2020-11-01 BBC Focus

ARTEMIS: NASA’S 2024 MOON LANDING PLANS REVEALED

Why we shouldn’t FOOD FOR THOUGHT COVID-19

TRUST ALGORITHMS Inside the mind of IS THE VIRUS MUTATING?

A FORENSIC SCIENTIST

FOOD

BUSTED SCIENCEFOCUS.COM
WHY NEARLY EVERYTHING YOU’VE BEEN TOLD
ABOUT FOOD IS WRONG

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NOVEMBER 2020

IN THIS ISSUE Health Nature Hurricanes

Michael Mosley’s tips for tackling The alien sea slugs Why these natural

seasonal affective disorder that live among us disasters strike in clusters

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FROM THE Why do we have
EDITOR favourite colours?
–› p79
Food occupies much of my thoughts, maybe too much.
Growing up in an Indian home, the kitchen was the place to CONTRIBUTORS
be. The rest of the day simply orbited dinner, and the
preparation of it. Sweets and treats materialised as the DR STUART CLARK
seasons changed, and Diwali – which usually falls around
about this time – meant an influx of fried goodies rich in NASA’s Artemis programme
butter, sugar and salt. It’s not surprising then that an Asian aims to land the first woman
heritage also brings with it a higher risk of heart disease, and I’ve got a and the next man on the
nagging worry that my heart could benefit from a few changes to my diet. Moon in 2024. Astronomy
The trouble is, working on this magazine has made me deeply cynical. writer Stuart gives us the
This is mostly useful. But when it comes to health, the constant influx of lowdown. –›p15
new food heroes and villains leaves my head spinning. I’ve lost track of
whether or not I should eat breakfast, drink coffee or buy eggs. And don’t TIMANDRA HARKNESS
get me started on counting calories. I once did a bit of digging to try and
figure out how many calories my home-cooked meals contained, and I This year’s A-Level results
ended up in the strange world of fitness forums, where people quibble over controversy highlighted the
the calorific differences between a cold and hot potato. problems with algorithms.
It seems that the food world and I both need some sane advice when Timandra, BBC Radio 4
it comes to how to eat healthily, and that’s exactly what Prof Tim Spector, presenter and author of Big
a genetic epidemiologist and food writer, has served up on p56. Head Data, finds out more. –›p72
there now for a fad-free, refreshing read on the science of what we put in
our bodies. DR HELEN SCALES
Enjoy the issue!
Sea slugs are some of the
weirdest, and most beautiful,
creatures in the ocean.
Marine biologist and science
writer Helen takes us into
their world. –›p48

Daniel Bennett, Editor PROF DAME SUE BLACK

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CONTENTS 15 34

DISCOVERIES REALITY CHECK

REGULARS

06 EYE OPENER 42 INNOVATIONS NASA announces plans to land Are plug-in hybrid cars really an
first woman and next man on eco-friendly choice? The figures
Incredible images from Tech news and gadgetry. the Moon. suggest they aren’t…
around the world.
65 MICHAEL MOSLEY 56
12 CONVERSATION
Start getting grouchy WHY (NEARLY) EVERYTHING YOU’VE BEEN TOLD
What’s been in our postbag when the nights draw in? ABOUT YOUR DIET IS WRONG
this month.. Michael has some tips
for easing seasonal Prof Tim Spector busts food myths.
15 DISCOVERIES affective disorder.

The month’s biggest science 66 ALEKS KROTOSKI
news. Megalodon truly was a
monster shark; genome of It turns out that online
Alexander Fleming’s pencillin interactions can be just as
mould sequenced; new mood-boosting as a
hearing aid that costs £1 to face-to-face chat.
make; Neanderthal genes
could increase severity 79 Q&A
of COVID-19.
Our experts answer your
34 REALITY CHECK questions. This month:
Why do people grunt with
The science behind the effort? How do we
headlines. This month: calculate distances to
Are plug-in hybrid cars really galaxies? Do wet sheep
an eco-friendly choice? How shrink? Why do we get a
common is long COVID? Is the runny nose after we cry?
coronavirus mutating, and Would Spanish flu be as
should we be worried? deadly today?

40 88 CROSSWORD

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Save 52% when you
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Focus today!
A sneak peek at what’s
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90 A SCIENTIST’S
GUIDE TO LIFE

Feeling a bit chilly?
Physiologist Dr JohnEric
Smith reveals how you
can stay toasty.

4

F E AT UR E S 48 WANT MORE?

48 IT’S A SLUG’S GAME IT’S A SLUG’S GAME Don’t forget that BBC Science
Focus is also available on all major
Sea slugs aren’t only beautiful, 66
they also have some of the digital platforms. We have
weirdest adaptations in ALEKS KROTOSKI versions for Android, Kindle Fire
the animal kingdom. and Kindle e-reader, as well as an
“WE ARE BETTER ABLE iOS app for the iPad and iPhone.
56 WHY (NEARLY) TO COPE WITH STRESS
EVERYTHING YOU’VE WHEN WE EXPERIENCE Can’t wait until next month to get
BEEN TOLD ABOUT MORE SUPPORT. AND your fix of science and tech? Our
YOUR DIET IS WRONG ONLINE, WE HAVE
MORE CONNECTIONS website is packed with news,
We all know that fat is bad for WHO ARE WILLING TO articles and Q&As to keep your
you and veganism is GIVE US A BOOST”
super-healthy, right? brain satisfied.
Not necessarily. sciencefocus.com

68 THE PUZZLE OF SPECIAL
A PERSON ISSUE

We talk to forensic OCEANS: THE
anthropologist Prof Sue Black INCREDIBLE SECRETS OF
about dissection and
dismemberment. OUR BLUE PLANET

70 WHY ALGORITHMS In this special edition, the experts
AREN’T MAKING from BBC Science Focus don their
THE GRADE diving kit and take the plunge into
the depths of the oceans, to reveal
The controversy surrounding more about the incredible world
A-Level results highlighted
the problem with algorithms. beneath the waves.
So what went wrong? buysubscriptions.com/

42 focuscollection

THE NEW SMART HOME

Amazon’s predictive smart home knows what
you want without you asking.

5

EYE OPENER

EYE OPENER

Forest
floors

CHENGDU, CHINA

Construction of the Qiyi
City Forest Garden was
completed last year, but
only a few residents have
moved in. Without the
careful attention of
green-fingered families,
the plants have overgrown.

“These are tropical
specimens, selected for
pollution absorption and to
be noise-reducing through
their dense growth,”
explains Michael Perry,
horticulturist and TV
presenter. “It would have
been better to choose
dwarf plants, or to make
sure plants are clipped and
maintained. In such a
humid climate this needs to
be once a week too, not a
few times a year!”

The humid climate has
led to another problem
with the vertical garden
city: it is now infested with
mosquitoes. “Mosquitoes
love water. The balcony
containers hold onto a lot
of moisture and the area’s
monsoons will not have
helped. As the plants are
overgrown, there’s a lot of
shade for mosquitoes to
hide in, too,” says Perry.
“It’s become a rather
perfect habitat for them.”

