New issue: Earth's Final Frontier

New issue: Earth's Final Frontier

Iceland sits upon two continental plates – the Eurasian plate and the North American plate. These huge chunks of Earth’s surface are yawning apart at a pace of 2cm (just shy of 1in) every year. This movement creates fissures in Earth’s surface, like cracks in its shell. In Iceland, the Silfra fissure sits over an aquifer, where glacial meltwater gathers underground, and so this crack became a lake. It's the only body of water in the world that you can dive into and find yourself swimming between two tectonic plates. You can, almost, reach out and touch the Eurasian plate with one hand and the North American plate with the other. I couldn’t tell you why that appeals to me as an idea, as something to see before I die, but it does. While the fissure is around 60m (200ft) deep underwater, in my imagination, swimming through those waters would feel like Earth was opening up beneath me. The idea that there’s another world beneath us has a special kind of hold on humanity, one that’s almost as alluring as the idea that there’s life beyond Earth. The thing is, seismology is now in a place where it’s able to give us a detailed picture of what’s really going on deep inside the planet. And every time it does, our understanding of what it’s like down there changes. In this issue, we share what we've discovered.

Holly Spanner

Published: April 15, 2025 at 7:00 am

Boost your anti-ageing bacteria

In the battle against the worst effects of ageing, your biggest ally is your microbiome, and all the friendly bacteria in your belly.

Egyptology

For centuries, scientists believed that only the elite were buried in pyramids. But now, new evidence is shaking up our understanding of these ancient burials... could they rewrite our history of the pyramids, and the people buried within?

Psychology

It's every CEO's dream - flexible thinking really does help you perform better. We take a deeper dive into just why mental flexibility, not stubborn determination, is the key when it comes to conquering a challenge.

Doomsday bunkers

How to prep your subterranean shelter, and what to stock it with, in order to survive the collapse of civilisation.

Plus

  • Is vaping really that bad? It was once touted as the best way to help smokers kick the habit – but what's the real risk?
  • Statins: Can the medication currently prescribed to help lower the risk of heart disease, really lower my cholesterol?
  • Q&A: Your questions answered! This month: Can we communicate in dreams? How would antimatter be stored? What is a paradoxical frog? What's the world's oldest cheese? Should I give myself a coffee enema? (We hope you already know the answer to this one...) What are the best foods to eat on Ozempic? Why are tardigrades so indestructible?

Issue 418 on sale Tuesday 15 April 2025

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Holly Spanner

Staff Writer, BBC Science Focus

Holly is the Staff Writer for BBC Science Focus and looks after the popular Q&A section. She holds an MSc (distinction) in Geoscience (Space and Climate Physics) from UCL, and specialises in astronomy and earth sciences. Before joining Our Media, she worked as a geoenvironmental consultant and engineer, informing on ground risk and remediation in the north of England, while hunting for exoplanets in her spare time. Alongside this, she was regional editor of a popular theatre website for nine years, and has a solid background in curating and developing content for the digital space. Holly is also an artist and illustrator, and regular contributor to the craft website, Gathered. She has previously worked with the RSPB, English Heritage, Disney, Pilot and Brother, as well as on BBC Good Food magazine, Home Style magazine, and Papercraft inspirations magazine. She enjoys photography and has a sustained interest in antiques.
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