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Gently does it

ESA’S ESTEC TEST CENTRE, THE NETHERLANDS At the largest satellite test facility in Europe, engineers have successfully unfolded this 11-metre, five-panel solar wing. It’s part of ESA’s EarthCARE (Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) satellite mission, which aims to help us better understand how Earth’s atmosphere functions as a system, to give us more reliable climate […]

Conversation

CONVERSATION YOUR OPINIONS ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND BBC SCIENCE FOCUS LETTER OF THE MONTH WRITE IN AND WIN! The writer of next issue’s Letter Of The Month wins a set of Edifier TWS330 NB earbuds. These water-resistant earbuds will see you through a sweaty workout or a rainy commute, and are kitted out with noise-cancelling […]

Lactose tolerance evolved in europeans thanks to famine and disease

LACTOSE TOLERANCE EVOLVED IN EUROPEANS THANKS TO FAMINE AND DISEASE Wide-ranging evolutionary study overturns the long-held idea that the gene for lactose tolerance spread because it allowed dairy-farming humans to consume more milk Prehistoric Europeans were drinking milk as adults thousands of years before most of them evolved the gene necessary to digest lactose, a […]

Trains could suck CO2 out of the air as they cross the country

TRAINS COULD SUCK CO2 OUT OF THE AIR AS THEY CROSS THE COUNTRY A single train fitted with the system could remove thousands of tonnes of carbon every year Retrofitting direct air capture technology to trains to recover CO2 could help us get back on track in the fight against climate change, a study carried […]

Scientists may have figured out how to control intrusive thoughts

SCIENTISTS MAY HAVE FIGURED OUT HOW TO CONTROL INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS The technique could help with unwanted symptoms of conditions like OCD and anxiety Most people experience unwanted thoughts from time to time. These internal intrusions can be as harmless as the urge to touch a button that reads ‘DO NOT PRESS’, or as debilitating as […]

Eating Marmite could ease anxiety and depression

EATING MARMITE COULD EASE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION B vitamins found in the spread may help the brain produce calming neurochemicals Sorry, haters, here’s yet another reason to love Marmite: vitamin B6 – a nutrient found in abundance in the yeast extract – may help to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, a study carried out […]

Robot dog learns to walk by stumbling, just like young animals in the wild

ROBOT DOG LEARNS TO WALK BY STUMBLING, JUST LIKE YOUNG ANIMALS IN THE WILD When this robot gets knocked down, it gets up again Morti, a robot dog, has taught itself to walk, just one hour after taking its first step. It learned just like animals in the wild: by tripping and stumbling until it […]

We could soon peer through time to see the first stars

WE COULD SOON PEER THROUGH TIME TO SEE THE FIRST STARS By analysing primordial clouds of hydrogen, astronomers could detect traces of light from the earliest stars and galaxies Observing the birth of the first stars and galaxies has been a sought-after goal of astronomers for decades. And now a worldwide team has developed a […]

Feeling ‘hangry’ is real, and there’s science to prove it

FEELING ‘HANGRY’ IS REAL, AND THERE’S SCIENCE TO PROVE IT Scientists tracking people’s food intake and emotions have shown that being hungry really can make us angry It’s a common phenomenon: go too long without eating, and you start to feel a little… irritated, to put it politely. Things that might not have bothered you […]