Tabla de contenidos para August 2023 en BBC Science Focus Magazine

DISCOVERIES VIROLOGY Artificial intelligence (AI) could reduce the threat of future viral A pandemics, that’s according to the scientists who have developed an early warning system that uses machine learning. The scientists from the Scripps Research Institute, which is spread across the US but has its headquarters in California, have trained the system to track the emergence and evolution of epidemic viruses, such as the SARS-CoV-2 variants. This system could be used to track viral pandemics in the future, using an ‘unprecedented’ approach – according to the paper’s senior author Prof William Balch. “There are rules of pandemic virus evolution that we have not understood, but can be discovered,” he said. In a paper published in Cell Patterns, the scientists show this system could have predicted new COVID variants weeks before…

ASTRONOMY “It’s very rare to find ultra-cool brown dwarf stars like this producing radio emissions” It may not be the brightest star, but a brown dwarf is shining for a different reason altogether. Astronomers at the University of Sydney have found the coldest star on record to emit radio waves. At a mere 425°Cs (797°F), this little ball of gas, known as T8 Dwarf WISE J062309.94−045624.6, is cooler than a typical campfire. The Sun, in comparison, burns at a whopping 5,600°C (10,112 °F). “Finding this brown dwarf producing radio waves at such a low temperature is a neat discovery,” said Kovi Rose, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney’s School of Physics and the lead author of the paper that announced the finding, published in The Astrophysical Journal. According…

Live facial recognition | Skin cancer | Hay fever “While the UK government is pushing for increased use of this AI surveillance tech, many other countries with the notable exception of China, are not” Government ministers in the UK are pushing for the MET police to make use of automated facial recognition for routine law enforcement. As police officers already wear body cameras, it would be possible to send the images they record directly to live facial recognition (LFR) systems. This would mean everyone the officers encounter could be instantly checked to see if they match the data of someone on a watchlist – a database of offenders wanted by the police and courts. The technology has already been used for highprofile gatherings such as King Charles’s Coronation, but could…

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been the driving force behind a lot of big developments in the last year. But while super-intelligent chatbots and rapid art generation have gripped the internet, elsewhere AI has been used to try and find solutions to one of humanity’s biggest problems: ageing. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, working in the field of drug discovery, have used machine-learning systems to unearth a selection of new anti-ageing drugs. Machine learning is a branch of AI that focuses on using data to imitate the way that humans learn, improving its accuracy as its fed more data. In the past, machine learning has been used to create chessplaying robots, self-driving cars and even Netflix recommendations, but in this case the algorithm was looking for senolytics. Senolytics are drugs…

Just off the coast of southern Brazil lies the island of Queimada Grande, known as ‘Snake Island’. Covering just 43 hectares (106 acres), this rocky island is home to between 2,000 and 4,000 highly venomous golden lancehead vipers (Bothrops insularis), which can grow to 70cm (just over 2ft). The snakes were trapped there around 11,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age, when rising sea levels cut them off from the mainland. No mammals live on the island, so the snakes had no predators to keep their numbers in check, but also very limited prey. With few ground animals to hunt, the snakes became specialists in catching birds that visit the island during their annual migrations. This diet may explain why their venom is so deadly. Whereas…

Q&A NATURE’S WEIRDEST CREATURES Lock up your goats, it’s the great eared nightjar; a big-mouthed, teat-wrangling, milk-gobbler of a bird that will desiccate your bleaters and leave them blind. At least, that’s what Aristotle thought. According to the renowned Greek philosopher, nightjars suckle directly from the udders of goats. Bear in mind, however, he also believed that eels spontaneously generate from mud, that Earth is at the centre of the Universe and that men have hotter blood than women. Pinch of salt, anyone? Myths can be hard to shake and so, today, the nightjar is still known to some as the ‘goatsucker.’ Nightjars, of which there are around 100 species, feed on the wing and are insectivorous. In days gone by, they might have been attracted to domestic livestock, to…