AFP / SHUTTERSTOCK

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6





EYE OPENER

EYE OPENER

Surf ’s up!

YEPPOON, AUSTRALIA

This 3.6-hectare lake in
northeast Australia is the
testing facility for Surf
Lakes – a company that’s
aiming to replicate the
experience of ocean
waves and provide surfers
with a place to hone
their craft.

In the middle of the lake
is a gigantic, steampunk-
esque plunger, driven by
compressed air, which
pushes in and out of the
water every six seconds.
Each pulse of the 1,400-
tonne behemoth creates
concentric waves that
radiate outwards. The
lake’s bottom has been
designed to give different
types of waves in different
areas, from gently rolling
waves for beginners to
hollow, two-metre-high
waves for the pros. “The
faster the lake becomes
shallow, the more
violently the wave rears
up and breaks,” says Kit
Sidwell, the project’s lead
mechanical engineer.

This particular facility
isn’t open to the public,
but the company hopes
to open its first
commercial site, probably
in Australia, within the
next couple of years.

SURF LAKES TECHNOLOGY

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9

EYE OPENER

EYE OPENER

Spot the
difference

JUPITER

Jupiter is famous for its
iconic storm, the Great Red
Spot. It has been raging
since at least 1830 and
currently measures about
15,700km across – large
enough to swallow Earth.
But this image, taken by
the Hubble Space
Telescope in August,
suggests that a new storm
is brewing in Jupiter’s
northern latitudes, and can
be seen here as a pale,
stretched-out blob on the
upper left of the planet.

“This new storm is a
convective event – like a
giant thunderstorm – in
Jupiter’s high-speed wind
jet,” says NASA planetary
scientist Amy Simon. “They
are likely generated by
heat released far below the
clouds’ tops that causes a
plume of warm rising
atmosphere that
condenses into bright
white clouds.”

Another notable feature
is Oval BA, aka Red Spot Jr,
located just below the
Great Red Spot. It has been
slowly fading to white after
appearing red in 2006, but
this new image suggests
that its core is starting to
darken once again.

NASA/ESA

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CONVERSATION Avenue, Bristol, BS1 4ST
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@bbcsciencefocus

LETTER OF THE MONTH Alien life

Ask a glassmaker which was never emptied but topped While I was fascinated to read the article ‘Can
up with ‘batch’ (raw materials) weekly. life exist around a black hole?’ (August, p54) it
In response to the question ‘Is it As we kept gathering the glass it was rather too focused on the planets, rather
possible to recycle plastics an infinite became more difficult to work with than life. What sort of life might exist on such
number of times?’ (Summer, p85) you and the quality worsened. The planets? What would it be like to live in the
wrote that glass and aluminium don’t resulting products then cracked shadow of such a monster?
degrade during recycling. This is not during cooling because the glass had
the case with glass. If you took all the absorbed so much silica and alumina Danny Herbert
bottles made in a container factory from the furnace lining. So, yes, you
and kept feeding them back into the can keep recycling glass, and Putting aside the fact that second-guessing
furnace, the glass would gradually glassmakers usually recycle waste the mindset of hypothetical aliens is always a
become more and more viscous, and glass from manufacturing process but stretch, my hunch is that there aren’t
eventually the machines would be you need to add new raw material. intelligent civilisations inhabiting black hole
unable to produce any more bottles. You can’t recycle indefinitely. planets. The gravity of the black hole is so
I once was faced with the problem of extreme that time is severely dilated, meaning
running out of glass in a tank furnace, Alastair MacIntosh only 14 million years have passed there since
the Big Bang. Multicellular life didn’t appear
on Earth until at least a billion years after
its formation.

To make matters even worse, the sky on a
black hole planet is devoid of stars and other
planets. Without them, inhabitants are
unlikely to have figured out Kepler’s laws of
planetary motion, which are required to
weigh the black hole and know how massive it

Inhabitants of black hole planets
would be unaware of any danger.

That’s probably a good thing…

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Mac, Windows, Chrome and Android. papalook.com

12

LETTERS MAY BE EDITED FOR PUBLICATION

“TO BE ABLE TO HARNESS THAT THE TEAM
POWER OF SCIENCE TO MAKE
THINGS BETTER, TO ENSURE THAT EDITORIAL
THE RIGHT PEOPLE ARE PUT ON Editor Daniel Bennett
THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BARS, IS Managing editor Alice Lipscombe-Southwell
Commissioning editor Jason Goodyer
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT” Staff writer James Lloyd
Editorial assistant Amy Barrett
DAME PROF SUE BLACK, P68 Online assistant Sara Rigby
Science consultant Robert Matthews
Caffeine, as seen here under
a microscope, can affect ART
people differently Art editor Joe Eden
Picture editor James Cutmore
GETTY IMAGES X2, ALAMY is. From their perspective it looks just like the In critique of caffeine
Sun does to us. Ignorance is bliss. CONTRIBUTORS
Colin Stuart, astronomy writer I read Dr Michael Mosley’s piece ‘In praise of Scott Balmer, Abigail Beall, Peter Bentley, Dan Bright,
caffeine’ (September, p57) with interest, as I Steve Brusatte, Emma Davies, Cathal Duane, Cat Finnie,
If only they could talk suffer from migraines that can be caused by Amy Fleming, Alexandra Franklin-Cheung, Alastair
caffeine. Because of this, I gave up caffeine Gunn, Timandra Harkness, Brenna Hassett, Ben Holder,
I was tickled to see a smiling toothbrush in over 15 years ago. Even decaf tea can set them Adam Hylands, Christian Jarrett, Aleks Krotoski, Magic
the Innovations pages of the August issue off now as I am highly sensitive to it. Torch, Nish Manek, Michael Mosley, Stephanie Organ,
(p44). You’re quite right comparing it to Helen Pilcher, Jason Raish, Jeremy Rossman, Helen
Douglas Adams’s sighing doors. However, it Caffeine has also given me heart Scales, Tim Spector, Jennifer Tuohy, Luis Villazon.
did result in me trying to personify items palpitations in the past, which can take
around my house for the rest of the day (the months to go away. I’d be interested to ADVERTISING & MARKETING
things we do to avoid work). know why my experience is so different Group advertising manager Tom Drew
from Michael’s. Advertisement manager Sam Jones 0117 300 8145
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the lid, my lawnmower would squint at finally [email protected]
seeing some daylight, and the settee would There is clear evidence that some people are Newstrade manager Helen Seymour
probably groan when I sat down. As for my much more sensitive to the effects of Subscriptions director Jacky Perales-Morris
games console, that would most definitely caffeine than others, and some people break Direct marketing manager Kellie Lane
wink and say, ‘come play me, come play me’... down caffeine faster than others.
at least that’s what I tell my wife. MOBILE
I suspect you are both sensitive to Head of apps and digital edition marketing
Steve Shepherdson, London caffeine and a slow metaboliser, which is Mark Summerton
just bad luck!
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WELL-BRED? BITE ME BREAKING THE MOULD HEAR, HEAR

