Very Interesting Magazine - July/August 2022

In this issue

Does your dog really love you?
Immune system for the planet
You, me and microbes

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?

10+ mins

THE PERILS OF FOLKLORE

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

2 mins

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.

10+ mins

NEW DADS: DO THEY GET POSTNATAL DEPRESSION?

Nearly one in four new fathers suffers from anxiety and depression in the first year following their children’s birth. Should we be doing more to help them?

3 mins

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

3 mins

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR

The volcanoes of 2021 blew our minds at a time when much of the world was reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic

4 mins

THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE

A mathematical phenomenon seen in everything from fruit to music

4 mins

DOES YOUR DOG REALLY LOVE YOU?

Sure, they wag their tails to greet us and are happy to snuggle up and watch TV in the evening, but are our beloved pooches actually experiencing the same love for us as we feel for them?

8 mins

STIMULATION AND SIGNALLING

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…

5 mins

ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE?

The search for alien life is ramping up. But what if, instead of searching for signs of biology, we looked for something more familiar: an extraterrestrial civilisation?

10+ mins

THE EXPLAINER: TORNADOES

All about tornadoes

3 mins

YOU, ME AND OUR MICROBES

Why you are more like your partner than you might think

2 mins

Read all stories from Very Interesting

Very Interesting Magazine Description:

Description

VI (Very Interesting) is the magazine that fascinates, surprises, captivates and gives answers to questions you never thought you wanted the answer to. VI has a clear focus to introduce you to the entertaining world of knowledge through intelligent content on Technology, Science, Culture, History, Health, Psychology and much more….and presents them in a unique way compared to other magazines. We call it a quirky read. VI magazine connects knowledge with entertainment and is your trusted companion on your ongoing quest for knowledge.