Innehållsförteckning för November 2018 från BBC Science Focus Magazine

We know more about the Neanderthal than we do any other human. They’re our closest ancient relative after all. Their bones, found across what’s now Asia and Europe, whisper that they were fearless hunters who cared for their sick and buried their dead. And the caves in which they were found tell us that they made tools, jewellery and perhaps even art. Thus far, the fossil record suggests that they lived here for some 350,000 years, until we showed up. More accurately, the Neanderthal story seems to end at about the same time that humans who looked like us left Africa for good and began to spread out across the globe. Some theories say we wiped our cousins out, others suggest that since Neanderthal DNA resides in most humans today,…

Four patients with severe spinal cord injuries can walk again thanks to a new technique that combines electrically stimulating implants and physical therapy, which has been developed by researchers at the University of Louisville. Of the four patients in the study, all were able to stand independently and two were able to walk with the assistance of walking aids such as walker frames or horizontal balance poles despite being injured more than two years ago. “This research demonstrates that some brain-to-spine connectivity may be restored years after a spinal cord injury as these participants living with complete motor paralysis were able to walk, stand, regain trunk mobility and recover a number of motor functions without physical assistance when using the epidural stimulator and maintaining focus to take steps,” said Prof…

OPTIMISTS If you view the glass as half full, read on. Maintaining positive thoughts and feelings can reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases, researchers at Northwestern University have found. Optimistic people are more likely to take exercise, eat healthily and not smoke or be stressed, they say. HAY FEVER SUFFERERS Say goodbye to summers spent with itchy eyes and a streaming nose. A team at the University of Copenhagen have developed a vaccine using sugar molecules that prevents the development of the allergy in mice.…

This is a miserable time of year. The days are getting shorter, colder and damper and there is still a long way to go until Christmas. A study published a couple of years ago in the journal Epidemiology showed striking evidence that early winter casts a malign shadow. By inspecting hospital records between 1995 and 2012, Danish researchers discovered that the number of people diagnosed with moderate to severe depression jumps by 11 per cent every November. One of the researchers, Dr Søren Dinesen Østergaard, told me this increase is too large and consistent to be a coincidence. He also thinks it is linked to the fact that Danish clocks go back an hour at the end of October, as they do in the UK. So in his view this…

CASIO PRO TREK WSD-F30 This new rugged smartwatch from Casio has GPS navigation and lets you store five coloured maps offline to keep you on track when you’re navigating in the wild. Setting it to run in ‘Extend Mode’ switches the display from colour to monochrome in order to boost the battery life from one to three days for extended expeditions into the wilderness. £TBC, casio.co.uk SKAGEN FALSTER 2 Skagen’s first Falster was one of the sleekest smartwatches on the market, and its second-generation version packs features into that same minimalist design. The Falster 2 uses Google’s Wear OS and has added a heart rate monitor, GPS, and waterproofing, as well as Google Pay, which means you’ll be able to use it to buy tickets on…

Choosing a pair of headphones should never be an afterthought when you’re building a hi-fi system. A decent pair of cans isn’t a mere accessory, or a necessary tool to ensure you don’t annoy the neighbours or wake the kids up – the right pair can be your passport to a world of musical enjoyment you scarcely imagined existed, revealing hidden depths and unexpected, thrilling highs in even the most familiar of recordings. It has to be said that this was one of the toughest group tests we’ve undertaken in a while. As you’d hope, given that these are four pairs of headphones from four highly respected manufacturers, all priced around the £500 mark, there isn’t a sub-standard pair in sight. No try-hard contenders, no victories of style over substance,…

ANGER The animal opens its eyes wide, points its ears up and wrinkles its nose while snarling, growling and bearing its teeth. It may also snap its jaw. ANXIETY The wolf sucks in air through its lips, creating cheek depressions. It may also sniff and whimper. CURIOSITY With its ears pricked up, the wolf tilts its head and sniffs about. FEAR Fear is expressed by opening the eyes wide, raising the inner eyebrows, flattening ears back and sometimes also lowering the head. FRIENDLINESS The wolf may blink frequently, raise its inner eyebrows, grin submissively and put its ears back flat against the head. It may also flick its tongue. HAPPINESS Happiness is being conveyed when the wolf blinks and raises its head. Sometimes its tongue can be seen near edge…

