Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2017 i BBC Science Focus Magazine

Forty-five years. That’s how much time has passed since a human walked on the Moon. It actually sounds a little preposterous when you say it out loud. Just think how much the world has changed in that time. We now have a permanent habitat in space. We can see almost any location on the planet from our sofas. And most of us carry computers that are far more sophisticated than the guidance computers used to send astronauts to the Moon. Yet because of the cost, we’ve never gone back. But it seems now there’s a new surge of interest in returning to the Moon. PayPal and Tesla founder Elon Musk is offering a lunar flyby for space tourists next year, while NASA has suggested it could send its Orion spacecraft…

This handsome chap may look like an East London hipster who knows his espresso ristretto from his latte macchiato, but he was actually a Pictish man who lived in the Scottish Highlands 1,400 years ago. This mug shot was digitally reconstructed from a skeleton found buried in a cave in Black Isle, Ross-shire by researchers from the University of Dundee. The body was arranged in a cross-legged position with large stones placed on its legs and arms. Several severe fractures in the man’s skull suggest he was brutally murdered before being laid to rest. “This is a fascinating skeleton in a remarkable state of preservation which has been expertly recovered. From studying his remains we learned a little about his short life but much more about his violent death,” said…

By using two different types of stem cell, researchers at the University of Cambridge have successfully built an artificial mouse embryo in the laboratory – a breakthrough that may help us understand why two out of three human pregnancies fail during the early stages. Our knowledge of early embryo development is still quite hazy, partly because of the strict rules around research involving real-life human embryos. The technique pioneered in Cambridge involves bringing together two types of stem cell: the embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that will go on to form the mouse’s body, and the trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) that will go on to form the placenta. The scientists placed both types of cell onto a ‘scaffold’ called an extracellular matrix, and observed how they then organised themselves just as…

LIFE EXPECTANCY SET TO EXCEED 90 FOR FIRST TIME A study by researchers in London has found women in South Korea will live to an average of 90 by 2030. FISH CAN ‘SING LIKE BIRDS’ Step aside Lady Gaga – fish have been recorded ‘singing’ by researchers in Western Australia. The aquatic symphonies occur at dawn and dusk, much like the choruses sung by birds. BUTTERCUPS’ GLOW IS CAUSED BY THEIR PETAL STRUCTURE Ever held a buttercup under your chin to see if you like butter? The signature glowing effect is caused by an incredibly thin outer layer acting like an optical film and reflecting light, Dutch researchers have found. FIVE A DAY MAY NOT BE ENOUGH A team at Imperial College London estimates that nearly eight million early deaths…

DELIVERY BOTS ARE GO The state of Virginia, US, has just legalised delivery robots, as long as the tiny trucks don’t weigh more than 23kg, or travel faster than 16km/h. They expect shops to offer autonomous home deliveries within 3.2km. SLEEP EASY Sleep trackers could actually harm, not help, your sleep quality. ‘Orthosomnia’, aspiring to a perfect night’s sleep, could become an unhealthy preoccupation, according to a report in the journal Sleep Medicine. THIS PHONE WILL SELF DESTRUCT… A device that crushes crucial chips in your phone has been developed by researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. The mechanism could be applied to most modern devices and can be triggered remotely as a last resort. OCULUS RIFT PRICE DROP The pioneering VR headset just got $200…

Two different batteries developed at Harvard and Pennsylvania State in the US could hold the key to better energy storage. Both of the batteries aim to make energy storage more efficient and less environmentally harmful. Much of the current research focuses on ‘flow cells’ – a type of battery that can be recharged by simply replacing the electrolyte fluids inside – and it’s this path that the Harvard team has gone down. The researchers have modified the molecular structure of the electrolytes so that they can be dissolved in water and are more resistant to degradation. The result is a liquid battery that can store energy for over 10 years, and that contains no toxic materials. It’s hoped the battery will find applications in storing energy from wind turbines and…

In less than two decades, the science of human genomics – studying the genetic makeup of individuals and populations – has changed beyond recognition. The first full human genome sequence took 10 years and cost nearly $3bn to deliver (at 1991 prices). Today you can spit in a tube, pop it in the post, and expect an email to arrive within weeks detailing thousands of variations within your DNA linked to traits, health and heritage, at a fraction of the cost. Unsurprisingly, enterprising companies have been quick to jump on the genomic bandwagon, offering everything from fitness plans to personalised wine choices based on your genes. But is it really possible to get such detailed information from a glob of your saliva? DIRECT TO YOUR DOOR The story of direct-to-consumer…

