WELCOME

Bigger than a bus, daft as a brush: that’s the T. rex I remember. A monstrous predator made friendly by a pair of drumsticks for arms and a walnut for a brain. Of course, in its element, T. rex would have been terrifying, with its monstrous maw and blood-curdling roar. But if cinema’s taught me anything it’s that if I’m unlucky enough to stumble across one, then I can easily outwit it by standing still.

It turns out, the films were wrong (thanks, Spielberg!). As with most apex predators, the T. rex didn’t just muscle its way to the top of the food chain, it used cunning to get there. And this story, of how a tyrannosaur became king, is one that scientists are beginning to piece together. Turn to p38 where we pick up the thread with a pair of dinosaur hunters who meet in Berlin to exchange a package concealed in a Soviet box.

Clearly, it would be a lot easier to understand Earth’s previous tenants if we could look back in time. It turns out that some physicists think this might not be such a crazy idea. Astrophysicist and author Marcus Chown takes a look at the many ways scientists have been trying to wrap their head around the possibilities of time travel on p50.

And now, it’s over to you. We’d love to find out what you think of BBC Focus, to help us shape the direction of the magazine. Turn to our reader survey on p71, or complete it online at

sciencefocus.com/readersurvey All completed entries will be submitted into a prize draw for a chance to win one of four £100 Amazon vouchers. Enjoy the issue! Daniel Bennett, Editor