Pure Science

Science Focus

Will artificial gravity ever be possible? Currently, all we can do is simulate the effect of gravity with rotating or accelerating spacecraft. The Alcubierre warp drive could theoretically warp spacetime and allow the creation of local...

Science Focus

With its big, bulbous hooter, the proboscis monkey is one of the most recognisable primates in the world. In the past, it was said that their noses were so big, they had to hold them to one side to eat, but this isn’t true. They eat just...

Science Focus

Cortisol belly We know that constant and continual stress can be bad for us, but new research is linking it to weight gain, particularly around our bellies. We take a deep dive into the mechanisms at play and suggest some simple tweaks to...

Science Focus

Science Focus

They don’t call it go-juice for nothing. Caffeine is the world’s favourite performance-enhancing drug. And it is a drug, not a nutrient – the most widely taken psychoactive stimulant known to humankind. In the UK, we knock back 98 million...

Science Focus

Planes shouldn’t just vanish. But that’s exactly what happened to a Boeing 777 on 8 March 2014. The true fate of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 to Beijing, which left radar coverage less than two hours after take-off from Kuala Lumpur, is...

Science Focus

The effects of climate change are pervasive, from biodiversity loss to extreme weather events, rising sea levels, wildfires and human mass migration. With each year that passes, we learn more about our impact on the environment – some of...

Science Focus

Four-hundred tonnes of flaming metal blaze through the atmosphere at hundreds of kilometres per hour. A shooting star like no other, it’s one we’re likely to see in 2031 as the International Space Station (ISS) comes crashing back to Earth...

Science Focus

Massive balls of ice falling from the sky: it’s more the stuff of an apocalyptic movie than signs of a white Christmas. Yet, thanks to climate change, we could see more hailstones bigger than your fist dropping from above. Now, new...

Science Focus

The verifiably oldest ever person in the world is Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived to the age of 122 years and 164 days old.  It’s incredible to imagine what Calment and today's supercentenarians (people who are 110 years old or...

Science Focus

Just like fish and chips, Batman and Robin or Jack and Jill, man and dog are a pair meant to be together. But how long has this dynamic duo been going? Scientists might finally know exactly when this friendship started. It's all thanks to...

Science Focus

A new study has finally provided a reason for why our brains evolved to be so large: the microbes in our gut. Specifically, the gut may have helped the body to produce enough energy over time to encourage the growth of our most important...

Science Focus

“You need to wrap up or you’ll catch a cold!” Most people have probably heard some variation of that parental plea while growing up, or have even given such advice to their own children.  But contrary to popular belief, cold weather...

Science Focus

Self-sabotaging – also known as 'self-handicapping' by psychologists – is when you knowingly do things that are likely to harm your chances of success, be that in the context of academic tests, performance at work, sport, or...

Science Focus

A dog hurtles past me, chasing a ball at top speed, across the wide-open flats of Seascale Beach in Cumbria. A small park and a row of shops and houses overlook the long, windswept sands. As I walk northward, tall chimneys and large cuboid...

Science Focus

In the depths of winter, when conditions are just right, glittering clouds turn the polar skies into a spectacle of colour.  Rainbow clouds – also known as ‘nacreous’ or ‘mother-of-pearl’ clouds after their resemblance to the...

Science Focus

We now know dinosaurs as the huge reptiles who dominated the Earth, but scientists have long-wondered why it took them 30 million years to reach apex status. A new study of their fossilised poop and vomit may have found the answer. Well,...

Science Focus

Rechargeable batteries such as lithium-ion cells don’t like the cold.  They contain electrolytes in a fluid form (typically lithium salt in solution) to transfer ions (charge-carrying particles) between the electrodes of the...

Science Focus

On average, a person with a womb will menstruate once every 28 days, for 40 years of their life. Menstruation isn’t just about blood: period pain is extremely common – 84 per cent have painful periods regularly – and it can be so severe...

Science Focus

Certain pieces of kitchenware have earned their place in our kitchens, thanks to their affordability, durability and ease of cleaning. However recent research suggests that some staples – black plastic utensils, plastic chopping boards and...

Science Focus

Personality traits, such as psychopathy and narcissism are replacing the old notion of ‘evil’. It’s hard to think of acts more despicable than the brutal attacks, kidnappings, rapes and murders carried out by the psychopath Ted Bundy, for...

Science Focus

In the cities of Navotas and Malabon in the densely populated area of northern Metropolitan Manila in the Philippines, flooding has become common. So much so, in fact, that the country’s distinctive jeepney vehicles (elaborately decorated...

Science Focus

On 3 March 1876, hunks of flesh reportedly fell from clear skies over Bath County, Kentucky.  Newspapers called it the Kentucky Meat Shower. Scientists ran tests on the meat and two local men said they had tasted it, declaring it to...

Science Focus

For the first time ever, scientists have captured an image of a star outside our own galaxy. Known as WOH G64, the colossal red supergiant was pictured 160,000 light-years away shedding its outer layers, the prelude to a huge supernova...