About this series In this exclusive four-part series, physicists Jeff Forshaw and Brian Cox introduce us to the biggest ideas in modern physics and cosmology. What is the nature of time? What is everything made from? What happened before the Big Bang, and how will the Universe end? We’ll delve into the deepest questions concerning the very essence of space, time, matter, and reality itself… GTGoU›C›UVTCPIG›KFGC››KV›KU› KORQUUKDNG›VQ›ECVEJ›WR› YKVJ›C›DGCO›QH›NKIJV››.KIJV›VTCXGNU›CV››››› OKNNKQP›OGVTGU›GXGT[› UGEQPF››DWV›KH›[QW› EJCUGF›CHVGT›KV›CV›››››OKNNKQP›O›U››KV› YQWNF›UVKNN›DG›TGEGFKPI›HTQO›[QW›CV››››› OKNNKQP›O›U››PQV›CV›VJG›››OKNNKQP›O›U›[QW› OKIJV›GZRGEV››UVTKEVN[›URGCMKPI››VJG›NKIJV› UJQWNF›DG›VTCXGNNKPI›VJQWIJ›GORV[› URCEG›››6JCV›ETC\[›UQWPFKPI›KFGC›EQOGU› HTQO›#NDGTV›'KPUVGKP››CPF›KU›VJG›DGFTQEM› QH›JKU›5RGEKCN›6JGQT[›QH›4GNCVKXKV[›› 2 2 ›6JG›KORNKECVKQPU›QH›'KPUVGKPoU›KFGC› CTG›GPQTOQWU››(QT›GZCORNG››KV›OGCPU› VJCV›VKOG›FQGU›PQV›VKEM›CV›C›UVGCF[›TCVG› CETQUU›VJG›7PKXGTUG›s›KP›UQOG›RNCEGU›KV› VKEMU›HCUVGT›VJCP›KP›QVJGTU››CPF›KV› DGEQOGU›RQUUKDNG›HQT›RGQRNG›VQ›CIG›CV› FKHHGTGPV›TCVGU›FGRGPFKPI›QP›YJGTG› VJG[›CTG›CPF›YJCV›VJG[›CTG›FQKPI› 2GTJCRU›VJG›OQUV›FTCOCVKE›GZCORNG› QH›VJKU›KU›VJG›nVYKP›RCTCFQZo››YJGTG›CP› CUVTQPCWV›FGRCTVU›HTQO›'CTVJ››NGCXKPI› JGT›VYKP›DTQVJGT›DGJKPF››5JG›\KRU› CTQWPF›HQT›C›DKV›KP›JGT›UWRGT›HCUV› URCEGUJKR›CPF›VJGP›NCPFU›DCEM›QP› 'CTVJ›C›[GCT›NCVGT››QPN[›VQ›HKPF›VJCV› OCP[›OQTG›[GCTU›JCXG›RCUUGF›DCEM› JQOG››CPF›JGT›DTQVJGT›KU›PQY›CP›QNF› OCP››6JKU›KU›GZCEVN[›VJG›MKPF›QH› YGKTFPGUU›VJCV›OWUV›DG›VTWG›KH›'KPUVGKP› KU›TKIJV›s›VJQWIJ›YG›CTGPoV›CYCTG›QH›KV› KP›QWT›GXGT[FC[›NKXGU›DGECWUG›YG›ECPoV› \KR›CTQWPF›HCUV›GPQWIJ››CPF›UQ›CTG› VTKEMGF›KPVQ›VJKPMKPI›VKOG›KU›OQTG› EQPUVCPV›VJCP›KV›CEVWCNN[›KU› 6JG›HCEV›VJCV›C›OQXKPI›ENQEM›FQGU›PQV› VKEM›CU›HCUV›CU›C›UVCVKQPCT[›QPG›KU› CEVWCNN[›SWKVG›GCU[›VQ›FGOQPUVTCVG›› (KTUV››KOCIKPG›C›ENQEM›OCFG›HTQO›VYQ› RCTCNNGN›OKTTQTU››DGVYGGP›YJKEJ›C› RCTVKENG›QH›NKIJV›QT›nRJQVQPo›DQWPEGU› DCEM›CPF›HQTVJ››UGG›n6JG›MG[›KFGCo›› TKIJV›››+OCIKPG›[QW›JCXG›QPG›QH›VJGUG› NKVVNG›ENQEMU›KP›[QWT›JCPF››CPF›VJCV›[QW› ECP›YCVEJ›VJG›RCTVKENG›CU›KV›IQGU›WR›CPF› FQYP››EQWPVKPI›VJG›DQWPEGU›CU›C›YC[› QH›OGCUWTKPI›VKOG››0QY›KOCIKPG›VJCV›C› HTKGPF›CNUQ›JCU›QPG›QH›VJGUG›ENQEMU››DWV› VJCV›UJGoU›OQXKPI›JQTK\QPVCNN[›› (TQO›[QWT›RQKPV›QH›XKGY››JGT›RJQVQP› VTCEGU›QWV›VYQ›UKFGU›QH›C›VTKCPING›CU›KV› DQWPEGU›HTQO›QPG›OKTTQT›VQ›VJG›QVJGT› CPF›DCEM›CICKP››VTCXGNNKPI›HWTVJGT› FWTKPI›GCEJ›TQWPF›VTKR›VJCP›VJG› RJQVQP›KP›[QWT›ENQEM›› 6JGTGoU›PQVJKPI›EQPVTQXGTUKCN›KP› YJCV›YG›LWUV›UCKF››*GTG›EQOGU›VJG› YGKTF›DKV››$GECWUG››CEEQTFKPI›VQ› 'KPUVGKP››VJG›NKIJV›DQWPEKPI›KP›[QWT› HTKGPFoU›ENQEM›KU›VTCXGNNKPI›CV›VJG›UCOG› URGGF›CU›VJG›NKIJV›KP›[QWT›ENQEM››VJG›…