1 Bacteria The gut microbiome is a complex, ever-changing ecosystem of microorganisms that collectively can weigh up to 2kg – heavier than an adult human brain. Your thronging gut world is dominated by about 100 trillion bacteria, some are nasty, but many are essential to keeping our minds and bodies functioning healthily. 2 Fungi Less is understood about what scientists refer to as the ‘silent population’ of gut-residing fungi, such as Candida albicans . They only account for about one per cent of the microbiome, but they live in symbiosis with the bacteria and other microbes. Scientists are only just starting to study their role in the gut community in terms of disease susceptibility and immunity. 3 Yeasts Yeasts are simply single-celled fungi. The aforementioned Candida albicans is a yeast,…

The current global space market is annually worth around £250 billion By 2030 the global space market is estimated to almost double its worth to around £400 billion Currently, the UK space industry has a turnover of £13.7 billion – around 6 per cent of the global market. It aims to grow this figure to 10 per cent by 2030 Across the UK the space industry employs more than 38,000 74% of the turnover of the current UK space industry comes from satellite applications £2.5 million The amount the UK government is proposing to invest in the Sutherland spaceport…

This question always raises a smile among those who know the answer – or at least, think they do. That’s because the invention of what is often rated as one of the most important contributions to human health is often attributed to a Victorian plumber named Thomas Crapper. Crapper certainly existed, and he was an innovator, patenting the U-bend and floating ballcock – key parts of the modern toilet. Commercially, he also did much to encourage the installation of handbasins alongside toilets. As such, Crapper does have a claim to have invented the lavatory, which is the term for a room combining the two. But Crapper did not invent the flushing toilet. The basic idea of using water to wash away sewage dates back to the Bronze Age. Around 4,000…

It’s November, which means the skies are full of sound and colour. The large aerial fireworks are either rockets, like the one shown here, or mortars. Both are packed with exploding shells, known as ‘stars’, that are launched into the air using gunpowder. Mortars propel the payload upwards with a single explosion, whereas a rocket is propelled by a slower burning charge that provides gentler acceleration, for longer. 1 Electrical igniter Commercial fireworks are often synchronised with music, so the fireworks are triggered via signals sent through electrical cables, which in turn trigger a smaller igniter charge. 2 Igniter charge This consists of a small electrical heating element made from nichrome wire that glows hot enough to ignite a mixture of magnesium powder and potassium nitrate, triggering both the lift…

ORIONID METEOR SHOWER 21 -22 OCTOBER This medium-strength meteor shower will peak on 21 and 22 October, producing around 20 meteors per hour. It’ll be visible in both the northern and southern hemispheres, and is caused by dust from Halley’s Comet. HUNTER’S MOON 24 OCTOBER The October full Moon might be named after Herne the Hunter, who in English folklore led Yell Hounds across the early winter sky. Another theory is that the Moon is now higher in the sky when full, giving more light for hunters to stalk their prey. LEONIDS METEOR SHOWER 17-18 NOVEMBER Some years, the Leonids meteor shower is one of the most dazzling, producing up to 1,000 meteors per hour. It won’t reach those levels this year, but you’ll still see some meteors radiating from…

AMY FLEMING Science journalist Amy looks at the human microbiome and finds out whether the bugs in our bodies are affected by our national diet on p66 ROSIE MALLETT Studying the facial expressions wolves use to communicate may help us understand our dogs. Health writer Rosie finds out more on p54 KATE O’FLAHERTY As the US votes in its mid-term elections, cyber-security journalist Kate looks into the high-tech methods to stop hackers swaying the polls p72…

Jeff Marquis 35, Louisville Following a nasty crash while out riding his mountain bike with a roommate in Montana in 2011, Jeff was left paralysed from the chest down as a result of a broken neck. Following treatment with an epidural stimulator and months of intensive rehab he became the first participant in this study to attain bilateral steps. “The first steps after my mountain biking accident were such a surprise, and I am thrilled to have progressed by continuing to take more steps each day,” he said. “In addition, my endurance has improved, as I’ve regained strength and the independence to do things I used to take for granted, like cooking and cleaning. My main priority is to be a participant in this research and further the findings, as…

