BBC Science Focus - December 2023

In this issue

2023 IN SCIENCE
A look back at the biggest stories in space, medicine, physics and technology from the past 12 months.

FARM OF THE FUTURE
Join the Planet Earth III film crew as they go behind the scenes of a high-tech city farm that’s trying to change the way we grow our food.

UNDER THE HOOD OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Prof Mike Wooldridge is lifting the lid on AI at this year’s Royal Institute Christmas Lectures...

INTERACTIVE IMAGES COULD REVOLUTIONISE POLICE LINE-UPS AND REDUCE THE NUMBER OF WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS

We're trying to identify criminal suspects all wrong, say psychologists. But new technology could help us catch more bad guys

2 mins

ALIEN PLANET DEBRIS DISCOVERED DEEP UNDER EARTH'S CRUST

A planetary collision so big that it formed the Moon also left behind remnants that changed Earth's mantle

2 mins

SCIENTISTS FINALLY FIND WHERE A STARFISH KEEPS ITS HEAD

Compelling research into their genes sheds light on the echinoderm’s enigmatic physiology

1 min

STUDY REVEALS WHAT REALLY KILLED THE DINOSAURS

It wasn't the meteor's impact, but the colossal clouds of dust it kicked up into the atmosphere that drove the mass extinction 66 million years ago

2 mins

AUTONOMOUS DRONE COULD REVEAL ANTARCTICA'S SECRETS

Understanding ancient tectonics will improve ice melt predictions

1 min

KIDS ARE THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING OBESITY. BUT WE NEED MORE OF THEIR GENES

We can unravel the role that bodyweight plays in disease, but we need a bigger, more diverse, sample of genetic material to do so

3 mins

A DASH OF 'QUANTUM WEIRDNESS' ADDS AN INTRIGUING NEW ASPECT TO THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION

Just suppose survival of the fittest had a quantum element. What would that mean for life on Earth?

3 mins

THE UK'S COUNTRYSIDE IS IN TROUBLE... AND WE NEED TO DO MORE TO HELP IT

Britain’s woodlands, wetlands and wildflower meadows are under threat. But awareness isn't enough to save them

3 mins

EMBRYO RESEARCH: WHY SCIENTISTS WANT MORE THAN 14 DAYS TO STUDY EARLY DEVELOPMENT

An extension to the 14-day limit on research has been proposed and has support. But there are moral and ethical questions to consider

4 mins

INDOOR AIR POLLUTION: HOW COOKING CAN DAMAGE YOUR DNA

From roast dinners to scented candles, there are potentially harmful pollutants lurking in every home

4 mins

SAD CLOWN PARADOX:WHY TEARS OFTEN LIE BEHIND THE LAUGHS

Mental health issues are common among comedians and performing is just one way they can self-medicate

3 mins

FARM OF THE FUTURE

Join the BBC's Planet Earth III film crew HED and go behind the scenes in the city farm that's transforming fields into towers and running almost everything with robots

8 mins

A BLUEPRINT FOR ANTI-AGEING

SCIENCE SAYS IT'S TIME TO RETHINK - AND TAKE CONTROL OF - OUR BODY'S AGE. HERE'S HOW TO SLOW, HALT AND POTENTIALLY TURN BACK YOUR BIOLOGICAL CLOCK

10 mins

UNDER ΤΗΕ HOOD OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

As the busiest year in the history of artificial intelligence (AI) comes to a close, Prof Mike Wooldridge prepares to deliver the Royal Institution's first Christmas Lecture on the subject. Noa Leach sat down with him to get a preview of the demonstrations his talks will include and an insight into how he thinks AI is going to change the world for children

4 mins

STRANGE RUMBLINGS

Earth-shattering seismic events can occur away from the fault lines between tectonic plates. And there's no easy way to predict when or where they'll hit

8 mins

Q&A

IS THERE ANY SCIENCE TO LOW-DOPAMINE MORNINGS?

2 mins

WHAT IS DECISION PARALYSIS AND HOW DO I DEAL WITH IT?

If you've ever gone online to order something during a work break - let's say a new electric toothbrush - expecting it to be fairly straightforward, but instead you found yourself overwhelmed by the huge number of choices and options available, you've experienced decision paralysis.

2 mins

DEAR DOCTOR

WHY DO! LOVE SPICY FOOD, WHEN IT DOESN'T ALWAYS LOVE ME? WHAT CAN DO?

2 mins

IF CONDITIONS ON EARTH CHANGED, IS IT POSSIBLE DINOSAURS COULD EVOLVE AGAIN? WOULD LIFE... FIND A WAY?

Dinosaurs are still with us, in the form of birds. But could the more canonical dinosaurs, like Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops, evolve again, if the climate and temperature switched back to what the conditions were like during the Cretaceous? Probably not.

1 min

SCROLL REVERSAL

Losing days by endlessly scrolling on your smartphone? You're not alone. Perhaps neuroscience can help us beat the urge...

2 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.