Table of contents for March 2026 in BBC Science Focus Magazine

Stephen Hawking spent much of his life pulling at a thread, one that had been swallowed by a black hole. He was interested in what happened to material once it passed a black hole's event horizon - the point of no return, where gravity crushes anything that crosses it into an infinitesimally small point in space. If you fell in, your atoms would become part of this cosmic monster and reside there until the end of time. Hawking's maths suggested something else, though. According to his calculations, black holes don't last until the end of time. In fact, our latest interpretation of the Universe, based on quantum mechanics, suggests that over time a black hole would… fizz away: its particles evaporating off over eons until one final, massive burst of…

reply@sciencefocus.com BBC Science Focus, Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST @sciencefocus www.facebook.com/sciencefocus @bbcsciencefocus LETTER OF THE MONTH Too wide to ride? I very much liked Tom Howarth's recent article on the Fermi Paradox – the contradiction that if the Universe is vast enough for aliens to exist, then why haven't we made contact yet? (January, p29). In it, he mentions Dr Robin Corbet's theory: aliens just can't be bothered to travel to Earth. Tom might be interested in a paper we wrote – in it, we suggested that a possible explanation for the Fermi Paradox was that all intelligent creatures eventually become overweight and have to spend all their money on healthcare. In this theory, not only do they become too lazy to travel, but they also can't afford to. We…

Some clever dogs can learn new words by listening to our conversations, a new study has found. These talented pups – dubbed Gifted Word Learners (GWLs) – were found to possess language learning skills similar to one-year-old babies, according to research from Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest, and the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna. The scientists tested how well these dogs could learn the names of new toys and retrieve them when asked. “We found that, not only were the dogs able to learn the names of the two new toys from overhearing their owners’ interactions, but that the dogs’ performances were similar to when the owners directly taught the dogs the names of two new toys,” Dr Shany Dror – cognitive researcher and first author of the…

Generative AI has done plenty of things in the three years or so since the release of ChatGPT. It has caused a massive stock market boom. It has integrated its way into our search engines and phone screens. And it's become a tool that hundreds of millions of us use every day. But despite all that, many people avoid using AI tools. Why? Because while tasking an AI with generating text, speech, images or video saves you time and effort, the process of getting it to do these jobs is clunky. Typing the prompts required to get a chatbot to understand your instructions can quickly become a job in itself. And you're still left with all the other annoying jobs that are part of modern daily life – replying to…

BANANAS I absolutely need a Monkey bike – for all sorts of reasons. First, walking the dog would be easier, quicker and more fun on a Monkey bike (to be fair, everything's probably more fun on a monkey bike) and I'm sure the dog will keep up. Second, those kids wringing the life out of their scooters up and down the high street need to be shown what a 40-year-old with no kids and disposable income can achieve. And third, it's claimed to get over 150 miles per gallon – with mileage like that, it'll practically pay for itself. Convinced? Good. I'll be testing this reasoning on the other half later this month. As for why it's on this page… I'll be honest, there's nothing particularly innovative about it, just…

While radiation from black holes born from the collapse of dying stars is cold and undetectable, Hawking also speculated that much smaller black holes could have formed shortly after the Big Bang. Such primordial black holes, if they exist, could be far hotter and may even explode. In fact, in February 2026, researchers at UMass Amherst, in the US, suggested that the detection of a neutrino particle with an extraordinarily high energy, by the KM3NeT Collaboration in 2023, might be a remnant of such a primordial black hole explosion. If confirmed, future observations of neutrinos would provide a tantalising window into the quantum dynamics of nature's most mysterious objects. These are uncertain, speculative findings now but – if correct – would offer a glimpse of Hawking radiation and provide a…

Bifidobacterium, which was found to be so plentiful in Maria Branyas's gut, produces short-chain fatty acids – a potential protective against frailty in old age. But other bacteria produce them too, including Faecalibacterium prausnitzii – commonly known as ‘F. Prau’. Another finding from the KCL frailty study was that “the more F. Prau you had, the less likely you were to be frail,” says Lochlainn. “It's something that healthier people seem to have, and lacking it is a bad thing.” F. Prau plays an important role in processing the fibre that we eat into short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, which, Lochlainn says, “is associated with good health, immune function, various metabolic processes, muscle function and [more].” F. Prau isn't found in any specific foods, but eating plenty of fruit and…

