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CONTENTS REGULARS 06 EYE OPENER Fascinating images from around the world. 36 INNOVATIONS The latest tech and gadgets news. 12 CONVERSATION This month’s letters and emails f rom our readers. 15 DISCOVERIES This month’s science news: world-first study maps how the brain changes as we age; DNA study offers clues about cancer mutations; humans selectively bred dogs to have puppy-dog eyes; wider genetic testing could be on the horizon; Pluto’s weird landscape may have been shaped by ice volcanoes. 30 REALITY CHECK The science behind the headlines. Is peat-free compost bad for the environment, and what are the alternatives? Does microbiome-friendly skincare work? Is the W boson about to rewrite physics? 42 SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 65 MICHAEL MOSLEY Beetroot – that muchmaligned vegetable – can supercharge your athletic performance and boost your heart health. Better start forcing it down… 66 ALEKS KROTOSKI Why to-do lists are better than search engines. 79 Q& A Our experts answer this month’s tricky questions. If I fell out of a commercial aircraft, would I be dead before I hit the ground? I regularly worm my pets, should I worm myself, too? How often should I reboot my computer? Why do trees have such shallow root systems? How do tearless onions work? Can a vasectomy be reversed? Do dogs know when they fart? What is sleep inertia? What is ball lightning? Why do kids get hyperactive when it ’s windy? 88 CROSSWORD Our tr ick y crossword is like a gym for your brain! Get two free issues when you take out a subscription to BBC Science Focus! 88 NEXT MONTH See what’s coming up in the next issue of BBC Science Focus. 90 POPCORN SCIENCE Is it possible to build a lightsaber, just like Obi-Wan Kenobi’s? 4 15 DISCOVERIES 34 REALITY CHECK Huge human brain study maps the organ between our ears, to reveal clues about how we age. 79 Q&A Is the W boson, a subatomic particle, about to break physics as we know it?
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FEATURES 44 A WHOLE NEW WHORL Marine biologist Dr Helen Scales takes us beneath the waves to show us the stories that shells can reveal about their inhabitants. 54 LAB-GROWN MEAT Your complete guide to the nutrition, ethics and sustainability of a food revolution in the making. 68 THE DAY THE DINOSAURS DIED New BBC documentary, Dinosaurs: The Final Day, digs into a fossil site that may have recorded the moment that an asteroid wiped out most of life on Earth. We find out more f rom one of the palaeontologists at the si te, Rober t DePalma. 72 DOES YOUR DOG REALLY LOVE YOU? Zoologist Jules Howard, author of new book Wonderdog, delves into dog psychology to see how our beloved pets feel about us. 40 IDEAS WE LIKE… These eco-friendly trainers are made from dandelions! 44 A WHOLE NEW WHORL WANT MORE? Don’t forget that BBC Science Focus is available on all major digital plat forms. We have versions for Android, as well as an iOS app for the iPad and iPhone. Can’t wait until next month to get your f ix of science and tech? Our website is packed with news, ar t icles and Q&As to keep your brain satisfied. sciencefocus.com INSTANT GENIUS Our bite-sized masterclass in podcast form. Find i t wherever you lis ten to your podcasts. 68 ROBERT DEPALMA “WITHOUT THIS IMPACT EVENT, IF THE DINOSAURS WERE NOT TAKEN OUT, IT’S POSSIBLE THAT HUMANS MIGHT NEVER HAVE COME TO BE” LUNCHTIME GENIUS A DAILY DOSE OF MENTAL REFRESHMENT DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Sign up to discover the latest news, views and breakthroughs f rom the BBC Science Focus team www.sciencefocus.com/ newsletter 5

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CONTENTS

REGULARS

06 EYE OPENER

Fascinating images from around the world.

36 INNOVATIONS

The latest tech and gadgets news.

12 CONVERSATION

This month’s letters and emails f rom our readers.

15 DISCOVERIES

This month’s science news: world-first study maps how the brain changes as we age; DNA study offers clues about cancer mutations; humans selectively bred dogs to have puppy-dog eyes; wider genetic testing could be on the horizon; Pluto’s weird landscape may have been shaped by ice volcanoes.

30 REALITY CHECK

The science behind the headlines. Is peat-free compost bad for the environment, and what are the alternatives? Does microbiome-friendly skincare work? Is the W boson about to rewrite physics?

42 SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

65 MICHAEL MOSLEY

Beetroot – that muchmaligned vegetable – can supercharge your athletic performance and boost your heart health. Better start forcing it down…

66 ALEKS KROTOSKI

Why to-do lists are better than search engines.

79 Q& A

Our experts answer this month’s tricky questions. If I fell out of a commercial aircraft, would I be dead before I hit the ground? I regularly worm my pets, should I worm myself, too? How often should I reboot my computer? Why do trees have such shallow root systems? How do tearless onions work? Can a vasectomy be reversed? Do dogs know when they fart? What is sleep inertia? What is ball lightning? Why do kids get hyperactive when it ’s windy?

88 CROSSWORD

Our tr ick y crossword is like a gym for your brain!

Get two free issues when you take out a subscription to BBC Science Focus!

88 NEXT MONTH

See what’s coming up in the next issue of BBC

Science Focus.

90 POPCORN SCIENCE

Is it possible to build a lightsaber, just like Obi-Wan Kenobi’s?

4

15

DISCOVERIES

34

REALITY CHECK

Huge human brain study maps the organ between our ears, to reveal clues about how we age.

79 Q&A

Is the W boson, a subatomic particle, about to break physics as we know it?

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