Science
BBC Science Focus
WHAT ACTUALLY MAKES SOMEBODY COOL?
Most of us have probably wanted to be cool at some point in our lives, and these efforts can have a big influence on the things we buy, the way we dress, the hobbies we invest in, the people we look up to and even the words we use.
2 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
It's TIME to WAKE UP and SMELL the roses
What if the pursuit of happiness in the traditional sense – chasing wealth or power – is the very thing stopping you from being happy? Researchers are beginning to understand that spending time enjoying the simple things might be the secret ingredient to enjoying a happy, healthy life
8 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
THE AARDVARK
In a time when people are being asked to consider eating insects, we should, perhaps, learn a thing or two from the aardvark (Orycteropus afer), Africa’s ant-guzzling gourmand. On an average night, the big-schnozzed mammal devours up to 50,000 of the crunchy critters.
2 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
ADD WEIGHT TO LOSE WEIGHT
A very basic kind of wearable could make your New-Year-weight-loss plans stick
3 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
AHEAD OF THEIR TIME
The Maya civilisation is known for its art and architecture.
8 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
The truth about antidepressant withdrawal
One in eight people in the US take an antidepressant. Stopping this medication can be hard, but researchers can't agree on the risks
5 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
A BETTER WAY TO GO: HOW TO HAVE A GREENER DEATH
Modern funeral arrangements are trashing the planet. But there are better ways to dispose of your body
10 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
100 DAYS OF WEIGHT LOSS
Newcomer to fighting the flab? Drop the quick-fixes at the gym, destined to backfire.
7 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
Modern men are in crisis. Just not the one you think
Are gender-equality gains coming at men's expense, as some claim? The statistics tell a more complex story...
4 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
3,000-year-old map of the Universe discovered at ancient Maya site
Thousands of willing people are thought to have helped create a structure used for communal astronomical observations
2 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
Aliens may be too lazy to make first contact
Space is big, so aliens may be kicking back, relaxing and waiting for us to come to them
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
Forever chemicals are altering the DNA of unhatched ducklings
Regulation is needed to prevent PFAS being ingested by female ducks and then passed on to their eggs
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
Magnet-powered microrobots could soon swim through your bloodstream
They're steered using magnets, like tiny remote-controlled bubbles zooming through your bloodstream
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
Japanese people aren't having sex. And nobody knows why
Around 1 in 10 Japanese people reach their 30s without ever having had sex
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
Men need to exercise twice as long as women, major heart study suggests
Keeping moving is the best way to stave off the world's biggest killer
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
First signs of dark matter spotted, study claims
A mysterious glow surrounding the Milky Way could be the fingerprints of the Universe's most enigmatic material
3 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
The link between air pollution and dementia just got stronger
Recent studies are bolstering the idea that air pollution could increase your chances of developing dementia. But there are steps you can take to reduce your risk
5 min |
January 2026
BBC Science Focus
THE BEST SCIENCE IMAGES OF 2025
Over the course of 2025, there was no shortage of mind-blowing images that helped us visualise scientific progress. From awe-inspiring cosmic explosions to a ray of hope for a struggling species, we've curated the most awe-inspiring images of the last 12 months. Here's our selection of the best, and what they taught us...
9 min |
January 2026
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
HOW DIFFICULT WOULD IT BE TO FLY THROUGH THE ASTEROID BELT?
In the 1980 film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo and friends try to escape pursuing imperial forces by flying through an asteroid field. Droid C-3PO remarks, \"the odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1\". The scene depicts a chaotic, dense field of rocks swirling and spinning through space. This scenario has been played out many times in the cinema.
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 |
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
LIFE AT THE PARTY
The secret that keeps the superagers so sprightly could be socialising
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
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
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
I survived the worst fire in the history of space exploration and had to keep it a secret
Astronaut Jerry Linenger opens up about one of the worst accidents in space, and the cover-up that followed
1 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
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 |