More than 373,000 people have visited replica diplodocus since it arrived in Glasgow in JanuaryDippy the dinosaur raises its elegant neck towards the vaulted ceiling of the Centre Hall in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum. The 21-metre-long replica diplodocus skeleton appears nonchalant in advance of the anticipated onrush of young fans during Scotland’s Easter school holidays.Since the Natural History Museum’s much-loved exhibit arrived in January on the only Scottish stop of its three-year UK-wide tour, the reception has been rapturous, with more than 373,000 visitors so far, already besting the next most popular venue, Birmingham, by more than 100,000. Continue reading...

Gene-editing technology has accelerated progress on animal organ transplant to the point where scientists will soon begin the first human trialsScientist Wenning Qin holds up a Petri dish, carefully sloshes around the pink liquid inside, and slides it under a microscope. Some identical tiny slashes come into focus. These cells, she explains, are derived from the ear of a pig. And they may contain the future of animal to human organ transplantation.Researchers in South Korea are expected to transplant pig corneas into humans within a year. A handful of groups across the US are also working toward pig organ clinical trials in the next few years, including a group at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston that is starting a six-person clinical trial using “blankets” of pig skin to temporarily protect the skin of burn victims. At the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) medical school, researchers are planning to transplant pig kidneys into adults and hearts into struggling newborns. Continue reading...

The modern world runs on numbers. We need to give university students a framework for understanding themDid you know that Sweden has the second highest rate of rape in the world, behind only Botswana? According to official statistics from the UN Organisation on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in 2015 Sweden recorded 57 occurrences of rape per 100,000 people, compared to 39 in the USA and just 3 in India. Sweden’s rape rate has shot up in recent years, during the same period that the country has been accepting large numbers of non-European migrants and asylum seekers.This is an extremely convenient fact for critics of immigration. Donald Trump has used it, as has Nigel Farage. And so have thousands of angry keyboard warriors on Reddit and across the internet. Continue reading...

In world first, Sydney researchers observe lizard’s egg laying and live birth three weeks later from a single litterSkinks may be much stranger than previously thought after researchers discovered a lizard that laid eggs and gave birth to live young in the one pregnancy.Researchers at the University of Sydney observed a three-toed skink lay three eggs and weeks later give birth to a live baby. Continue reading...

Ecological restoration can be a powerful means of protecting the atmosphere – we need to rewild on a massive scale

Gateshead, Tyne and Wear: This ancient, tenacious plant has already weathered three mass extinctionsEvery April, rocket-shaped, yellow, nine-inch reproductive shoots of field horsetail (Equisetum arvense), tipped with small cones, erupt through this patch of waste ground beside Mill Road car park on the bank of the river Tyne. They’ll soon wither, after they’ve released their payload of spores. Then forests of green, corrugated stems and whorls of thread-like leaves, shaped like miniature Christmas trees, will rise from their creeping underground stems. Continue reading...

House hunters are deterred from evicting incumbents by strong vibrations from insideHermit crabs shake in their shells to ward off competitors who have designs on their homes, scientists have found.Field tests conducted on a beach in Costa Rica showed Pacific hermit crabs are swiftly deterred from ousting an incumbent when they sense strong vibrations coming from inside. Continue reading...

Prompted by loss of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, system tracks planes anywhere on earthA satellite air traffic surveillance system capable of tracking aircraft anywhere around the planet has been launched.The system, which will start tracking planes over the north Atlantic, has been developed to fill the holes in radar coverage – some 70% of global airspace – that became apparent in the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Continue reading...

Report by Environment and Climate Change Canada suggests the majority of warming is the result of burning fossil fuelsCanada is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, a landmark government report has found, warning that drastic action is the only way to avoid catastrophic outcomes.“The science is clear – Canada’s climate is warming more rapidly than the global average, and this level of warming effectively cannot be changed,” Nancy Hamzawi, assistant deputy minister for science and technology at Environment and Climate Change Canada, told reporters on Monday. Continue reading...

