From the editor

FROM THE EDITOR Usually, I like to end the year by focusing on the positives, and this year I’ve really got my work cut out for me. That said, there has been a lot to feel hopeful about – and you’ll find most of it inside this issue. First and foremost, the James Webb Space […]

Textbook landing

HOKKAIDO, JAPAN Ignore what your eyes seem to be telling you about this image: flying squirrels can’t take off from the ground. What this sequence shows is the way a flying squirrel sweeps upwards as it comes into land, after launching and gliding down from a spot higher in the canopy. What’s most unusual about […]

Beat the heat

LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER, VIRGINIA, USA This structure might be the key to landing experiments, equipment and possibly even people on Mars. And it’s inflatable. But it’s not for cushioning the impact of hitting the planet’s surface; it’s for surviving the heat of atmospheric re-entry. NASA is developing it as an alternative to the rigid heatshields […]

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The UK’s Goonhilly Earth Station has started tracking the path of NASA’s Artemis 1

The collaboration is the first of several missions ushering in an exciting new era for UK space science

Recurring nightmares can be reduced by sound therapy

The treatment helped people have more positive dreams

Oldest human DNA ever found in the UK reveals two distinct populations migrated here from Europe

The remains of the ancient Britons were discovered in caves in Somerset and North Wales and date back more than 13,500 years

Watching or listening to birds can help boost mental wellbeing, even for those with depression

Worldwide study using smartphone app uncovers mood-boosting effect of birds and birdsong

Getting just 10 minutes of vigorous exercise a week can help you live longer

Fitness tracker study shows that getting several bursts of intense activity throughout the week can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer