BBC Science Focus
Cotton candy
It's easy to see how this organism got its name. When carnival candy slime mould (Arcyria major) releases its spores, it does a convincing impression of the fluffy treat you see people eating off wooden sticks at amusement parks, funfairs and festivals.
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
TB is surging. Should we be worried?
Cases of the world's deadliest infection are climbing in the UK and US. Why is tuberculosis returning and how do we fight back?
4 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
PROTECT YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF
Combine the cold and dark of winter with the indulgence of the holiday season, and you have the ideal conditions for illness to strike. But there are ways to bolster your body's defences ahead of the onslaught - ways that rely on science's evolving understanding of our immune system
10 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
ALL EYES ON YOU
Social anxiety isn't only psychological. New research is revealing its biological roots – and how to reset them
9 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
A blue ribbon-worthy concept
The ring you see glowing eerily here could be the next big step in women's health. It's a device for delivering 'good' bacteria directly to the vaginal microbiome.
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
Wikipedia's founder reveals the biggest threats facing the site
Almost 25 years and millions of articles after it launched, Wikipedia has become the biggest bank of human knowledge on the web. But Al, Elon Musk and the culture wars could change everything, says Jimmy Wales
4 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
How a tiny worm's brain could transform artificial intelligence
'Liquid neural networks', inspired by tiny worms, promise smaller, smarter and more transparent AI
5 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
Orcas have devised a disturbing way to kill great white sharks
The marine mammals have worked out how to take down the world's most fearsome fish
2 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
New DNA evidence reveals how Napoleon's army was actually defeated
Turns out typhus may not have been the culprit
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
A slice across the sky
The green flash slicing through the skies in this shot is a fireball.
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
DO ANY ANIMALS USE OTHER ANIMALS FOR SPORT?
Dolphins have been observed, on various occasions, holding pufferfish in their mouths.
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
CAN I SWALLOW MY TONGUE?
No, it's a myth. Although the tongue can move in different directions, being attached to the base of your mouth generally keeps it from moving that far back. If it does move backwards, say, during a seizure, then other muscles kick in to open up the throat.
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
LIFE AT THE PARTY
The secret that keeps the superagers so sprightly could be socialising
3 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
Astronomers discover hidden 'moon' shadowing Earth
We've only just spotted an object that's been following us since the 1960s
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DIE
WHAT DOES DYING FEEL LIKE? BY STUDYING PATIENTS WHO'VE SUFFERED NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES, SCIENTISTS ARE ONE STEP CLOSER TO FINDING OUT WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR BRAINS DURING OUR LAST MOMENTS
8 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
MISSING: THE FIRST STARS
They shaped the Universe, yet the first stars ever born continue to evade the searches of astronomers like Dr Emma Chapman
9 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
BRACE FOR THE MEGATSUNAMI
The Pacific Northwest could be rocked by a mega earthquake any day now. A quake that will generate a devastating tsunami. But is America ready for 'the big one'?
9 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
A CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE FOR PEOPLE WITH MORE MONEY THAN SENSE
Who really needs, or even uses, a gift guide these days? You know your loved ones far better than I ever could. Want to get them thoughtful presents? Put some thought into it. So, instead of struggling to come up with ultimately unhelpful – possibly even unsuitable - suggestions for you, I've decided to indulge myself for a change. I'm lifting the covers off my true, in some cases irrational, desires this season, to show you the tech that gets me as giddy as a kid at Christmas
3 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
This bizarre optical illusion could teach us how animals think
By seeing which animals fall for a classic visual trick, scientists are uncovering how different brains make sense of the world
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
There could be a toxic heavy metal lurking in your protein supplement
People everywhere use protein supplements on a daily basis. But a new report suggests some contain worrying amounts of a harmful substance
4 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
Certain snacks are more likely to cause winter weight gain, study suggests
Dietary fats may influence how our bodies respond to the passing of the seasons
2 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
THIS YEAR'S WEIRDEST SCIENCE STORIES
The good, the bad and the frankly bizarre: from the world's oldest baby to a body-snatching bug, here were science's strangest discoveries in 2025
3 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
2025's BIGGEST MOMENTS IN SCIENCE
Revisit the discoveries and events from the last 12 months that will change the world in the years to come
3 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH
Could an exoskeleton help you scale every peak with ease? Ezzy Pearson straps on some cyborg enhancements to find out
5 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
ASTRONOMY FOR BEGINNERS
HOW TO SEE THE GEMINID METEOR SHOWER
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
HOW UNLIKELY IS OUR UNIVERSE?
Our understanding of the Universe has revealed that its existence, and indeed our own, relies on a particular set of rules.
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
DOES YOUR NAME AFFECT YOUR PERSONALITY?
Research is revealing that nominative determinism isn't as easy to dismiss as you might think
5 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I GOT EATEN BY A PYTHON?
First, the good news: snakes rarely eat humans. But it does happen and Indonesia seems to be a particular hotspot for it. Over the past decade, several people in the country have been killed and swallowed whole by pythons, including a 45-year-old woman who was found fully clothed inside a bloated, 5m-long (16ft) snake.
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
ARE BOARD GAMES GOOD FOR THE BRAIN?
Whether you're pondering a chess move, thinking up a high-scoring word in Scrabble or deciding on your investment strategy in Monopoly, board games are great for getting you thinking. Playing them not only involves a wide range of cognitive skills, including problem-solving, critical thinking, decision-making, memory retention and concentration, but also provides a way to connect face-to-face with others.
1 min |
December 2025
BBC Science Focus
HOW CAN I BE MORE PERSUASIVE?
Most of us like to think we're rational people. If someone shows us evidence that we're wrong, we'll change our minds, right? Well, not necessarily, because it's not always that simple. Being wrong feels uncomfortable and sometimes threatening. That's why changing someone's mind is often much harder than it seems.
2 min |