If you’ve ever left potatoes in your cupboard for too long, you might have returned to find them covered in small sprouts, known as ‘eyes’. Potatoes are underground plant storage organs, known as tubers, which remain dormant over winter and grow a new plant in the spring. When exposed to light, warmth and moisture, they start to sprout. So, storing your potatoes in a dark, cool, dry, well-ventilated location can slow this process. Another trick is to keep potatoes alongside apples, which release ethylene gas as they ripen. Ethylene slows the sprouting process and helps keep spuds fresh for longer.…

The answer to this question requires some philosophical thinking and depends on how you define wetness. The debate over whether water is wet is likely to continue for as long as the planet is awash with the stuff. Most scientists define wetness as a liquid’s ability to maintain contact with a solid surface, meaning that water itself is not wet, but can make other materials wet. When you touch a wet surface, the water molecules stick to your skin, creating a wet sensation. But if you define wet as ‘made of liquid or moisture’, as some do, then water and all other liquids can be considered wet. Some people describe wetness as a physical, cooling sensation experienced when water takes in energy to evaporate into surrounding air. The balance between…

A strange species of Australian ant produces honey with antimicrobial powers, killing bacteria and fungus species, according to a recent study. The study, conducted by scientists at the University of Sydney, is the first to investigate the medicinal benefits of ant honey. This is not an original discovery, however. Australian honeypot ants have been used in food and medicine by First Nations people for thousands of years. The Australian honeypot ant, Camponotus inflatus, is found in desert areas in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. The researchers hope that identifying the particular antimicrobial compounds in the ant honey could help to develop new antibiotics. “I have long been fascinated by the honeypot ant and its amazing way of producing and storing honey,” said Andrew Dong, co-author of the study published…

COMMENT Why does something exist rather than nothing? This profound question lies at the heart of both science and philosophy, inviting us to explore the origins of our existence. In the field of evolutionary theory, we understand that all life on Earth can be traced back to a common ancestor known as the last universal common ancestor (LUCA). The search for LUCA captivates researchers investigating the origin of life. Our curiosity doesn’t end there, though. We can delve further into the origins of Earth itself, and the Universe around it. From a cosmological perspective, we discover a breathtaking connection between the birth of stars, the formation of planets and the expansion of the Universe. The dance of cosmic creation unfolds through a delicate interplay between the Universe’s expansion rate, the…

Recent reports suggest skin cancer rates are rising. The harmful effects of the UV radiation in sunlight, and emitted by tanning beds, are well established – UV damages the DNA in skin cells, leading to errors as these cells replicate and grow. But we’ve been warned for decades about the dangers of spending too much time in the sun or on sunbeds. So why is the message not sinking in? While recent news has focused on the UK, Dr Zoë Venables, dermatology clinical lead at the National Disease Registration Service, confirms that the increase in diagnoses is more widespread than that. “Across the UK and globally, skin cancer incidence is increasing in fair-skinned populations,” she says. Data published this year shows that, in the UK, over 224,000 people were diagnosed…

Kamado Joe Classic Joe Grill Series III international.kamadojoe.com, £2,149 This is the Rolls Royce of barbecues, and it’s all thanks to its ceramic shell. Once the ceramic gets hot it needs little energy to stay that way, so once you’ve lit your charcoal and heated the barbecue to the desired temperature (indicated by the thermometer on the front) it’ll stay there. If you want to slow or speed up the cook, you simply change the airflow by opening or shutting the vents at the top and bottom. This lends the entire practice of cooking outside a degree of predictability, hence why professional chefs love these cookers. The Kamado excels at slow cooking things like beef brisket or a lamb shoulder, where a long, gentle cook is vital for good results.…

CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE? PENGUIN Penguins are agile predators underwater, zipping around like torpedoes as they chase down fish and squid. But how do they keep their prey from squirming out of their grasp? The answer lies in what the birds already have in their mouths. A penguin’s mouth and tongue are covered in hard, backward-pointing spines called papillae. It’s the same feature that makes a cat’s tongue feel like sandpaper. But you wouldn’t want a penguin to lick you – the spines aren’t just large, they’re also sharp (a lick from one of these would easily make you bleed). The spines dig into slippery prey and help move it down the bird’s throat. A penguin’s tongue is also very muscular, so is probably used to push and manipulate the…

