Lab notes: I love a planet with a steamy atmosphere

Is there life on the Earth-like planet GJ 1132b? Well, most probably not, but what it does have is a hot and steamy atmosphere, astronomers have discovered. It's one of the first times an atmosphere has been spotted around a small, rocky world. Back on our own rocky planet, geologists have revealed how catastrophic flooding separated Britain from Europe 125,000 years ago (I particularly loved the artist's impression, do check it out!). And although a group of dermatologists released a study this week examining the role of skin conditions in film portrayals of villains, the horror film fanatic in me was far more excited by archaeologists' revelation that medieval villagers mutilated the dead to stop them rising. Running that story a close second for gory thrills was the detailed calorie counts given for human flesh and organs in a paper released this week on prehistoric cannibalism. Stick to the leg of lamb for Easter, honestly.