BBC Science Focus - 10.2019

3

FROM THE

EDITOR

This will surprise no one, but I’m not a fan of diets. My

feeble self-control means that any diet I go on is doomed

to fail. Still, with a few notable exceptions, studies show

that diets rarely lead to lifelong change. So I’ve given up

on them. That said, I do think about what I can do to age

healthily: to keep my fleshy husk out of hospital and

make sure my mind stays in good nick. And it looks like

there might be a new school of thought that even I can get behind.

The more you eat, the healthier you’ll be.

Unfortunately, I don’t mean eating more in terms of quantity, but

more in terms of variety. You are what you eat, the old adage goes,

and if you eat a diverse assortment of fruit, veg, nuts and seeds then

the bacteria that live in your gut will be diverse too. And that’s a

good thing, it seems. The variety of creatures in your gut have been

linked to how much you weigh, how tired you feel, and how likely

you are to get ill, among many other things. And now, it seems

there’s good evidence for a link between the bugs that populate your

digestive system and the health of your mind. It sounds fantastical,

but we know there are all sorts of nerve and chemical pathways that

connect your gut to your brain. So grab a healthy portion of fruit and

veg, and dig in to our cover feature on p48.

Daniel Benne, Editor

WANT MORE? FOLLOW SCIENCEFOCUS ON FACEBOOK TWIT TER PINTEREST INSTAGRAM

ON THE BBC THIS MONTH...

Why do millipedes

have so many legs?

p

JOCELYN TIMPERLEY

In this new regular section,

climate and energy

reporter Jocelyn gives us

the lowdown on the latest

environmental news.

 p

DR LUCY MADDOX

Feel like you need a brain

upgrade? Clinical

psychologist and writer

Lucy looks at the promise

• and potential pitfalls –
  of brain-computer
  interfaces. p

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DR SAMANTHA

ALGER

Wild bees are under

threat. But what can we do

to help them? Ecologist

Samantha explains what

her research has

uncovered.  p

DR STUART CLARK

A joint mission between

NASA and ESA will

intercept and hopefully

change the trajectory of an

asteroid. Astronomy

writer Stuart finds out

exactly how they’ll do it.

 p

COVER: MAGIC TORCH THIS PAGE: GET T Y X2, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE SCIENCE MUSEUM

*Calls from landlines will cost up to 9p per minute. Calls from mobile phones will cost between 3p and 55p per minute but are included in free call packages. Lines are open 8am-6pm weekdays and 9am-1pm Saturday for orders only. If calling from overseas,

please call +44 1604 973 721. BBC Science Focus (ISSN 0966-4270) (USPS 015-160) is published 14 times a year (monthly with a Summer issue in July and a Christmas issue in December) by Immediate Media Company, Bristol, Eagle House, Colston Avenue, Bristol,

BS1 4ST. Distributed in the US by Circulation Specialists, LLC, 2 Corporate Drive, Suite 945, Shelton, CT 06484-6238. Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, CT and additional mailing oices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BBC Science Focus, PO Box 37495,

Boone, IA 50037-0495.

The Art Of Innovation

Sir Ian Blatchford and Dr Tilly Bly th at

the Science Museum present this

Radio 4 series exploring the oen

overlooked relationship between art

and science. BBC Radio 4,

16 September.

Crowd Science: Is A Vegan

Diet Beer For Your Health?

What eect does eating meat and

dairy substitutes have on your

health? The team goes vegan to find

out. BBC World Service, 27

September, 8:30pm.

Arctic Academy

A group of teens from West

Lothian take part in an expedition

to the North Pole where they’ll

see the eects of climate change

first-hand. BBC Scotland

(available on iPlayer), 5 October.

CONTRIBUTORSCONTRIBUTORS

3

FROM THE

EDITOR

This will surprise no one, but I’m not a fan of diets. My

feeble self-control means that any diet I go on is doomed

to fail. Still, with a few notable exceptions, studies show

that diets rarely lead to lifelong change. So I’ve given up

on them. That said, I do think about what I can do to age

healthily: to keep my fleshy husk out of hospital and

make sure my mind stays in good nick. And it looks like

there might be a new school of thought that even I can get behind.

The more you eat, the healthier you’ll be.

Unfortunately, I don’t mean eating more in terms of quantity, but

more in terms of variety. You are what you eat, the old adage goes,

and if you eat a diverse assortment of fruit, veg, nuts and seeds then

the bacteria that live in your gut will be diverse too. And that’s a

good thing, it seems. The variety of creatures in your gut have been

linked to how much you weigh, how tired you feel, and how likely

you are to get ill, among many other things. And now, it seems

there’s good evidence for a link between the bugs that populate your

digestive system and the health of your mind. It sounds fantastical,

but we know there are all sorts of nerve and chemical pathways that

connect your gut to your brain. So grab a healthy portion of fruit and

veg, and dig in to our cover feature on p48.

Daniel Benne,Editor

WANT MORE?FOLLOWSCIENCEFOCUSON FACEBOOK TWIT TER PINTEREST INSTAGRAM

ON THE BBC THIS MONTH...

Why do millip

have so many

p

JOCELYN TIMPERLEY

In this new regular section,

climate and energy

reporter Jocelyn gives us

the lowdown on the latest

environmental news.

 p

DR LUCY MADDOX

Feel like you need a brain

upgrade? Clinical

psychologist and writer

Lucy looks at the promise

• and potential pitfalls –
  of brain-computer
  interfaces. p

CONTACT US

Advertising

[email protected]

0117 300 8276

Leers for publication

[email protected]

Editorial enquiries

[email protected]

0117 300 8755

Subscriptions

[email protected]

03330 162 113*

Other contacts

sciencefocus.com/contact

DR SAMANTHA

ALGER

Wild bees are under

threat. But what can we do

to help them? Ecologist

Samantha explains what

her research has

uncovered.p

DR STUART CLARK

A joint mission between

NASA and ESA will

intercept and hopefully

change the trajectory of an

asteroid. Astronomy

writer Stuart finds out

exactly how they’ll do it.

 p

COVER: MAGIC TORCH THIS PAGE: GET T Y X2, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE SCIENCE MUSEUM

*Calls from landlines will cost up to 9p per minute. Calls from mobile phones will cost between 3p and 55p per minute but are included in free call packages. Lines are open 8am-6pm weekdays and 9am-1pm Saturday for orders only. If calling from overseas,

please call +44 1604 973 721. BBC Science Focus (ISSN 0966-4270) (USPS 015-160) is published 14 times a year (monthly with a Summer issue in July and a Christmas issue in December) by Immediate Media Company, Bristol, Eagle House, Colston Avenue, Bristol,

BS1 4ST. Distributed in the US by Circulation Specialists, LLC, 2 Corporate Drive, Suite 945, Shelton, CT 06484-6238. Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, CT and additional mailing oices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BBC Science Focus, PO Box 37495,

Boone, IA 50037-0495.

The Art Of Innovation

Sir Ian Blatchford and Dr Tilly Bly th at

the Science Museum present this

Radio 4 series exploring the oen

overlooked relationship between art

and science. BBC Radio 4,

16 September.

Crowd Science: Is A Vegan

Diet Beer For Your Health?

What eect does eating meat and

dairy substitutes have on your

health? The team goes vegan to find

out. BBC World Service, 27

September, 8:30pm.

Arctic Academy

A group of teens from West

Lothian take part in an expedition

to the North Pole where they’ll

see the eects of climate change

first-hand. BBC Scotland

(available on iPlayer), 5 October.