In this issue

SCIENTIST’S GUIDE TO LIFE
How to safely enjoy the benefits of cold-water swimming.

EYE OPENER
Incredible images from around the world.

Should We Look For Aliens?

Even if all we learn is that we’re alone, the search is worth the risk, argues LORD MARTIN REES. Besides which, anyone we do end up finding probably knows about us already

2 mins

SHOULD WE EDIT THE NATURAL WORLD?

A process that began centuries ago with selective breeding has developed into genetic modification. HAYLEY BENNETT explores the consequences of using these controversial tools

2 mins

Are We Living In A Simulation?

Could computers ever become sophisticated enough to build a convincing facsimile of the real world? What if they already have and we’re living in that facsimile? Dr Peter Bentley looks into the likelihood of us being trapped in the Matrix

2 mins

ARE WE THINKING ABOUT DEATH WRONG IN THE WEST?

Everyone who’s alive now – you, your friends, your family – one day won’t be. It’s an unavoidable fact and yet we often go to great lengths to avoid acknowledging it. JULES HOWARD explains why that might be a mistake

2 mins

How Can We Deal With All The Dead?

More people die every day, but our graveyards aren’t getting any bigger. So what happens when we inevitably start running out of places to put the bodies? Jules Howard takes you through the options

4 mins

ARE WE GETTING HAPPIER?

Enjoying more good days than bad? Feel like that bounce in your step’s getting bigger? HELEN RUSSELL looks into whether we’re all feeling more cheery…

3 mins

WILL WE WORK IN THE FUTURE?

A job is an important part of how we find happiness in our lives (even if we don’t always enjoy the work). But what if the machines start doing everything for us? HELEN RUSSELL finds out if our working days are numbered

3 mins

How Much Of Psychology Can We Trust?

Can we still have faith in psychology in the face of the ‘replication crisis’? DR LISA FELDMAN BARRETT believes so

4 mins

How Many Senses Do We Have?

Is there such as thing as a sense of timing? What about a sense of direction? Dr Lisa Feldman Barrett delves into the different ways we’re able to perceive the world that go beyond sight, sound, touch, taste and smell…

2 mins

HOW DO HORSES GET TO THE OLYMPICS?

While the coronavirus pandemic has made things increasingly difficult for world-class athletes to travel, spare a thought for all the horses that cross continents for the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events.

1 min

Read all stories from BBC Science Focus

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.