Flat-faced dogs more likely Megalodon was truly a Genome of Fleming’s Scientists design hearing aid
to suffer poor health p18 monster shark p20 penicillin sequenced p23 that costs less than £1 p24

DISCOVERIES

BOLD NEW PLANS
FOR THE FUTURE OF

SPACE
EXPLORATION

The plans include landing the first woman on the lunar surface,
establishing a space station in orbit around the Moon, and returning

samples of Martian rock to Earth

NASA/GSFC Visualisation of the European
Large Logistics Lander on
the Moon

Neanderthal DNA may increase severity of COVID-19 Genes from our ancient cousins seem to be linked to a serious
response to the coronavirus p26 Touching issue Prior to the pandemic, more than half of us wanted more physical contact p31

LEFT Testing of the Space Launch System’s booster

BELOW The new class of astronauts may
travel to the Moon and Mars as part of the
Artemis programme

T he European Space Agency The European Service Module supplies Infrastructure and Telecommunications.
(ESA) has announced a the Orion crew capsule with air, water It will function as a communications
multi-billion-euro investment and electricity. It keeps the spacecraft on relay between astronauts on the surface
to the robotic and human course and at the right temperature. ESA of the Moon and Earth, and will take
exploration of the Solar will be supplying at least four service additional fuel to the gateway to keep
System. It represents a large modules, with the potential for another it operational well into the 2030s.
expansion to the contribution that two after that. They will help deliver It will also feature a spectacular
Europe is already making to Artemis, astronauts to the lunar gateway, a space viewing port so that astronauts can
the NASA programme to land the first station in orbit around the Moon. gaze at the surface of the Moon. The
woman and the next man on the Moon communications part will launch in
during 2024. The new contracts are FLY ME TO THE MOON 2022, while the main refuelling module
worth a total of €2.9bn (£2.6bn approx) ESA is committed to delivering two and viewing ports will launch in 2027.
and are designed to help Artemis modules to the gateway. The first is the Before then, NASA and ESA plan a lot of
become a long-term sustainable International Habitat (I-Hab). It will be lunar activity.
exploration of the Moon by astronauts, a pressurised living area with docking
and take Mars exploration to the next ports for visiting vehicles, supplied by In September, NASA published its
level by returning Martian rocks to Thales Alenia Space, Italy, and launched plan for the first phase of Artemis
Earth for analysis. in 2025. programme, which culminates in the
human Moon landing of 2024.
ESA’s involvement in these The second is ESPRIT, European
programmes has been made possible Systems Providing Refuelling The first mission, known as Artemis
thanks to funding decisions taken I, is on track for 2021. NASA’s new
in Seville, Spain, last year by rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS),
the science ministers of ESA’s will take the Orion capsule around
22 member states. At the end of the far side of the Moon for a test
two days of negotiations, they without astronauts. Artemis II will fly
endorsed the most ambitious with astronauts in 2023, more or less
plan to date for the future of ESA repeating its predecessor’s journey.
and the whole European space
sector. During this time, NASA, ESA and
other international partners will be
“The decisions taken in landing robotic equipment on the
Seville were fundamental. lunar surface to conduct preparatory
They basically set us with a experiments. The Prospect instrument
programme for this coming is a robotic drill and a miniature
decade,” said David Parker, ESA’s laboratory that will fly on the Russian
director of human and robotic Luna-27 mission, slated for launch in
exploration. 2025. Built in Italy, it will study the
soil near the lunar south pole, which
Europe is already involved in
NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which contains water.
will transport astronauts to the Artemis III is the mission that
Moon and, potentially, other
destinations in the Solar System. will take humans to the surface
the Moon. This is the part
of the mission with the most
question marks about whether
it will be ready in time. NASA
has awarded contracts to three
different industrial consortia
to study possible designs for
this spacecraft. But it will be a
close-run thing to have it ready,
tested and working by 2024.
Whenever that mission lands
humans on the Moon, ESA will
support the activity by providing
communications through the
Lunar Pathfinder satellite.
Built by Surrey Satellites
Technology, UK, ESA will buy
telecommunications services

16

EUROPE’S EXPLORATION

Thanks to more than €2bn of funding from ESA, these craft
will aid missions to the Moon and Mars

GETTY IMAGES X2, ARIANNE P ORLA ILLUSTRATIONS: CATHAL DUANE from them, effectively helping to fund Bridenstine. “As we’ve solidified more of which will be captured by ESA’s Earth
the spacecraft. our exploration plans in recent months, Return Vehicle, which will bring
we’ve continued to refine our budget them to Earth. This spacecraft will be
ESA has also begun studying the and architecture. We’re going back to the supplied by Airbus, France.
European Large Logistics Lander (EL3) Moon for scientific discovery, economic
with the company Airbus, Germany. benefits, and inspiration for a new As well as collecting invaluable
“We need a lunar transit van,” said generation of explorers. As we build up a geological samples, such a mission is
Parker, “Something that can land a sustainable presence, we’re also building also a prelude to human exploration.
tonne and a half of payload to support momentum toward those first human “Sample return is scientifically worth
human exploration.” steps on the Red Planet.” doing on its own merits, because
bringing back pristine Mars material
EL3 is just that. It’s being designed to Before those human steps can be will transform our understanding of the
land anything from rovers to food and taken on Mars, more robotic ones will Red Planet,” said Parker, “But it’s also
supplies, to science instruments, and have to be made. And so contracts have kind of a scale model of an eventual
equipment to extract lunar resources to now been announced for future Mars human Mars mission.” This is because
make water and oxygen. missions in which ESA and NASA will the sample return requires multiple
collaborate to bring back samples of the rocket launches, landings on and liftoffs
Up until now, it’s been easy to think Red Planet to Earth by 2031. from Mars. It’s a great way to test the
that NASA’s plans to return to the Moon technology and techniques before
have been a largely solitary endeavour NASA’s Perseverance rover is currently scaling the vehicles up to human size.
tinged with political motives that en route to a February 2021 touchdown.
could evaporate if the White House In its exploration of Mars, it will “Some of us have been talking
changes hands in November. Now, the cache interesting looking rock samples about this for 10 to 12 years. Having
international contributions show how in collection tubes. ESA has now discussions, planning, and trying to
robust the programme is. Europe is the committed to two missions to help bring keep the momentum going to the point
strongest partner, but others, such as those tubes back to Earth. The Sample where suddenly it becomes a real
Canada, Japan and Australia, are joining Fetch Rover will navigate autonomously, program,” said Parker, “Now this is a
too. Also, the language in NASA’s detect the tubes, pick them up and place real programme. And Europe is right in
September announcement stresses the them in a canister on a NASA-supplied the middle of it.”
broad support for the programme. Mars Ascent Vehicle. The Sample Fetch
Rover will be supplied by Airbus, UK. by DR STUART CLARK
“With bipartisan support from Once the NASA vehicle reaches Mars
Congress, our 21st-Century push to orbit, it will release the sample canister, Stuart is an astronomy writer.
the Moon is well within America’s
reach,” said NASA administrator Jim

