FROM THE EDITOR
Earlier this year, I went to a wedding and caught up with some old friends. We’re in our late-30s now, so half of us were chasing rug rats around the reception, while the half with babysitters inhaled wine. Anyone over 30 will know how most of our conversations went: “Kids… Yeah, everything changes… I miss sleep… There’s bodily fluids on everything…” But this time, we also had a new subject: how our bodies were falling apart.
My closest friend, who’s the kind of guy that takes his bike on holiday, couldn’t enjoy the dinner as his cholesterol levels had made his doctor blush. It turns out you can’t actually eat whatever you want as long as you exercise. Another explained that his back and knees had been ruined by years of long-distance running. His feet, he said, “were a mess”. And there was the one person who confessed that he was eating volumes of cheese that were going to haunt him and his wife later that night. It turns out he’d recently been diagnosed as lactose intolerant. The night felt like a series of GP appointments where each patient competed to see who had the worst ailment.
I realise this gradually becomes the norm as you approach 40. Wonky thyroids, new allergies, collapsing arches… the injustice of it all compels you to warn others of the ways your body begins to betray you. It’s inevitable. Or is it? We asked health writer James Witts to look into the simplest habits you can adopt to improve your overall wellbeing (find out what they are in our cover feature: Minimum effort, maximum reward). No ultramarathons or Peloton workouts here, just small changes that make a big difference… according to science.
CONTRIBUTORS
DR KATIE MACK
Katie, a theoretical physicist who holds the Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science communication, examines the cosmic dawn of light.
DR DEAN BURNETT
Dean, a neuroscientist and author of The Idiot Brain, examines how long it will be before we can reliably wire our brains up to machines.
DYLAN BICKERSTAFFE
Are there hidden rooms in King Tut’s tomb? Dylan, an Egyptologist, delves into the possibility.
HAYLEY BENNETT
A science writer and author who specialises in biology, Hayley explains what happens to the brain when dementia sets in.
ON THE BBC THIS MONTH…
The Language Exchange
What happens when poetry and particle physics collide at CERN? Listen in to see how language can help us reinterpret science.
Radio 4, 6 November, 4:30pm Also available on BBC Sounds
The Conversation: Women Leading A Revolution In Astronomy
Kim Chakanetsa (above) speaks to the women at the cutting edge of space science. Discover how we look for water in space, and what it’s like to run the largest radio telescope on Earth.
BBC World Service, 7 November, 11:30pm Also available on BBC Sounds
The Sky At Night: Question Time
Our new favourite episode of the year where the show’s experts answer viewers’ questions. Learn about the Artemis and Mars missions, exoplanets and more.
BBC iPlayer
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