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BBC Science Focus Magazine - November 2025

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In this issue

WHAT WE GET WRONG ABOUT COLD AND FLU SEASON
Debunking three common misconceptions around preventing colds and flu.

THE PEOPLE-PLEASING TRAP (AND HOW TO ESCAPE IT)
Saying ‘yes’ to people for the wrong reasons might be harming both you and your relationships.

THE QUEST TO FIND THE EDGE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
NASA’s IMAP mission has set off to explore the boundary between our Solar System and interstellar space.

Can't see the coral for the trees

This may look like the sort of fantasy forest you might get lost in during a dream, but it's very much real. That said, it's neither a forest, nor big enough for you to explore. And that's because the surreal structures you see here aren't trees. They're coral.

1 mins

Surf's up

These distinctive clouds are named after the two physicists - William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) and Hermann von Helmholtz - who studied the phenomenon that forms them. The peculiar wavelike shape of Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds is caused by two layers of the atmosphere moving at different speeds above and below the cloud layer.

1 mins

'Ageing atlas' reveals how time reshapes our genes

Scientists are building the clearest picture yet of how we age - right down to our cells and DNA

4 mins

Only 1% of the world is eating a healthy and sustainable diet

A major report found healthier diets could transform the food system

3 mins

Spatial awareness could reveal dementia risk

Possible link suggested by results of small study

1 mins

Scrolling on the toilet could harm your health

The dirty habit may be more than just unhygienic

1 mins

60-year mystery of the fossil skull that baffled scientists may finally be solved

The Petralona skull was discovered in Greece in 1960, yet its origin has perplexed experts – until now

2 mins

Taking common vitamin D supplements may actually lower your vitamin D3 levels

Scientists are 'astonished' that the supplements could actually make deficiency worse

2 mins

Rogue planet is now the fastest-growing world ever seen

The hungry planet is swelling up like a star

1 mins

We finally know why men don't live as long as women, say scientists

Males that spend less energy on sex and more on raising their children tend to live longer

2 mins

Dinosaur 'superhighway' unearthed in the UK

The find could change our understanding and portrayals of dinosaurs

1 mins

Your dog really could be addicted to their ball, says new study

'Ball junkies' are real and some will go to great lengths to get their toy fix

1 mins

There's another diabetes in town, here's how to recognise it

Misdiagnosis rates for this rare type of diabetes could be complicating treatment for patients

5 mins

Cleaner, greener fuels are coming to Formula 1. Here's what that means

The 2026 F1 championship will be raced using 'sustainable' fuels. But how much of a difference will it actually make to the sport's carbon footprint?

5 mins

MEAT YOU COULD MAKE YOURSELF

No livestock and no labs needed. A collective in Japan has come up with a kit that could help people grow meat in a Petri dish (in very small portions)

3 mins

Finally... An EV worthy of your bedroom wall

Ferrari's new Elettrica could be the car that gets dyed-in-the-wool petrolheads to long for an EV. It could also be the car that reshapes the entire EV landscape

4 mins

IMMUNE TO EVERYTHING

Researchers are edging closer to a universal antiviral drug, a single medicine that could - if it works - treat every virus known to man and head off the next pandemic before it even starts

9 mins

COLD AND FLU SEASON

Nobody enjoys being stuck in bed sneezing and coughing the days away. But there are steps you can take to increase your chances of avoiding these winter ailments

4 mins

THE PEOPLE PLEASING TRAP (AND HOW TO ESCAPE IT)

Are you a doormat if you constantly make sacrifices for other people? Or are you simply being a nice person by putting others' needs ahead of your own? Psychologists think there's something deep at work

10+ mins

THE QUEST TO FIND THE EDGE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

NASA's newly launched IMAP mission is set to tell us more about the boundary between our Solar System and interstellar space than ever before

7 mins

WANTED: GUT BACTERIA DEAD OR ALIVE

There are millions of bacteria living in our guts. There are millions of dead bacteria there too. And scientists are learning just how much potential the dead ones have to improve our health

7 mins

CRACKING CHOLESTEROL

What really causes your blood fats to skyrocket? Groundbreaking discoveries have delivered surprising new answers and exposed a deeper biological mystery

8 mins

HOW DOES MY BRAIN CREATE MY SENSE OF SELF?

Your ability to experience a stable, coherent sense of self is truly a miracle.

2 mins

THE PUDU

Just when you thought Bambi couldn't get any cuter, meet the pudu, the world's smallest deer. Standing little taller than a domestic cat, what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in allure. Doe-eyed, button-nosed, with little legs and perky ears, this diminutive South American mammal looks like it has stepped straight out of a Disney film.

2 mins

HOW MANY ELECTRONS ARE THERE IN THE UNIVERSE?

It's difficult to know for sure how many electrons are in the Universe. British physicist Arthur Eddington (1882-1944) came up with a number in 1938, now known as the 'Eddington number'.

1 mins

WHICH VAPE FLAVOUR IS WORSE FOR YOU?

If you're trying to quit smoking, you'll have probably heard talk that switching to e-cigarettes - or vapes - is a healthier option. One study by researchers at University College London estimated that in 2017 alone, over 50,000 people stopped smoking thanks to their use of e-cigarettes.

2 mins

DOES NEGATIVE THINKING INCREASE YOUR RISK OF DEMENTIA?

Dementia and disorders like depression and anxiety (conditions associated with persistent negative emotional thoughts) have long been intertwined.

1 mins

PASS THE PLASTIC

All of us are ingesting microplastics. Could dietary fibre help us get it out?

3 mins

Read all Stories from BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus Magazine Description:

Publisher: Our-Media-Ltd

Category: Science

Language: English

Frequency: Monthly

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.