17

DISCOVERIES

BIOLOGY

Stop and think before buying
a flat-faced dog, the Royal
Veterinary College warns

Chihuahuas, pugs, French bulldogs and British bulldogs are more likely to suffer from
health problems than other breeds

The popularity of many flat-faced dog French bull- same, but this paper highlights there is
breeds such as French bulldogs has dogs, which still much work to be done,” said Bill
risen dramatically in recent years, have been Lambert, head of health and welfare at
despite regular assertions that they are bred since the the Kennel Club. “Collaborating with
prone to many health issues including 1800s, have the RVC and supporting this research
breathing problems and sore eyes. short faces through the Kennel Club Charitable
that can make Trust provides an evidence base
However, there has been limited breathing which enables ongoing identification
reliable evidence on the wider general difficult of breed health-related priorities, and
health of flat-faced – or brachycephalic development of effective treatments
– dogs across the spread of common bodies and universities: ‘Stop and think for breed-specific health conditions, as
disorders, when compared to other before buying a flat-faced dog.’” well as breeding resources to produce
dog breeds. healthier puppies in the future.”
The findings support the general
Now, a study led by the Royal agreement by academics, UK breed
Veterinary College’s VetCompass clubs, veterinary organisations and
programme, which examined the welfare bodies that urgent intervention
overall health of a random sample of is needed to breed dogs with less extreme
4,169 flat-faced dogs compared to 18,079 body shapes, the researchers say.
other dogs that attended veterinary
practices in the UK, has confirmed that “We’ve put into place a number
brachycephalic dogs are more likely to of crucial measures to monitor and
suffer from a range of health disorders. improve brachycephalic health, and to
provide the many responsible breeders
Out of the 30 common disorders with the tools they need to do the
found across both groups, flat-faced
dogs have a higher risk of eight of them
(other dogs had a higher risk of two
of them). Flat-faced dogs were more
than eight times more likely to suffer
from the painful eye disease corneal
ulceration, three-and-a-half times more
likely to suffer from heart murmurs,
and three times more likely to suffer
from umbilical hernias.

“The message here is that it is
perfectly natural to love the character
and look of these breeds, but we need
to think carefully about the lives that
these dogs live,” said Dr Dan O’Neill,
senior lecturer at the Royal Veterinary
College (RVC) and lead author of the
study. “I appeal to anyone thinking of
buying a flat-faced puppy to listen to
the message from the Brachycephalic
Working Group, which represents major
UK breed clubs, charities, veterinary

18

DISCOVERIES

AVOCADO-MUNCHING HIPSTERS Magawa shows off his
Fear not, moustachioed social media PDSA gold medal
influencers, it looks like the future of
ZOOLOGY
‘smashed avo’ is safe and sound. A team at
the University of Queensland has figured out Meet Magawa, the landmine-
detecting rat who has been
a way to cryopreserve avocado shoots, awarded a medal for bravery
potentially ensuring their future for
GETTY IMAGES X2, ARIANNE P ORLA ILLUSTRATIONS: CATHAL DUANE generations. Meet Magawa, the first rat to ever food reward for finding the correct
be awarded a PDSA gold medal. The target scent,” said CEO of APOPO
LAZY CAT OWNERS five-year-old African giant pouched Christophe Cox. “Unlike metal
Is your moggy always mewing for food? Try rat has found 39 landmines and 28 detectors, the rats ignore scrap metal
feeding them one large meal a day. A team other potentially dangerous items of and only sniff out explosives, making
at the University of Guelph, Ontario, found unexploded ordnance over the past them fast and efficient landmine
four years, sniffing his way across detectors. This not only saves lives
that eating just once a day can help cats 140,000 square metres of land – the but returns much-needed safe land
control their appetites and help them to equivalent of 20 football pitches. back to the communities as quickly
stay healthier. You may as well, they don’t and cost-effectively as possible. This
He was born in Tanzania in in turn will allow the families living
love you anyway. November 2014 and completed nine around the minefields to improve
months’ of training at APOPO’s their livelihoods and get their lives
Good month HeroRAT Training and Research back on track.”
Center in Tanzania, where he learned
Bad month how to detect the smell of explosives Cambodia estimates that between
using his nose. He was then sent off four and six million landmines were
CURLING PLAYERS to Siem Reap in Cambodia to get to laid in the country during the bitter
A team at Korea University in Seoul have work sniffing out landmines. conflict that raged in the country in
developed an AI-powered robot that is the 1970s and 1980s. To date, they
capable of defeating human players at the “APOPO’s HeroRATs significantly have been responsible for more than
fascinating Olympic sport of curling. Even less speed up landmine detection, using 64,000 casualties.
their amazing sense of smell and
reason to play it now then. excellent memory. We use clicker The PDSA gold medal was launched
training to teach rats like Magawa in 2002, awarding bravery and
BUTTERFLIES to scratch at the ground above a devotion to duty for non-military
Two-thirds of the UK’s butterfly species are in landmine. During training they animals, and is said to be the animal
decline, thanks to habitat loss removing the hear a ‘click’ and receive a tasty equivalent of the George Cross.
‘microclimates’ in which they live. Butterflies
can’t generate their own body heat and can
struggle with changes in temperature. Help

the little guys out by providing a varied
environment for them in
gardens, researchers at
Cambridge University say.

19

DISCOVERIES

MARINE BIOLOGY teeth, going through up to 40,000 in their
lifetime). In fact, ‘megalodon’ comes from
Megalodon truly the Ancient Greek for ‘big tooth’.
was a monster shark
In this study, researchers led by Dr
6JG OGICNQFQP OCFG HCOQWU D[ VJG ƂNO predators ever to have lived. The ancient Kenshu Shimada, a palaeobiologist at
The Meg was abnormally large compared behemoth belongs to a diverse group of DePaul University in Chicago, used
to its relatives, a new study has found. sharks called the lamniforms, which also measurements of modern-day lamniforms
includes the great white. Calculating to create a mathematical equation linking
Megalodon stalked the world’s oceans the size of extinct lamniforms is often the sharks’ body lengths to the size of
between 20 and 3.5 million years ago. It hampered by a lack of fossils, and most their teeth. This then allowed them to
was around 15 metres in length – over are estimated from the size of their teeth estimate the sizes of extinct lamniforms
three times longer than the average (tooth fossils are the most common such as megalodon.
great white shark – and was probably because sharks continually shed their
one of the largest and most powerful “This is compelling evidence for the
truly exceptional size of megalodon,” said
15 metres EQ CWVJQT &T /KEJCGN )TKHƂVJU CV 9KNNKCO
Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.
MEGALODON
They found that practically all of
GREAT WHITE SCIENCE FOCUS READER megalodon’s fellow ‘non-planktivorous’
(non-plankton-eating) relatives had a size
limit of around seven metres. Only a few
plankton-eating sharks, such as the whale
shark and the basking shark, would have
come close to the megalodon in size.