1,200 TESLAS The strength of a record-breaking magnetic field generated by researchers at the University of Tokyo. That’s 50 million times as strong as the Earth’s magnetic field. 91.2% The proportion of children in England receiving MMR vaccinations in 2017, according to data from NHS Digital. The World Health Organisation recommends at least 95% to prevent outbreaks. 10 MINUTES Practising mindfulness meditation by simply focussing on the sensation of your breathing for 10 minutes a day can improve concentration and working memory, a study at Osnabrück University, Germany.…

What did they do? Researchers at Johns Hopkins University trained a pair of rhesus macaques to gamble against a computer in order to win drinks of water. They were allowed to choose between two machines: one set up with 20 per cent chance to win 10ml and one set up with an 80 per cent chance to win 3ml. What did they find? Both monkeys consistently chose the machine with the greater pay off despite the longer odds. Even when they were no longer thirsty they still went for the riskier bets, seemingly egged on by the excitement of a big win. However, when the team suppressed a region of the monkeys’ brains known as the supplementary eye field they were 40 per cent less likely to take risky bets.…

MOST OF THE HUMAN GENOME ISN’T BEING STUDIED Researchers at Northwestern University in the US have found that scientific studies are neglecting up to 80 per cent of genes in the human genome. The effect is thought to be due to the ease of justifying the future studies of genes that are already well known, they say. THE IMPACT OF WWII BOMBING RAIDS WERE FELT AT THE EDGE OF SPACE Using daily records collected by the Radio Research Centre in Slough between 1943 and 1945 a team at the University of Reading has found bombing raids by the Allies during WWII produced shockwaves big enough to weaken the electrified upper atmosphere – the ionosphere – above the UK, 1,000km away. REGULAR BEDTIMES CAN LEAD TO BETTER HEALTH A study of…

LG CLOi SUITBOT LG threw its hat in the human-enhancement ring at IFA 2018, unveiling the CLOi SuitBot, a robotic exoskeleton designed to support walking, standing and working. It was made in collaboration with start-up SG ROBOTICS and has AI technology so it can learn about the user’s physical capabilities, environment and movements, then use that information to suggest optimal movements and stances to maximise efficiency. £TBC, lg.com…

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The Bower & Wilkins P9 cans look and sound great, but they’re aimed more at mobile use rather than home listening and are rather pricey. The Sennheisers, on the other hand, offer great value for money but they’re just a little more ‘ordinary’ in terms of design and build. Both the Audio-Technica and Quad cans offer great definition, but sound quite different: the Audio-Technicas are light and delicate, while the Quads sound warm and rich. The Audio-Technicas fared slightly better with bass-heavy styles, but we’re sure the Quads would catch up in time and that, coupled with their sturdier build, makes them our winners, by a hair.…

Everyone on Earth marches to the same beat: our bodies have an internal clock that keeps us on a 24-hour cycle. It’s fundamentally important for our sleep cycle, but it’s also crucial for our general health and well-being, and is linked to everything from our hunger and metabolism to our heart function, mental health and immune system. Studies have linked a disrupted body clock to a greater risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. With this in mind, James Lloyd caught up with Ella Al-Shamahi, an evolutionary biologist and presenter of a new Horizon episode on the body clock, to find out how we can hack our sense of time and why she locked a former Commando in a nuclear bunker for 10 days… Why did you lock someone in…

For £139, Atlas Biomed will provide a breakdown of your gut flora’s diversity, its ability to digest fibre, your susceptibility to diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes, and the nationality your diet most resembles. You will also receive personalised dietary advice on how to strengthen your microbiome through diet. atlasbiomed.com UBiome offers tests on bacteria from your gut, mouth, nose, genitals and skin – the basic UBiome Explorer kit costs $89 (£68) plus postage to the US. The results will compare your gut health with vegetarians and meat eaters, assess the diversity of your microbes, and how well your flora will metabolise carbs, caffeine and other substances. ubiome.com As well as offering a gut-health test for $150 (£115), Thryve also sells packages that deliver…