THINK ABOUT THE MUSIC To bring out the authenticity of a dish, try playing ethnically appropriate background music (such as sitar music while eating a curry). If you want to bring out the sweetness of a dessert, go for some tinkling piano music. TURN OFF THE TV Turning off the TV makes us more mindful about what we’re eating. People have been shown to eat up to 30 per cent more when the TV is on. EXPERIMENT WITH PLATEWARE Don’t just go for a round, white plate. Try serving something on a slate, a plank of wood, or even out of a plant pot. Or simply change the plate colour. These will all affect your food’s taste. MAKE AN IMPRESSION We’re only eating for a few moments, so a lot…

Seven exoplanets have been discovered around TRAPPIST-1 p13 Selfie-editing has been linked with narcissism p55 If you were travelling at close to light speed , you would get to Andromeda in 50 years p68 Shiny hair can teach us about the roughness of the sea p73 Kangaroos can produce milk of different types from their teats p78 CONTACT US Advertising neil.lloyd@immediate.co.uk 01173008276 Lettersforpublication reply@sciencefocus.com Editorialenquiries editorialenquiries@sciencefocus.com 01173147388 Subscriptions focus@servicehelpline.co.uk 08448440257* Othercontacts sciencefocus.com/contact WANT MORE ? FOLLOW SCIENCEFOCUS FACEBOOK TWITTER PINTEREST GOOGLE+…

What’s so interesting about handles? Ah, not handle but Handle – the latest robotic creation to come out of the Boston Dynamics development labs. Hang on. Who are Boston Dynamics? An engineering and robotics design company based in the US who are responsible for the impressive walking robots such as Big Dog and Atlas. Right. What’s so special about Handle then? As it has a combination of both wheels and legs, it can travel over varied terrain. It has a top speed of 14km/h (9mph), it can make vertical jumps of up to 120cm and can pick up and carry loads as heavy as 50kg. It’s also able to travel up to 24km on a single battery charge. Impressive. So what can it be used for? So far Handle is…

What did they do? A team at Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute used gene-editing tools to knock out the DDX4 part of hens’ genomes to create hens that are unable to produce their own eggs but are otherwise healthy. Why did they do that? For the next step, the researchers want to implant the hens with primordial germ cells – cells that lead to the production of eggs – from other breeds of chicken, enabling them to produce eggs of this other breed. What do they want to do that for? In the short term, the researchers hope that the technique can be used to protect rare breeds of poultry, but it could also be used to breed hens that can lay the eggs of other bird species in a bid to…

“THE WOMEN THEMSELVES WERE ALWAYS VERY MODEST ABOUT THEIR EFFORTS” Having been a kid during the Space Race of the 1960s, I’ve always reckoned myself something of a space buff. While still in short trousers I could reel off the names of all the astronauts and cosmonauts and their achievements. But I must confess the story behind the hit movie Hidden Figurescame as a complete surprise. Was it really possible that NASA had used rooms full of people to work out rocket trajectories and orbits by hand? And not just any people, but teams of mathematically gifted African-American women – at a time when discrimination on the basis of ethnicity and gender were rampant? The story of how Katherine Johnson and her fellow “colored computers” – as they were known…

Blynk Add smartphone control to projects that use an Arduino or Raspberry Pi. Just drag and drop widgets to build your device’s own app-based UI. Free, iOS/Android Lego Life This Instagram-like social network for under-13s lets kids share pictures of their creations without revealing their real names. Free, iOS/Kindle Fire Sickweather This is one for serious germophobes only. The app monitors references to illness on social media to create a real-time map of bug hotspots. Free, iOS/Android…

