FROM THE EDITOR

How do apps and computers ‘get bugs’? –›p75

Going long

ALBULA, SWITZERLAND

Can’t see me!

AMAZON, ECUADOR

Stacking up nicely

TEXAS, USA

CONVERSATION

YOUR OPINIONS ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND BBC SCIENCE FOCUS

DISCOVERIES

The black hole in galaxy ESO 583-G004 has

MINIATURE T-1000-STYLE ROBOT CAN SHIFT BETWEEN LIQUID AND SOLID STATES

PHYSICS

A FIVE-MINUTE STROLL EVERY HALF AN HOUR CAN OFFSET THE ILL EFFECTS OF SITTING STILL FOR TOO LONG

HEALTH

JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE SPOTS GALAXIES LIKE OUR OWN IN THE EARLY UNIVERSE

SPACE

POTENTIAL NEW COVID-FIGHTING MEDICINE IDENTIFIED IN SEA SPONGES AND BACTERIA

COVID

BLOOD TEST PREDICTS ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE 10 YEARS BEFORE SYMPTOMS APPEAR

HEALTH

CHESTER ZOO CELEBRATES BIRTH OF WORLD’S RAREST CHIMPANZEE

ZOOLOGY

HUBBLE SPOTS BLACK HOLE TWISTING A STAR INTO A DOUGHNUT SHAPE, THEN CHOWING DOWN ON IT

SPACE

LIGHT POLLUTION

PRIMER

RADIO TELESCOPES CAPTURE THE REMNANTS OF DEAD STARS HIDDEN THROUGHOUT THE MILKY WAY

SPACE

THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT…

As a remedy for all the bad news out there, let us prescribe you a small dose of feel-good science. Each issue, we’ll give you a rundown of the latest breakthroughs that aim to solve humanity’s biggest problems. From therapies that can extend the lives of dogs with terminal cancer to fairy-like pollination robots, here you’ll find many reasons to feel hopeful for our future…

SMASHING ATOMS TO CREATE ENERGY IS A TRUE MARVEL OF NATURE

COMMENT

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS IN YOUR BRAIN WHEN YOU’RE FACED WITH UNCERTAINTY

COMMENT

NO, IT’S NOT THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE’S FAULT THAT IT’S SEXIST

COMMENT

KRAKEN COVID VARIANT: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE UK’S XBB.1.5 CORONAVIRUS STRAIN

REVIEW

MID-LIFE CRISIS: A PSYCHOLOGIST EXPLAINS HOW TO EMBRACE IT

ANALYSIS

FACE MASKS: ARE THEY LESS EFFECTIVE THAN THEY WERE?

COMMENT

INNOVATIONS PREPARE YOURSELF FOR TOMORROW

LAST MONTH, JOURNALISTS DESCENDED UPON THE WORLD’S BIGGEST TECH EVENT, CES, TO GET A SNEAK PEEK AT THE INNOVATIONS THAT WILL MAKE WAVES IN 2023

INNOVATIVE TECH

OUR ROUNDUP OF SOME OF THE MOST CREATIVE IDEAS

WEIRDEST GADGETS

THESE DEVICES ARE JUST SO BONKERS, WE COULDN’T RESIST!

ACCESSIBILITY TECH

INNOVATIVE APPLIANCES TO MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR EVERYONE 

Q&A

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED ... WHEN YOU’RE HAVING A

HOW DO APPS AND COMPUTERS ‘GET BUGS’?

ILLUSTRATION: DANIEL BRIGHT We say that software has

NATURE’S WEIRDEST CREATURES...

HYRAX The hyrax is a small, furry mammal

WHEN YOU’RE HAVING A CAST REMOVED, WHY DOESN’T THE MACHINE CUT YOUR LIMB?

An orthopaedic cast is usually removed with a

IS CHEWING GUM BIODEGRADABLE?

Globally, people chew roughly 100,000 tonnes of gum

WHAT IS FREEZER BURN, AND SHOULD YOU STILL EAT THE FOOD?

CHERYL-SAMANTHA OWEN/ NATUREPL.COM , GETTY IMAGES X2, SHUTTERSTOCK

DOES THE BRAIN REALLY EXPERIENCE A ‘GREAT RESTRUCTURING’ AFTER WE TURN 40?

DEAR DOCTOR... HE ALTH AND WELLBEING QUESTIONS DE

WHAT WAS THE APPROXIMATE LIFESPAN OF A DINOSAUR?

It used to be thought that many dinosaurs

WHY IS GRIEF SO CRIPPLING?

CROWDSCIENCE Every week on BBC World Service, CrowdScience

HOW TO SEE A BRIGHT CONJUNCTION

WHEN: LATE FEBRUARY AND EARLY MARCH In popular

WHAT IS CHAOS THEORY?

Chaos theory is a branch of physics that

MYTHBUSTERS

COLLAGEN IN YOUR COFFEE: DOES IT ACTUALLY MAKE YOUR SKIN BETTER?

WHAT CAUSES A SONIC BOOM?

When an aircraft is flying below the speed

WHY DO TEENS HAVE DIFFERENT SLEEP PATTERNS FROM ADULTS?

Our sleep changes throughout our lives in many

AM I PSYCHIC?

GETTY IMAGES X3 ILLUSTRATIONS: DANIEL BRIGHT QUESTION OF

THE EXPLAINER LUNAR PHOTOGRAPHY

TAKE DAZZLING IMAGES OF THE MOON, WHETHER YOU’RE A NEWBIE OR A PRO

NEXT ISSUE

SLIME Hold your noses as we delve into

Could humans shrink themselves?

Ant-Man is back again, so let’s find out if a superhero who can bend the laws of physics is realistic…

BACK FROM THE BRINK?

Can cutting-edge veterinary science and innovative cell biology save the northern white rhino from extinction?

“RHINOS ARE REMARKABLE ANIMALS THAT SHAPE ENTIRE ECOSYSTEMS. THIS IS INDISPUTABLE”

MATJAZ KRIVIC/INSTITUTE ARTIST Researchers have discovered that

HERE COME THE XENOBOTS

Scientists are using living materials to make machines that some would regardas alive… and now they’ve started to replicate

I’LL JUST CLOSE MY EYES FOR A MINUTE…

Feeling tired? Us too. For many, a good night’s rest is hard to come by, with sleep disorders and deprivation at all-time highs. So are we sleepwalking into a national health crisis, or can something be done?

MILESTONES IN SLEEP MEDICINE

1700S Demand for 24-hour labour in mills and