We used to think of Earth and the night sky as completely different realms. Whereas Earth is lush, green and filled with life, outer space is remote, dark and forbidding. Now we know that is simply not true. Instead of outer space, we should think of it as near space. As British astronomer Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) was quoted as saying in a 1979 edition of The Observer: “Space isn’t remote at all. It’s only an hour’s drive away if your car could go straight upwards.” Our use of satellites for communications, navigation and observation has tied Earth and space together as never before. It’s no exaggeration to say that society as we know it could not function without the satellite networks that circle the planet. Something approaching half of the…

Q&A ASTRONOMY FOR BEGINNERS Opposition describes an object being opposite the Sun in the sky. For some planets this can be a big deal, as the weeks around opposition offer us the best views of them. At opposition a planet is also visible all night long. The inferior planets (those with smaller orbits than Earth), Mercury and Venus, can’t reach opposition. For superior planets (those with larger orbits than Earth) the effect of opposition decreases with distance. Nearby Mars reaches opposition every 2.1 years. Most of the time it appears small and distant, but for a few months either side of opposition Mars becomes bright and, through a telescope, its size increases noticeably. The next opposition of Mars is in January 2025. Jupiter reaches opposition on 3 November appearing brightest…

When did megalodons exist? These giant predatory sharks were prowling the ocean between 20 million years and 3.6 million years ago. Palaeontologists can trace the evolutionary history of megalodons back at least 100 million years. Are megalodons related to great white sharks? No. Previously, megalodons were named Carcharodon megalodon, which placed them in the same genus as great white sharks. Palaeontologists later decided they weren’t so closely related and shifted them to a different group, renaming them Otodus megalodon. What did they look like? Megalodons are often depicted as enormous great white sharks, but in fact they looked rather different. They likely had a shorter nose than great whites, a flatter jaw and very long pectoral fins that helped support their extra weight in the water. How big were they…

EYE OPENER There’s a reason they call the ocean Earth’s unexplored frontier. Dive into any of this planet’s waters and you soon discover an entirely different ecosystem, populated with strange and unexpected species. One such species (or rather, pair of species) is the extraordinary combination of starfish and a comb jellyfish you see here. The pink and white warts you see poking up through the tiny green tentacles belong to an Echinaster callosus, or warty sea star. These five-armed sea creatures can grow up to 26cm (10in) in diameter. But this one’s not alone; it’s become host to a creeping comb jellyfish (Coeloplana astericola) – the patterned red-and-white blobs you can see spread around and over the warts. The two have formed a symbiotic relationship, although the jellyfish gets the…

A different song for a different size The gases in a massive star’s core create different frequencies and intensities of waves depending on its size or brightness. Those differences are reflected in the ‘songs’ the model generated for each type of massive star Scientists have developed a new method to predict the brightness of a star’s inherent twinkle. What’s more, they’ve also managed to simulate how that twinkle might sound. and it seems that massive stars sing a strangely eerie song (hear an example for yourself on the BBC Science Focus website at bit.ly/InherentTwinkle.) Unlike the visible twinkle we see from Earth, which is caused by a star’s light being distorted as it passes through this planet’s atmosphere, a star’s inherent twinkle is caused by rippling waves of gas on…

You probably wouldn’t dream of demanding more food from your mum, especially if it had to come from her own plate. But new research shows that most of us have done exactly that, and it’s all thanks to our dads. According to scientists from the University of Cambridge, foetuses use the insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) gene, which is inherited from their fathers, to force their mothers to release more nutrients during pregnancy. According to the scientists behind the research, it’s the first evidence that a father’s genes allows his unborn child to send these demanding signals. “Genes controlled by the father are ‘greedy’ and ‘selfish’ and will tend to manipulate maternal resources for the benefit of the foetuses,” said Dr Miguel Constância, a co-senior author of the research. Paternal…

Down past the jellyfish, through the water column and beyond the light is the deep sea: the place between 200 to 11,000m (650 to 36,000ft) below the ocean’s surface. The extremely high pressures and cold, dark conditions make unique habitats for the surprisingly colourful life here – bizarre creatures like hairy-chested crabs and glittery Elvis worms. But some people have their eyes on a different sort of riches formed in these unusual conditions: rare earth metals. Dr Helen Scales explains the drive to mine the materials buried in the deepest parts of the ocean. THE WORD ‘MINING’ USUALLY BRINGS UP IMAGES OF GRUBBY FACES IN HARD HATS DISAPPEARING UNDERGROUND. SO WHAT IS MINING WHEN IT’S IN THE DEEP SEA? It’s just as grubby as mining on land – the difference…

Earlier this year the Met Office warned that hay fever could get worse due to climate change. And it’s not just a hypothetical problem we may face in the future. In a recent paper, researchers dug into pollen trends over the last 26 years across the UK, focussing on grass, birch and oak pollen, to investigate how changing weather patterns are already affecting hay fever season. While the work showed that climate change is certainly having an effect, the exact changes depend on which kind of pollen you’re affected by. The season for birch pollen (the second most important type when it comes to hay fever, after grass pollen), is increasing in severity – meaning the total amount of pollen seen during the season is higher. Oak pollen season is…

1: Spacecraft design and manufacture How can manufacturers ensure safer satellites that use less resources to build, and minimise their impact on the space above Earth? 2: Launch and propulsion How can satellite launches be made safer and how can rocket fuels be made greener to minimise environmental impacts? 3: Supporting operations in space and spectrum sustainability How can space traffic be more effectively managed and controlled? Similarly, how can the limited amount of radio frequencies be used most effectively to maintain communication with the ground? 4: Rendezvous and proximity operations How can we safely rendezvous with existing satellites to either remove them from orbit, or refuel them so they can continue their missions? 5: Supporting ‘end of life’ and disposal How can satellites best be disposed of and what…

Most people – if they’ve heard of it at all – are aware of ‘blue lava’ thanks to the otherworldly photographs of French photographer Olivier Grunewald. The images, which Grunewald captured at the Kawah Ijen volcano on the island of Java in Indonesia, seem to show rivers of electric-blue lava, incandescent against a black velvet night. Despite appearances, however, it’s not lava that produces the striking blue glow. Instead, it’s combusting sulphuric gases, which belch from the volcano’s many fumaroles at temperatures of up to 600°C (around 1,100°F). When the hot gases hit oxygen-rich air, they ignite and burn with a neon-blue flame. As they burn, some of the gases condense into molten sulphur, which continues to burn blue as it spills down the mountainside. By contrast, Kawah Ijen’s actual…

Sharks were cruising Earth’s oceans long before the dinosaurs began roaming the land, and they’re still swimming in them today. Their basic biology is the same as it’s always been, with skin covered in tiny teeth and skeletons made not of hard bone, like other fish, but soft cartilage – the same material as your nose and ears. There are over 500 shark species and they live everywhere, from shallow coastal waters to the deep sea – a few even swim up rivers and into lakes. Scientists are learning more about sharks all the time, finding new species and uncovering new details about their super-efficient, long, slow lives… How long have sharks been around? Sharks can trace their ancestry back at least 400 million years. But it’s a myth that…

ACROSS 1 Plantation is wrong of the others (6) 4 Uninspired victory paid off (5) 8 Watch merit being eroded (5) 9 Photos aboard ship, I feel worried (7) 10 Costume custom (5) 12 Line expensive, we hear, for a ruminant (3,4) 13 Reported delay, elevating sport (13) 15 Stage of parliamentary debate somewhere in Berkshire (7) 17 Rave about junction and change course (5) 19 Article on Mali’s strange creatures (7) 20 Avoid commitment to a boundary (5) 22 Robust writer (5) 23 Hollow pram disturbed it (6) DOWN 1 Get fellow to engrave (5) 2 Sheep involved in drama (3) 3 Prolong a term at Her Majesty’s pleasure (7) 4 Usefulness is universal in glen (5) 5 When most people are watching – 2 or 3 o’clock? (5,4)…