an intimacy famine, and speaks to Amy Barrett about whether social media and smartphones are stripping us of one of our basic human needs

CRIME AND NOURISHMENT

In prison, suicides, self-harm and assaults on officers are on the rise. But studies suggest there is a cheap, low-risk way to improve inmate behaviour and mental health, making the facilities safer for both staff and prisoners