Science Illustrated

Science Illustrated delivers natural science, break through discoveries and an understanding of the world for the entire family. Packed with stunning photography and in-depth editorial it’s a visually spectacular gateway to the world looking into the beginning of life to distant objects in the universe.

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Science Illustrated

Unreal nature: artificial intelligence blurs boundaries

Salt paints: Ukraine’s natural beauty revealed

Space telescope looks inside a huge star factory • The James Webb Space Telescope is proving its power, giving us unprecedented access to previously unknown details of the Orion Nebula. And the view is amazing.

Mirrors capture the universe’s invisible light • Once the James Webb telescope unfolded and reached its final position, its mission began in earnest. The primary mirror captures infrared light (heat radiation) from remote heavenly bodies, and this is passed on to the telescope’s instruments via the secondary mirror.

Drought can be seen from space • Satellite images reveal how the heat of summer quickly changed vast regions of the european continent.

Lean to the right when taking pills • Scientists discover that there can be a huge difference in the time taken to absorb medication depending on which way we lean when we swallow pills.

Warm water and warm air break down the ice cap • Warm ocean water enters between the floating ice shelf in front of the Thwaites Glacier and the solid ice cap.

Evidence mounts beneath the ‘Doomsday glacier’ • The huge Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica could be even closer to a rapid collapse than previously feared, warns a new study in which scientists sent a robot 700 metres below the freezing cold Antarctic ocean surface.

Cockroaches evolve to outsmart insecticides • Observed changes in the mating procedures of cockroaches led scientists to identify changes that have increased their speed of mating and reduced their desire for sugar.

Preventable factors in too many cancer cases • Too many cancer cases are due to preventable factors. A new study highlights the things you should avoid if you want to reduce your risk.

A plastic-eating ‘superworm’ might help the waste crisis • The larvae of a beetle commonly used as pet food have been found able to consume polystyrene. Australian scientists now hope that the larva – or the enzyme it excretes – might be used on an industrial scale to break down plastics into something useful.

Scientists suggest keeping some poo for a rainy day • Your own faeces might help you avoid severe diseases later in life.

Physicists provide the environment for a continuous atom laser • Until now, atom lasers have only been able to pulse, like the earliest light lasers. Now scientists have found a way to stabilise the environment required to allow continuous operation of such a laser.

SCIENCE UPDATE

“Could I turn myself into a fossil?” • It’s one of the strangest questions we’ve ever received from a reader: could they be preserved for posterity, embedded in rock like a dinosaur bone?

3 ways to fossilise • Under optimum conditions, human bones can be converted into rock.

Why are we afraid of the dark? • Many children are afraid of the dark, and some adults too. Is there an evolutionary reason for us to develop such a widespread fear?

How can I detangle matted hair? • “Last year, my daughter dressed as a witch for Halloween – and had made a mess of her hair for the occasion. It took hours to detangle it. Is there a recommended method?”

Robotic hairdresser combs matted hair • The Robowig robot includes a camera and sensors that measure the force of hair brushing.

“My Mum says ‘Don’t pick your nose!’ What does science...