Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2019 i BBC Science Focus Magazine

Ebola outbreaks are set to increase in several African countries as greenhouse gas emissions rise, according to new research published in the journal Nature Communications . The study examined a set of “plausible future environments” of different degrees of climate change and poverty alleviation, and found a large difference in how Ebola responds to the best- and worst-case scenarios. “Ebola risk appears to worsen in future versions of our planet that have higher climate change and worse cooperation between societies,” said Kate Jones, professor of ecology and biodiversity at University College London (UCL). The latest epidemic has killed more than 2,100 people since August 2018.…

Dogs may help survivors of heart attacks and strokes live longer, according to a study and a separate analysis of more than 3.8 million stroke and heart attack patients, published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality And Outcomes. Compared with patients who live alone, risk of death was 24 per cent lower for patients with a pooch. The findings don’t prove that owning a dog leads to longer life, but dogs may reduce risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, as owners get more exercise, have lower blood pressure and are less isolated.…

Back in 1970, Jeff Astle played for England at the FIFA World Cup. In 2002, after suffering with a dementia-type brain disease for a number of years, he died at his daughter’s home, aged just 59. Later analysis in 2014 of Astle’s brain revealed he’d suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease often seen in boxers. The neurosurgeon who performed the examination, Dr Willie Stewart, concluded that much like powerful blows to boxers’ heads, Astle’s repeated heading of the ball had caused his CTE. Now, Stewart has been part of a team that has revealed that former professional footballers are five times more likely to have a dementia-type illness, and three and a half times more likely to die from it than members of the general public. Since…

We like the idea of hydrogen cars. You go to a fuel station, fill your tank, and drive off a few minutes later leaving nothing but steam in your wake. So, when the Mirai first went on sale in 2015, we hoped we might see more like it on the roads, with hydrogen fuelling stations following close behind. Sadly, that hasn’t been the case. But with Tokyo 2020 about to turn the spotlight back on hydrogen cars with its hydrogen-powered Olympic Village, Toyota invited us to give its Mirai another chance. We drove the Mirai from London to Swindon on the eve of the release of the new model. For a car that pumps steam out the back, it’s reassuringly unremarkable to drive. In the same vein, filling up the…

It’ll be here for Christmas 2020. Last month, Sony finally shared some intel about its hotly awaited system. The tech company says that when the PS5 goes on sale it’ll be the world’s most powerful console. It’ll have a new controller. Let’s be honest, we’re not expecting the design to stray far from the classic PlayStation configuration, but Sony seems particularly excited about the new haptic system that will use vibration to give players feedback. Interestingly, the shoulder buttons (L2 and R2) will be adaptive triggers. In other words, they’ll feel harder or easier to push down depending on what was going on in the game. New chips and tricks. Of course there’s a new bigger, brawnier processor inside, but for once better graphics might not mean longer loading times.…

We have a toxic twin. Venus is the closest planet to Earth, both in size and often in distance, yet the surface conditions couldn’t be more different. One planet is home to abundant life; the other is hellishly hot, choked by an atmosphere of carbon dioxide that creates a surface pressure equivalent to being almost one kilometre underwater on Earth. However, things weren’t always this way. Once upon a time, Venus might have had a similar climate to Earth, complete with water oceans and plate tectonics. Finding out what went wrong with Venus is the question behind a fresh surge in missions to explore the planet. It’s an endeavour that promises to shed new light on how planets become habitable, and could even guide our search for life elsewhere in…

JAKE EDWARDS, LIVERPOOL WHY DO BODYBUILDERS OFTEN GET PROTRUDING VEINS? Prominent veins – known as ‘vascularity’ – is an aesthetic that’s prized by many bodybuilders, but it has nothing to do with muscle size. Most of the effect is down to the dramatic reduction in subcutaneous fat, which makes the skin appear paper-thin and almost transparent. Just before a competition, many bodybuilders also dehydrate themselves to shrink the tissues just under the skin, making the veins pop out even more. LV LUC WALLACE, CANTERBURY ARE BABIES BORN WITH A SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG? Early theorists in psychology mainly took the approach that babies are born without any sense of morality and have to learn it as they get older. We now know that although a fully developed sense of…

