Table of contents for January 2023 in BBC Science Focus Magazine

I get bored easily. I think that's why I've never become truly obsessed with anything. There's just something about novelty, the little fireworks that go off in your brain when you learn something new, that means I've never had a singular hobby or lifelong pursuit. It's probably why I've spent more than a decade working on this magazine (I suppose some might call that a small obsession) without getting bored – I learn something new every day. But I do know someone with an obsessive personality. They can work on a single idea for months, years, or even decades, without getting bored or distracted. They replay the same 20-year-old video game year after year. They'll happily rewatch the same movies, over and over. They love cycling so much that the…

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reply@sciencefocus.com BBC Science Focus, Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST @sciencefocus www.facebook.com/sciencefocus @bbcsciencefocus LETTER OF THE MONTH Fiery issue I was interested by Prof Dann Mitchell's article on wildfires, (Summer, p86) which brought back memories of the Ash Wednesday fires in 1983 in southeast Australia. I was based in London, but worked for the insurance companies that paid for the damage. After the events, we were sent videos and reports detailing what happened and why. Due to the extreme winds, high temperatures and extended drought, the fires spread with frightening speed. In one location, the fire was approaching a four-lane highway, so the fire services back-burned an area along either side of the road to remove any fuel. They set up with water and waited. The fire approached, travelling over 25mph…

3D PRINTED EYE TISSUE Researchers at the National Eye Institute in the US have produced retinal tissue using stem cells and 3D bioprinting. The new technique may help scientists model the human eye to better understand – and develop treatments for – diseases and conditions that affect people's vision, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The researchers created tissue found in the outer blood-retina barrier, which is the area AMD is known to start in, by printing stem cells taken from patients into a gel and allowing them to grow over several weeks. They are currently using the tissue to study the progression of AMD and are experimenting with adding additional cell types to model more of the human eye. YEARS TO GO 25 FUEL FROM THIN AIR Chemical engineers…

I remember the first time I saw my son interacting with a large language learning model. He was only five at the time, but he was able to carry on a natural, flowing conversation with the artificial intelligence as if it were a real person. Watching him engage with this technology, I was overcome with emotion. It was a powerful reminder of just how far we've come in the field of AI, and it made me realise the limitless potential of these large language models to revolutionise the way we interact with technology. Actually, the above paragraph was written entirely by AI. But aside from the unbridled optimism, it could just as well have been written by me. If you've had the often disappointing experience of interacting with customer-service chatbots,…

If the pressures of modern life are making you feel like you'd love nothing more than to scream your heart out into the void, you're not alone. Sensing the Zeitgeist, in 2020 the New York Times launched their Primal Scream Line with the offer to “scream after the beep”. More recently, in September 2022, the Screamatorium experience came to London's Leadenhall Market, offering visitors the chance “to really let it out with a big old scream into a decibel meter”. In a similar vein, you might have noticed the rising popularity of “rage rooms”, such as those in Norwich where you can “take your ‘weapon of choice’ and destroy a variety of household objects, from old china to flat screen TVs or computers”. After years of a pandemic, a deepening…

IT'S NOT CRICKET SAGEBRUSH CRICKET For sagebrush crickets, sex is all about give and take. The male (right) takes his time during mating, ensuring that as much of his sperm can be transferred as possible. But he must give something of himself to do so: his wings. Not only does the female sagebrush cricket devour the male's wings during mating, she also drinks the blood-like fluid that leaks from his wounds. Her hunger is such that male body weight can fall by 10 per cent during this arrangement. And yet the male has more gifts up his sleeve. His sperm are wrapped up in a gooey casing which the female can, if she requires, snack upon. The curious mating habits of sagebrush crickets are one of many spectacular arrangements that…

Satellites can now be as small as a shoe box. Ten of these mini-satellites, known as CubeSats, were launched on the Artemis 1 mission in late 2022. Goonhilly is tracking these six: BIOSENTINEL Designed by NASA Ames Research Centre to spend 18 months studying the way radiation in space damages the DNA of living yeast cells. LUNAH-MAP Designed by Arizona State University to investigate the lunar south pole for hydrogen deposits associated with water. NEASCOUT The Near-Earth Asteroid Scout (NEAScout) CubeSat has been developed by NASA. It will unfurl an 86m2 solar sail that will use the pressure of sunlight to propel the satellite to a small asteroid and reconnoitre its surface. Unfortunately, NEAScout did not make contact following its deployment. ARGOMOON This was designed by the Italian Space Agency…