Estimating the body sizes of extinct
animals such as megalodon can help
biologists to understand how they affected
the lives and evolution of other animals
around them.

“Lamniform sharks have represented
major carnivores in oceans since the age
of dinosaurs, so it is reasonable to assert
that they must have played an important
role in shaping the marine ecosystems we
know today,” said Shimada.

The megalodon, as seen
in this illustration, was a
huge predatory shark
that ate a wide range of
prey, including whales,
seals, fish and turtles

20

‘Martian’ soil was combined
with a chitin-based substance
to create a building material,
which the team used to make a
tiny spaceman

SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY, JAVIER G FERNANDEZ MARS With plans underway to revisit the lunar us to do things that are unachievable
surface and eventually send a crewed by the synthetic counterparts,”
A material mission to the Red Planet, future space said Fernandez. “Here we have
based on bug exploration missions are likely to involve demonstrated that they are key not
shells could an extended stay. Any brave souls wishing only for our sustainability on Earth
be perfect for to take on such an endeavour will need a but also for one of the next biggest
building tools reliable building material to construct tools
and shelters and shelters. “It is the most efficient
on Mars and scalable method
Chitin, an organic polymer found in the to produce materials
cell walls of fungi and the exoskeletons of in a closed artificial
crustaceans and insects, could potentially ecosystem”
be used as a building material by human
settlers on Mars, according to a team led by achievements of humanity: our
Dr Javier Fernandez at Singapore University transformation into an interplanetary
of Technology and Design. Early explorers species. The technology was
are likely to consume insects as a source of originally developed to create circular
protein, so chitin would be in ready supply. ecosystems in urban environments,
DWV FWG VQ KVU GHƂEKGPE[ KV KU CNUQ VJG
6JG VGCO ƂTUV ETGCVGF EJKVQUCP YJKEJ OQUV GHƂEKGPV CPF UECNCDNG OGVJQF VQ
is made by treating chitin with an alkaline RTQFWEG OCVGTKCNU KP C ENQUGF CTVKƂEKCN
substance. The chitosan was then combined ecosystem in the extremely scarce
with a mineral that mimicked Martian environment of a lifeless planet
soil to make a material that was used to or satellite.”
construct a wrench and a model of a Mars
habitat. The study showed that this material
could allow the rapid manufacture of tools,
and perhaps even rigid shelters.

“Bioinspired manufacturing and
sustainable materials are not a substituting
technology for synthetic polymers, but
CP GPCDNKPI VGEJPQNQI[ FGƂPKPI C PGY
paradigm in manufacturing, and allowing

21

DISCOVERIES ARCHAEOLOGY In numbers

This Ancient Persian Ancient Persians $23MThe cost (£17m approx) of a
sword is from the 19th
Century, but new research were the first to new space toilet designed by
suggests chromium steel NASA, which is currently
was being made in the make chromium being tested on the ISS. It
region centuries before is smaller and lighter than
22 steel current models, and better
suited to female crew.
It seems the Ancient Persians were the metal
masters of the Middle East: a team of researchers 15
based at University College London have found
evidence of chromium steel production in Chahak, MINUTES
southern Iran, dating back to the 11th Century. The amount of intense
The practice was previously thought to be a 20th- exercise that can help
Century innovation. improve the memory and
acquisition of new skills in
The team made the discovery with the aid of a healthy participants, a study
number of medieval Persian manuscripts dating at the University of Geneva
from the 12th to the 19th Centuries that described
Chahak as being home to a famous steel production has found.
industry. One manuscript on precious stones and
gems entitled Al-Jamahir Fi Marifah Al-Jawahir, 90%
written by the Persian polymath Abu-Rayhan Biruni,
was of particular importance to the researchers as it The proportion of UK
provided the only known written account of crucible households that recycle
steel-making methods. regularly, as found in a
survey carried out by the
p1WT TGUGCTEJ RTQXKFGU VJG ƂTUV GXKFGPEG QH VJG Recycle Now campaign.
deliberate addition of a chromium mineral within
steel production. We believe this was a Persian 3H 42M
phenomenon,” said lead author Dr Rahil Alipour.
“This research not only delivers the earliest
known evidence for the production of chromium
steel dating back as early as the 11th Century, but
also provides a chemical tracer that could aid the
KFGPVKƂECVKQP QH ETWEKDNG UVGGN CTVGHCEVU KP OWUGWOU
or archaeological collections back to their origin in
Chahak, or the Chahak tradition.”

The team used radiocarbon dating on a number of
charcoal pieces found within an ancient crucible

to date their production to the 11th to 12th
Century. They then used scanning electron
microscopy to identify traces of the ore
mineral chromite, which they determined
was a mysterious ingredient described
in Biruni’s manuscript as an essential
additive to the process.

The duration of a Cuvier’s
beaked whale dive, as

recorded by a team at Duke
University. It’s a new world
record for the longest dive by

a whale.

MEDICINE Mould regrown
from Fleming’s
Genome of Alexander Fleming’s frozen sample
origin penicillin mould sequenced

The research may help in the fight against antibiotic resistance

AKG IMAGES, CABI Alexander Fleming famously discovered penicillin Although Fleming’s mould is famous as the original
in one of science’s greatest good luck stories in source of penicillin, industrial production moved to
1928 while working at St Mary’s Hospital Medical using fungus from cantaloupes in the US, in which
School. The drug was produced by a mould in the the Penicillium UCORNGU YGTG CTVKƂEKCNN[ UGNGEVGF HQT
genus Penicillium that accidentally started growing strains that produce higher volumes of penicillin.
in a Petri dish he was using to study the bacteria
Staphylococcus aureus. Much to his surprise, he By comparing the genomes of Fleming’s strain to
noticed that the mould was suppressing the growth of two strains currently used in the US, they discovered
VJG DCEVGTKC CPF UQ VJG ƂTUV CPVKDKQVKE YCU FKUEQXGTGF several key differences in the genes that code for
penicillin-producing enzymes in the different fungi.
Now, researchers from Imperial College London, The researchers say this shows that wild Penicillium
the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience in the UK and US evolved naturally to produce
International (CABI) and the University of Oxford slightly different versions of these enzymes and could
have sequenced the genome of Fleming’s original JGNR KP VJG ƂIJV CICKPUV CPVKDKQVKE TGUKUVCPEG
Penicillium strain by re-growing it from a frozen
sample kept at the culture collection at CABI. “Our research could help inspire novel solutions
to combating antibiotic resistance. Industrial
“We originally set out to use Alexander Fleming’s production of penicillin concentrated on the amount
fungus for some different experiments, but we RTQFWEGF CPF VJG UVGRU WUGF VQ CTVKƂEKCNN[ KORTQXG
realised, to our surprise, that no one had sequenced production led to changes in numbers of genes,” said
the genome of this original Penicillium, despite ƂTUV CWVJQT #[WUJ 2CVJCM HTQO +ORGTKCN %QNNGIG
KVU JKUVQTKECN UKIPKƂECPEG VQ VJG ƂGNF q UCKF NGCF London. “But it is possible that industrial methods
researcher Prof Timothy Barraclough, from the might have missed some solutions for optimising
Department of Life Sciences at Imperial and the penicillin design, and we can learn from natural
Department of Zoology at Oxford. responses to the evolution of antibiotic resistance.”

