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…

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

THE PERILS OF FOLKLORE

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

THE EXPLAINER: TORNADOES

All about tornadoes

YOU, ME AND OUR MICROBES

Why you are more like your partner than you might think

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?

THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE

A mathematical phenomenon seen in everything from fruit to music

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

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?

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.

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?

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?

Elizabeth Ann is the first clone of a US endangered species. She was 33 years in the making

For the first time, scientists have created a clone of an endangered US species - a black-footed ferret named Elizabeth Ann. The researchers used cells from a donor that had been dead for more than 30 years, and the procedure's success could mean not only rescue for one of North America's most endangered mammals, but a watershed moment in conservation biology.

Cancer's cure

Dr Shaheenah Dawood says it's an exciting time for oncology research and is spearheading change in cancer care in the UAE, making sure that all patients, whether they come from the Middle East or Africa, have access to medication and treatment.

NOT MY FIRST METAVERSE

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg might be getting excited about the metaverse, but the idea is nothing new

SEEING THE BLUES

Blue light from devices can have positive and negative effects on us

WHAT IS SYNAESTHESIA?

Connecting senses in fascinating ways means some people see the world completely differently

NASA'S SOLAR PROBE 'TOUCHES' THE SUN

The Parker Solar Probe is part of the way through its seven-year mission to investigate the inner workings of our nearest star

THE ΒΙΟ BOTS

Bio-inspired robots that can fly like birds and creep like cockroaches are helping researchers to understand more about how animals move and behave

THE VOLCANO THAT SHOOK THE EARTH

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano was a once-in-a-century geological event - and now the clock is ticking to study its effects...

ME YOU, AND INTIMACY TOO

When was the last time you were intimate with someone, emotionally, intellectually, or physically? Psychologist Dr Michelle Drouin says we are in an intimacy famine, and speaks to Amy Barrett about whether social media and smartphones are stripping us of one of our basic human needs

A Winning Formula

Beneath the rainforests of South America lives a fungi that consumes 50,000 leaves a day without ever coming to the surface. It relies on ants to bring it food in exchange for nutrients. Evolutionary biologist Dr Pepijn Kooij speaks to Amy Barrett about this special relationship...

An end to ageing?

Eternal youth is the stuff of religion and mythology, but what if we could just have a bit more of it? What if there was a pill that could slow down the ravages of time, so that you could feel younger for longer. It sounds like snake oil, but there's a growing body of research that's betting on making it a reality

How to Make Your Own Luck

Luck isn’t easy to measure or study, but those who have managed to do it discovered it’s not the work of fate – it’s a skill you can cultivate and improve. So, how do you go about it?

Skull From Ancient Human Ancestor Unearthed

The 250,000-year-old remains of a Homo naledi were found in the remote depths of the Rising Star cave system in Johannesburg

Combatting Virus Variants Before They Emerge

The technology could be used to create universal vaccines for COVID, malaria and more, its creators say

Beethoven's Unfinished 10th Symphony Completed by an AI

Computer scientists teamed up with historians, musicologists, and composers to teach artificial intelligence how to compose like Beethoven

Bearing With a Sore Head

What hurts in your skull - and why

Your Mysterious Brain

Science has mapped the surface of Mars and translated the code for life. By comparison, we know next to nothing about what's between our ears. Over the next few pages, we ask leading scientists to answer some of the most important questions about our brains...

Octopuses on Parade

With three hearts, blue blood, eight bendy arms, and intelligence that outsmarts other spineless animals, there's nothing quite like an octopus. Join us on a dive into their weird world...