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Can blue lights prevent suicide at train stations?
BBC Future - Chris Baraniuk
Japanese train companies appeared to have found that soothing blue lights could reduce the rate of suicides at station. But does the "nudge technique" really work? And if so, how? In 2013, a scientific
Microbiome
What we do and don’t know about gut health
BBC Future - Jessica Brown
The microbiome inside our bodies dictates many aspects of our health – and is as individual as we are. Inside your gastrointestinal (GI) tract are trillions of micro-organisms, including bacteria, fungi
How do you bring wildlife back to the city?
BBC Future - Martha Henriques
Many cities are challenging places for wildlife, full of people, noise and pollution. But small changes are all it takes to tempt many species to live in the concrete jungle. Urban rewilding projects tempting
Microbiome
The microbes that help make you and me
BBC Future - Stephen Dowling
Our digestive tract is home to an abundance of microscopic life wwith some surprising benefits. BBC Future's new series looks at some of the ways our gut biome defines us. Our January resolutions for year
Does wearing a coat indoors make you colder once outside?
BBC Future - Michael Evans
It is common advice to only wear your jacket once you venture outside to ensure you ‘feel the benefit’, but the truth is not so simple. When working in a draughty office, warehouse or classroom, it is
Diets
A high-carb diet may explain why Okinawans live so long
BBC Future - David Robson
Emerging evidence suggests a 10:1 ratio of carbohydrates to proteins may protect the body from the ravages of ageing The search for the “elixir of youth” has spanned centuries and continents – but recently,
BBC
How we’re tackling gender imbalance
BBC Future - Amanda Ruggeri
Science and technology often skews male. Journalism often does too. Here’s what we’re doing to tackle gender imbalance on our site… and why it matters. In May 2018, BBC Future signed on to the BBC’s 50:50
Artificial Intelligence
The invisible warning signs that predict your future health
BBC Future - Leah Kaminsky
Artificial intelligence is proving it can spot the warning signs of disease before we even know we are ill ourselves. Leah Kaminsky, a GP and author, believes it could lead to a new era of healthcare.
Our pets: the key to the obesity crisis?
BBC Future - Jules Montague
Even animals that aren’t eating too much or exercising too little are getting fat. If we can figure out why, we may have the key to our own obesity crisis – and how to stop it. Until last year, Borris
Artificial Intelligence
How your voice hides clues about your love life
BBC Future - Martha Henriques
The way we speak to a partner can betray our true feelings behind the words we use, and artificial intelligence has learned to pick up on these to predict whether your love will last. Let’s say your relationship
Great Depression
Seven reasons why the world is improving
BBC Future - Julius Probst
You’d be forgiven for thinking the world is all doom and gloom – and getting worse. But these seven charts show that’s not actually the case. The late Swedish academic Hans Rosling has identified a worrying
What is BBC Future?
BBC Future
We believe in truth, facts, and science. We take the time to think. And we don't accept — we ask why. In a complex, fast-paced world of soundbites, knee-jerk opinions and information overload, BBC Future
Time Travel
The perils of short-termism: Civilisation’s greatest threat
BBC Future - Richard Fisher
Our inability to look beyond the latest news cycle could be one of the most dangerous traits of our generation, says Richard Fisher. Not long after my daughter was born in early 2013, I had a sobering
News
The cyber-attack that sent an Alaskan community back in time
BBC Future - Chris Baraniuk
In 2018, a remote Alaskan community’s infrastructure was hit by a malware attack which forced it offline. It was only then they realised how much they depended on computers. They still don’t know where
Body Language
Why meeting another’s gaze is so powerful
BBC Future - Christian Jarrett
The reaction when two people lock eyes in a crowded room is a staple of romantic cinema. But the complex, unconscious reactions that take place are anything but make believe. You’ve doubtless had the when,
Hoarding
Why it pays to declutter your digital life
BBC Future - Kelly Oakes
If we feel overwhelmed by ‘stuff’, most of us believe physical clutter is the culprit. But researchers are finding that having too many digital files could be the problem, too. I have a confession: there
Immune System
Can an auto-immune illness explain the Salem witch trials?
