Celebrating science

WELCOME

Issue 185

Salty science

© Getty This scanning electron microscope image reveals

On top of the world

© NASA; Robinson canadarm This is Stephen K.

Building an ant bridge

© Shutterstock In the tropical forests of Australia

Huge sharks hang out in the twilight zone

GLOBAL EYE Showcasing the incredible world we live in

A ‘missing’ blob of water predicted to be in the Atlantic is finally found

The newly discovered water mass, called the Atlantic

CHINESE SCIENTISTS BUILD AMARS ATMOSPHERE MODEL

Chinese scientists have constructed a numerical model to

Early ‘teenage’ galaxies contain mysterious heavy elements

Young galaxies from the early universe as seen

2,800-YEAR-OLD IVORY CARVED WITH ASPHINX IS DISCOVERED IN TURKEY

Archaeologists have unearthed an ornately carved elephant tusk

AI that can master different types of games is built

Student of Games can master both information-perfect games

CRABS EVOLVE TO GO FROM THE SEA, TO THE LAND AND BACK AGAIN

Crabs have evolved to migrate from the sea

Supervolcano ‘megabeds’ point to catastrophic events in Europe every 15,000 years

Huge ‘megabeds’ from ancient supervolcano eruptions are hiding

Elephants give each other names

African elephants in Amboseli National Park, Kenya, appear

Healthy tissue may predict lung cancer’s return better than tumours

This three-dimensional illustration shows a type of cancer

Remains of a 2,000-year-old sheep-drawn chariot discovered

There are 6,000 statues in the Terracotta Army

HYDROGEN FOUND IN MOON ROCKS

Did you know? The Moon can reach 120

WISH LIST

The latest HEALTHANDFITNESS tech 

Is there a limit to quantum computing?

Amazing answers to your curious questions

Why do bees die after they sting us?

Most bees and wasps don’t. The standard stinger

Can fusion reactors break down anything into atoms?

Nuclear fusion powers the Sun, and it happens

BOOKS AND THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEM

FROM AUTHOR TO PRINTING PRESS

REPLICATE TOOTH DECAY USING EGGS

Explore the impact of different chemicals on the colour and strength of your teeth

INBOX

Speak your mind

FAST FACTS

Amazing trivia that will blow your mind

DISCOVER YOUR SIXTH SENSE SENSE

Uncover the science behind your five senses – plus others that you may not know you have

THE SCIENCE OF SIGHT

The ability to see comes from a collaboration

HOW WE HEAR

Our ability to hear begins at around 18

WHEN SENSES CROSS

DID YOU KNOW? The loudest sound ever recorded

SENSORY PATHWAYS

How sight and sound find their way through the human brain

THE SECRETS OF SMELLING

The cacophony of scents and odours in the

PUTTING TASTE BUDS TO THE TEST

DID YOU KNOW? Around five per cent of

TASTE BUDS TRUCTURE

© Shutterstock / Science Photo Library / Getty

FEELING TOUCH

The ability to feel our surroundings is one

REAL-LIFE SPIDEY-SENSES

DID YOU KNOW? There are over 4 million

UNCOVERING YOUR SIXTH SENSE

The term ‘sixth sense’ can conjure up thoughts

EYES IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD

Have you ever had that feeling you’re being

EXPLORING THE PACIFIC

Hop aboard the ancient sailing vessels that carried new nations across the ocean

WHY WE’RE MADE OF STARDUST

Human beings – and everything else – are made from recycled elements that came from stars

ORIGIN OF THE ELEMENTS

A huge variety of chemical compounds make up

WHAT IS STARDUST?

While ‘stardust’ is a poetic rather than technical

OUR COSMIC ORIGINS

The chemical elements making up our bodies all came from outer space

WHAT HAPPENS DURING A LUNAR ECLIPSE?

In 2024 we’ll have two different eclipses of the Moon. But how do they happen, and why do total lunar eclipses turn our natural satellite red?

SOUNDPROOFING IN ACTION

Noise can be a real nuisance in the wrong place, but the volume can be turned down using the right shapes and materials

THE SCIENCE OF CHOCOLATE

Each bite of this delicious confectionary contains a complex mixture of components that affect your body in many ways

KNOW YOUR TRUE AGE

A technique for determining the age of tissues shows that different parts of our bodies are growing older at vastly different rates

THE OLDEST ANIMALS ON THE PLANET

MING THE MOLLUSC 507-year-old Ming, an ocean quahog

HOW GRASS CHANGED LIFE

This tiny plant has influenced Earth’s climate and the evolution of animals

HOW DID GRASS EVOLVE?

Earth’s soft grass coating has developed over billions of years

SHAPING ANIMAL LIFE

CELLULOSE-DIGESTING STOMACHS The stomachs of grass-eating animals contain

WHY COWS HAVE FOUR STOMACH CHAMBERS

Peer past a bovine’s grinding teeth and into its unusual digestive system

HOW DUNG BEETLES CLEAN THE SAVANNAH

Discover the lives of these natural wasteremoval insects and their fascination with faeces

WHAT IS SEA FOAM?

Ocean decay and pollution contribute to this frothy lining on Earth’s oceans

ANATOMY OF A SINKHOLE

Sinkholes are cavernous pits that appear when the ground’s surface collapses. How do these deadly depressions occur?

12 SECRET UNDERGROUND STRUCTURES

Discover the hidden worlds carved out of the ground across history

BUILDING HADRIAN’S WALL

How the Roman Empire used artful engineering and widespread influence to forge this snaking wall across Britain

WORKING IN THE WALL’S TURRETS

Positioned on either side of the milecastles were 158 turrets where soldiers were stationed

WAR GAMES

How virtual and augmented reality technologies are being used in a sophisticated military training tool

SIMULATED STRATEGY

How battlefield commanders direct a virtual mission using Project OdySSEy

HOW THE VR HEADSE T WORKS

The mixed-reality technology within Varjo’s XR-3 headset seamlessly combines physical controls with virtual battle zones

VIRTUAL VERSUS REALITY: THE TRAINING IN ACTION

Project OdySSEy’s head of training Lucy Walton describes her experience with launching VR missions

HOW USB DRIVES WORK

The humble flash drive reinvented the way we store and transfer computer files

MATERIALS THAT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING

From the surfaces of roads to the surface of our skin, the materials revolution is here