Why aren’t large Lego bricks used to build full-size buildings? EDWARD SEYMOUR, HOVE The plastic used in Lego – a type of polymer called ‘acrylonitrile butadiene styrene’ (ABS) – is surprisingly strong. In fact, it’s able to withstand compression better than concrete. Researchers at the Open University in 2012 found that an ordinary-sized Lego brick can support the weight of 375,000 other bricks before it fails. Theoretically, that would allow you to build a tower almost 3.5km high! But Lego is far too expensive to be used as a large-scale building material. There are, however, Lego-style construction techniques that use other materials. ‘Insulated concrete formwork’ (ICF) uses hollow polystyrene blocks that are assembled into walls and then pumped full of concrete. The polystyrene acts as a mould and provides insulation.…

What do you do? I study apes in the wild. I’m interested in the gestures they make because it tells us something about how they think. I spend half my year living in the rainforest, trying to see patterns in their behaviour. What’s a normal day like? I set my alarm for 5am because we have to catch the chimps as they get out of bed. I always start out really grumpy, then as the Sun slowly rises the forest comes to life. The colobus monkeys make this amazing dawn chorus that ripples across the trees. It’s beautiful. Somewhere in that 20 minutes, I fall back in love with what I do again. After that, it’s all about hanging out with the chimps. “CHIMPS KILL OTHER CHIMPS. IT’S A NORMAL…

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I enjoyed Aleks Krotoski’s new column in the October issue (327). But it’s not only social media that is to blame for the lack of self-esteem among women. I’ve long been infuriated by the way that almost every actress playing a role on TV has to be ‘physically perfect’ (unless, of course, they’re playing someone stupid or nasty or a servant, for example). Even if the programme is about a real-life woman from history, you can be sure that the actress playing her will be stunning, no matter what the real woman actually looked like. If you look at male actors, however, there’s a whole different attitude. There are weird-looking, old, wrinkly and sometimes downright ugly men in all sorts of roles in films and on TV, and quite often…

A research team at the University of Minnesota has 3D printed an image sensor array onto a hemispherical surface for the first time, taking a big step towards the creation of a bionic eye that could help blind or partially-sighted people see. Using a custom-built 3D printer, the team laid down a base layer of silver particles onto the surface of a hemispherical glass dome. The silver particles stayed in place and dried uniformly instead of running down the curved surface. They then used semiconducting polymer materials to print photodiodes (tiny devices that convert light into electricity) on top of the silver base. The resulting prototype ‘bionic eye’ was able to convert light to electricity with 25 per cent efficiency. “Bionic eyes are usually thought of as science fiction, but…

“WELL-MEANING PEOPLE MAY NOT EVEN REALISE THEY’RE BEING OFFENSIVE” Now is the time of year when the nights draw in. And with the longer nights come darker thoughts full of monsters and ghouls, along with cautionary tales of things that go bump. In the past, horror poked at psychological terrors. Since the internet, though, the latest ghouls are more socially conscious. Let’s take a look at woke horror. A poster child for the woke horror genre is the Academy Award-winning Get Out. It was released in 2017, the year that, arguably, liberals ‘woke up’ from their filter bubbles and got political. In Get Out, Chris, who is black, is invited to meet his girlfriend’s liberal upstate New York white family. But the sociopolitical commentary comes from the creepy way that…

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Back in March 2016, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta accidentally clicked on a ‘phishing’ link, allowing Russian-affiliated hackers to access his emails. It was the latest in a series of successful attempts to infiltrate the National Democratic Committee’s systems and discredit Clinton’s campaign. By the end of the same year, these breaches had become the centre of an international outrage and Republican candidate Donald Trump had been elected as president. It took two years to prove the hacks on the National Democratic Committee were the result of foreign actors’ attempts to influence the US election. But finally, in 2018, an indictment was issued against 12 members of GRU, the Russian intelligence agency, alleging they took part in a “sustained effort” to hack the Democratic Party’s systems during the 2016…