Collection All that’s needed to analyse your DNA is a saliva sample, which can be sent via post to one of the many consumer gene-testing companies. Extraction The company extracts and purifies your DNA from cells in the saliva. SNPs The quickest way to look for DNA variations between people is to find ‘single nucleotide polymorphisms’ (SNPs). Each SNP corresponds to a difference in a single DNA building block, or nucleotide (the letters A, C, G and T), and some of these SNPs have been linked to particular health and physical traits. Exome sequencing Rather than look at individual DNA letters, exome sequencing involves reading all of the DNA that codes for our 20,000 genes. The exome is only 1.5 per cent of the human genome, but contains much more…

MOTION SLOWS THE PASSAGE OF TIME Imagine a clock made from two parallel mirrors with a photon (particle of light) bouncing between them. If the mirrors are placed the correct distance apart, the photon will take one second to make a round trip between them (A). If the clock is moving horizontally, however, the photon will trace out two sides of a triangle, travelling a greater distance (B). Since the speed of light is constant, the photon will take longer to bounce between the moving mirrors, and – from our point of view – each second on the moving clock will take longer than on the stationary clock.…

Pouting down at me from a poster on the wall was a glamorous model, crowned with a shining fountain of impossible hair. A selection of different hairbrushes located to my left were laid out like a toolkit, primed for the pursuit of perfection. My own wayward mane kept falling into my eyes, betraying my utter ambivalence towards the hair care trade. But the hair scientist that we had come to visit was determined to extract my opinion anyway. He was gesturing at three shiny tresses of hair, perfectly combed and displayed under a bright light. He was asking a question: “Which one of these do you think is in the best condition?”. I was clearly about to fail the first test of hair care, because all of the tresses looked…

TRAPPIST-1, an ultracool dwarf star located just 40 light-years from Earth in the Aquarius constellation, was first detected by researchers from Liege using the Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope (TRAPPIST) in Chile, and later confirmed by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and the Very Large Telescope, also in Chile. The planets were detected by observing dips in the star’s light output caused by each of the seven planets passing in front of it, events known as transits. The researchers found that all of the planets are comparable in size to the Earth, while density measurements suggest that the innermost six are rocky. Current climate models suggest the three innermost planets are probably too hot to support liquid water, and the one furthest from the star is too cold. However, the…

Here’s one penguin you definitely wouldn’t want to p-p-pick up! Researchers have discovered a 61-million-year-old fossil belonging to a Waimanu – a giant penguin that stood 1.5m (4ft 11in) tall. The fossil was unearthed near the Waipara River in New Zealand’s Canterbury region, and dates back to the Palaeocene era. The bones differ significantly in structure from other Waimanu fossils discovered from the same period, indicating that there was a great deal of diversity amongst them. This could mean the evolution of penguins started much earlier than previously thought, perhaps even during the age of dinosaurs. “This shows that penguins reached an enormous size quite early in their evolutionary history, around 60 million years ago,” said researcher Gerald Mayr. “What sets this fossil apart are the obvious differences compared to…

Meet the Range Rover Velar. Unveiled at the London Design Museum this month, its parent company Land Rover says this car’s aesthetic is an exercise in reductionism – every stray line has been tamed. This is most evident inside, where Land Rover’s designers have been busy banishing buttons from the dashboard. The in-car hardware – a pair of high-definition screens – has been built by Panasonic. It offers a full touchscreen experience, and you can flick content and controls between the screens in the car. Land Rover has kept haptic ‘magic rings’ inside to make it less distracting to control while you’re on the move. We’re also happy to see a non-leather interior made out of a new polyester/wool mix that the company says is as durable and easy to…

This year, nostalgia dominated Mobile World Congress – the largest mobile technology conference in the world. Companies vied for the public’s attention with the likes of 5G networks, autonomous racing cars and smart wearables, but the undeniable stars of the show were two rehabilitated gadgets from the past: the Nokia 3310 (turn to p29) and the BlackBerry KEYOne. You’d be forgiven for thinking that BlackBerry had been consigned to the big tech rubbish heap in the sky, along with the likes of Palm Pilots and Google Glass. But the BlackBerry brand was recently bought by Chinese company TCL, which wants to resurrect the device for the surprising number of people who still pine after diminutive physical keyboards on their smartphones. The device isn’t on sale yet, so we can’t offer…