23

They did what?

The hearing aid costs less than Rats’
£1 to make, so it could be an teamwork
affordable option for people skills put to
with hearing loss the test

TECHNOLOGY WHAT DID THEY DO?

New £1 hearing aid could help A team from Eötvös Loránd University,
millions to hear more clearly Budapest, Hungary, placed a group
of rats into a complex maze and
A new hearing aid that costs less than £1 to PGY NQY EQUV FGXKEG JCPIU CTQWPF VJG had them search for a water reward
make has been developed by researchers at WUGToU PGEM KP C & RTKPVGF ECUG +V WUGU C positioned at just 1 of 16 endpoints in
the Georgia Institute of Technology. microphone to pick up sound, which is order to study their problem-solving
VJGP UGPV VQ CP CORNKƂGT VQ DG GPJCPEGF behaviour when they operated as
Even in the UK, around 11 million a ‘team’. They dyed the rats’ fur
people are living with hearing loss, of p9G WUGF ƂNVGTU VQ UJCRG VJG in differing bright colours so that
whom 8 million are aged 60 or older. CORNKƂECVKQP HQT GZCORNG VQ UGNGEVKXGN[ they were able to easily track the
A hearing aid can help those who still have amplify sounds above 1,000Hz,” explained movements of each individual animal.
UQOG JGCTKPI CDKNKV[ NGHV DWV CTG ƂPFKPI &T 5CCF $JCONC QPG QH VJG UVWF[oU CWVJQTU
KV JCTF VQ JGCT URGEKƂE RKVEJGU QH PQKUG s p6JKU YCU FQPG VQ OCVEJ VJG V[RKECN CIG WHY DID THEY DO THAT?
UWEJ CU FQQTDGNNU QT RJQPGU TKPIKPI s QT TGNCVGF JGCTKPI NQUU CEQWUVKE RTQƂNG YJKEJ
struggle to pick out individual voices in a shows loss of hearing in higher frequencies For decades, scientists have been
conversation. Hearing aids help because above 1,000Hz.” placing single rats in a complex maze
they can be tuned to boost sounds at to search for a reward to deepen our
certain frequencies, depending on the type The work is still in its early stages, and understanding of navigation, memory
of hearing loss a person has. For example, it will be some time before the hearing and learning. Little is known about
older adults tend to lose the ability to hear CKFU ECP DG RTQFWEGF EQOOGTEKCNN[ $WV how they explore as a group, despite
sounds at higher frequencies. now that the initial steps have proven rats being highly social animals.
successful, the researchers say they are
“I was born with hearing loss and didn’t ready to take the next steps. WHAT DID THEY FIND?
get hearing aids until I was in high school,”
UCKF VJG RCRGToU ƂTUV CWVJQT 5QJCO “We have shown that it is possible to The team found that the rats
5KPJC C NQPI VGTO WUGT QH JGCTKPI CKF build a hearing aid for less than the price performed better in groups by striking
technology. “This project represented for QH C EWR QH EQHHGG q $JCONC UCKF p6JKU KU C a balance between exploring by
me an opportunity to learn what I could ƂTUV UVGR C RNCVHQTO VGEJPQNQI[ CPF YGoXG themselves and following others. The
do to help others who may be in the same shown that low cost doesn’t have to mean researchers say that algorithms based
situation as me but not have the resources low quality. on the rats’ movements could be used
to obtain hearing aids.” to help autonomous robots explore
“We’ll no longer be able to solder them complex underground environments.
Instead of sitting behind the ear, the ourselves in the lab. This is a labour of love
for us, so we will miss that.” CRAIG BROMLEY, GETTY IMAGES ILLUSTRATIONS: CATHAL DUANE

24

DISCOVERIES

HEALTH

COVID-19 is making its way into our
nightmares, a study of lockdown
dreams has found

A study of sleep and dreams carried out by researchers medical experts who are already assessing the toll the
based in Helsinki, Finland has found that anxiety coronavirus is having on mental health, as sleep is a central
surrounding coronavirus features in more than half of factor in most mental health issues.
our nightmares.
“Repeated, intense nightmares may refer to post-traumatic
The team sourced sleep and stress data from 4,000 people stress. The content of dreams is not entirely random, but can
during the sixth week of the COVID-19 lockdown in Finland. be an important key to understanding what is the essence in
Nearly 800 of the contributors also supplied information the experience of stress, trauma and anxiety,” Pesonen said.
about the content of their dreams. “The computational linguistics-based, AI-assisted analytics
that we used is really a novel approach in dream research.
The researchers then transcribed the content of the We hope to see more AI-assisted dream research in future.
dreams from Finnish into English word lists, before feeding We hope that our study opened the development towards
the resulting data into an AI algorithm, which scanned for that direction.”
frequently appearing word associations. They then used a
computer program to build so-called ‘dream clusters’ from
VJG XCTKQWU GNGOGPVU VQ KFGPVKH[ URGEKƂE VJGOGU

Of these themes, they found that 20 could be categorised as
bad dreams, with 55 per cent of the bad dreams containing
RCPFGOKE URGEKƂE EQPVGPV UWEJ CU HCKNWTGU KP UQEKCN
distancing, coronavirus contagion, issues with personal
protective equipment, and dystopic and apocalyptic
pandemic-related scenarios.

For example, word pairs in a dream cluster
labelled ‘disregard of distancing’ included
mistake-hug, hug-handshake, handshake-
restriction, handshake-distancing, distancing-
disregard, distancing-crowd, crowd-
restriction and crowd-party.

“We were thrilled to observe repeating
dream content associations across
KPFKXKFWCNU VJCV TGƃGEVGF VJG CRQECN[RVKE
ambience of COVID-19 lockdown,” said
lead author Dr Anu-Katriina Pesonen, head
of the Sleep & Mind Research Group at the
University of Helsinki. “The results allowed
us to speculate that dreaming in extreme
circumstances reveal shared visual imagery
and memory traces, and in this way, dreams
can indicate some form of shared mindscape
across individuals.”

