Science
BBC Science Focus
BIOLOGY: WORMS CAUGHT HITCHING RIDES ON BEES BY USING ELECTRIC FIELDS
As well as hitchhiking, the nematode worms also form conga lines
1 min |
August 2023
BBC Science Focus
ENERGY: THE COSTS OF SWITCHING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY WILL HIT THE SUPER-WEALTHY HARDEST
A new study says a future fuelled by sustainable energy is possible, if the top 10 per cent are prepared to accept some losses
1 min |
August 2023
BBC Science Focus
COSMOLOGY: GRAVITATIONAL RIPPLES COULD HELP CRACK THE UNIVERSE'S SECRETS
New findings provide evidence of a background hum’ produced by low-frequency gravitational waves rippling across spacetime
2 min |
August 2023
BBC Science Focus
Who needs wings?
This little critter with the cheeky grin is a Mizoram parachute gecko, Gekko mizoramensis, a previously unknown species of gliding gecko from the tropical forests of northern India.
1 min |
August 2023
BBC Science Focus
Blood and bone
The human body is a wealth of parts and connections the skeleton, 86 billion 206 bones in neurons in the brain, roughly 25 quadrillion potential neural pathway routes... and yet there are just 20 arteries carrying your entire blood supply.
1 min |
August 2023
BBC Science Focus
Could one bomb destroy the world?
How big a bang are arms manufacturers capable of creating?
2 min |
July 2023
BBC Science Focus
COULD AN ASTEROID IMPACT EVER CHANGE EARTH'S ORBIT?
Theoretically, any two objects colliding with each other will involve a transfer of momentum that alters their trajectories. So, even a micrometeorite, weighing less than a gram, could result in an imperceptible change in Earth's orbit around the Sun. However, things are not quite that simple.
2 min |
July 2023
BBC Science Focus
CAN SCIENCE TURN A NIGHT OWL INTO A MORNING LARK?
If you're a night owl, you probably have a hard time dealing with a world that starts at 9am. But can science help you tinker with your body clock to make it easier to rise with the larks?
10 min |
July 2023
BBC Science Focus
HOW TO THINK BATIONALLY ABOUT AI
The entire planet is hooked on the conversation about Al and its sinister future. But, if you ask those in the know (and we have) our future with machines looks entirely different to what the world's CEOs would have us believe. Here's how to stop worrying and, maybe, learn to love AI...
10+ min |
July 2023
BBC Science Focus
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
The hit TV show The Last of Us imagined an apocalypse caused by a Cordyceps fungus turning humans into zombies. For many insects, real life isn't much different...
5 min |
July 2023
BBC Science Focus
Apple Vision Pro: a virtual reality expert gives his verdict
David Reid, a professor of Al and spatial computing, explains why Apple is leading the way when it comes to virtual reality
4 min |
July 2023
BBC Science Focus
JAZZ COULD BE THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING QUANTUM PHYSICS
An improvising soloist can play any note they want next. At the quantum level, electrons have a similar freedom
3 min |
July 2023
BBC Science Focus
THE THREAT OF DAY ZERO
Queues at public water taps could become normal. What can we do to avoid them?
4 min |
July 2023
BBC Science Focus
DAILY MULTIVITAMIN CAN DELAY AGE-RELATED MEMORY LOSS
Study finds that a multivitamin pill a day keeps memory decline at bay
2 min |
July 2023
BBC Science Focus
THE T.REX WAS ACTUALLY A COWARD... SOMETIMES
According to palaeontologists behind Apple TV+'s Prehistoric Planet 2, the Tyrannosaurus rex was more than willing to run from a fight
1 min |
July 2023
BBC Science Focus
PUPS IN SCRUBS: DOGS COULD MAKE CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS BETTER FOR EVERYONE
Dogs have been bringing their owners comfort at home for centuries. Now, the pooches are branching out to do it hospitals
1 min |
July 2023
BBC Science Focus
HIDDEN FUNGI ABSORB OVER A THIRD OF EARTH'S FOSSIL FUEL EMISSIONS
A new study pinpoints a major carbon pool in the filament networks of mycorrhizal fungi found underneath mushrooms
2 min |
July 2023
BBC Science Focus
ENTOMOLOGY - SPOTTY WINGS MAKE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES MORE AERODYNAMIC
New research shows that the butterflies fly better when they have more spots on their wings
2 min |
July 2023
BBC Science Focus
Antares: The Rival of Mars
If you've never seen Mars in the night sky before, you've just about got time as it's visible low above the west-northwest horizon shortly after sunset.
