BBC Science Focus - April 2023

In this issue

3 RULES BEHIND EVERY DIET THAT WORKS
Fed up with reading dodgy dieting advice online? We asked obesity expert Prof Giles Yeo to tell us what really works.

DOWN ON THE ROBOT FARM
In some parts of the world, it’s a struggle to recruit agricultural labourers to help with weeding, harvesting and ploughing. Could farmbots help meet the demands?

SIGNS OF VOLCANIC ACTIVITY FOUND ON VENUS FOR THE FIRST TIME

Images taken by the Magellan space probe in the 1990s could show evidence of eruptions or magma flow

1 min

COMPLETE CIRCUITRY OF AN INSECT BRAIN MAPPED FOR THE FIRST TIME

The model shows every single neuron and connection in the brain of a fruit fly larva

1 min

WILD RATS LIVING IN NEW YORK CITY SEWERS ARE CARRYING CORONAVIRUS

More than 15 per cent of rats captured in wastewater systems tested positive for the virus

1 min

COMPOUNDS ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE FOUND IN SAMPLES COLLECTED FROM A NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID

Samples collected during Hayabusa2's trip to the asteroid Ryugu contain uracil, a substance present in RNA

1 min

GETTING A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP IMPROVES IMMUNE RESPONSE TO VACCINATIONS

People who sleep for less than six hours a night produce significantly fewer antibodies after getting their jabs

1 min

DREAMS ARE BIZARRE, SO WHY DO THEY SEEM NORMAL WHEN WE'RE ASLEEP?

Our sleeping brains weave a patchwork out of our memories in complex, baffling ways

3 mins

3 rules behind every diet that works

We're fed up with navigating all the tips and advice online telling us how to lose weight, so we asked an obesity expert to reveal whether anything actually works for weight loss

10 mins

DOWN ON THE ROBOT FARM

IN THE WEST, FARM WORKERS ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY... BUT ROBOTS ARE READY TO TAKE THEIR JOBS

6 mins

SET THE JUICE LOOSE

This month, the JUICE mission blasts off on its eight-year voyage to Jupiter. Once there, it will peer at the planet's moons to find out if life could be lurking beneath their icy crusts...

7 mins

THE EXPLAINER PHOBIAS

AN EXPLORATION INTO THE ORIGINS AND TREATMENTS OF IRRATIONAL FEARS

6 mins

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BBC Science Focus Magazine Description:

BBC Focus Magazine is the magazine of popular science and technology that explains the wonders of the Universe through stunning photography and accessible articles. Contributors include the very best writers and science experts, with columns every issue from renowned science writer Robert Matthews, TV presenter and scientist Helen Czerski, and science fiction author Stephen Baxter. From archaeology to neuroscience, climate change and particle physics, BBC Focus Magazine keeps you up to speed with the cutting-edge science and gadgets that will change our world.