Space agency chief says shooting down of satellite has created 400 pieces of orbital debrisIndia’s destruction of one of its satellites has been labelled a “terrible thing” by the head of Nasa, who said the missile test created 400 pieces of orbital debris and posed a threat to astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS).Jim Bridenstine was addressing employees five days after India shot down a low-orbiting satellite in a missile launch that it says elevated the country to the elite tier of space powers. Continue reading...

Underwater haul of Tiwanaku ceremonial relics is unprecedented, say academicsAn ancient ceremonial site described as exceptional has been discovered in the Andes by marine archaeologists, who recovered ritual offerings and the remains of slaughtered animals from a reef in the middle of Lake Titicaca.The remarkable haul points to a history of highly charged ceremonies in which the elite of the region’s Tiwanaku state boated out to the reef and sacrificed young llamas, seemingly decorated for death, and made offerings of gold and exquisite stone miniatures to a ray-faced deity, as incense billowed from pottery pumas. Continue reading...

Gas detected by Curiosity rover may have been released from fractured Martian permafrostA waft of methane detected by Nasa’s Curiosity rover on Mars may have been released from a layer of permafrost containing bubbles of the gas that was fractured by a geological event, researchers have said.It is the first time scientists have identified a potential source of methane on Mars, though the scientific community is still divided on whether the gas is really produced on the planet at all. Some says the methane detections on Mars are spurious or have come from other sources such as the rover itself. Continue reading...

US researchers reveal haul of perfectly preserved fossils dating back to Chicxulub impact that wiped out most of Earth’s lifeScientists in the US say they have discovered the fossilised remains of a mass of creatures that died minutes after a huge asteroid hit the Earth 66m years ago, sealing the fate of the dinosaurs.In a paper to be published on Monday, a team of paleontologists at the University of Kansas say they found a “mother lode of exquisitely preserved animal and fish fossils” in what is now North Dakota. Continue reading...

New research suggests boys are bigger liars than girls, and privileged children blag more than underprivileged onesThe American philosopher Harry G Frankfurt opens his bestselling treatise, On Bullshit, with a heartfelt lament on the sheer quantity around. “There is so much bullshit,” the Princeton scholar wrote in 2005, before conceding that we are all to blame.In new research, scientists claim to have identified the most common practitioners of the ignoble art. Their study of 40,000 teenagers reveals that boys; those from privileged backgrounds; and North Americans in particular, top the charts as the worst offenders. Continue reading...

Venus is at her most brilliant – the third brightest object in the sky after the sun and the moonThe planet Venus is a glorious sight in the morning sky, shining brilliantly around magnitude –3. (On the magnitude scale, the smaller the number, the brighter the object.) It is the third brightest object in the sky, beaten only by the sun and moon. From the northern hemisphere, Venus rises about an hour before the sun. At the beginning of this week, it will be joined in the dawn sky by the moon. The chart shows their positions at 0630 BST on 2 April. The moon will be a slim waning crescent with just 9% of its surface illuminated. From northern latitudes, it will be a distinct challenge to see, as the moon will rise only about 30 minutes before the sun, so skywatchers will need a very clear eastern horizon. From the southern hemisphere, the pair will rise about an hour earlier. A day later, the moon will disappear from view as it passes the sun to re-emerge in the evening sky. New moon occurs on 5 April but it won’t be visible in light of sunset until a day or two after this. Remember, never look directly at the sun, it is so bright that it can cause permanent eye damage. Continue reading...

The record number of pills being handed out for depression is a cause of concern, especially when access to other treatments is restrictedAlmost 71m prescriptions for antidepressants were given out in England last year – not including drugs dispensed in hospitals outside the NHS. This is a vast number of pills – more than twice the number of prescriptions given for antibiotics; 20m more than for cholesterol-lowering statins. In a decade, the number of antidepressant prescriptions has doubled; it has risen by 3m in a year. Around 7 million adults (16% of the English adult population) are now taking this medicine, and around 330,000 children.The new data can’t say whether more people are depressed than previously – only that more are being medicated. The most recent official survey, in 2016, revealed an increase in rates of the most common mental health conditions among women, particularly teenage girls. Recent reports from a commission assembled by the Lancet medical journal, and the World Health Organization, have warned of a growing global mental health crisis, and called on policymakers and professionals worldwide to make this a priority. Continue reading...

