Skip to main content
Read page text
page 3
FROM THE EDITOR I G H T B R I E L , D A N I N G A P O S C H K , J A C O B , B B C I M A G E S , G E T T Y G L O U C E S T E R O F I T Y I V E R S : U N PA G E I S T H B A N S H : E L A N A C O V E R There’s a certain genre of social media that sets my teeth on edge, and that’s celebrity routines. If you haven’t seen them, it’s when the rich and famous share what they do in a day. It turns out the secret to their success is actually a meticulously devised routine: they wake up at 2:30am, play golf at 7:30am, and they’re in the cryo-chamber by 9:30am while the rest of us a re st i l l scratching a round for coffee. For them, breakfast might be a nourishing Buddhist chant or perhaps an algal powder cocktail because they haven’t earned a meal yet. By the end of the day, the only way to really recharge is to sit in front of a Himalayan salt lamp for half an hour. If you can’t find one of those, then some Tibetan throat singing should do the job. The whole charade is so absurd, only one of the above is made up. Though the truth is, I’d love to know how to be more productive. I’d really like to get more done with my day, even if it’s just so I can spend more of my free time in sloth mode. My brain, however, doesn’t always play ball. Concentration, motivation or inspiration aren’t always within my grasp. And my solutions are a l it t le less ext ravagant than those favoured by the Hollywood set. Instead, coffee, biscuits and tea are my go-tos, when I find I need a little mental focus. Fortunately, it turns out that experts have some better solutions to this problem. That’s why for this issue we’ve asked neuroscientist Dr Dean Burnett to bust some of the most common myths purported to boost your productivity, and share some t ips, backed by scientif ic research, that might help you get your brain closer to peak performance. Head to p52 to find out more. Daniel Bennett, Editor WANT MORE? FOLLOW SCIENCEFOCUS ON FACEBOOK TWITTER PINTEREST INSTAGRAM ON THE BBC THIS MONTH... CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS How do I know if my toe is broken or just bruised? �p84 PROF BILL MAGUIRE A professor of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL, Bill looks back at a year of volcanic ac t iv i t y to explain what i t ’s taught us about Ear th’s geology. ->p44 DR KAELI SWIFT Crows are incredibly smar t : they can learn, imitate sounds, and even carr y out r i tuals for their dead. Bird exper t Kaeli tells us more. ->p66 HAYLEY BENNETT What i f we could have spot ted COVID-19 sooner? Science writer Hayley f inds out whether i t ’s possible to create a system that could s top a pandemic in its tracks. ->p72 PROF DANN MITCHELL Tornadoes, waterspouts, fire devils and snowspouts. Professor of climate science Dann gives us the lowdown on twisters and how they form. ->p86 Discovery: Tooth and Claw Pop culture gives hyenas a bad rap, when in fact, these creatures lead fascinating lives. Their intelligence is comparable to that of chimps, their laughs indicate social status and they’re matriarchal. Zoologist Adam Hart explores what we know about these incredible animals. Available now on BBC Sounds The Museums That Make Us “What are museums for in 2022?” That’s the question asked by art historian Neil MacGregor at the heart of this fascinating radio series. Join Neil as he tours the breadth of the UK to discover the ambitions of museums within local communities. BBC Radio 4 Starts Monday 7 March Fantastic Beasts: A Natural History If you think that unicorns and mermaids are the stuff of f iction, think again. Stephen Fry presents this documentary uncovering the ancestors of our favourite mythical creatures and reveals the relatives that still walk among us. Available now on iPlayer CONTACT US Advertising David.DSouza@ourmedia.co.uk 0117 300 8110 Letters for publication reply@sciencefocus.com Editorial enquiries editorialenquiries@sciencefocus.com 0117 300 8755 Subscriptions buysubscriptions.com/contactus 03330 162 113* Other contacts sciencefocus.com/contact *UK calls will cost the same as other standard fixed line numbers (starting 01 or 02) and are included as part of any inclusive or free minutes allowances (if offered by your phone tariff). Outside of free call packages call charges from mobile phones will cost between 3p and 55p per minute. Lines are open Mon to Fri 9am-5pm. If calling from overseas, please call +44 1604 973721. BBCScience Focus (ISSN 0966-4270) (USPS 015-160) is published 14 times a year (monthly with a Summer issue in July and a New Year issue in December) by Immediate Media Company, Bristol, Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST. Distributed in the US by NPS Media Group, 2 Enterprise Drive, Suite 420, Shelton, CT 06484. Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, CT and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BBCScience Focus, PO Box 37495, Boone, IA 50037-0495. 3