Science Focus

What if you could see every part of your body, right down to your genes and the tiny cells that make up your organs? Well, scientists are on track to make a directory known as the Human Cell Atlas.  Think of it like your car GPS, but...

Science Focus

Turbulence is a normal part of flying, hence the sick bags. But it can be dangerous. In May 2024, a flight travelling from London to Singapore had to make an emergency landing after hitting severe turbulence over Myanmar. The incident left...

Science Focus

The shortlist for the Close-up Photographer of the Year has been announced, and some downright stunning, weird and very very zoomed-in images are in the frame for the top prize. From an adorable baby wallaby seeking shelter in its mother's...

Science Focus

Today, the Moon is a cold, dead world but it wasn’t always so. Early in its history, the Moon was host to volcanic activity. Now, the latest results from the first ever samples returned from the far side of the Moon by China’s Chang’e 6...

Science Focus

A universal truth of weight loss: even if you manage to shed some body fat, you’ll probably find it’s harder to keep it all from coming back.  Why does this happen? A new study may have the answer: fat tissue retains a 'memory' of...

Science Focus

You’ve probably heard that time on the internet is terrible for your mental health. However, a new study could flip that on its head – it suggests that time online could help adults over the age of 50 reduce symptoms of depression by...

Science Focus

Left on read? A new study suggests your unreplied messages could be the fault of a common texting habit. While most texters use abbreviations in their messages, research from Stanford University suggests it could signal that you don’t care...

Science Focus

Back pain is on the rise. Around the world, a staggering 619 million people – around one in 13 of us – suffer from back pain. By 2050, it’s expected that number will rise to around 843 million. For some, it steals the sunshine from life....

Science Focus

When it comes to meteor showers, the Leonids are known as one of the best. Famed for its fast and bright fireball meteors, the Leonids aim to put on a show to impress. And in extraordinary circumstances, the shower can turn into a...

Science Focus

The Moon has treated us to a dazzling array of celestial phenomena this year, but the grand finale is here: the Beaver Moon, 2024’s final supermoon. But what exactly is a supermoon? How can you see it at its best? And what have beavers got...

Science Focus

Scientists have discovered your cholesterol levels could be significantly linked to your risk of developing dementia. And it's not just high cholesterol that matters: fluctuating levels over several years could increase your chances of the...

Science Focus

Scientists claim they have discovered a new drug that promotes weight loss similar to Ozempic, but without causing muscle loss. The treatment – which aims to curb appetite and boost calorie burning – reportedly works without other negative...

Science Focus

When we have cravings, there are those who reach for the ice cream and those who seek something saltier. Either way, you probably have a tough time imagining how the other camp live. How could anyone not like chocolate? Well, a new study...

Science Focus

By now, we’re all aware that the deep ocean contains some pretty weird creatures – yet one has continued to baffle even the ocean researchers studying it. Now, scientists have cracked a decades-long mystery about a creature lurking 2,614...

Science Focus

The hunt for ghost particles Currently under construction in China, the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is set to unlock the secrets of nature’s most elusive subatomic particle: the neutrino. It may ultimately provide the...

Science Focus

Researchers have discovered air pollution could increase a child’s risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Specifically, a new study reveals a pregnant woman’s exposure to common air pollutants could have a drastic effect on her...

Science Focus

Science Focus

The Taurid meteor shower, an impressive yearly event, is back. And it's a shooting star spectacle split in two. The first half of the shower, the Southern Taurids, occurred back in September. But if you missed that, don't worry – the...

Science Focus

For generations of kids raised on Scooby-Doo and Looney Tunes, quicksand was a danger that seemed to lurk around every corner. One false step and you could meet a slow and suffocating demise! Turns out, your chances of being swallowed by a...

Science Focus

Bats are far from crowd favourites – from the rumours that they’re vampires, to the myths that they’ll tangle themselves in your hair. They also got a bad reputation after the coronavirus pandemic, as they’re thought to be implicated in...

Science Focus

In certain parts of the world, such as Canada’s Hudson Bay, gravity is slightly lower than elsewhere. This is because objects with more mass exert a greater gravitational force and Earth’s mass isn’t uniform, so gravity varies from place...

Science Focus

If the existence of cosmic strings is confirmed, it would be huge. They could help uncover the Holy Grail of physics: a theory of everything. And in the far future, they might even enable us to time travel. The theories that predict their...

Science Focus

Scientists have discovered that your gut microbiome – the trillions of microbes in your digestive tract – plays a key role in how your body responds to stress.  A new study suggests that your gut microorganisms may have a huge impact...

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Researchers claim they’ve developed a device that can diagnose lung cancer through patients' breaths. A new study has unveiled the highly sensitive sensor, which researchers hope will one day be able to detect the disease in a non-invasive...

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New DNA analysis has revealed past assumptions about the victims of the Pompeii disaster may be completely wrong. A recent study, conducted by US and Italian researchers, found that some bodies thought to be family members are actually...

Science Focus

The first astronauts to vote from space were actually cosmonauts (people who are trained by the Russian Space Agency to travel into space), voting in 1971 for the 24th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from the Salyut 1...