Science
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
A Revolution In The Making
Scientists will soon have the tools to rewrite the book of life, and in doing so, edit out sections that cause disease, piece by piece. But is the technology safe and will all of us get the benefits, or will it be the preserve of those who can afford it?
10+ min |
August 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
Dogs won't give you food, even if you gave them some first
They may be your best buddy, but they won’t go out of their way to do you a favour
3 min |
August 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
Astronomers spot moon-forming rings around a baby exoplanet
For the first time, astronomers have detected a dusty ring around an exoplanet where moons could be born. They hope the discovery will teach us more about how both planets and moons are formed.
2 min |
August 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
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 min |
Summer 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
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 min |
Summer 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
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 min |
Summer 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
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 min |
Summer 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
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 min |
Summer 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
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 min |
Summer 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
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 |
Summer 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
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 min |
Summer 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
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 min |
Summer 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
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 min |
Summer 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
The Explainer: Why Are Mountains So Formidable?
The explainer
3 min |
July 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
Why Does The Universe Exist?
Stephen Wolfram is trying to find a rule that dictates the Universe. And in doing so, he might even become the first person to finally devise a complete, fundamental theory of physics. Elegant, or what?
10+ min |
July 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
A Scientist's Guide To Life - Indoor Air Pollution
Cleaning products… candles… cookers… how much does indoor air pollution really affect us, and what can we do about it? Respiratory specialist Dr Jonathan Grigg explains all -
3 min |
July 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
Electric Vehicles: What Can We Do With The Growing Number Of Dead Batteries?
What will happen to the batteries when the first generation of electric vehicles reach the end of their lifespans in around a decade? Are they bound for the scrapheap, or can they be salvaged?
4 min |
July 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
MASKING THE ISSUE
Even when the pandemic is over, you shouldn’t shove your face coverings to the back of the drawer
2 min |
July 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
SPIDERS: SHOULD I BE WORRIED ABOUT BEING BITTEN BY A FALSE WIDOW?
A study has found that numbers of the spiders are increasing, along with the number of people being bitten. But what risk do they really pose?
3 min |
July 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
BEYOND THE MEDAL
A Paralympian and their guide form a partnership based on more than winning
2 min |
July 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
WHY DO I ALWAYS WALK INTO A ROOM AND FORGET WHAT I'M DOING?
Fear not, you’re far from the only one to have had this rather unsettling experience.
1 min |
July 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
ALEXA, WHERE' S MY ROBOT BUTLER?
A machine that does the jobs we don’t want – that’s what was promised to us by the science fiction of the last century. Unfortunately, goof high-tech helps in hard to find - but that's about to change. Jennifer Pettison Touhy reveals how ho our homes are about to start looking after us, and not the other way around
5 min |
July 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
Climate Change: Can The New Targets Get Us To Net Zero?
The UK government is aiming for an emissions cut of 78 per cent, compared with levels in 1990. They want to achieve this by 2035. Is this feasible?
4 min |
June 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
Through Hardship To The Stars
‘Per aspera ad astra’. This is the phrase adopted as a statement of intent by space agencies, both real and fictional, that originates in Virgil’s Aeneid. But exactly what kinds of hardship will the human body have to endure to colonise the cosmos? Prof Christopher E Mason has been studying astronauts’ reactions to life in space and reveals to Ian Taylor how we might adapt to overcome the challenges we face
10+ min |
June 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
EYE OPENER
Incredible Images around the world
2 min |
June 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
A GIANT LEAP FOR ANIMAL KIND
As we look to set up permanent bases on the Moon, Mars and beyond, we’ll need to bring other forms of life with us... but how will they cope with life in space?
10 min |
June 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
INSTALLING A NEW AGE OF HUMANITY
FROM REALITY-ENHANCING IMPLANTS TO BRAIN-CONTROLLED EXOSKELETONS, BREAKTHROUGHS IN BIO-TECH HAVE FUELLED A NEW FUSION OF MACHINERY AND ORGANIC MATTER. HERE WE SPEAK TO THE CYBORGS WHO ARE HELPING HUMANITY TRANSCEND ITS BIOLOGICAL LIMITS, ONE DEVICE AT A TIME
6 min |
June 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
EAT YOURSELF HAPPY
Increasing evidence suggests that a microbiome-friendly diet is good for your brain as well as your body
2 min |
June 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
How a hand-holding charity stunt launched a social network, way back in the 1980s
2 min |
June 2021
BBC Focus - Science & Technology
BMI: IT'S FLAWED, SO WHY DO WE USE IT?
A report published by the Women and Equalities Committee says that the use of the Body Mass Index should be scrapped. Is there a better way to calculate if you’re a healthy weight?
4 min |