The study also found that more than half of
the respondents reported sleeping more than
before the period of self-isolation, with 10 per
cent having a harder time falling asleep and more
than a quarter having more frequent nightmares.
The research could provide valuable insights for

25

DISCOVERIES

DR HUGO ZEBERG
Evolutionary geneticist

Horizons The DNA of people
with non-African roots
Neanderthal genes could is roughly 2 per cent
increase the severity of Neanderthal
COVID-19 symptoms

DNA inherited from Neanderthals 50,000 years ago seems to be linked to an
increased risk of falling ill from the coronavirus

HOW MUCH OF THE HUMAN GENOME HAS Eurasia, they met and interbred with “It was really a
BEEN INHERITED FROM NEANDERTHALS? Neanderthals and created offspring surprise. When
together. That occurred some 50,000 comparing the
If you have roots from outside of to 60,000 years ago. More and more biggest risk
Africa, then roughly 2 per cent of your data suggests that this interbreeding factor, I saw
DNA is Neanderthal. But if we put all was prevalent. During the course of immediately
VJGUG RKGEGU VQIGVJGT YG ƂPF OQTG the evolution of the species, people that it was a
than half of the Neanderthal genome have interbred everywhere, whenever Neanderthal
in modern humans. But it will differ they met new people. sequence”
between people: some carry some
pieces, some carry other pieces. WHY HAVE THESE NEANDERTHAL GENES ALAMY
PERSISTED IN MODERN HUMANS FOR
HOW DO WE KNOW THAT MODERN HUMANS SO LONG?
INHERITED NEANDERTHAL DNA?
Part of the Neanderthal genome is
During the last two decades people missing, but we believe that some
have been studying this, and a draft variants were really detrimental
Neanderthal genome was published early on. But some are probably there
10 years ago. Svante Pääbo and his DGECWUG VJG[ YGTG DGPGƂEKCN KP C
colleagues at the Max Planck Institute way. We did a study earlier this year
in Leipzig, with whom I collaborate, and found that a gene variant from
managed to extract the whole DNA Neanderthals actually decreased the
code from Neanderthal bones that we risk of miscarriage and bleeding
can compare to people living today. during early pregnancy. So we
We have three really good Neanderthal probably got some good variants and
genomes: one from a Neanderthal some negative variants.
found in Croatia, and two found
in Siberia. TELL US ABOUT YOUR STUDY.
There’s been a large collaborative
HOW DID MODERN HUMANS COME TO international effort led from Helsinki,
INHERIT THIS NEANDERTHAL DNA? Finland, where scientists and

When modern humans entered

26

clinicians have genotyped individuals This region contains several immune patients]. We don’t believe it has so
with severe COVID – those people receptors that are involved in the much to do with susceptibility or
who have ended up in hospital or in immune response. So that’s very the likelihood of actually contracting
the ICU or have even died from the intriguing and interesting. There is the virus, but rather how our bodies
disease. I’ve played a small part in also a gene that forms a complex with respond to it.
this consortium, but I also work with the receptor for the virus, which is
the Neanderthal genome so I thought, also of high interest, of course. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THIS COULD HELP US
‘Why not have a look?’ When I did, FIND A TREATMENT, OR HELP US IDENTIFY
I fell off my chair. It was really a DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA WHY PEOPLE WITH THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE MORE RISK?
surprise. When comparing the biggest THESE NEANDERTHAL GENES ARE AFFECTED
risk factor [of severe COVID], I saw BADLY BY COVID-19? The fact that these genetic variants are
immediately that it was a Neanderthal from Neanderthals is perhaps more of
sequence. It was really striking. It might be the immune receptors. And an academic interest. But, of course,
we know that people who get very identifying the genes is important for
HOW MUCH DOES THE NEANDERTHAL GENE sick with COVID-19 seem to have this understanding the disease. We, and
VARIANT AFFECT THE RISK? ‘cytokine storm’ – some overreaction many others, are trying to understand
of the immune system. So this these genetic variants to see which of
Initially we saw it was about a 60 per might be part of that, with the body the genes in this region is important.
cent increase in risk per copy of the responding too aggressively against So that could point towards future
variant. You get one copy from your the virus. treatment for COVID-19, and it could
mother and one from your father. The also help to identify people at risk
latest estimate has actually increased HAVE WE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE and might also be very important in
a little bit higher to almost twice the PREVALENCE OF SPECIFIC COVID SYMPTOMS dealing with this disease.
risk if you carry one genetic variant. IN THE CARRIERS OF THESE GENES?
For a genetic effect, this is quite large. DR HUGO ZEBERG
Most genetic variants only slightly We see that carrying these genetic Hugo is an assistant professor in the department
KPƃWGPEG VJKPIU variants is much more common in of neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute in
people who end up in hospital and Stockholm, Sweden. Interviewed by BBC Science
WHAT SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS DO THESE at the ICU, so in those who have a Focus commissioning editor Jason Goodyer.
NEANDERTHAL GENES THAT YOU’VE bad progression of COVID-19. One
IDENTIFIED PLAY IN THE HUMAN BODY? study also saw an increase in need
of mechanical ventilation [in these

27

DISCOVERIES

1 2

PHOTOGRAPHY

2020 Drone
Photo
Awards
announced

The competition is part of the 6th 3
Siena Awards Festival, which is
being held at Siena’s Accademia
dei Fisiocritici – one of Italy’s
oldest science museums – from
24 October to 29 November

28

DISCOVERIES

1. Swirl 3. Alien
by Boyan Ortse structure
Australia’s on Earth
stunning pink by Tomasz
lakes, like this Kowalsko
one, get their Viewed from
dramatic hues above, the
from carotenoid famous Petronas
pigments Towers in Kuala
secreted by Lumpur look like
Halobacteria something from
and Dunaliella another world.
salina algae. This photo took
first place in the
2. Love heart Urban category.
of nature
by Jim Picôt 4. Mountains
This picture of a of salt
shark swimming by Igor Altuna
through a A worker gathers
heaving school of sea salt from a
salmon in New traditional
South Wales saltern located
bagged the in a coastal
competition’s region of
grand prize. Vietnam.

DRONE PHOTO AWARDS 2020 4

29

DISCOVERIES

PALAEONTOLOGY

Two fingers good,
three fingers bad

ABOVE Oksoko Sometimes, less really is more: the evolutionary loss preserved resting together shows that juveniles
avarsan had two QH C ƂPIGT OC[ JCXG JGNRGF C ITQWR QH RCTTQV NKMG roamed together in groups,” said study leader Dr
digits on each dinosaurs to thrive more than 68 million years ago. )TGIQT[ (WPUVQP QH VJG 7PKXGTUKV[ QH 'FKPDWTIJoU
forelimb, and a School of Geosciences.
parrot-like beak Multiple complete skeletons of a new species of
oviraptor – feathered, omnivorous creatures sporting p$WV OQTG KORQTVCPVN[ KVU VYQ ƂPIGTGF JCPF
BELOW The dinosaur large, toothless beaks similar to the type seen in prompted us to look at the way the hand and forelimb
fossils were found species of parrot today – were unearthed in the Gobi changed throughout the evolution of oviraptors,
together, suggesting Desert in Mongolia and subsequently studied by YJKEJ JCFPoV DGGP UVWFKGF DGHQTG 6JKU TGXGCNGF UQOG
that they were researchers from the University of Edinburgh. unexpected trends that are a key piece in the puzzle of
sociable animals as why oviraptors were so diverse before the extinction
juveniles Dubbed Oksoko avarsan, the newly discovered that killed the dinosaurs,” he added.
FKPQUCWTU YGTG HQWPF VQ JCXG LWUV VYQ ƂPIGTU QP
each forelimb – one less than other members of the The team also tracked the reduction in size, and
QXKTCRVQT HCOKN[ 6JKU KU VJG ƂTUV VKOG VJCV FKIKV NQUU GXGPVWCN NQUU QH C VJKTF ƂPIGT CETQUU VJG QXKTCRVQTUo
JCU DGGP QDUGTXGF KP VJG VJTGG ƂPIGTGF HCOKN[ QH GXQNWVKQPCT[ JKUVQT[ 6JG[ HQWPF VJCV VJG CPKOCNUo
oviraptors and may suggest adaptability that enabled arms and hands changed drastically in tandem with
the animals to spread during the Late Cretaceous OKITCVKQPU VQ PGY IGQITCRJKE CTGCU s URGEKƂECNN[ VQ
Period in which they thrived. what is now North America and the Gobi Desert.

