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Linking music to colour
17/05/2013
When you listen to a sad, reflective song, what colour come to mind? How about a happy, jaunty tune? Researchers have now shown that people tend to...
News
What’s on (18 – 24 May 2013)
17/05/2013
This week's guide to science on the telly and radio…
News
Scissor-handed creature named after Johnny Depp
16/05/2013
Johnny Depp isn't a name you'd usually associate with science, but a scissor-handed creature that resembles one of Depp's most famous...
Q&A
Why do planes appear to travel so slowly in the sky?
16/05/2013
Our brains judge the speed of objects passing by us through the time taken for them to cross our field of view. Those taking a long time could either...
Q&A
Why do candles only smoke after they've been extinguished?
16/05/2013
Smoke is unburned particles of carbon released when the hydrocarbon chain of candle wax breaks down. When the candle is alight, most of the carbon...
Q&A
Why do we stretch when we wake up?
16/05/2013
When you sleep, your muscles lose tone and fluid tends to pool along your back. Stretching helps to massage fluid gently back into the normal...
News
What Richard Feynman means to me
10/05/2013
To coincide with the new BBC documentary The Fantastic Mr Feynman, the editor of Focus magazine, Graham Southorn, explains how Feynman became his...
News
What’s on (11 – 17 May 2013)
10/05/2013
This week's guide to science on the telly and radio…
Quiz
The Focus Quiz
Science Quiz 10/05/13
10/05/2013
Fingerprints of a supernova, robotic dogs and Britain's very own Atlantis... test your knowledge of this week's big science stories.  ...
News
Top 5 Richard Feynman books
09/05/2013
The Nobel prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman would have celebrated his 95th birthday this week. To coincide with the new BBC documentary The...
Quiz
The Focus Quiz
Science Quiz 10/05/13
Fingerprints of a supernova, robotic dogs and Britain's very own Atlantis... test your knowledge of this week's big science stories.   Image credit: NASA/ESA/JHU/R.Sankrit & W.Blair
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Poll

Would you buy LG's new curved telly, or are you happy with your flat, black panel? Have your say in our poll...

Would you buy a curved TV? Would you buy a curved TV?

Would you buy LG's new curved telly, or are you happy with your flat, black panel? Have your say in our poll...

Q&A
Can you really have a fish out of water?

Yes, several species can breathe air and crawl on land. Plus there are about 50 species of flying fish - the longest observed flight lasted 45 seconds.

Would it be possible to shut down the whole internet?

No. The internet is a network of networks, in which messages are routed as packets of data using the TCP/IP addressing protocol. It is like you and several friends setting off on a road trip, each...

Are we descended from Neanderthals?

The Neanderthals lived in Europe and Asia from over 200,000 years ago until (in some areas) less than 30,000 years ago. If this question had been asked 20 years ago, the majority of experts would...

How Do Metal Detectors Work?

If you mean the sort of metal detectors you see people combing the beach with, then it’s inductive technology. The circular ‘foot’ at the base of the detector contains two...

What animal collectively makes up the largest biomass on Earth?

You sometimes hear very large estimates for the biomass of certain animal groups, like ants or nematodes, but these consist of thousands of different, specialised species. The single species with...

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