1 min |
June 2023
BBC Science Focus
Could humans ever run at supersonic speeds?
Is there a biological limit to how fast humans can run? Or will we all be sprinting like The Flash in future?
3 min |
June 2023
BBC Science Focus
ZARA WEBB, STAFFORD - WEIRD AND WONDERFUL: WHAT ARE TROVANTS?
Trovants are bulbous, otherworldly stones that grow over time, thus appearing to be alive. Parent rocks can even push out baby trovants, which then grow independently.
1 min |
June 2023
BBC Science Focus
CHARLOTTE LEE, VIA EMAIL - WHAT IS SOCIAL PRESCRIBING, AND IS THERE ANY BENEFIT TO IT?
Social prescribing is a way for primary care staff and other agencies to refer patients to a link worker. These are highly trained and have time to explore the person's health and well-being needs in a more holistic way.
1 min |
June 2023
BBC Science Focus
MYTHBUSTERS: SHOULD I START WASHING MY HAIR WITH BEER?
A quick search online, and you will find lots of articles suggesting that beer used as a shampoo, hair mask, or rinse at home, can result in healthy, shiny locks and even promote hair growth.
2 min |
June 2023
BBC Science Focus
DUNCAN DAVIDSON, VIA EMAIL - WHAT IS THE SUPINE POSITION?
The supine position is simpler than it may sound. It describes the position of the body when lying flat on the back, with the face and torso facing up. In this position, the limbs are generally straight, with the palms facing upward.
1 min |
June 2023
BBC Science Focus
ELIZABETH HUMPHREY, BATH - WHAT CAUSES PREGNANCY CRAVINGS?
Cravings are something many mamas-to-be are familiar with. Whether it's ice cream, chocolate, pickles, or something obscure, the body knows what it wants during pregnancy and makes sure we know about it.
1 min |
June 2023
BBC Science Focus
KENDRA PARK, VIA EMAIL: WHY DOES MY SKIN FEEL MORE SENSITIVE TO TOUCH WHEN I HAVE A COLD?
If you've noticed that your skin feels extra sensitive when you're ill, you're not alone - and there are several reasons why this might happen.
1 min |
June 2023
BBC Science Focus
LARA EATON, MANCHESTER: HOW IS HAIL MADE?
Many of us have experienced those hot summer days which start off with sunshine, before towering cumulonimbus clouds bubble up through the day, eventually bringing thunder, lightning and torrential downpours.
1 min |
June 2023
BBC Science Focus
NATURE'S WEIRDEST... SHAMPOO GINGER LILY
Tired of taking two bottles into the shower? Simply snip off the club-shaped flower head of the shampoo ginger lily plant - you can't miss it; it's the one that looks like an embarrassed pinecone - and squeeze the spongy structure onto your scalp.
1 min |
June 2023
BBC Science Focus
WHAT IS THE POWER POSE? AND WILL IT REALLY BOOST MY CONFIDENCE BEFORE A JOB INTERVIEW?
A power pose is essentially any kind of body position that involves taking up more space. Imagine standing with your legs astride and your hands on your hips, or - as used in the seminal research on power poses from 2010 - leaning back in your chair with your legs up and your hands behind your head.
1 min |
June 2023
BBC Science Focus
THE MYSTERIES OF EARTH'S CORE
Take even a quick peak beneath Earth's surface and you soon discover just how much we don't know about what's happening right under out feet
10+ min |