Between Swanage in Dorset and Exmouth in Devon lies the Jurassic Coast, world-renowned as the site of fossils that have transformed our understanding of life on Earth. But in the early 1800s, the fossils were regarded largely as curiosities, sold to tourists as souvenirs. Among those who collected them was Mary Anning, whose discoveries helped reveal their true significance. Born in Lyme Regis, Dorset in 1799, Anning helped her family boost their meagre income by selling fossils she found in local limestone cliffs. At the age of 12, she and her older brother made a spectacular find: the complete skull and torso of an ichthyosaur – a large marine reptile. Then in 1823, she found the first complete skeleton of a plesiosaur, another ancient marine reptile. Distinguished geologists started to…

1 MOVING TO MARS The Design Museum, London Immerse yourself in Martian life without leaving London. Includes objects from NASA, ESA and SpaceX. Museum entry is free, extra charge for the exhibition. Until 23 February bit.ly/design_mars 2 UNDER THE SKIN: ANATOMY, ART AND IDENTITY Royal College of Physicians, London The science of anatomy has a controversial history, as mentioned at the end of ‘Forbidden Medicine’ (p79). This exhibition raises questions about consent and identity, and showcases the work of artists in the discussion of dissection. Free entry 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday. Until 2 April bit.ly/anatomy-art-identity 3 NATIONAL TREE WEEK Celebrating the start of tree-planting season, National Tree Week events are held across the UK and include lectures, tree plantings and walks with expert rangers at certain National Trust sites. 23…

Meat: A Threat To Our Planet? Liz Bonnin investigates the environmental impact of meat. She becomes one of the first people in the world to try a lab-made chicken nugget in San Francisco, and meets the cattle farmers cutting down the Amazon rainforest. BBC One, 25 November CrowdScience This month the team discovers the impact of individuals buying products containing palm oil (22 November) and investigates whether humans could hibernate during interstellar travel (29 November). Fridays 8:30pm-9pm, BBC World Service and BBC Sounds Hardware, Software, Anywhere Producer Nick Baker is joined by Stephen Fry to discuss a 1909 warning about technology, and listens to reflections on the digital age from experts such as historian Mary Beard (pictured) and social psychologist Aleks Krotoski. Available now, BBC Sounds…

“SCIENCE ADVANCES BY LOOKING AT CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN DIFFERENT PIECES OF OUR UNDERSTANDING”PROF FAY DOWKER, p74 An educated population I would like to comment on the excellent article ‘Overpopulation: the debate’ (September, p74). When given a choice, most women would not have large families. My grandmother had 10 children. Two died in infancy, one never married and the rest went on to have between one and three children per family. This same pattern occurs in most countries: the number of children per family drops once women can be in charge of their reproductive options. Educating girls and family planning is important for tackling climate change, but also for eliminating poverty, abuse of women and child labour. My grandmother often complained that, “My whole life I was either pregnant or with baby…

EARLY RETIREES The thought of sacking off your job and collecting your well-earned gold watch early in life may sound like a dream to many, but early retirement can also lead to accelerated cognitive decline, a study at Binghamton University in New York has found. BEARDED MEN Gearing up for an interview for your dream job? You might want to break out the shaving cream. A study of more than 1,000 job applicants carried out at Rollins College in Florida has found that men with beards are deemed to be lacking in warmth compared to their less hirsute counterparts.…

1.Kristine Davis, a spacesuit engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, shows off a prototype of the snappily-named Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) at the NASA headquarters in Washington. The xEMU suit will be worn by the first woman and next man to walk on the Moon as part of the Artemis programme, which is scheduled for 2024. Compared to previous suits, the xEMU is more flexible, allowing greater movement. 2.Jessica Meir (left) and Christina Koch (right) inside the Quest airlock preparing for their first spacewalk together, and the first all-female spacewalk. They are holding the pistol grip tools they will use to swap out a failed power controller unit. The unit regulates the charge to the batteries that collect solar power and distribute it to the International Space Station’s systems.…

