CATEGORIES

CLAIMING THE MORAL HIGH GROUND DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE YOU GOOD

Subconscious processes in the brain can convince us we're being good, even when we're not

THE SCIENCE TO WATCH IN 2024

If 2023 is anything to go by, the year to come will witness breakthroughs across every field of science. From cutting-edge advances in artificial intelligence to revolutionary discoveries in health and space exploration, here's what to expect...

New frontiers in health

Following the attention focused on weight-loss drug semaglutide in 2023, phase 3 trials of a similar antidiabetic, tirzepatide (Mounjaro), are expected to produce results towards the end of 2024.

Tech horizons

Speculations about OpenAI's next projects abound, and - although nothing has been formally announced we'll be expecting updates to its Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) models.

HOW TO MASTER YOUR METABOLISM

Ready to welcome a leaner, healthier you? It's time for a metabolic makeover. With a few simple, research-backed changes, you can supercharge your body's calorie-burning

MODELLING COMET IMPACTS COULD HELP US LOCATE LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS

Cosmic snowballs in space may have delivered life-giving molecules to Earth

YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO LOSE WEIGHT IF YOUR DOCTOR IS OPTIMISTIC

When it comes to enrolling people in weight-loss programmes, the doctor's sales pitch is key

THE BEST SCIENCE IMAGES OF 2023

A PIECE OF ROCK BROKEN OFF AN ASTEROID HURTLING THROUGH SPACE, THE FIRST FOOTPRINTS OF HUMANS ARRIVING IN NORTH AMERICA AND A GIANT MEATBALL MADE OUT OF WOOLLY MAMMOTH. THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE IMAGES THAT CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF BBC SCIENCE FOCUS EDITORS THIS YEAR, AND NO, THAT LAST ONE WASN'T A MISTAKE. ENJOY OUR SELECTION OF IMAGES THAT HAD US RUBBING OUR EYES IN DISBELIEF IN 2023.

WILL WE EVER CURE CANCER?

One of the most pressing medical challenges facing the world's ageing population is the fight against cancer. But is this a battle that's winnable - and what technologies are being developed to wage the war?

WILL SEX BECOME OBSOLETE?

New technologies could reimagine baby-making as we know it. But will they actually replace tried-and-tested (and enjoyable) methods?

LET IT SNOW!

The weather outside may be frightful, but a winter coat is delightful, Tom Jackson discovers how wild animals stay cosy in the cold.

Victor Glover

Meet an astronaut who will be blasting off to the Moon next year.

New telescope sheds light on dark universe

Euclid is creating the biggest map of the parts of space we can't see.

Weather may have helped carve Sphinx

The Great Sphinx of Giza is one of Egypt’s most famous landmarks.

Wildlife watch

Author, TV presenter and vet Jess French shows you what to spot in nature this month.

Teleportation

Could you ever travel across the world in the blink of an eye?

Can a machine be intelligent?

Robots can do amazingly complex tasks, but will they ever be as smart as humans?

NAUGHTY OR NICE?

He’s making a list, he’s checking it twice, he’s going to find out who’s naughty or nice. Ciaran Sneddon seeks out the science behind Santa’s end-of-year report.

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

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.

DEAR DOCTOR

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

Q&A

IS THERE ANY SCIENCE TO LOW-DOPAMINE MORNINGS?

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?

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

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

AUTONOMOUS DRONE COULD REVEAL ANTARCTICA'S SECRETS

Understanding ancient tectonics will improve ice melt predictions

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

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

INDOOR AIR POLLUTION: HOW COOKING CAN DAMAGE YOUR DNA

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

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