BBC Science Focus Magazine - July 2023

In this issue

PROF STEPHON ALEXANDER
How free-form jazz is helping to untangle quantum weirdness.

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
Fungal parasites hijack their insect hosts and use their bodies as food and vessels for reproduction… and it’s as gruesome as it sounds..

ENTOMOLOGY - SPOTTY WINGS MAKE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES MORE AERODYNAMIC

New research shows that the butterflies fly better when they have more spots on their wings

2 mins

HIDDEN FUNGI ABSORB OVER A THIRD OF EARTH'S FOSSIL FUEL EMISSIONS

A new study pinpoints a major carbon pool in the filament networks of mycorrhizal fungi found underneath mushrooms

2 mins

PUPS IN SCRUBS: DOGS COULD MAKE CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS BETTER FOR EVERYONE

Dogs have been bringing their owners comfort at home for centuries. Now, the pooches are branching out to do it hospitals

1 min

THE T.REX WAS ACTUALLY A COWARD... SOMETIMES

According to palaeontologists behind Apple TV+'s Prehistoric Planet 2, the Tyrannosaurus rex was more than willing to run from a fight

1 min

DAILY MULTIVITAMIN CAN DELAY AGE-RELATED MEMORY LOSS

Study finds that a multivitamin pill a day keeps memory decline at bay

2 mins

THE THREAT OF DAY ZERO

Queues at public water taps could become normal. What can we do to avoid them?

4 mins

JAZZ COULD BE THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING QUANTUM PHYSICS

An improvising soloist can play any note they want next. At the quantum level, electrons have a similar freedom

3 mins

Apple Vision Pro: a virtual reality expert gives his verdict

David Reid, a professor of Al and spatial computing, explains why Apple is leading the way when it comes to virtual reality

4 mins

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS

The hit TV show The Last of Us imagined an apocalypse caused by a Cordyceps fungus turning humans into zombies. For many insects, real life isn't much different...

5 mins

HOW TO THINK BATIONALLY ABOUT AI

The entire planet is hooked on the conversation about Al and its sinister future. But, if you ask those in the know (and we have) our future with machines looks entirely different to what the world's CEOs would have us believe. Here's how to stop worrying and, maybe, learn to love AI...

10+ mins

CAN SCIENCE TURN A NIGHT OWL INTO A MORNING LARK?

If you're a night owl, you probably have a hard time dealing with a world that starts at 9am. But can science help you tinker with your body clock to make it easier to rise with the larks?

10 mins

COULD AN ASTEROID IMPACT EVER CHANGE EARTH'S ORBIT?

Theoretically, any two objects colliding with each other will involve a transfer of momentum that alters their trajectories. So, even a micrometeorite, weighing less than a gram, could result in an imperceptible change in Earth's orbit around the Sun. However, things are not quite that simple.

2 mins

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BBC Science Focus Magazine Description:

BBC Focus Magazine is the magazine of popular science and technology that explains the wonders of the Universe through stunning photography and accessible articles. Contributors include the very best writers and science experts, with columns every issue from renowned science writer Robert Matthews, TV presenter and scientist Helen Czerski, and science fiction author Stephen Baxter. From archaeology to neuroscience, climate change and particle physics, BBC Focus Magazine keeps you up to speed with the cutting-edge science and gadgets that will change our world.