FIT TO BURST

INFLATION IS A USEFUL TOOL IN NATURE, ALLOWING ANIMALS TO PROJECT SOUNDS, SCARE OFF PREDATORS OR EVEN ATTRACT A MATE. LET'S BRING ON THE BLOAT!

COVID RISK: IS IT SAFE FOR ME TO RESUME ALL MY NORMAL ACTIVITIES?

In a restriction-free world, how risky is going to the pub vs going to the supermarket?

HAPPINESS: IS IT RIGHT TO PURSUE IT AT ALL COSTS?

Research suggests that focusing on your own happiness can end up making you miserable

THE DNA DETECTIVE

All sorts of mysteries lurk in our family trees, from long-lost relatives to adoptees' hidden heritages. In the new series of DNA Family Secrets, geneticist Prof Turi King sets out to solve them with the help of presenter Stacey Dooley and home genetic testing kits. She talks to Sara Rigby

IF MY BRAIN CAN'T FEEL PAIN, WHY DO WE GET HEADACHES?

We tend to experience pain when unpleasant stimuli activate sensory nerve fibres called nociceptors.

THE RACE FOR THE MOON

A new space race has begun. Over the coming years, an armada of rockets will head to the Moon to hunt down precious resources, satisfy the urges of billionaire tourists and maybe do some intriguing science along the way…

London Tube: Does Its Air Harm Your Health?

The Mayor of London hopes that 80 per cent of trips in the city will be made on foot, bike or public transport by 2041. But how polluted is the Underground's air?

Renewable Energy: Why Can't It Keep Uk Energy Prices Down?

Huge increases in gas prices have sent UK bills skyrocketing. Can green energy offer a solution?

An Immune System for the Planet

Can we build a global pathogen defence system -a planetary equivalent of the immune system - to protect us when the next pandemic arrives?

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.

TORNADOES

THE EXPLAINER

THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION: WHY IS IT BEING RETIRED AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO IT?

The last decade of the ageing space station's life will feature private occupants, movies and an eventual watery grave

Using magnets to influence the brain could lead to revolutionary new depression treatment

The method, tested in rats, targets star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes. Neuroscientists Dr Yichao Yu and Prof Mark Lythgoe at University College London tell us more...

SPACE: HOW CAN WE SOLVE THE SPACE JUNK PROBLEM?

Recent news of an out-of-control rocket crashing into the Moon sounds dramatic, but it's the millions of pieces of smaller debris that present the real danger, according to a UK expert

Q&A: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

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 tells Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, they also have some intriguing rituals when it comes to their dead... and could even be capable of feeling empathy

Ideas we like...

INNOVATIONS

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR

With Italy's iconic Etna volcano erupting at the beginning of the year, followed by the lava flows of La Palma making headlines for weeks in autumn, then activity starting at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai in late December, it felt like 2021 was a particularly big year for the planet's volcanoes.

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

Crime and Nourishment

In prison, suicides, self-harm, and assaults on officers are on the rise. But studies suggest there is a cheap, low-risk way to improve inmate behavior and mental health, making the facilities safer for both staffand prisoners

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

WHY WE NEED TO EAT MORE PROTEIN

Load up on eggs, tofu, Greek yogurt, fish, and lean meat to help you feel full for longer

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…

This robot arm can be controlled with your mind

It’s hoped the tech will one day help tetraplegic patients with day-to-day life

The metaverse: will it be safe for use?

The next stage of the internet could be a Wild West if we’re not careful. Alex Hughes spoke to Prof David Reid, an expert in AI, virtual reality, and spatial computing, to find out more

Surgeons save terminal patient's life with a genetically modified pig's heart

This world-first operation proves that an animal heart can function just like a human heart, without the body rejecting it

Pandas' gut bacteria help them stay chubby on an all-bamboo diet

Changes in the bears’ gut microbiome in the season, when nutritious bamboo shoots are sprouting, helps them to gain weight and store fat ahead of leaner times

New blood test can tell if cancer has spread around the body

The test could be performed at a GP practice and would help doctors prioritize patients with widespread and later-stage cancer

The Light Fantastic

As new telescopes around the world power up, they could answer an ancient mystery: what’s powering the most energetic explosions in the Universe?

Havana Syndrome: What's Causing the Mysterious Illness?

Some have blamed top-secret weapons, but the condition could be all in the mind