The Oxford English Dictionary’s inclusion of regional terms shows off what the UK has in common – linguistic ingenuityIn a rare piece of happy news to distract us momentarily from all the chaos, those lovely linguists at the Oxford English Dictionary have announced an abundance of new words all taken from regional dialects.The new entries include the Indian-English phrase “kiss my chuddies”; the delicious word “jibbons”, which is what spring onions are called in Wales; and the Scottish words “sitooterie”, which is (obviously) a place to sit out, and “bidie-in” (“a person who lives with his or her partner in a non-marital relationship”), which surely should have been in the dictionary ages ago, since the author Val McDermid, a fine connoisseur of the English language, uses it in her Twitter bio. Continue reading...

What do you ask the man who knows everything? The theoretical physicist and bestselling author answers questions from famous fans and Observer readersTheoretical physicists and mathematicians are fond of describing their theories and equations as beautiful but very few writers are able to bring this elegance to life for the general public. The Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli has proved himself to be one of those rare figures. His first attempt at writing a book for a mainstream audience, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics (2014), outsold Fifty Shades of Grey in his home country, has been translated into 41 languages and sold more than 1m copies. His second, The Order of Time, is an appreciation and lucid deconstruction of a quality we take for granted – “We inhabit time as fish live in water,” he writes.Like other popular scientists such as Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan and Brian Cox, Rovelli feeds our fascination with the fundamental forces that make our universe tick. Here, famous fans and Observer readers question him further. Continue reading...

The art of magic offers a fascinating insight into the psychology of reality and perceptionThe magician picks up a coin, conceals it in his hand and, after a magical gesture, it mysteriously disappears, only to reappear from behind your ear. As you watch this performance, you fully understand that objects cannot simply materialise from thin air, yet this is exactly what you have just experienced. Conjuring is one of the oldest forms of entertainment and throughout history, tricksters have amazed audiences by performing illusions of the impossible.The art of magic has never lost its appeal, and even in our modern lives, which are dominated by science and technology, we are still captivated by experiencing things we believe to be impossible. This universal appeal can be traced back to a deep-rooted psychological drive to explore things we do not understand. Indeed, from an early age, infants are captivated by events that confound their understanding of the world, and the same is true for adults. Most people simply think of magic as just another form of entertainment, but the ancient art of conjuring is now helping scientists uncover some of the mysteries of the human mind. Continue reading...

The spandex-based controversy has been broiling in the west for years; and it’s not just men policing women’s bodies, women are doing it to themselvesSign up for the Week in Patriarchy, a newsletter​ on feminism and sexism sent every Saturday. Continue reading...

The country’s anti-satellite missile test should be condemned, writes Sa’id Mosteshar On Wednesday the space Mission Shakti was carried out by India, in which it successfully targeted a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite (Report, 28 March). Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared: “In the journey of every nation there are moments that bring pride and have a historic impact on generations to come. One such moment is today … India has successfully tested the anti-satellite missile (Asat).”He added that the target satellite was at an altitude of 300km, and that India had not breached any international laws or treaties. Continue reading...

East Antarctica drilling project will give snapshot of Earth’s atmosphere and climateScientists are planning to extract ice samples from more than 1.5m years ago in a bid to discover more about our ancient climate – and hopefully learn more about our future climate.The Beyond Epica project plans to extract samples from the bottom of a 2.75km-thick ice sheet in East Antarctica. The ice cores will be the oldest ever drilled for. Continue reading...

Police struggling with shifting meanings of youth dialect have enlisted slang translatorsDo you know your “tum-tum” from your “ching” and your “corn” from your “gwop” (gun, knife, ammunition and money)? Neither do police and prosecutors, who have begun consulting a linguistics professor to help decipher urban slang and drill lyrics used as evidence in criminal investigations.The complexity of inner-city dialects and the growing use of texts and social media posts in court evidence has forced detectives and lawyers in London, the West Midlands and Essex to seek translations, according to Tony Thorne, an academic at King’s College London, who has been studying youth slang since 1990. Continue reading...

Epiacum Roman fort, