In this issue

YOUR PRODUCTIVE BRAIN
How much truth is there behind the myths of how to be more productive, and do we all need to be setting our alarms for 4am?

AN IMMUNE SYSTEM FOR THE PLANET
Can we build a global defence system that could help protect us when the next pandemic arrives?

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

4 mins

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...

5 mins

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

3 mins

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?

4 mins

Renewable Energy: Why Can't It Keep Uk Energy Prices Down?

Huge increases in gas prices have sent UK bills skyrocketing. Can green energy offer a solution?

3 mins

Ideas we like...

INNOVATIONS

3 mins

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.

6 mins

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.

10+ mins

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

10 mins

An Immune System for the Planet

Can we build a global pathogen defence system -a planetary equivalent of the immune system - to protect us when the next pandemic arrives?

10 mins

Q&A: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

10+ mins

TORNADOES

THE EXPLAINER

3 mins

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.