Sound Waves: The Symphony of Physics Dr Helen Czerski explores the science behind the sounds that lie in our hearing range and beyond it. Watch now on BBC iPlayer Cloning Jack Would you – should you - clone your pet? Biologist Prof Ben Garrod discusses the pros and cons of potentially cloning his beloved dog, Jack. Listen now on BBC Sounds Tech Now: Future Farming in Australia Tech journalist Nick Kwek speaks to the innovators hoping to future-proof Australian farmland against climate disaster. Watch now on BBC iPlayer…

TAÑON STRAIT, PHILIPPINES Though Brighton-rock-candy pink may not sound like a subtle colour for camouflage, it's working perfectly for this tiny crab. The aptly named candy crab (Hoplophrys oatesii) lives and hunts on equally vivid Dendronephthya soft corals, which grow along the floor of the Indian and Pacific Oceans in bombastic reds, yellows, oranges and pinks, like the one pictured here. By changing the colour of its minuscule 2cm (0.8in) body, the colourful crab can blend into its home and go about life undetected by predators. As an extra precaution, this crafty crustacean also snips off coral polyps to stick to its upper shell, or carapace, to blend in even further with its host. The candy crab shares a commensal relationship with the coral – a type of one-sided symbiosis…

Listening to a low-frequency sound may help the brain flush out toxic proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease, according to new research on monkeys. In the experiment, a steady hum at 40 hertz (Hz) increased levels of an Alzheimer's-associated waste protein (β-amyloid) in the animals’ cerebrospinal fluid – a sign that the brain was clearing the toxin more effectively. As we age, neurons in our brains become coated in a ‘plaque’ of a waste protein called β-amyloid. This plaque interferes with brain cell communication and causes cognitive decline. Usually, our brains operate smoothly thanks to synchronised electrical rhythms, which also help to regulate waste-clearing processes. But “in Alzheimer's, this rhythm weakens and becomes chaotic,” Prof Giuseppe Battaglia of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia told BBC Science Focus. “Sound stimulation might…

Suffer from procrastination? Your ‘motivation brake’ might be to blame. That's according to a study on macaque monkeys, which helped researchers discover a brain circuit that stops us from starting stressful tasks. When the team tampered with that circuit, they found that monkeys were more willing to endure an unpleasant experience for a reward. The motivation brake involves two regions – called the ventral striatum (VS) and the ventral pallidum (VP) – which are both located deep in the brain. The VS is involved in reward and motivation – if you've discovered you're out of milk, you might decide it's worth facing the rain so you don't have to eat dry cereal. Then, the VS passes that information onto the VP, which can turn that motivation into action. Your shoes…

Formula 1 operates under a spotlight brighter than ever before. Thanks to Netf lix's ‘behind-the-scenes’ docuseries bringing in scores of new fans and the first official F1 movie racking up Oscar nominations, the premier class of motorsport is now truly mainstream – even if the racing itself isn't always the most exciting watch. But a complete reset of the regulations for 2026 ought to change that, helping the on-track drama live up to its blockbuster, Drive to Survive billing. Motorsport rulebooks are famously technical and – let's be honest – a bit dry. Some eras have seen them soak up all the fun and creativity, leading to more of a procession on the track rather than the blood ‘n’ thunder racing that fans crave. The new regulations, however, look set…

Another major focus of Touvier's research is what happens when food additives are consumed together, rather than on their own. When additives are approved for use in food, regulators such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assess them individually. But over the course of a day, we can easily consume several additives at the same time, especially since many UPFs contain combinations of them. Yet there's very little research into the health effects of consuming additives this way. This means we still don't really know what these mixtures of preservatives could be doing to our bodies. Last year, Touvier and her team published a study that used a data-driven approach to identify the main food-additive mixtures people consume in everyday diets. Out…

Streptococcus and Heliobacter pylori bacteria are commonly found in our guts. In small amounts, they're harmless. But if gut health is compromised, a harmful imbalance, or gut ‘dysbiosis’, occurs, and species like these can reproduce rapidly, potentially reaching levels that, in extreme cases, can be fatal. It's another reason why balance is so important for a healthy microbiome – having too many ‘bad’ bacteria leaves less room for the ‘good’ ones to thrive. Certain potentially harmful or pro-inflammatory bacteria tend to be found in higher abundance in older adults, says Wang, “such as Klebsiella, Streptococcus, Enterobacter and Rhodococcus.” But he also notes that pathogenic bacteria from the Proteobacteria group – associated with inflammation and dysbiosis – are depleted among centenarians. You might think that pathogenic bacteria would proliferate in the…

