CONTENTS

REGULARS

06 EYE OPENER

Incredible images from around the world.

36 INNOVATIONS

The lates t news f rom the world of technology.

12 CONVERSATION

See what’s landed in our inbox this month.

15 DISCOVERIES

This month’s science news: f ive things we learnt f rom the IPCC report; chimps communicate just like we do; evidence of applied geometry more than 1,000 years before Pythagoras; air pollution linked to increased risk of dementia; currents in the ocean are changing.

30 REALITY CHECK

The science behind the headlines. Space junk: is it a disaster waiting to happen? What does the billionaire space race mean for the climate? Can we help elite sports competitors stay well?

42 SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

61 MICHAEL MOSLEY

Many people like a ‘bracing’ wild swim, but can a cold shower offer the same health benefits?

62 ALEKS KROTOSKI

How would you feel if tea was no longer on the supermarket shelves? (We’re breaking out in a cold sweat just thinking about it.)

79 Q& A

Our experts answer this month’s questions. Can a corpse f illed with trapped gas explode when cremated? Is i t possible to build a ship out of ice? Were the dinosaurs cold-blooded? Has an objec t ever left the Ear th’s atmosphere through natural means? Why do flamingos stand on one leg? Why can old dreams feel like real memories? Why is flash photography banned f rom most museums?

88 CROSSWORD

Our cryptic crossword is like a gym for your grey matter.

Save 40% on the shop price when you subscribe to BBC Science Focus today!

88 NEXT MONTH

What’s in store in the nex t issue.

90 POPCORN SCIENCE

Would James Bond pass a physical examination?

4

24

DISCOVERIES

32

REALITY CHECK

Take a sneak peek at some of the images f rom the Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards.

Sure, space exploration is fun if you’re a billionaire, but what does it mean for the planet?

52 MYSTERIES OF THE ABYSS