Science Focus (Prod)

Alexander McNamara

Online Editor, BBC Science Focus

Alexander is the former Online Editor at BBC Science Focus.

Recent articles by Alexander McNamara

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Ultimate guide to Mars |Interesting facts, figures and fun questions about the Red Planet

Join us on a journey to the fourth planet from the Sun with amazing facts, incredible images and vital information about Mars.

space-exploration

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Future technology |22 ideas about to change our world

The future is coming, and sooner than you think. These emerging technologies will change the way we live, how we look after our bodies and help us avert a climate disaster.

future-technology

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8 really, really big books about space

Celebrate the absolute vastness of the cosmos with some of the best books about space, which demand a galaxy-sized bookshelf to store them on.

apollo-programme

space-exploration

the-solar-system

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Sleep tech |19 gadgets to help you nod off and wake up refreshed

Not all of us have the luxury of sleeping in if we want to feel refreshed when we wake up, so here are some of the best sleep gadgets for getting a good night’s rest.

future-technology

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Q&A special |17 reasonably romantic questions you asked us about the science of love (and sex)

Love is in the air, but what does that even mean? You've asked us a lot of questions about love - here's the science to really keep the romance alive.

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How Ada Lovelace's notes on the Analytical Engine created the first computer program

She may be one of the most famous women in science history, but what is it that Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace achieved to gain such eminence?

future-technology

computer-science

great-scientists

science-history

women-in-science

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More than half of British men exhibit 'sedentary behaviours'

Overall, the rates of British men and women who spend more than four-and-a-half hours each day sitting on the rise over the last 20 years.

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Greenland's ice sheet melted at a rate equivalent to 'six Olympic-sized swimming pools every second' last year

Researchers detected unusually low melt in 2017 and 2018, followed by record-high melt in 2019.

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Earliest example of abstract British art discovered in Jersey

The prehistoric artwork was found at the Les Varines archaeological site in the south east of the island and is thought to be between 14,000 and 23,000 years old.

human-evolution

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Researchers to explore link between coronavirus lockdown and allergies

The research project will involve 1,000 babies born in Ireland at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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429-million-year-old trilobite eye fossil 'almost identical to that of modern bees'

Digital microscopy showed the fossilised trilobite had a ‘fully modern type of visual system’ similar to that of living bees and other insects.

insects-arachnids

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Project Discovery |Could computer games help find a cure for COVID-19?

Find out how players of the online gameEve Onlineare using their gaming time to help unlock the mysteries of the coronavirus.

future-technology

science-focus-podcast

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COVID-19 |Children play 'limited role' in coronavirus pandemic

Study on infection rates show children account for just one in every 100 cases in England.

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Evolution of primate larynx faster than in other mammals

The findings could help in better understanding vocal communication amongst primates – including humans.

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New dinosaur species discovered on the Isle of Wight a relative ofTyrannosaurus rex

The creature is a new species of theropod, the group that includesTyrannosaurus rexand modern-day birds.

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Bird behaviour revealed using Alan Turing's mathematical models

Researchers used the method to study why flocks of long-tailed tits segregate themselves into different parts of the landscape.

animal-behaviour

great-scientists

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National favourite, cod and chips, at climate change risk

Consumers may have to change their eating habits due to declining fish stocks, according to scientists.

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Climate change |Record-breaking summers ‘a danger to human health’

英国的气温达到36°C周五,hottest recorded August temperature in 17 years coming just a week after the hottest day of the year recorded so far.

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Drinking in pubs creates "perfect storm" for spreading coronavirus

学者警告来自家庭混合后我n pubs and homes has been blamed for a rise in cases in Preston.

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Dr Jacob Bleacher |Why do we need to go back to the Moon?

NASA's Chief Exploration Scientist for human exploration explains what effect deep space will have on the astronauts and why now is the time to go back to the Moon.

science-focus-podcast

space-exploration

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Source ofViburnum tinusplant's iridescent blue fruit discovered

Researchers say the fruit uses fat structure more common in animals to produce colour, which may, in turn, attract birds.

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WWI U-boat sunk by Royal Navy surveyed for the first time

Archaeologists said the remains of the main hull, which was intact along its length, were visible above the seabed.

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Disease-bearing animals 'thrive in human habitats'

Experts warn that global land use needs to change to reduce risk of disease spillovers from animals.

human-geography