It's around this time of year that the cracks start to appear. The weight of all those New Year good intentions begins to sag and the downward pressure of real life results in broken promises and new habits shattered before they had a chance to set. It's not too late, though. Whether you resolved to eat less or scroll less, run more or read more, a combination of neuroscience and behavioural research is bringing us new insights to help make good habits and break bad ones. In a recent study, researchers at Trinity College Dublin proposed a blueprint for habit formation as the balance between two systems in the brain. The first one triggers automatic responses to cues, like the compulsion to pick up your phone when you see it.…

PROF THOMAS HERTOG Thomas, a physicist and close collaborator of Stephen Hawking, reveals why the Universe we live in could be a hologram.→p64 EZZY PEARSON Artemis II isn't the only exciting mission launching in 2026. Commissioning editor Ezzy reveals six more that'll venture out into the Solar System this year.→p32 HOLLY MCHUGH The ingredients in ultra-processed foods have baffling names. Health writer Holly highlights which ones you need to know and why.→p58 STEPHEN DOBIE Motoring journalist Stephen reports on the new design and performance rules for F1 cars and how they could shake up the sport.→p36…

“[Narcissism is] not confined to one country, one generation or one type of person. It shows up everywhere” Germany has the highest levels of narcissism in the world, according to a new study from Michigan State University, in the US. Researchers analysed the survey responses of 45,000 people from 53 countries about their own traits and tendencies. Germany was joined in the top five by Iraq, China, Nepal and South Korea as the countries with the most narcissistic respondents overall. The five countries with the lowest overall narcissism scores were Serbia, Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands and Denmark. Meanwhile, the US came in at number 16 out of 53. “Most of what we know about narcissism comes from studies conducted in Western countries – often in the US,” William Chopik…

Mosquitoes may be targeting humans more than other animals, according to a new study, raising concerns that habitat loss is pushing disease-carrying insects closer to people. A team of researchers in Brazil's Atlantic Forest found that mosquitoes captured inside nature reserves showed a striking preference for human blood – a shift they say is driven by declining wildlife populations. “It's only a matter of time before these mosquitoes become adapted to humans,” Dr Sergio Machado, one of the study's authors, told BBC Science Focus. “Once that happens, I think it'll be difficult to reverse the process of them living with us.” The team used light traps to capture engorged female mosquitoes, which feed on blood to develop their eggs. They then extracted and sequenced DNA from the blood in the…

The ancient baths of Pompeii were full of lead and human waste, and only refilled around once per day, according to a study by the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Geoscientists investigated the baths’ conditions by analysing limescale deposits in wells, pipes and pools, finding that they vastly improved after the installation of an aqueduct in the first century AD. Beforehand, the water was lifted from underground wells. Mineral analysis suggests the water was contaminated with heavy metals – including lead, zinc and copper – as well as sweat and urine, and likely replaced daily. But when the aqueduct was built, the water came from natural springs with lower levels of heavy metals, and could be replenished more often. “In the so-called Republican Baths – the oldest public bathing facilities in…

Soils are the world's most pervasive ecosystems, and arguably its most complex and important. They're home to more than half the planet's species. But they're also one of the ecosystems we know the least about. We can see the surface, but short of digging endless holes, there's remarkably little we can discover about what lies beneath. No remote-sensing satellite can measure the moisture in soil, its carbon content, or its stockpile of nutrients. Even farmers are often operating blind, reliant on lessons from prior harvests. But, if a small group of British researchers are right, the solution lies in seismology. Techniques developed to monitor earthquakes and look for oil can be harnessed to interrogate the structure of the world's soils – cheaply, quickly and potentially on a global scale –…

The older we get, the greater our risk of degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease (PD), which together affect over 65 million people globally. Emerging research indicates that the gut could play a significant role in reducing that number. The stomach has its own nervous system, which is connected to the brain via the vagus nerve and through this so-called gut-brain axis, gut health influences brain function and mood. Similarly, but following that axis in the opposite direction, stress can give us stomach aches. People living with PD tend to lack certain beneficial bacteria. Disruptive protein clumps called ‘Lewy bodies’ that form in the brains of PD patients have also been found in their guts. Meanwhile, the gut microbiomes of Alzheimer's patients foster more inflammation-causing bacteria. Memory…