A living argonaut is a rare sight indeed. They live in the open seas of the tropics and subtropics. Their delicate shells occasionally wash upon beaches and look similar to their relatives, the chambered nautiluses – hence their alternative name: the paper nautilus. Argonauts are a type of octopus. People used to tell fabulous stories about them stealing shells from other animals, then floating across the waves, hoisting their arms into the air to act as sails and catch the breeze. This story makes some sense because, generally speaking, octopuses don't make shells. Their molluscan ancestors abandoned the habit millions of years ago, leaving it to their distant relatives, including clams and snails. The truth about argonaut octopuses finally came to light in the early 19th Century, when French scientist,…

The first thingto say is using honey when you're under the weather is supported by the evidence and certainly won't do any harm. A review in the British Medical journal in 2020 looked at 14 studies of almost 1,800 people with upper respiratory infections being treated with either honey or conventional methods (such as antihistamines, expectorants, cough suppressants and painkillers). Honey did appear to improve symptoms (especially the frequency and severity of cough) and in some cases was found to shorten the duration of symptoms by a day or two. The findings were only observational and honey isn't a cure, but it is safe for anyone over the age of one and is often kept as a staple in kitchen cupboards. Why honey works is unclear, but it has long…

HOW IS MENTAL HEALTH BEING SUPPORTED IN AFRICA? Africa is home to 1.4 billion people, yet many of its 54 countries have little to no budget for mental health services. To make matters worse, trained psychiatrists are opting to leave the continent for better pay and support systems. With a suicide rate above the global average and an estimated 116 million people affected by mental health conditions, professionals in Africa have their work cut outforthem – especially with only one psychiatrist for every 500,000 people. To put that in perspective, the UK has one psychiatrist for roughly every 5,100. Instead, local initiatives look to what are called lay health workers: community members trained in basic talking therapies, like cognitive behavioural therapy, and taught about common mental health problems. In Zimbabwe,…

The Climate Question: Why Does The Earth Not Warm Evenly? In some parts of the Arctic, warming is happening five to seven times faster than anywhere in the world. In certain regions of the Middle Eastand Africa, warming is two times higher than the global average. This show explains what's driving these differences. BBC World Service 23 January, 9:30am Also available on BBC Sounds Born In Bradford Born In Bradford is one of the largest research studies in the world. The study is tracking thousands of children's mental health with the aim of improving their lives with targeted interventions. Find out whether this breathtakingly ambitious piece of research will actually work. BBC Radio 4 22 January, 1:30pm Also available on BBC Sounds The Secret Genius Of Modern Life Bank cards,…

A few hours after the Artemis 1 mission lifted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on 16 November, its payload, the Orion spacecraft, snapped this selfie as it left Earth to begin its journey to the Moon. Orion's maiden voyage – a significant step in NASA's endeavour to return to the Moon – was billed as an uncrewed test flight, but there were a few passengers along for the 25-day, 2.1 million kilometre ride. In the pilot's seat was Commander Moonikin Campos, a life-sized mannequin. Campos was wearing the Orion Crew Survival Suit to see how well it protects astronauts during launch and re-entry. Travelling with Campos were Helga and Zohar, two female-shaped plastic torsos equipped with 5,600 sensors to detect the radiation that future astronauts will be exposed to.…

In the film Don't Loot Up, a pair of astronomers discover an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. After checking their conclusions, they pass the information to government authorities who order them to remain silent. While word does eventually get out, it's only because the astronomers leak their results, not because the government decides to share the data. To someone outside astronomy, this might seem plausible. Obviously, the government would want to cover up information so big and dangerous! But those of us working in the field take issue with this plot line. And a meteorite that hit southwest Ontario in November illustrated, in a dramatic way, that a cover-up couldn't be further from the truth when actual Earth-pummelling asteroids are found. On the night of 18 November, astronomer…

INNOVATIONS …speakers that blend in IKEA's partnership with Sonos was unexpected, but the two brands have proven they work great together, creating subtle speakers that blend into your home. First it was small tabletop speakers, now it's a stylish full-length floor lamp with a hefty speaker built in. The Symfonisk is priced at $260, which, considering the usually high costs of Sonos, is pretty affordable. IKEA has praised the lamp for its discreet nature… we would argue that a giant floor lamp with a beefy speaker attached isn't the most subtle item we've ever seen, but nevertheless it's an interesting product. IKEA × Sonos Symfonisk $260 (£210 approx), ikea.com …a power bank for the adventurers The Nitecore Summit 10000 power bank could be the ideal option for your morning commute……

