Cramp is an involuntary and sustained muscle contraction. It can be caused by electrolyte imbalance, certain neuromuscular disorders or by drug use. But it mostly happens when we're resting. One...
Latest from Focus...
Poll
We're now using contactless debits cards and apps to buy stuff. But would you like to wave goodbye to money?
Would you like a cash-free society? Would you like a cash-free society?
We're now using contactless debits cards and apps to buy stuff. But would you like to wave goodbye to money?
Q&A
Not because they might drown. People often claim that this is the explanation, yet earthworms breathe by exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide through their skin, which they keep wet with a slimy...
Freckles are formed when groups of melanocyte cells beneath the skin are triggered by sunlight to increase melanin production. A regulating protein on the cells (called MCR1) is responsible for...
People still argue about this question, even though Harvard mathematician David Bell worked out the answer back in 1976. His answer was that if the rain is falling vertically, or there is a wind...
Your nose! Nasal mucus is produced to trap germs and dust particles and to keep the inside of your nose wet, so that scent particles can dissolve and your smell receptors can detect them. When you...
Tap water contains a huge variety of compounds and elements, but almost all of it at minuscule concentrations. As well as the chloride that’s added to kill bacteria and the fluoride to...
It isn't, particularly. In Victorian England, seaside resorts acquired a reputation for the health-giving qualities of the air but this may just have been relative to the distinctly unhealthy city...
As critics of wind power point out, there is a risk involved in relying on the weather as a source of electricity. In February 2003 parts of Denmark - the world's most wind power-dependent country...
Advertisement feature
Fuel your stargazing passions with these courses and accessories
Advertisement feature
The Astronomers Retailer Guide
There’s no better place to buy than from a specialist retailer
Advertisement feature
A pick of the best science festivals across the UK
Popular/commented/latest
Podcast
Focus Magazine Q and A podcast – February 2015
“Can lightning strike upwards?” and “What is the wettest place in the world?” BBC Click Radio presenter Gareth Mitchell answers life's big questions
Focus TV
Tasting the world's smelliest foods
The BBC Focus team taste the world's smelliest foods: surströmming, century eggs and durian.
Twitter
- Most fun I've ever had on three wheels http://t.co/ilLwLjQMdx — 2 days 47 min ago
- RT @davidshukmanbbc: For those of us who pretend not to care about #thatdress this report from@DavidSillitoBBC is hilarious: http://t.co/US… — 2 days 2 hours ago
- RT @BBCtrending: 'What colour is this dress?' http://t.co/6MrtmujAVe How a picture captivated the world http://t.co/g0koA1sFmT — 2 days 2 hours ago