1. Tile gets tinier A Tile keyring connects to your phone’s Bluetooth and, if you lose your keys, alerts you when you’ve moved out of range (about 30m). It’ll also send the GPS location of the last time it had a connection to your phone. Now Tile’s tech has been squeezed into a waterproof sticker little bigger than a £1 coin that will adhere to any flat surface, including phones or cameras. If you lose a device, you can ‘activate the community’ which will let you know if another Tile user’s smartphone detects a stickered device nearby. Tile Sticker, £34.99 for two, thetileapp.com 2. Simplisafe in the UK After years of success in the US, Simplisafe is now available in the UK. This smart security system caught our…

VENUS AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM SUN: 108,200,000KM RADIUS: 6,052KM MASS: 4.87 × 1024 KG AVERAGE SURFACE TEMPERATURE: 462°C PROPORTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE IN ATMOSPHERE: 96.5 PER CENT SURFACE PRESSURE: 92 BAR EARTH AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM SUN: 149,600,000KM RADIUS : 6,371KM MASS : 5.97 × 1024 KG AVERAGE SURFACE TEMPERATURE: 14°C PROPORTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE IN ATMOSPHERE : 0.04 PER CENT SURFACE PRESSURE: 1.01 BAR SHUKRAYAAN-1 POSSIBLE LAUNCH DATE: EARLY 2020s SPACE AGENCY: ISRO (INDIA) AIM OF MISSION: ORBITER TO STUDY THE SURFACE AND ATMOSPHERE OF VENUS, POTENTIALLY INCLUDING RADAR, A PLASMA WAVE DETECTOR AND A CLOUD MONITORING CAMERA. VERITAS POSSIBLE LAUNCH DATE: 2021 SPACE AGENCY: NASA AIM OF MISSION: ORBITER TO CAPTURE GLOBAL, HIGH-RESOLUTION MAPS OF TOPOGRAPHY AND ROCK TYPE ON THE PLANET’S SURFACE. DAVINCI POSSIBLE LAUNCH DATE: 2021 SPACE AGENCY:…

In 1951, a young black woman called Henrietta Lacks was treated for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. As was common at the time, especially for black or poor patients, she was not told that the tissue from her biopsy might also be used for scientific research. Her cells turned out to be unlike anything doctors had ever seen: they grew quickly and could be kept alive outside the body, seemingly indefinitely. This remarkable ‘immortalised’ cell line (known as ‘HeLa’ after Henrietta Lacks) meant scientists could conduct detailed, long-term studies on human cells in the lab for the first time. Lacks died shortly after her biopsy was taken, and her family were not told about the HeLa cell line, even as it developed into a valuable (and…

1. Mount Vesuvius, in southern Italy, is the most active volcano in mainland Europe. It has erupted 12 times in the last 200 years, most recently in 1944. 2. Ash from Vesuvius was used in Ancient Rome to make incredibly strong concrete. Concrete piers from Roman harbours, dating back 2,000 years, are still standing, while modern marine concrete can corrode within decades. 3. The strength of Roman concrete comes from aluminium and silica minerals in the ash that crystallise as seawater seeps into microscopic cracks. This helps bind the concrete and prevent larger cracks forming. 4. Nanoparticles of cellulose, taken from root vegetables like carrots, can perform even better. Lancaster University researchers found that carrot-reinforced concrete was more than twice as strong as standard concrete.…

Generation rage Since I started subscribing to Science Focus , as a 15th birthday present earlier this year, I’ve read a lot of articles relating to climate change. Recently, my friend’s mum complained that we were all looking at our phones while in the car. She launched into an attack, quickly finding a YouTube video as ammunition. She made us all listen to a venomous letter from an older person, criticising young people for striking against climate change, while commenting that we should all stop using technology 24/7 and go back to school! It really angered me as we weren’t the ones that invented all the technology today, any more than we were responsible for the enormous destruction of the Amazon rainforest that has already occurred. Older people should be…