… WHY DO THE VELOCIRAPTORS IN JURASSIC PARK TAP THEIR CLAWS? … DOES HITTING THE SNOOZE BUTTON ACTUALLY DO ANY GOOD? … WHY DOES HONEY MAKE ME FEEL BETTER WHEN I'M UNDER THE WEATHER? … WHAT IS A GREEN FLASH AND HOW CAN I SEE ONE? … HOW IS MENTAL HEALTH BEING SUPPORTED IN AFRICA? … WHY DO I LOOK SO DIFFERENT IN PHOTOS COMPARED TO HOW I LOOK IN THE MIRROR? … HOW DOES ULTRASOUND WORKTO CREATE A PICTURE OF MY BABY? … WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DADDY LONG LEGS INVASION WE WEREWARNED ABOUT? Email your questions to questions@sciencefocus.com or submiton on Twitter at @sciencefocus OUR EXPERTS PETE LAWRENCE Astronomy expert AMY ARTHUR Science writer DR NISH MANEK GP and medical expert HAYLEY BENNETT Science writer DR HELEN SCALES…

DEAR DOCTOR… Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do to reverse the effect. You'll just have to wait out your caffeine overdose, which could take three to six hours. But there are things you can do to make the wait easier. First (and hopefully this is an obvious point), don't consume any other caffeinated products today, so that includes things like cola, energy drinks and even chocolate. Drinking lots of water may help – it won't flush it out, as such, but an excess of caffeine can leave you dehydrated, which won't make you feel any better. Anecdotal evidence suggests eating something can help, especially foods rich in fibre. If you're feeling anxious about the caffeine intake, chances are that your breathing is fast and shallow, and this will only increase…

In September, the tabloids warned of an ‘invasion,’ as 200 billion daddy long legs were predicted to emerge and storm our homes. Their synchronised hatching was said to be spurred by an unseasonably warm patch of weather, but aside from the odd gangly straggler, it seems the invasion never occurred. So, what happened? In the UK, the two species of ‘daddy’ most likely to enter our homes (the common European cranefly and the marsh cranefly) had already been and gone. The insects spend most of their lives as soil-dwelling larvae, known as leatherjackets. They feed on plant roots and detritus, then they pupate for a week or two, before hatching in the late summer and early autumn. Larvae can die in waterlogged soils, so if it rains heavily over the…

HOW WAS CRISPR DISCOVERED? Genuine eureka moments are rare in science, but one occurred a decade ago when research into a curious function of bacteria immunology exploded into a Nobel Prize-winning discovery. The 2012 paper by Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier is already recognised as a landmark of science. Researchers had been piecing together information about CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) since the 1980s. In nature, it's a molecular defence mechanism that bacteria use to detect and destroy the DNAof an invading virus, like a set of microscopic scissors. When a bacterium is infected, the ‘scissors’ cut and paste a segment of the virus DNA and insert it into its own genome. This trains the system to recognise that DNA and destroy it. The major breakthrough came when…

The year is 2063 and brilliant scientist Zefram Cochrane has just carried out the first successful test flight of a ‘warp engine’, unlocking the seemingly impossible possibilities of faster-than-light travel. The warp signature is detected by a nearby Vulcan ship, the crew of which determine that humanity has finally matured enough for first contact. And that – in the universe of Star Trek –is how we become aware of the existence of aliens. “I don't think you could rule out such a scenario,” says Michael Garrett, director of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics and the current chair of the International Academy of Astronautics Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (IAA SETI) Permanent Committee. “Any alien civilisation is likely to be significantly more advanced than we are. They could be cloaked.” According…

Patients recovering from a cardiac event could one day have more effective treatments, thanks to a new medical device dubbed a ‘heart attack on a chip’. The device, designed by scientists from the University of Southern California, consists of a 2 × 2cm microfluidic framework made from a rubberlike polymer called polydimethylsiloxane, with channels running through it on either side that gas can flow through. Within it is a microlayer of rodent heart cells that are grown on a scaffold of proteins patterned to mirror the structure of heart tissue. Heart attacks occur when fat, cholesterol and other substances in the coronary arteries severely reduce the flow of oxygen-rich blood to part of the heart. In the device, this effect can be mimicked by passing gas with or without oxygen…

