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COVER: ELANA BANSH THIS PAGE: UNIVERSITY O F

Optimus wine

CHANGI AIRPORT, SINGAPORE If you find yourself in

Quite a mouthful

LA AZOHIA, SPAIN This Mediterranean painted comber (Serranus

Big oil to big algae

NOVARA, ITALY Italian company Eni is one of

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YOUR OPINIONS ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND BBC SCIENCE FOCUS

DISCOVERIES

HEALING HANDS Chimps use bugs to treat each

Cyanide may have played a key role in the origin of life on Earth, and could help us find alien life

The chemical may drive reactions that produce organic molecules

Chimps seen treating each other’s wounds using ‘medicinal’ insects

The behaviour suggests that the apes are capable of a feeling similar to empathy

Fusion energy one step closer after Oxford reactor breaks record

UK-based JET facility has more than doubled the world record for nuclear fusion energy generation set in 1997

Nature lover? It may be written in your genes

A study of more than 1,000 sets of twins suggests that affinity for natural spaces is partially inherited from parents

New perspective of black hole confirms 30-year-old prediction

Observations by Europe’s Very Large Telescope could help us to shed light on the history of the Milky Way

Specific neurons in your brain only light up when you hear singing

Neuroscientists hope to learn more about what aspects of singing cause these neurons to respond in this way, building on earlier work investigating the relationship between music and the human brain

Fixing a broken heart

These stunning images are some of the highlights

Using magnets to influence the brain could lead to revolutionary new depression treatment

The method, tested in rats, targets star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes. Neuroscientists Dr Yichao Yu and Prof Mark Lythgoe at University College London tell us more…

THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION: WHY IS IT BEING RETIRED AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO IT?

The last decade of the ageing space station’s life will feature private occupants, movies and an eventual watery grave

LONDON TUBE: DOES ITS AIR HARM YOUR HEALTH?

The Mayor of London hopes that 80 per cent of trips in the city will be made on foot, bike or public transport by 2041. But how polluted is the Underground’s air?

RENEWABLE ENERGY: WHY CAN’T IT KEEP UK ENERGY PRICES DOWN?

Huge increases in gas prices have sent UK bills skyrocketing. Can green energy offer a solution?

Transformers… activate!

Shape-shifting tech inspired by kirigami allows robot to change shape and function

Are NFTs really the future of society?

Alex Hughes spoke to blockchain expert Merav Ozair to find out whether NFTs are just a gimmick, or essential future tech

Ideas we like…

…a lighting setup for your webcam For those

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A MOST VIOLENT YEAR

PHOTO FEATURE With Italy’s iconic Etna volcano erupting

Q&A

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED ... HOW IS COAL FORMED?

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO DECORATE MY HOUSE, ACCORDING TO SCIENCE?

ILLUSTRATION: DANIEL BRIGHT Who needs glossy property magazines

WHAT IS PAROSMIA?

Parosmia is experiencing distortions of the sense of

DO DOGS GET TIRED WAGGING THEIR TAIL?

Like all essential doggy business, such as breathing,

WHY DOES LEFTOVER PIZZA TASTE SO GOOD?

A night in the fridge gives strong pizza

HOW DO MILANKOVITCH CYCLES AFFECT CLIMATE?

Earth has a long history of episodic alternation

HOW TO SPOT HYDRA IN THE NIGHT SKY

WHEN: MID-MARCH TO MID-APRIL

HOW DOES NUCLEAR FUSION WORK?

Nuclear fusion is the process by which stars,

HOW IS COAL FORMED?

Coal is a non-renewable energy source that can

WHAT IS WATERMELON SNOW?

SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY, ALAMY, BRUCE MCADAM/WIKIPEDIA ILLUSTRATIONS: PETE

HOW DID DINOSAURS SLEEP?

As strange as it might be to imagine,

DEAR DOCTOR...

HE ALTH QUESTIONS DEALT WITH BY SCIENCE FOCUS EXPERTS

HOW DO YOU READ BINARY NUMBERS?

We count in decimal – that’s multiples of

HOW DOES WIRELESS CHARGING WORK?

Electrons are clever subatomic particles. Push them along

QUESTION OF THE MONTH

LUKE RUSSELL, WAKEFIELD HOW WORRIED SHOULD WE BE

THE EXPLAINER TORNADOES

WHAT IS A TORNADO AND HOW DOES IT

CROSSWORD

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HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE METAVERSE PLUS FIT TO

Could a hedgehog run at the speed of sound?

As Sonic returns to cinemas, we find out what fate awaits a hedgehog that can top the speed of sound

YOUR PRODUCTIVE BRAIN

Increasing your productivity is easy. It’s just a matter of making a few simple changes to your routine, or behaviour, or thinking, and your productivity will soar. At least, that’s what countless online articles claim. The actual science tells a different story. Even a modest amount of research reveals that some of the most commonly touted claims about how to boost productivity fall apart in the face of the evidence. So, here are some of the most common myths around boosting productivity, along with a number of approaches that have a more robust scientific basis

DON’T JUST READ THIS MAGAZINE… LISTEN TO US TOO

The all-new weekly podcast from the team behind BBC Science Focus

YOU, ME AND OUR MICROBES

Why you are more like your partner than you might think

THE PERILS OF FOLKLORE

Seemingly innocuous folk cures and old wives’ tales can have a darker side

AS THE CROW DIES

Corvids, such as crows, rooks and ravens, are some of the smartest animals out there. They can learn to make new sounds, they can cooperate and even use tools. But as Dr Kaeli Swift tells Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, they also have some intriguing rituals when it comes to their dead… and could even be capable of feeling empathy

AN IMMUNE SYSTEM FOR THE PLANET

Can we build a global pathogen defence system –a planetary equivalent of the immune system – to protect us when the next pandemic arrives?