#AlexeiLeonov The first ever person to walk in space, the Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, passed away 11 October aged 85. He made history in 1965 when he performed the first spacewalk, floating freely in space for more than 12 minutes. Scott Kelly @StationCDRKelly Cosmonaut #AlexeiLeonov passed away today in Moscow. He was not only the first person to walk in space, but also an accomplished artist. Most significant, however, he was a great human being. Fair winds and following seas my friend. #RIP Garrett Reisman @astro_g_dogg We lost a most remarkable man today. #alexeileonov I still treasure every moment that I spent with him not only because of his superhuman accomplishments in space and his most singular life, but because he was a kind, humble, warm, and funny human being.…

You’d expect job interviewers to judge you on your attitude and experience, but new research suggests they could be critiquing your speech too. Employers can accurately judge an interviewee’s socioeconomic status after hearing them say just seven words, researchers at Yale University have found. This can affect their perception of the interviewee and can even lead to them offering a better starting salary to those deemed to be higher in social class.…

DITCH THE TAMPON Around 4.3 billion items of disposable sanitary towels and tampons are used each year in the UK. This adds up to an estimated 200kg of waste over a person’s lifetime, much of it plastic. This ends up in landfill or, even worse, flushed down the toilet into the ocean. There are other options, however. Menstrual cups are devices made from flexible silicone which collect menstrual fluid and can be reused for up to 10 years. They are a safe alternative to tampons, a recent Lancet Public Health study found. Reusable cloth pads and ‘period pants’, which absorb fluid just like disposable pads but can be washed, are also good.…

WHY ARE PEOPLE WORRIED ABOUT FEEDING BIRDS? Throwing handfuls of bread to ducks is a childhood rite of passage that many, myself included, have long seen as harmless enough. But in recent years, some scientists have suggested that bread might not do birds’ digestive systems any good. Organisations such as the UK’s Canal and River Trust have also recently discouraged it. They say that as uneaten food decays, the water quality deteriorates and algal blooms can occur. Plus, by encouraging ducks to congregate in one place, the build-up of droppings and outbreaks of disease such as botulism may become a problem too. Meanwhile, many cities have signs telling us not to feed pigeons and gulls, which are deemed a ‘nuisance’ due to the mess they make, and because scattering bread…

“THE METALENS SPLITS THE LIGHT AND FORMS TWO DIFFERENTLY DEFOCUSED IMAGES SIDE-BY-SIDE” If we want to build robots that can interact with the real world, they have to be able to take the 2D images recorded by cameras and turn them into 3D maps. The tech to do this exists – facial recognition in smartphones relies on depth perception to chart your features – but engineers want to make it smaller and more efficient for use in microrobotics, augmented reality and wearables tech. Of course, evolution has already has a solution: the eyes and brain of the tiny, but formidable jumping spider. A team at Harvard University studied the arachnids to understand how, with their relatively small brains, they manage to accurately and rapidly pounce on unsuspecting flies Each principal…

ROLL CALL The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting II is arguably the world’s most advanced fighter jet. Built on a mile-long production line in Fort Worth and costing around £100m apiece, the plane is wrapped in a cutting-edge stealth skin to avoid detection by enemy radar, and uses augmented reality helmets to give pilots an unparalleled view. Almost 30 years in the making, the F-35 is a trillion-dollar global effort with investment from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, the UK and the US. The RAF and Royal Navy have ordered 138 jets to be used on the UK’s two new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. So far, 18 have been delivered, with plans for a further 30 by 2025. LINEUP There are three variants of the F-35. The…