The loss of your sense of smell has been one of the tell-tale signs that you've been infected with coronavirus since the pandemic struck in early 2020. But while most COVID patients recover their sense of smell within a few weeks, for some it persists for months or even years. Now, researchers at Duke University Medical Center in the US think they may have figured out why: the infection causes an ongoing immune assault on nerve cells within the nose. “One of the first symptoms that has typically been associated with COVID-19 infection is loss of smell,” said co-researcher Bradley Goldstein, an associate professor at Duke. “Fortunately, many people who have an altered sense of smell during the acute phase of viral infection will recover smell within the next one…

REMARKABLE 2 Whereas the Scribe is an e-reader that doubles up as a digital notepad, the reMarkable 2 prioritises the notepad capabilities. It offers a clean interface and paper-like feel, which provides an enjoyable writing experience. Turn your written notes into text, edit documents, then unleash your inner artist with a great selection of drawing tools. £299, remarkable.com AMAZON OASIS If you're drawn to the e-reader function of the Scribe but can't justify the price or size, Amazon's Oasis device is the obvious alternative. It's much smaller, but still features a bright screen that's easy on the eyes along with plenty of advanced features and specifications. Plus it's waterproof, so you can read it in the bath without stressing over splashes. £229.99, amazon.com ONYX BOOX NOTE AIR 2 If you…

…HEADPHONES WITH AN EYE-WATERING PRICE Standing out in the headphone market requires innovative new technology, market-leading specs and great value for money. Or you could just charge almost $4,000 for headphones. The T10 Bespoke headphones have the unique selling point of being made from a new natural material that mimics the look and feel of leather, without the use of animal hide. It's different, but considering some of the best-performing headphones cost less £500, the T10s are more of a design statement than a pair of head phones. To show off your pricey investment, you can even wear the headphones as a necklace with the included chain. Classy… T10 Bespoke × Made with Reishi $3,750 (£3,000 approx), t10bespoke.com …A GARISH NFT WALLET Now isn't exactly a great time to be…

The Goonhilly Earth Station covers a 160-acre site and features around 40 antennas. Most are smaller, five-metre-class dishes. Not all of Goonhilly's large antennas have survived over the years, but three still exist. Of these, the original Goonhilly 1 (GHY-1) is now largely retired. GHY-6 is a dedicated deep-space communications antenna, capable of sending and receiving information to and from distant spacecraft. Meanwhile, GHY-3 is a radio telescope that can also be used for detecting radar signals reflected back off pieces of space junk.…

STACEY PENNINGTON, VIA EMAIL When you sing in a room, the sound lingers as it reflects back and forth between the walls. Each time the sound bounces off the room's surfaces, it gets a bit quieter as energy is lost. A bathroom contains lots of tiling and other surfaces that are hard and non-porous to make them easy to clean. These happen to reflect sound very efficiently, so it reverberates in the shower longer than in most other rooms. For example, a bedroom has soft furnishings, curtains and carpet that dampen the sound; these porous materials remove a lot of the sound energy at each reflection. The strong reflected sound in the shower amplifies your voice, making you sound like a more powerful singer. Experiments have shown that louder music…

It's tricky to answer this question as there has been relatively little research on the topic. However, we are sometimes advised to avoid hitting the snooze button, because the act of waking repeatedly could stress the body or disrupt the sleep pattern. Nonetheless, recent research by ateam of scientists from Notre Dame University in the USA, found that the act of waking to multiple alarms might make the process easier in the morning (bit.ly/SnoozeStudy). When we wake from a first alarm, we're more likely to be woken from deep sleep and experience a groggy state known as sleep inertia. If we fall back to sleep, however, we can enter a lighter stage of sleep from which it's then easier to wake. It's also possible that stress associated with repeat wakings…

1987 The CRISPR mechanism is first described in scientific literature. 2000-2002 More clustered repeats of DNA are found in bacteria and archaea. The term Cas9 is coined (where Cas comes from CRISPR-associated proteins). 2005-2008 We begin to learn how CRISPR and Cas9 protect bacteria from viruses. 2012 Emmanuelle Charpentier, Jennifer Doudnaand colleagues publish their landmark paper on CRISPR-Cas9 as a genome-editing tool. 2016 The first CRISPR-based therapy is used to treat somebody, a patient with lung cancer. 2018 Biophysicist He Jiankui announces the so-called CRISPR babies, children born from genome-edited embryos. 2020 Charpentierand Doudnaare awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on CRISPR. 2021 The US Food and Drug Administration approves the first CRISPR therapy for sickle cell disease. Ian is a freelance science and health writer, and…