Science
BBC Science Focus
ARE PSYCHOPATHS REALLY THAT GOOD AT LYING?
Picture infamous psychopaths from fiction, such as the eerily cold and calculating Patrick Bateman in the film adaptation of American Psycho, and they certainly seem like master deceivers. But what about real-life psychopaths? Research confirms that psychopaths are more inclined to lie to get what they want, and that they typically display a striking fearlessness - as if they have ice running through their veins.
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
WHY DO WE HAVE TWO OF SOME ORGANS, BUT ONLY ONE OF OTHERS?
The majority of animals on Earth, humans included, are bilaterally symmetrical. It means we can be divided roughly into two mirror-image sides. Evolutionary biologists believe that it has been like that for at least 300 million years, and because life organised this way survived, so did symmetrical design. Hence, two eyes, two ears, two lungs and two kidneys.
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
WHY DO CATS PREFER TO SLEEP ON THEIR LEFT?
I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it again and again and again: who knows why cats do anything?
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
FORGET COUNTING CALORIES TRY THIS INSTEAD...
Calorie counting isn't just difficult, it's riddled with problems that make it practically useless for anyone trying to lose weight.But there are alternatives
9 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
SIGNS OF LIFE
The more planets we find outside our Solar System, the better our chances are of finding life on one of them. But if there really is life out there, how do we spot it?
8 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
WHAT ACTUALLY MAKES SOMEBODY COOL?
Most of us have probably wanted to be cool at some point in our lives, and these efforts can have a big influence on the things we buy, the way we dress, the hobbies we invest in, the people we look up to and even the words we use.
2 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
It's TIME to WAKE UP and SMELL the roses
What if the pursuit of happiness in the traditional sense – chasing wealth or power – is the very thing stopping you from being happy? Researchers are beginning to understand that spending time enjoying the simple things might be the secret ingredient to enjoying a happy, healthy life
8 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
THE AARDVARK
In a time when people are being asked to consider eating insects, we should, perhaps, learn a thing or two from the aardvark (Orycteropus afer), Africa’s ant-guzzling gourmand. On an average night, the big-schnozzed mammal devours up to 50,000 of the crunchy critters.
2 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
ADD WEIGHT TO LOSE WEIGHT
A very basic kind of wearable could make your New-Year-weight-loss plans stick
3 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
AHEAD OF THEIR TIME
The Maya civilisation is known for its art and architecture.
8 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
The truth about antidepressant withdrawal
One in eight people in the US take an antidepressant. Stopping this medication can be hard, but researchers can't agree on the risks
5 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
A BETTER WAY TO GO: HOW TO HAVE A GREENER DEATH
Modern funeral arrangements are trashing the planet. But there are better ways to dispose of your body
10 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
100 DAYS OF WEIGHT LOSS
Newcomer to fighting the flab? Drop the quick-fixes at the gym, destined to backfire.
7 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
Modern men are in crisis. Just not the one you think
Are gender-equality gains coming at men's expense, as some claim? The statistics tell a more complex story...
4 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
3,000-year-old map of the Universe discovered at ancient Maya site
Thousands of willing people are thought to have helped create a structure used for communal astronomical observations
2 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
Aliens may be too lazy to make first contact
Space is big, so aliens may be kicking back, relaxing and waiting for us to come to them
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
Forever chemicals are altering the DNA of unhatched ducklings
Regulation is needed to prevent PFAS being ingested by female ducks and then passed on to their eggs
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
Magnet-powered microrobots could soon swim through your bloodstream
They're steered using magnets, like tiny remote-controlled bubbles zooming through your bloodstream
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
Japanese people aren't having sex. And nobody knows why
Around 1 in 10 Japanese people reach their 30s without ever having had sex
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
Men need to exercise twice as long as women, major heart study suggests
Keeping moving is the best way to stave off the world's biggest killer
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
First signs of dark matter spotted, study claims
A mysterious glow surrounding the Milky Way could be the fingerprints of the Universe's most enigmatic material
3 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
The link between air pollution and dementia just got stronger
Recent studies are bolstering the idea that air pollution could increase your chances of developing dementia. But there are steps you can take to reduce your risk
5 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
THE BEST SCIENCE IMAGES OF 2025
Over the course of 2025, there was no shortage of mind-blowing images that helped us visualise scientific progress. From awe-inspiring cosmic explosions to a ray of hope for a struggling species, we've curated the most awe-inspiring images of the last 12 months. Here's our selection of the best, and what they taught us...
9 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
HOW UNLIKELY IS OUR UNIVERSE?
Our understanding of the Universe has revealed that its existence, and indeed our own, relies on a particular set of rules.
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
DOES YOUR NAME AFFECT YOUR PERSONALITY?
Research is revealing that nominative determinism isn't as easy to dismiss as you might think
5 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
HOW DIFFICULT WOULD IT BE TO FLY THROUGH THE ASTEROID BELT?
In the 1980 film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo and friends try to escape pursuing imperial forces by flying through an asteroid field. Droid C-3PO remarks, \"the odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1\". The scene depicts a chaotic, dense field of rocks swirling and spinning through space. This scenario has been played out many times in the cinema.
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
HOW CAN I BE MORE PERSUASIVE?
Most of us like to think we're rational people. If someone shows us evidence that we're wrong, we'll change our minds, right? Well, not necessarily, because it's not always that simple. Being wrong feels uncomfortable and sometimes threatening. That's why changing someone's mind is often much harder than it seems.
2 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
This bizarre optical illusion could teach us how animals think
By seeing which animals fall for a classic visual trick, scientists are uncovering how different brains make sense of the world
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
LIFE AT THE PARTY
The secret that keeps the superagers so sprightly could be socialising
3 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH
Could an exoskeleton help you scale every peak with ease? Ezzy Pearson straps on some cyborg enhancements to find out
5 min |