A plant has been genetically engineered so it can use explosives as a source of nutrients. Why, is the obvious question that springs to mind. Well, the idea is that such a plant could grow on military training ranges absorbing some pretty nasty pollutants that would otherwise sink into the soil.

We need you - you're a smart bunch, tell us what you reckon to our You Are The Expert question and we could print your answer in a forthcoming issue of Focus magazine!

Fancy yourself as a bit of an expert? You can be.

There are lots of scientific problems out there to solve, but which ones should we stop working on? Tell us what you think in less than 100 words before Monday 27th September and we'll print the best responses in Focus.

OK, so what's the one piece of technology you couldn't live without? The one gadget or gizmo that makes your life worth living or stops it from grinding to a halt?

Will we fix our environmental problems with technology?

What do you think? Answer this question in 100 words or less by July 5 and you could receive fame (sorry no fortune) in the next issue of Focus magazine.

It's the million dollar question, or the multi-million dollar question if you're running an airline. When will our skies be clear of volcanic ash so flights can resume?

At last, there's good news from Switzerland – things are starting to shape up at the Large Hadron Collider. The most expensive science experiment in human history is beginning to pump out some results. Physicist Brian Cox, who spends his days particle hunting at the LHC, has just given me the heads up on what we can expect in the near future.

If there's one thing that gets me in a sulk, it's a sore throat. You just know that this is the start of something pretty grotty. Soon your eyes will be burning and you'll be producing ectoplasm from your nose. The one thing you don't know is how grotty it's going to get – whether it's going to be a mild cold you can brush off like a 'proper little soldier' or whether you're going to be confined to bed for days. But in the not too distant future, you'll be able to pick up a self-test kit from a pharmacy to find out what your body has in store for you.

I have to admit to watching a lot of telly. Probably far more than is healthy. But there's one thing that's missing. If only there was a button I could press on my remote control that would show me what's going on. Let's call it the 'what the hell's that button'. It'd be quite simple – my telly screen would pick up the exact spot I'm pointing at and something would pop up to tell me who this person is, where this scene was shot or the name of that funky bit of kit House is just about to strap his patient to.