BBC Future - Jules Montague
There are now compelling reasons to think that at least one of the girls may have suffered from a much-misunderstood neurological condition. ‘Their limbs wracked and, tormented so ... their arms, necks,
The plan to make artificial meteor showers
BBC Future - Chris Baraniuk
Is this the start of ‘orbital entertainment’? If you ever find yourself sitting back in wonder as super-bright artificial meteors flash across the sky, you will be able to thank the credit crunch – at
Juicing
Is juicing actually good for you?
BBC Future - Jessica Brown
Many of us see fresh fruit juice as a healthy way to get a mega-dose of vitamins – but is that true? And what does it do to our blood sugar and insulin levels? Freshly juiced fruit has become a staple
Cognitive Impairment
No, you can't eat your way out of a hangover
BBC Future - Veronique Greenwood
For some it’s a plate of eggs, for others the gut-busting breakfast, for others the humble banana. But can any foods really help take the morning-after pain away? The hangover has been with us forever,
Seafloor
Japan’s grand plans to mine deep-sea vents
BBC Future - Martha Henriques
Rich mineral reserves at extinct deep-sea vents could help solve the metals shortage for renewable energy technologies, but the environmental price may be high Off the coast of Okinawa, a slim stretch
The Nasa mission that broadcast to a billion people
BBC Future - Richard Hollingham
The Apollo programme was on a knife-edge when Apollo 8 blasted off 50 years ago. Its success paved the way for the Moon landings months later – and it captured the imagination with a Christmas message
How Dickens made Christmas white
BBC Future - Diego Arguedas Ortiz
In the UK, Christmas is usually snowless. So why do we still picture the ‘ideal’ Christmas as a white one? It was 25 December, and little George Adamson ran to the window, hoping to find a white world
Christmas Recipes
A Christmas menu dreamed up by a robot
BBC Future - Richard Gray
We asked an AI to come up with some creative recipes for the excess turkey, stuffing and pudding at the end of your Christmas meal. This is what happened when we cooked them. Sit back, push your plate
Happiness
Why the quickest route to happiness may be to do nothing
BBC Future - David Robson
Psychological research shows that the harder we strive to be happy, the less likely we are to achieve that goal This story is featured in BBC Future’s “Best of 2018” collection. Discover more of our picks.
How to hack your year: When to job hunt, buy a car and more
BBC Future - Amanda Ruggeri and Miriam Quick
When it comes to life events like applying for a job, buying a house or even getting married, certain months are more advantageous than others. Want to ‘hack your year’? Here’s how. Many of us rethink
Artificial Intelligence
How to make sweet sounding music with a hard drive
BBC Future - Sarah Griffiths
Artificial intelligence is being used by musicians to help compose melodies, write lyrics and even perform. It may only be a matter of time before a computer has a number one hit. Asked how The Beatles
The chemistry that gives champagne its famous fizz
BBC Future - Veronique Greenwood
How does champagne produce its fizz – without breaking the bottle? Some fiendishly clever fermenting techniques and a big dose of chemistry, it turns out. The glittering bubbles of a glass of champagne
Virtual Reality
Rock star Brian May revives Victorian virtual reality
BBC Future - Howard Timberlake
Not content with touring the world as a member of Queen, Brian May has also been busy bringing back Victorian 3D for a generation raised on digital technology. Stereoscopy is a Victorian technique for
Can we cheat ageing?
BBC Future - Diego Arguedaz Ortiz, Beth Sagar Fenton and Helena Merriman
All around the world, scientists are trying to beat the most debilitating condition known to humans: ageing. Here is how worms and 3D printers can help. As she headed to her lab one sunny Texan morning,