Page Text

View plaintext

FROM THE EDITOR

I G H T

B R

I E L

, D A N

I N

G A P O S C H K

, J A C O B

, B B C

I M A G E S

, G E T T Y

G L O U C E S T E R

O F

I T Y

I V E R S

: U N

PA G E

I S

T H

B A N S H

: E L A N A

C O V E R

There’s a certain genre of social media that sets my teeth on edge, and that’s celebrity routines. If you haven’t seen them, it’s when the rich and famous share what they do in a day. It turns out the secret to their success is actually a meticulously devised routine: they wake up at 2:30am, play golf at 7:30am, and they’re in the cryo-chamber by 9:30am while the rest of us a re st i l l scratching a round for coffee. For them, breakfast might be a nourishing

Buddhist chant or perhaps an algal powder cocktail because they haven’t earned a meal yet. By the end of the day, the only way to really recharge is to sit in front of a Himalayan salt lamp for half an hour. If you can’t find one of those, then some Tibetan throat singing should do the job. The whole charade is so absurd, only one of the above is made up.

Though the truth is, I’d love to know how to be more productive. I’d really like to get more done with my day, even if it’s just so I can spend more of my free time in sloth mode. My brain, however, doesn’t always play ball. Concentration, motivation or inspiration aren’t always within my grasp. And my solutions are a l it t le less ext ravagant than those favoured by the Hollywood set. Instead, coffee, biscuits and tea are my go-tos, when I find I need a little mental focus. Fortunately, it turns out that experts have some better solutions to this problem. That’s why for this issue we’ve asked neuroscientist Dr Dean Burnett to bust some of the most common myths purported to boost your productivity, and share some t ips, backed by scientif ic research, that might help you get your brain closer to peak performance. Head to p52 to find out more.

Daniel Bennett, Editor

WANT MORE? FOLLOW SCIENCEFOCUS ON FACEBOOK TWITTER PINTEREST INSTAGRAM

ON THE BBC THIS MONTH...

CONTRIBUTORS

CONTRIBUTORS

How do I know if my toe is broken or just bruised? �p84

PROF BILL MAGUIRE A professor of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL, Bill looks back at a year of volcanic ac t iv i t y to explain what i t ’s taught us about Ear th’s geology. ->p44

DR KAELI SWIFT Crows are incredibly smar t : they can learn, imitate sounds, and even carr y out r i tuals for their dead. Bird exper t Kaeli tells us more. ->p66

HAYLEY BENNETT What i f we could have spot ted COVID-19 sooner? Science writer Hayley f inds out whether i t ’s possible to create a system that could s top a pandemic in its tracks. ->p72

PROF DANN MITCHELL Tornadoes, waterspouts, fire devils and snowspouts. Professor of climate science Dann gives us the lowdown on twisters and how they form. ->p86

Discovery: Tooth and Claw Pop culture gives hyenas a bad rap, when in fact, these creatures lead fascinating lives. Their intelligence is comparable to that of chimps, their laughs indicate social status and they’re matriarchal. Zoologist Adam Hart explores what we know about these incredible animals. Available now on BBC Sounds

The Museums That Make Us “What are museums for in 2022?” That’s the question asked by art historian Neil MacGregor at the heart of this fascinating radio series. Join Neil as he tours the breadth of the UK to discover the ambitions of museums within local communities. BBC Radio 4 Starts Monday 7 March

Fantastic Beasts: A Natural History If you think that unicorns and mermaids are the stuff of f iction, think again. Stephen Fry presents this documentary uncovering the ancestors of our favourite mythical creatures and reveals the relatives that still walk among us. Available now on iPlayer

CONTACT US

Advertising David.DSouza@ourmedia.co.uk

0117 300 8110 Letters for publication reply@sciencefocus.com

Editorial enquiries editorialenquiries@sciencefocus.com

0117 300 8755

Subscriptions buysubscriptions.com/contactus

03330 162 113* Other contacts sciencefocus.com/contact

*UK calls will cost the same as other standard fixed line numbers (starting 01 or 02) and are included as part of any inclusive or free minutes allowances (if offered by your phone tariff). Outside of free call packages call charges from mobile phones will cost between 3p and 55p per minute. Lines are open Mon to Fri 9am-5pm. If calling from overseas, please call +44 1604 973721. BBCScience Focus (ISSN 0966-4270) (USPS 015-160) is published 14 times a year (monthly with a Summer issue in July and a New Year issue in December) by Immediate Media Company, Bristol, Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST. Distributed in the US by NPS Media Group, 2 Enterprise Drive, Suite 420, Shelton, CT 06484. Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, CT and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BBCScience Focus, PO Box 37495, Boone, IA 50037-0495.

3

read next page

My Bookmarks

Buy this Book
Skip to main content