Science
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
THE SKELETON PANDA SEA SQUIRT
Several years ago, scuba divers were exploring coral reefs around Kumejima Island in Japan's Ryukyu archipelago when they saw what looked like a graveyard of tiny panda skeletons.
2 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
PASS THE PLASTIC
All of us are ingesting microplastics. Could dietary fibre help us get it out?
3 min |
November 2025
BBC Science Focus
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 min |
November 2025
BBC Science Focus
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 min |
November 2025
BBC Science Focus
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 min |
November 2025
BBC Science Focus
Only 1% of the world is eating a healthy and sustainable diet
A major report found healthier diets could transform the food system
3 min |
November 2025
BBC Science Focus
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 min |
November 2025
BBC Science Focus
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 min |
November 2025
BBC Science Focus
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 min |
November 2025
BBC Science Focus
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 min |
November 2025
BBC Science Focus
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 min |
November 2025
BBC Science Focus
Taking common vitamin D supplements may actually lower your vitamin D3 levels
Scientists are 'astonished' that the supplements could actually make deficiency worse
2 min |
November 2025
BBC Science Focus
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 min |
November 2025
BBC Science Focus
CRACKING CHOLESTEROL
What really causes your blood fats to skyrocket? Groundbreaking discoveries have delivered surprising new answers and exposed a deeper biological mystery
8 min |
November 2025
BBC Science Focus
HOW DOES MY BRAIN CREATE MY SENSE OF SELF?
Your ability to experience a stable, coherent sense of self is truly a miracle.
2 min |