New issue: Sharpen your memory

New issue: Sharpen your memory

Recall is a bit like that game at the fun fair, the one where little yellow ducks bob around in the water and you have to fish them out with a flimsy rod. Our current understanding of memory and forgetfulness is that, to a degree, you don’t actually lose your memories: it just gets harder to fish them out. Once you encode something to your brain, it pretty much remains there, you just need the right hook – psychologists call them cues – to extract the memory. It could be a smell, a song, even a word that can tug the memory and haul it directly into the present. Which is all to say that remembering everything is getting harder as we get older. But there are ways we can tend to our memory to keep it working well, which is where Christian Jarrett, our psychology expert, steps in for this issue.

Holly Spanner

The front cover of issue 422 of BBC Science Focus

Problematic planets

From sapphire waterfalls and lava rain to orbits around dead stars, these distant worlds push the limits of what's possible. We look at 10 exoplanets that rip up the cosmic rulebook.

No more scars

Healing a wound without leaving a scar is something we could all do while in the womb... but not once we're born. Outside the womb, scars are the price we pay for healing, but they can serve as a painful reminder of past traumas. Now, scientists are closing in on a solution to the goal of scarless healing.

Human ancestors

Our ancestors met (and mingled with) more people than we thought when they left Africa. As Homo sapiens spread across the globe, they wandered more widely and earlier, than previous estimates held. New discoveries are uncovering a much more dynamic and complicated history of early hominins.

Dementia and deafness

There's growing recognition of a possible link between hearing loss and dementia. While there are clear benefits to treating hearing loss, we take a deep dive into the science of how a loss of hearing affects your risk of getting dementia.

Plus

  • Gene-edited food: Genetically modified pork has been approved in the US. Here’s what you need to know.
  • How to live longer: From fasting to low-protein diets, the evolving science of dietary restriction is throwing new light on how your diet is key to a longer life.
  • Q&A: Your questions answered! This month: Why do dogs love to play with trash? Should we be getting banana facials? In an average lifetime, how long do we spend blinking? What will spacesuits of the future look like? Is there anything on Earth that could withstand conditions on Mars? What’s the strangest satellite in space? How do I know when to let go of past goals or dreams? Why do more perimenopausal women get diagnosed with ADHD? And more...

Issue 422 on sale Tuesday 29 July 2025

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Holly Spanner

Staff Writer, BBC Science Focus

Holly is the Staff Writer for BBC Science Focus and looks after the popular Q&A section. She holds an MSc (distinction) in Geoscience (Space and Climate Physics) from UCL, and specialises in astronomy and earth sciences. Before joining Our Media, she worked as a geoenvironmental consultant and engineer, informing on ground risk and remediation in the north of England, while hunting for exoplanets in her spare time. Alongside this, she was regional editor of a popular theatre website for nine years, and has a solid background in curating and developing content for the digital space. Holly is also an artist and illustrator, and regular contributor to the craft website, Gathered. She has previously worked with the RSPB, English Heritage, Disney, Pilot and Brother, as well as on BBC Good Food magazine, Home Style magazine, and Papercraft inspirations magazine. She enjoys photography and has a sustained interest in antiques.
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