VR Sense is a virtual reality gaming cabinet from Koei Tecmo Wave. It features enhancements designed to turn VR into a multisensory experience, complete with a moving seat, realistic aromas, and weather and temperature effects. If you play GI Jockey Sense, for instance, your seat will buck up and down like a real horse while you feel the wind and rain lashing on your face. Meanwhile, a version of Koei’s flagship title Dynasty Warrior features “a realistic reproduction of hot flames covering the battlefield”. But we’re not sure we’re brave enough to dive into survival game Horror Sense… The cabinet is expected to find its way into Japanese arcades some time in the next year or two.…

If you’re looking for a more flexible mode of study, The University of Nottingham offers a range of courses designed to fit around your work, family and other commitments. It’s the perfect way to gain the specialist skills and knowledge you need to further your career, retrain for another industry or pursue your interest in research. Whether you choose a distance learning or part-time course, you’ll learn from knowledgeable staff – all experts in their field – and have all the access you need to university facilities, including computer resources, libraries and laboratories. Courses on offer: • Professional Practice in Architecture Part 3 (part-time) • Applied Ergonomics and Human Factors MSc (distance learning) • Sustainable Energy and Entrepreneurship MSc (part-time) • Usability and Human Computing Interaction PGCert (distance learning) Why…

“The truth is, our social interactions, both online and in person, have a huge effect on our thinking and cognition” Recently, I witnessed the unpleasant breakdown of a relationship. One partner accused the other of infidelity and promiscuity; the other retaliated with claims of emotional abuse, drunken behaviour and an inability to perform sexually. All this, in much more sweary language than that conveyed here. It got nasty fast, with children being dragged into it, and friends taking sides and furiously rowing with those who’d taken the other side. All very grim, and it made me vow to avoid any and all of those involved as a result. That wasn’t difficult though, as I’d never actually met any of them to begin with. This whole breakdown happened on Facebook. Some…

DIET Some companies are offering personalised diet advice based on a number of genetic markers – a field known as ‘nutrigenetics’. The idea is that matching foods to variations in genes that have been linked to obesity, fat metabolism and hunger will bring better weight control. And as a treat, you can buy bespoke beer or fine wines matched to your genes. SPORT AND FITNESS As well as matching your diet to your genes, you can tailor your workout, too. From weekend warriors to serious sportspeople, companies offer to analyse genes involved in aerobic (oxygen) capacity, power, endurance, blood pressure and even tendon strength to suggest an ideal training programme, along with a rest and recovery plan. LOVE AND FAMILY You can now look for a ‘DNA compatible’ partner, based…

LIGHT CLOCK A type of clock where light bounces between a pair of mirrors. These provide a useful way to think about Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity, which says a moving clock will run slower than a stationary one. TWIN PARADOX The puzzle that two identical twins should age at different rates depending on how they move. There’s actually no paradox – Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity explains why this is true. NEUTRON STAR These astonishingly dense dead stars have a mass roughly equal to the Sun, but squeezed into the size of a city. Spinning neutron stars emit pulses of radio waves, which can be used by astronomers to test Einstein’s theory of gravity. PRINCIPLE OF RELATIVITY The idea that there is no way to define ‘at rest’ in…

DR ALASTAIR GUNN Astronomer, astrophysicist ALEXANDRA CHEUNG Environment/ climate expert DR PETER J BENTLEY Computer scientist, author PROF ALICE GREGORY Psychologist, sleep expert PROF MARK LORCH Chemist, science writer CHARLOTTE CORNEY Zoo director, conservationist DR HELEN SCALES Oceans expert, writer DR CHRISTIAN JARRETT Neuroscientist, writer EMMA DAVIES Heath expert, science writer LUIS VILLAZON Science/tech writer DR AARATHI PRASAD Biologist, geneticist PROF ROBERT MATTHEWS Physicist, science writer Do elephants really never forget? THEO HUNTER (AGED 11), SHEFFIELD An elephant has a very large brain for its size and the ‘temporal lobe’ region responsible for memory is more developed with a greater number of folds – this results in powerful abilities to ‘download’ important survival data such as where to find food and water, and who is friend or foe. The matriarch…

What do you do? I’ve spent a lot of my career working with people who have severe personality disorders, including psychopaths and sexual offenders. It was my job to make them less of a risk. What’s it like working with these people? It can be surreal. I worked with one serial killer, a trained butcher, who dismembered people. You have to build up a rapport with people in order to work meaningfully with them, so we cooked together. He taught me how to bone a turkey! All along I was aware these were the same skills that he used on his victims. Which are you more like, Clarice Starling or Cracker? Neither, these fictional characters are ‘profilers’. Cracker was an emotionally damaged Scot who tramped all over crime scenes. It’s…