The team discovered that the species was a social The fact that oviraptors were able to evolve
animal when young, as the fossil remains of four forelimb adaptations suggests that they could alter
juvenile dinosaurs were preserved resting together. VJGKT FKGVU CPF NKHGUV[NGU OQTG SWKEMN[ CPF GHƂEKGPVN[
than other dinosaurs, enabling them to diversify and
“Oksoko avarsan is interesting because the multiply, the researchers say.
skeletons are very complete and the way they were

GREGORY FUNSTON, MICHAEL W SKREPNICK, GETTY IMAGES

30

Listen to the results
from The Touch Test
bit.ly/bbc_touch_test

PSYCHOLOGY

Pre-pandemic study shows more than half of us
want more physical contact

A global study has revealed our But for a surprising amount of people, who took part in the study feel, even
attitudes towards interpersonal being deprived of touch is not a new DGHQTG VJG RCPFGOKE =VJCV? VQFC[oU
touch, reminding us of its feeling. Over half of respondents to The society does not provide enough
importance during times of Touch Test, which ran from 21 January opportunities for interpersonal touch.
social distancing to 30 March 2020, said they got ‘too little $WV KVoU ENGCT VJCV PQV GXGT[DQF[ YCPVU
VQWEJo KP VJGKT FC[ VQ FC[ NKHG 1H CNN more touch. Personal preference is
Nearly 40,000 people from around participants, only 3 per cent said they foremost when it comes to touch.”
the world have taken part in a study had too much interpersonal touch.
to reveal global responses to touch. While we are now carrying out social
Results show that attitudes are nuanced, However, nearly one-third of people distancing and are actively encouraged
though age and personality had a strong did not feel positively about touch. not to touch anyone outside our
KPƃWGPEG QP C RGTUQPoU KPENKPCVKQP QT Further analysis by academics at household, The Touch Test showed that
aversion, to physical contact. Goldsmiths, University of London, 63 per cent of people disliked being
revealed that those who said they touched by a stranger, pre-pandemic.
In the midst of the coronavirus FKFPoV NKMG VQWEJ YGTG CNUQ NKMGN[ VQ UC[ Younger people were found to dislike
pandemic, being touched by a stranger VJG[ HQWPF KV FKHƂEWNV VQ HQTO VTWUVKPI this much more than older people.
is a frightening thought. Those who are relationships.
self-isolating have limited or even no When it came to romantic
physical interactions, while doctors and “These results show that our likes and relationships, 88 per cent said they liked
nurses on the frontline feel the pulses of dislikes around touch are nuanced and engaging in public displays of affection.
their patients only through layers of PPE. vary from person to person,” explained At home, just under two-thirds of people
Claudia Hammond, who presented the said getting a hug from their partner
results of The Touch Test on BBC before bedtime had a positive effect on
Radio 4 in October. “Half of the people their sleep.

31





REALITY CHECK REVIEW

REALITY CHECK
SCIENCE BEHIND THE HEADLINES
Plug-in hybrids | Long COVID | Is COVID-19 mutating?

REVIEW

PLUG-IN HYBRID CARS: ARE THEY
REALLY THE ECO-FRIENDLY CHOICE?

A study has found that plug-in hybrids actually emit more than 2.5 times
as much CO2 as tests claimed. So, are they worth having?

34

REVIEW REALITY CHECK

“Nobody ever checked whether you’re actually using it
as intended, you’re merely getting a car with several
thousand pounds off the cost”

Visit the BBC’s Reality Check it a ‘tertiary consideration’. “The people who
website at bit.ly/reality_check_ genuinely are concerned about the environment
or follow them on Twitter are not driving a car at all, or they’re certainly
@BBCRealityCheck not using them the way most cars are being
used,” he adds. He points out that many PHEVs
P lug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are are SUVs, which use “dramatically more” energy
supposed to be the perfect compromise than smaller cars.
between practicality and carbon
emissions, with an electric motor to So, why do people buy PHEVs at all, if not
to use its electric motor? A big reason, Walker
handle your commute and an engine suggests, is the government’s grant scheme,
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for range. But they might not be as eco-friendly ever checked whether you were actually using it
as intended,” he says. “You’re merely getting a
as they appear. A new report from the campaign car with several thousand pounds off the cost.”

group Transport and Environment (T&E) has But even if you do use your PHEV as intended,
that doesn’t guarantee that it will drive on battery
shown that PHEVs emit, on average, over 2.5 times mode. “Even when a PHEV is driven in the
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more CO2 VJCP VJGKT QHƂEKCN VGUV XCNWGU 6JG ITQWR to use their engine, burning fuel and emitting
CO2,” the T&E report claims. The report found
recommends that the UK government commits to that many models reverted to engine mode
when outside temperatures were too cool or the
the ‘earliest feasible phase-out date’ for all cars with speed was too high. “The reality is it is almost BELOW According
KORQUUKDNG HQT VJG ECT VQ FTKXG KP \GTQ GOKUUKQP to campaign group
engines: internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, mode, even for short distances, on a regular
basis,” it says. 2 Transport &
conventional hybrids and PHEVs. Environment, many
people with plug-in
HOW MUCH CO2 DO PHEVs EMIT?
Laboratory tests for PHEVs found that they emit, on hybrid cars don’t
average, around 44g of CO2 per kilometre. However, actually bother
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vehicles around the world and found that the ‘real plugging them in
world’ value is 117g of CO2 per kilometre.
ALAMY, GETTY IMAGES
For comparison, a conventional hybrid – or ‘self-
charging’ hybrid, which draws electric power from
the brakes – emits only slightly more, at 135g of
CO2 per kilometre. A new ICE car emits between
164 and 167g of CO2 per kilometre.

WHY DO PHEVs EMIT SO MUCH MORE THAN EXPECTED?
Plug-in hybrids have the potential to run on their
electric battery only, often allowing a range of at
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However, the driver does need to plug it in
regularly to keep it charged – something which
T&E claims that most real-world users don’t do.

Dr Ian Walker, who studies environmental
psychology at the University of Bath, isn’t
surprised by this behaviour. “I think we have to
ask, is anybody actually buying these because
of their environmental concern?” he says.
His research has found that environmental
considerations are low down the list of factors
people consider while buying a car – he calls

35