Latest from Focus...
Q&A
Are spiders really scared of conkers?
26/01/2015
Putting conkers around the house to deter spiders is an old wives’ tale and there’s no evidence to suggest it really works.
News
What’s on TV & radio (24 – 30 January 2015)
23/01/2015
This week's guide to science on the telly and radio...
Q&A
How do stones skim?
21/01/2015
Shape, speed and spin-rate all play a role, but it’s the angle to the water that is most important in getting plenty of skips.
The 6 hottest gadgets: February 2015
20/01/2015
We round up the gadgets and gizmos that are getting us excited this month...
Poll
Would you buy a selfie stick?
19/01/2015
They're the latest gadget craze: telescopic phone and camera holders that let you take selfies from a distance. But would you buy one?
News
Asteroid 2004 BL86: How close will it come?
19/01/2015
On January 26 2015, an asteroid called 2004 BL86 will scrape past the Earth. But how close will it come, and will we be able to see it in the night sky? Read on to find out…
News
What’s on TV & radio (17 – 23 January 2015)
16/01/2015
This week's guide to science on the telly and radio...
Gallery
10 everyday objects
10 everyday objects as you've never seen them before
Go beneath the surface and even the most ordinary objects take on an otherworldly appearance. In these images, GE Healthcare uses X-ray, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic...
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Poll

They're the latest gadget craze: telescopic phone and camera holders that let you take selfies from a distance. But would you buy one?

Would you buy a selfie stick? Would you buy a selfie stick?

They're the latest gadget craze: telescopic phone and camera holders that let you take selfies from a distance. But would you buy one?

Q&A
Is the brain of a genius heavier than an average brain?

Possibly, yes, but size alone cannot explain why some of us are regarded as geniuses. Some large-brained animals such as dolphins and whales are very intelligent, but so are crows with their tiny...

When did we start burying our dead?

We can’t be sure, although the oldest known burial took place about 130,000 years ago. Burying the dead is perhaps the earliest form of religious practice and suggests people were concerned...

Can earthquakes be predicted?

If you mean a prediction of the location, time and violence of an earthquake that’s precise enough to allow decisions about evacuations, then the answer is ‘no’. Over the years,...

Do 'battery eaters' make batteries more environmentally friendly to dispose of?

The battery eater is a circuit board shaped like a face. Its mouth is a slot for an AA battery and it has two LEDs for eyes. Insert dying batteries and enjoy the evil looking glow of the red eyes...

Do animals other than dogs cock their legs to wee?

Puppies don’t cock their legs, only adult male dogs. The behavioural change doesn’t seem to be directly linked to hormone levels because even dogs that are castrated before puberty...

Which mobile phone gives off the least amount of radiation?

The electromagnetic radiation given off by mobile phones is expressed by their specific absorption rate (SAR). It’s a measure of the power of the radiation absorbed by a given mass of body...

Why do our faces contort when we’re in pain?

People in pain typically have lowered eyebrows, raised cheeks, tightened eyelids, an open mouth, and closed eyes. One reason is to escape from the cause of the pain. Tensing up your muscles and...

Does running to music make you run faster?

Yes. There is a lot of evidence to show that the body responds directly to the tempo of music by matching stride, heartbeat and breathing patterns. One study (Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and...

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