CATEGORIES

LOOT BOXES: THE NEXT BIG BATTLEFRONT

Periodically, there have been moral panics about video games, with headlines claiming that “violent” and “addictive” titles are affecting impressionable players. At present, it is loot boxes’ turn to be put under the microscope. But should we be worried about video games, and are loot boxes a cause for concern?

THE AWESOME POWER OF SLEEP

Matthew is a professor of neuroscience and psychology and the director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also the author of the international bestseller, Why WeSleep: The New Science Of SleepAnd Dreams, published by (£10.99, Penguin Random House).

POO: SHOULD WE BE PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO IT?

The trend for stool-gazing has health-conscious people staring into their toilet bowls. Before you don the rubber gloves, let’s flush out the truth from the pseudoscience

TIME TO SHINE

A FEW YEARS AGO, SCIENTISTS BELIEVED ONLY A TINY BAND OF CREATURES COULD EMIT LIGHT. BUT A STRING OF NEW DISCOVERIES HAS ILLUMINATED A WIDER WORLD OF GLOW-IN-THE-DARK LIFE FORMS

Bird Photographer 2021 finalists announced

Now in its sixth year, the Bird Photographer of the Year competition saw more than 22,000 entries from 73 different countries all competing for the £5,000 grand prize.

How To Look After Your Teeth

Brush. Floss. Repeat. Brush. Floss. Repeat. This month, we ask dentist hannah woolnough how best to manage your dental health

How To Build A Martian Mega City

With more missions reaching the red planet, a human landing glints on the horizon. But what could the first permanent mars metropolis look like? Welcome to nüwa city

Eating Spinach Could Protect Astronauts From Space Radiation

“We need to understand the impact of space-induced disease and how to protect our bodies from it,”

THE WOMEN IN HISTORY WE DON'T TALK ABOUT

Beyond the exceptional talents of Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin and Ada Lovelace, it’d be easy to think that women didn’t used to participate in science. But as science historians Leila McNeill and Anna Reser reveal to Sara Rigby, women have contributed to our understanding of the world, stretching all the way back to antiquity

OBESITY: COULD A NEW APPETITE-CONTROLLING DRUG BE THE TREATMENT WE'VE BEEN CRAVING?

In a large trial, people injected with semaglutide lost significant amounts of weight. Could this drug help tackle the obesity epidemic?

RATS: ARE WE REALLY SEEING PLAGUES OF RODENTS IN OUR CITIES DURING THE PANDEMIC?

As if COVID-19 wasn’t stressful enough, some outlets have claimed that rodents are now taking over our empty offices and cities. But is this really the case?

KNOW YOUR HEART RATE

With a few simple calculations, you can easily figure out how healthy your heart is

ENDANGERED FERRET CLONED FROM SPECIMEN FROZEN FOR 30 YEARS

The healthy young kit may help to save the species from extinction

EMBRACE A SNOW DAY

This last year has been tough on everyone. We should make the most of an opportunity to frolic in the snow (or veg out on the sofa)

A Scientist's Guide To Life How To Concentrate

This month, we tackle… oh, hang on, wait a minute, I just need to let the dog out, now what was it again? Psychologist Dr Nick Perham from Cardiff Metropolitan University explains how to concentrate

Coronavirus Vaccine: Is It Safe?

Alongside wild conspiracy theories, many people have raised doubts over approved COVID-19 vaccines. Is their dose of scepticism well-founded?

ONLINE JUNK FOOD ADS: COULD A BAN CUT OBESITY?

The UK government has proposed a ban on internet ads for junk food. Could it improve the nation’s health?

THE SEASONS OF YOU

THE CALENDAR YEAR FOLLOWS THE PATTERN OF SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN, WINTER. BUT PERHAPS IT SHOULDN’T…

DON'T BLOW YOUR TOP

It’s vital to keep your blood pressure healthy. This is how I keep an eye on mine

LET'S REWRITE THE FUTURE

By repeating the mistakes of the past, we’re dooming the future. It’s time to come up with some new ideas

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

In the last decade, we’ve taken photos of a black holes, peered into the heart of atoms and looked back at the birth of the Universe. And yet, there are yawning gaps in our understanding of the Universe and the laws that govern it. These are the mysteries that will be troubling physicists and astronomers over the next decade and beyond

BEAT THE BURNOUT

HOW SCIENCE CAN HELP YOU GET THE BETTER OF PANDEMIC FATIGUE

The Cracks In Cosmology

In terms of our understanding of the Universe, some things just don’t add up. Which means either our measurements are wrong, or our theories are…

SWARM INTELLIGENCE

Small, simple, cheap satellites are being developed to explore and study space in new ways. If we deploy them in vast swarms, these ‘CubeSats’ could change the way we see and protect our planet

REWILDING

CAN IT SAVE OUR WILDLIFE AND TEMPER CLIMATE CHANGE?

RISE CLONES

ANIMALS – FROM PETS AND LIVESTOCK TO WORKING DOGS AND EXTINCT SPECIES – ARE BEING CLONED FOR A VARIETY OF PURPOSES. BUT COPYING ANIMALS FROM THEIR GENETIC MATERIAL IS CREATING PROBLEMS AS QUICKLY AS IT’S SOLVING THEM

MIND GAMES

Virtual reality is being used to treat a wide range of mental health problems. Meet some of the scientists who are pioneering VR therapy and the people who are benefitting from it

How To Survive Christmas

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… but let’s be honest, it can also be quite stressful. This month, clinical psychologist linda blair gives us her top tips on how to survive christmas

Covid-19: How Should We Count Deaths?

How can we calculate the true toll of the pandemic?

THE EXPLAINER

WHAT WAS THE BIG BANG?