BBC Focus - 09.2019

CONVERSATION

[email protected]

BBC Science Focus, Eagle House, Colston

Avenue, Bristol, BS1 4ST

@sciencefocus

http://www.facebook.com/sciencefocus

@bbcsciencefocus

SupportUK

research

I wasveryinterestedinyour

article‘What’sup,dog?’(May,

p24)butlookingintothesubject

furtherI foundI was

disappointed.Why?Well,the

articlewasbasedaroundthe

workofBioScentDx,a company

inFlorida.I readilyfoundan

organisationintheUK,the

MedicalDetectionDogs,who

train‘bio-detectiondogs’and

‘medicalalertassistancedogs’

ona non-commercialbasis.I

wouldpolitelysuggestthatUK

journalsandmagazinessuchas

BBCScienceFocusshould

concentratemoreon

highlighting,andtherefore

supporting,theworkofUK

researchbodies,andespecially

thosethatarecharitablybased.

DavidTordo,Shropshire

InourDiscoveriessectionwetry

tocoverthemostinteresting

andup-to-dateresearchfrom

around the world, so inevitably

we will sometimes cover a piece

of research from a foreign team

that is similar to work being

done in the UK. However, we do

try our besttochampionUK

researchwheneverpossible.We

actuallycovereda storyonthe

LETTER OF THE MONTH

CONVERSATION

MedicalDetectionDogssniing

outdiseasesintheSummer

issueofBBCScienceFocus( p73),

forexample.

Wewilldefinitelybekeeping

aneyeontheworkofMedical

DetectionDogsUKfor

futuredevelopments.

JasonGoodyer,commissioning

editor

Tong ue t ick le s

In response to Luis Villazon’s

answer to Toby Graham’s

question about why it’s

impossible to tickle yourself

(Summer, p87), it is possible to

tickle yourself! Close your

mouth and gently ick your

tongue on the roof of your

mouth and you will get a

tickling sensation.

Martyn Garthwaite, Chingford

YOUR OPINIONS ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND BBC SCIENCE FOCUS

WRITEINANDWIN!

Thewriterofnextissue’sLeer

OfTheMonthwinsthreeNeos

SmartCams. Thepocketsized,

Alexa-compatible SmartCam

allows families to protect and

monitor their homes from

wherever they are in the world,

through a smartphone app. It

automatically starts recording

when noise or motion is

detected, making it easy for

medievaltimes.Histhesis

wasverymuchthattheright

kindandrightamountoffood

wasthekeytogoodhealth

andlongevity.I wasgoingto

endthisleerthankingyou

forexplainingwhyI go

througha wholebagof

caramelsinonego( June,

p85)...butinviewofwhatI

wroteaboveabouteatingthe

rightamountsoffoods,I think

it wouldbebeerif I didnot

exposemyselfso!

MariaLuck,viaemail

Yes, you can

tickle yourself,

says Martyn

Garthwaite...

just not with

a feather

As I say, not as I do

I picked up your magazine in a

dentist waiting room and I

think you have got yourself a

new reader! As someone who

has been promoting

breastfeeding for over 20

years, I was really excited to

read your article on the

special components of breast

milk ( June, p20). With regards

to your article on ‘biohacking’

( June, p33): the famous doctor

Maimonides was already

writing about overeating in

homeowners to keep an eye on

their houseorpetswhilethey’re

away. neos.co.uk

WORTH

£