What’s the difference between wave energy and tidal energy?
What’s the difference between wave energy and tidal energy? KYLA BALL, VIA EMAIL You may have learned at school that the ocean’s tides are caused by the Moon’s gravitational force pulling water towards it as it orbits the Earth, while waves are caused by wind blowing across the ocean’s surface. All that movement means ocean […]
What is tetrachromacy and how do I know if I’ve got it?
What is tetrachromacy and how do I know if I’ve got it? SAMMY CLARKE, VIA EMAIL Tetrachromacy is a rare type of colour vision that allows people to see colours that other people can’t. Most people’s colour vision is ‘trichromatic’, meaning their colour vision depends on three types of specialised cells in the eye, called […]
Why does writing my own notes help me learn things? Does it make a difference if I write or type?
QUESTION OF THE MONTH: Why does writing my own notes help me learn things? Does it make a difference if I write or type? SARA BJELANOVIC, AGE 14, LONDON In his book, Why Don’t Students Like School? psychologist Prof Daniel Willingham says that “memory is the residue of thought”. We remember the things we think […]
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From the editor
FROM THE EDITOR There’s a song that epitomises my thoughts about life in the city. It goes “New York, I love you. But you’re bringing me down”. I imagine this sums up the love affair many of us have with the cities we live in, even if it’s not the Big Apple. Life in the […]
Cold call
LONGYEARBYEN, SVALBARD On the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard lies this array of telecoms domes, which are in constant communication with polar-orbiting satellites. The Svalbard Satellite Station (SvalSat) sits on a mountaintop near Longyearbyen, one of the most northern permanent settlements in the world. Built as a joint venture between NASA and the Norwegian Space Centre, […]
High-tech hive
BEIT HAEMEK, ISRAEL Pollinators keep planet Earth alive. More than 70 per cent of the vegetables, fruit, seeds and nuts that we eat are pollinated by bees. But they, like all insects, are declining in numbers, due to things like habitat loss, climate change and pesticides. This high-tech beehive hopes to improve the health of […]
Lost cities
LLANOS DE MOJOS, BOLIVIA For centuries, legends have told of ancient cities lost in the Amazon rainforest, luring explorers and treasure seekers. Now, massive urban landscapes have been uncovered – using helicopters kitted out with the remote sensing technology LIDAR. Hidden among the dense vegetation, a number of remarkable settlements thought to have belonged to […]
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 an Oclean X Pro Elite Smart Electric Toothbrush. With a speed of 42,000rpm, this electric toothbrush, complete with an easy-to-read touchscreen and 32 intensity settings, is sure […]
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