WHAT CHALLENGE DO PHYSICISTS FACE TODAY? I am working on the problem of quantum gravity. We don’t have a theory of quantum gravity yet. The challenge is to find one. It’s a problem because our current two best fundamental theories in physics [General Relativity and quantum theory] are not compatible with each other. It’s a strong statement to say they are contradictory, but I’m not afraid of saying that. Science advances by looking at contradictions between different pieces of our understanding, and it focuses on those contradictions in order to make progress. Science tolerates contradictions, but not forever. WHAT ARE THE CONTRADICTIONS INVOLVED IN THE PROBLEM OF QUANTUM GRAVITY? Our best theory of gravity, currently, is General Relativity. Largely formulated by Albert Einstein, according to this theory, gravitational phenomena –…

Would we be happier in a world without work? The futurist Martin Ford argues in his 2015 book The Rise Of The Robots that we are headed for a future of “technologicalunemployment”, brought about by automation and algorithms. Soon enough, our jobs will be taken over by robots, and with artificial intelligence (AI) infiltrating every aspect of our lives, plans are being made for a post-work era. But without a regular routine and a wage, will we slump into sofa-ridden despair, live a life of leisure, or – just maybe – find time to solve the climate crisis? 1 There will still be some jobs How many of us will really lose our jobs to robots? A 2018 British Academy and Royal Society report found…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED ■ About one metre of insulated wire (you can get this from an unused power cable or phone charger) ■ Wire stripper or scissors ■ Stainless steel dessert spoon or fork ■ Sticky tape ■ Battery (size AA, AAA or C will work) ■ Paperclips (or drawing pins) WARNING This experiment includes sharp objects – children should be supervised by an adult. The wire can get hot if it is connected to the battery for too long – disconnect the wire immediately if this happens. Fine wires can also prick your fingers, so be careful! WHAT TO DO 1. Strip about 2cm of the insulation off both ends of the wire using a wire stripper or scissors. 2. Twist each uninsulated end of the wire firmly to…

I CAN’T STOP CHECKING MY PHONE. WHAT CAN I DO TO LESSEN ITS GRIP ON ME? There are some simple practical steps you can take: switch off as many automatic notifications as you can (the less your phone is pinging and vibrating in your pocket, the less inclined you’ll be to check it), and set yourself some boundaries, such as not taking your phone in the bedroom or having it to hand at mealtimes. Banning yourself from checking your phone altogether is unlikely to work long-term. Instead, get more control by planning specified times when you’re allowed to indulge in some news browsing or social media bingeing. At a deeper level, consider the psychological need(s) that your phone-checking is satisfying. As with beating any unwelcome habit, you’re more likely to…

PETER MAKEPEACE, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE WHAT WOULD DINOSAURS HAVE TASTED LIKE? Dinosaurs probably would have tasted like chicken. Okay, so everybody always says that everything tastes like chicken. But I’m not being facetious. Birds evolved from dinosaurs, which means that they’re essentially modern-day dinosaurs. Of course, not all birds taste like chicken, though. So maybe some dinosaurs would have tasted like duck or turkey or game birds, depending on the dinosaur’s diet and fat content. Plant-eating dinosaurs such as Triceratopsand Diplodocusprobably would have been tastiest. The animal fat in the diet of carnivorous dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurusrexand Velociraptor would have given them an overly ‘gamey’ flavour (one of the reasons we  eat cows but not wolves). EMAIL YOUR QUESTIONS TO QUESTIONS@SCIENCEFOCUS.COM OR TWEET US @SCIENCEFOCUSQA WINNER Peter wins a Yeti X USB…

WHAT CAUSES A HANGOVER? It’s more than just dehydration. Alcohol irritates the stomach and small intestine, which can lead to stomach upsets. It causes an imbalance in electrolytes, and when we break down alcohol, we produce a toxic chemical called acetylaldehyde. This can be responsible for the racing heart, the sweating and the nausea. DO SOME DRINKS GIVE YOU LESS OF A HANGOVER THAN OTHERS? We’re not sure. One study found that dark-coloured drinks like red wine and bourbon seem to give worse hangovers than light-coloured drinks like gin and vodka, but the effect was subjective. Although people said they felt different, they didn’t act any different. I think it’s more about the volume you consume rather than the type of drink. WHY DO SOME PEOPLE GET WORSE HANGOVERS THAN…