BBC Science Focus Magazine

This month you might notice we’ve made some changes. Nothing dramatic, just a touch of evolution. Our goal, as always, is to try and give you more of what you love. So, for a start, we’ve brought in some new columnists, who we hope will provide fresh insight into your favourite subjects. This month, astrophysicist Dr Katie Mack talks about time travel, psychologist Dr Julia Shaw digs into research about sexuality, and technologist Dr Kate Darling explains why we’ve been getting artificial intelligence all wrong. Next month they’ll be joined by Dr Radha Modgil, who’ll separate facts from fads in the world of health, medicine and wellness. You’ll find these new articles in the Discoveries section starting from p30 onwards. You might also notice we’ve given the rest of Discoveries…

The future will be synthesised Henry Ajder, a deep fakes expert, examines how synthetic video – where a politician or celebrity can be faked with some clever computer graphics – could affect democracy. Available on BBC Sounds A Thorough Examination With Drs Chris And Xand: Addicted To Food The van Tulleken twins explore our relationship with food, and ultra-processed food in particular, to find out whether it’s the major driving force in the global obesity crisis. BBC Radio 4 31 May, 3:30pm Also available on BBC Sounds The Truth About Tourette’s Aidy Smith has Tourette’s Syndrome. In this programme he hopes to shine a light on the fact that 90 per cent of those with the condition don’t actually swear. He meets people who have overcome the struggles and stigma of their condition. BBC Radio 4 31 May, 11am Also available on…

DR KATIE MACK As a theoretical astrophysicist who holds the Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication, Katie will providing a monthly digest of the most mind-blowing ideas in physics. -›p30 DR JULIA SHAW Every issue, Julia, the co-host of the Bad People podcast on BBC Sounds, will explore the cutting edge of psychology research. -›p32 DR KATE DARLING Kate studies human-robot interaction, tech policy and ethics at MIT’s pioneering Media Lab. Every month she’ll help us navigate where humans and robots might find ourselves in the future. -›p34 DR STEVE BRUSATTE A professor of palaeontology, Steve explores how new evidence is rewriting the story of how mammals came to rule the Earth. -›p70 CONTACT US -› Advertising David.DSouza@ourmedia.co.uk0117 300 8110 -› Letters for publication reply@sciencefocus.com -› Editorial enquiries editorialenquiries@sciencefocus.com0117 300 8755 -› Subscriptions buysubscriptions.com/contactus03330 162 113* -› Other contacts sciencefocus.com/contact COVER: MAGIC TORCH THIS PAGE: GETTY IMAGES, NERISSA…

Finding Nemo NOLI, ITALY Noli is a tiny village on the Ligurian coast of Italy. Just 40 metres from the shore of this historic town, hidden beneath the surface, is a farm with its eye firmly on the future. Nemo’s Garden is a project that aims to create a new type of farming that is sustainable and eco-friendly. This comes in the form of six underwater plastic pods, also known as ‘biospheres’, which are the world’s first underwater greenhouses. Inside these pods, the temperature, humidity and light levels are closely monitored to ensure optimal conditions for plant growth. Plus, early studies suggest that the increased pressure inside the biospheres speeds up germination. Since the entire pod is self-contained, there’s no need for pesticides. The plants are provided with desalinated seawater. Plus, any water that evaporates…

New fan If you had asked me six months ago to read BBC Science Focus magazine, I would have laughed, politely, but with genuine hilarity at the idea! But for my father, in his late 70s, this magazine has offered him a lifeline of stimulating and challenging reading to keep his ‘little grey cells’ active. Having passed the magazines on to me for months, I finally picked them up and struggle to put them down! So now, as Dad and I meet for our weekly lunches, I am able to meet his enthusiasm for the latest discoveries with equal awe and wonder. As a visual learner, I really appreciate the accessibility of the information, recently described by reader Dr Ron Barnes in April’s issue as “trendy units”. Please don’t lose these comparative measures,…

reply@sciencefocus.com BBC Science Focus, Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST @sciencefocus www.facebook.com/sciencefocus @bbcsciencefocus “WITH NO HINT OF HYPERBOLE, WHAT HAPPENED 66 MILLION YEARS AGO WAS PROBABLY THE WORST SINGLE DAY IN THE HISTORY OF OUR PLANET”PROF STEVE BRUSATTE, P70 Happiness from music In the April issue, one article stated that listening to music can make you feel happy (p34), whereas the following article (p36) said that a fabric is being researched that is so sensitive that it could be used for hearing. Hearing aids just amplify sounds and tones, making some music, especially classical, so awful as to make it not worth listening to. Hopefully this new fabric – by using an entirely different approach to loss of hearing – will give those with this disability a better alternative. Dr Roger Webber, via email Treasures on the Moon I was surprised…