CATEGORIES

WHY I DITCHED MY FITNESS TRACKER

Stop chasing a 10,000-step target - Active 10 is an easier, more effective way to get fit

FIT TO BURST

INFLATION IS A USEFUL TOOL IN NATURE, ALLOWING ANIMALS TO PROJECT SOUNDS, SCARE OFF PREDATORS OR EVEN ATTRACT A MATE. LET'S BRING ON THE BLOAT!

COVID RISK: IS IT SAFE FOR ME TO RESUME ALL MY NORMAL ACTIVITIES?

In a restriction-free world, how risky is going to the pub vs going to the supermarket?

HAPPINESS: IS IT RIGHT TO PURSUE IT AT ALL COSTS?

Research suggests that focusing on your own happiness can end up making you miserable

THE DNA DETECTIVE

All sorts of mysteries lurk in our family trees, from long-lost relatives to adoptees' hidden heritages. In the new series of DNA Family Secrets, geneticist Prof Turi King sets out to solve them with the help of presenter Stacey Dooley and home genetic testing kits. She talks to Sara Rigby

IF MY BRAIN CAN'T FEEL PAIN, WHY DO WE GET HEADACHES?

We tend to experience pain when unpleasant stimuli activate sensory nerve fibres called nociceptors.

THE RACE FOR THE MOON

A new space race has begun. Over the coming years, an armada of rockets will head to the Moon to hunt down precious resources, satisfy the urges of billionaire tourists and maybe do some intriguing science along the way…

The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Metaverse

Facebook recently changed its name to 'Meta' in order to position itself at the forefront of a new digital frontier called the metaverse. But what the heck is the metaverse, and what can it offer us mere mortals who do not inhabit the shiny Silicon Valley bubble?

Vixen A105MII achromatic refractor

A well-built telescope that is tailored to intermediate astronomers

Return to the MOON

The Moon is about to get busy, both in orbit and on the surface

CUTTING EDGE

Our experts examine the hottest new research

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY CAPTURE - Morning conjunctions

A month of planetary encounters offers opportunities to test your astro imaging skills

DIY ASTRONOMY - Make a solar projector

How to construct a home-built projector for safely viewing the Sun

Exploring the dark heart of WALES

The Cambrian Mountains has some of the world's darkest skies. Jamie Carter takes its Astro Trail to see why Wales is a stargazer's dream come true

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY PROCESSING - APY Masterclass: Create a skyscape panorama

Processing an image to showcase the sky and a foreground

APOLLO 16

Misbehaving engines were among the mishaps on the penultimate Apollo landing. 50 years on, Ezzy Pearson looks back at the mission

Altair Astro Hypercam AA61CFX colour camera

A full-frame, cooled camera that will appeal to dedicated astro imagers

Annie Maunder

Ezzy Pearson celebrates the achievements of the early 20th century's great solar scientist

Artemis takes aim at the Moon

As Artemis I goes through its final preparations, Niamh Shaw looks at this first step in a programme to return humanity to the Moon permanently

From City Lights to Deep Space

In the first part of a series that looks at urban stargazing through the four seasons, Rod Mollise reveals the wonders you can discover in spring

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.

TORNADOES

THE EXPLAINER

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

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...

SPACE: HOW CAN WE SOLVE THE SPACE JUNK PROBLEM?

Recent news of an out-of-control rocket crashing into the Moon sounds dramatic, but it's the millions of pieces of smaller debris that present the real danger, according to a UK expert

Q&A: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

AS THE CROW DIES

Corvids, such as crows, rooks and ravens, are some of the smartest animals out there. They can learn to make new sounds, they can cooperate and even use tools. But as Dr Kaeli Swift tells Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, they also have some intriguing rituals when it comes to their dead... and could even be capable of feeling empathy

Ideas we like...

INNOVATIONS

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR

With Italy's iconic Etna volcano erupting at the beginning of the year, followed by the lava flows of La Palma making headlines for weeks in autumn, then activity starting at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai in late December, it felt like 2021 was a particularly big year for the planet's volcanoes.

London Tube: Does Its Air Harm Your Health?

The Mayor of London hopes that 80 per cent of trips in the city will be made on foot, bike or public transport by 2041. But how polluted is the Underground's air?