FROM THE EDITOR

COVER: ANDY POTTS THIS PAGE: ZACH LEVI-RODGERS/BBC, GETTY

Deeply strange

NAZCA RIDGE, CHILE

A star is born

This isn’t one image, but a mosaic of

FEEDBACK

YOUR OPINIONS ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND OUR MAGAZINE

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

Discover the podcast from the team behind BBC Science Focus, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Amazon Music

Satellite collisions are a disaster waiting to happen, experts warn

SPACE

Obscuring our view of the Universe

As the number of satellites around Earth grows,

New Ozempic–like pill cuts weight by 13 per cent

HEALTH

Tiny bug sets record for the fastest backflips on Earth

The insect somersaults so quickly that it seems to disappear

Being mentally resilient could help you live a much longer life, study finds

PSYCHOLOGY

Crossbreed dogs might not be as healthy as you think, says study

ANIMALS

New research reveals Ice Age hunters tricked mammoths into impaling themselves

Rather than tracking and killing prey, ancient humans may have tricked animals to make them run into spears

‘Too much of a good thing’: Fasting has many health benefits, but there’s a snag

HEALTH

THE IG NOBEL AWARDS

The annual spoof-Nobel prizes celebrate the weird and wonderful side of science. Here are some of 2024’s winners

The botanists studying plants from the sky

BOTANY

Don’t try to solve your partner’s problems

COMMENT

Unseen engineers have been secretly shaping life on Earth, says new research

COMMENT

Lab-grown meat may be better for livestock, but not necessarily for the environment

COMMENT

Olive mill wastewater: a health-boosting tonic hiding in the leftovers

REVIEW

Could Ozempic ever be an over-the-counter drug?

The hunger for this new generation of weight-loss drugs is seemingly insatiable. Would making them available without the need for a prescription save people from turning to the black market?

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR TOMORROW

COULD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BE THE CURE FOR LONELINESS?

THE BEST SMART SPEAKERS FOR AN AUTOMATED HOUSE

SPEAKERS ARE GETTING SMARTER. THEY CAN ADJUST THEIR AUDIO TO SPECIFIC ROOMS, CHAT TO YOU AND CONTROL OTHER GADGETS IN YOUR HOUSE. VERITY BURNS CHECKS OUT FIVE OF THE BEST

IDEAS WE LIKE…

Our pick of the month’s smartest tech

What tipping point are climate scientists most worried about?

TIPPING POINTS

CAN SCIENCE EXPLAIN HAUNTED HOUSES?

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

HOW SPICY IS TOO SPICY?

It depends on the pepper and it depends

WHAT HAPPENED TO EINSTEIN’S BRAIN?

Einstein died in 1955 at Princeton Hospital, New

DEAD MAN’S FINGERS

NATURE’S WEIRDEST

CAN ANIMALS BE RIGHT OR LEFT-PAWED?

Here’s a fun experiment to try. If you

WAS AMELIA EARHART OR HER PLANE EVER FOUND?

GEORGE GRAINGER , LONDON

COULD I REALLY LAND A PLANE IN AN EMERGENCY?

GETTY IMAGES ILLUSTRATIONS: PETE LAWRENCE, KYLE SMART According

HOW TO SEE: JUPITER’S GALILEAN MOONS

ASTRONOMY FOR BEGINNERS

WHY DOES TIME MOVE SO SLOWLY WHEN I’M AT THE GYM?

TANIA MATTHEWS, VIA EMAIL

COULD TECHNOLOGY GIVE US MORE THAN FIVE SENSES?

We already have more than five senses. Besides

WHAT IS HECTOR THE CONVECTOR? AND WHY DOES HE ALWAYS ARRIVE AT PRECISELY 3PM?

DAWN GREER, VIA EMAIL

WHAT HAPPENS TO TIME AT THE EVENT HORIZON OF A BLACK HOLE?

SEAN ROBERTS , VIA EMAIL

CROSSWORD

PENCILS AT THE READY!

WHEN’S THE BEST TIME FOR A CAFFEINE HIT?

Wakey-wakey! Find the sweet spot for a coffee shot and science says the benefits are grande

SAVE THE SHARKS… SAVE THE OCEANS

RUTHLESS PREDATORS, MINDLESS KILLERS, MAN-EATERS… SHARKS HAVE A FEARSOME REPUTATION THAT BEARS LITTLE RELATION TO REALITY. THE TRUTH IS, THESE REMARKABLE CREATURES ARE STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE. BUT OUR WATERS WON’T BE ANY SAFER WITHOUT THEM. IN FACT, THE PLANET’S SEAS WILL BE IN EVEN GREATER JEOPARDY THAN THEY ALREADY ARE

DAMAGE ASSESS MENT

Could we deflect an asteroid to stop it from hitting Earth? The success of NASA’s DART mission suggests so, but only after ESA’s soon-to-launch Hera mission has checked the results will we know if this approach to planetary defence is a viable possibility

KEEP YOUR HAIR ON

MORE THAN HALF OF MEN AND MILLIONS OF WOMEN ARE AFFECTED BY HAIR LOSS. IT CAUSES LOW SELF-ESTEEM IN SOME AND ANXIETY IN OTHERS. THANKFULLY, SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD ARE GETTING TO THE ROOTS OF THE PROBLEM WITH PIONEERING NEW TREATMENTS

THE GOLDEN AGE OF SPACE EXPLORATION WITH PROFESSOR BRIAN COX

The biggest space missions yet are making their way to new parts of the Universe. In his new BBC Two series Solar System, Prof Brian Cox reveals what these explorations are discovering about life in our galactic neighbourhood. Noa Leach sat down with him to talk about the most exciting new missions, life in the Universe and his top behind-the-scenes moments of filming

THE ORIGIN OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

There are key details missing from the story of how our Solar System formed. But recent discoveries are helping scientists fill in the blanks and understand how rare it is