ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE?

The search for alien life is ramping up. But what if, instead of searching for signs of biology, we looked for something more familiar: an extraterrestrial civilisation?

THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE

A mathematical phenomenon seen in everything from fruit to music

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR

The volcanoes of 2021 blew our minds at a time when much of the world was reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic

NEW DADS: DO THEY GET POSTNATAL DEPRESSION?

Nearly one in four new fathers suffers from anxiety and depression in the first year following their children’s birth. Should we be doing more to help them?

YOUR PRODUCTIVE BRAIN

Increasing your productivity is easy. It’s just a matter of making a few simple changes to your routine, or behaviour, or thinking, and your productivity will soar. At least, that’s what countless online articles claim. The actual science tells a different story. Even a modest amount of research reveals that some of the most commonly touted claims about how to boost productivity fall apart in the face of the evidence. So, here are some of the most common myths around boosting productivity, along with a number of approaches that have a more robust scientific basis.

DOES YOUR DOG REALLY LOVE YOU?

Sure, they wag their tails to greet us and are happy to snuggle up and watch TV in the evening, but are our beloved pooches actually experiencing the same love for us as we feel for them?

As the crow dies

Corvids, such as crows, rooks and ravens, are some of the smartest animals out there. They can learn to make new sounds, they can cooperate and even use tools. But as Dr Kaeli Swift explains, they also have some intriguing rituals when it comes to their dead... and could even be capable of feeling empathy

An end to ageing?

Eternal youth is the stuff of religion and mythology, but what if we could just have a bit more of it? What if there was a pill that could slow down the ravages of time, so that you could feel younger for longer. It sounds like snake oil, but there's a growing body of research that's betting on making it a reality

A Winning Formula

Beneath the rainforests of South America lives a fungi that consumes 50,000 leaves a day without ever coming to the surface. It relies on ants to bring it food in exchange for nutrients. Evolutionary biologist Dr Pepijn Kooij speaks to Amy Barrett about this special relationship...

NOT MY FIRST METAVERSE

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg might be getting excited about the metaverse, but the idea is nothing new

SEEING THE BLUES

Blue light from devices can have positive and negative effects on us

WHAT IS SYNAESTHESIA?

Connecting senses in fascinating ways means some people see the world completely differently

NASA'S SOLAR PROBE 'TOUCHES' THE SUN

The Parker Solar Probe is part of the way through its seven-year mission to investigate the inner workings of our nearest star

THE ΒΙΟ BOTS

Bio-inspired robots that can fly like birds and creep like cockroaches are helping researchers to understand more about how animals move and behave

THE VOLCANO THAT SHOOK THE EARTH

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano was a once-in-a-century geological event - and now the clock is ticking to study its effects...

ME YOU, AND INTIMACY TOO

When was the last time you were intimate with someone, emotionally, intellectually, or physically? Psychologist Dr Michelle Drouin says we are in an intimacy famine, and speaks to Amy Barrett about whether social media and smartphones are stripping us of one of our basic human needs

Combatting Virus Variants Before They Emerge

The technology could be used to create universal vaccines for COVID, malaria and more, its creators say

Bearing With a Sore Head

What hurts in your skull - and why

Octopuses on Parade

With three hearts, blue blood, eight bendy arms, and intelligence that outsmarts other spineless animals, there's nothing quite like an octopus. Join us on a dive into their weird world...

More Chocolate! More Tea!

Flavonoids, which are found in foods like chocolate, berries, and tea, play a key role in heart health

Palates and Perambulations

Outside of the major resorts, there are myriad activities worth investing in for a day out in Mauritius

Skull From Ancient Human Ancestor Unearthed

The 250,000-year-old remains of a Homo naledi were found in the remote depths of the Rising Star cave system in Johannesburg

Only in Your Wildest Dreams

Even today, scientists don't know why we dream. But now, psychologists have found a way to communicate with lucid dreamers - people who can take control of their dreams – in the hope that they might help us explore what goes on with our brains at night

The First Black Holes

Since just after the Big Bang, ancient black holes may have been shaping the universe as we know it. Now, scientists are tantalizingly close to glimpsing these mysterious objects for the first time

Your Mysterious Brain

Science has mapped the surface of Mars and translated the code for life. By comparison, we know next to nothing about what's between our ears. Over the next few pages, we ask leading scientists to answer some of the most important questions about our brains...

Beethoven's Unfinished 10th Symphony Completed by an AI

Computer scientists teamed up with historians, musicologists, and composers to teach artificial intelligence how to compose like Beethoven

Better out than in

The Mediterranean diet will increase flatulence, but it has benefits for you and the planet

What's it like to fly to the edge of space?

Dave Mackay, Virgin Galactic's chief pilot, reveals what it's like to ride a rocket ship to the stars...

Bizarre 'alien simulation' study shows how COVID panic-buying was a natural response

New research from the University of New South Wales has demonstrated how people react differently to change

Rise in childhood short-sightedness linked to increase in screen time and time spent indoors during COVID-19 lockdowns

More time spent indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused a significant rise in childhood short-sightedness, according to a new Hong Kong study.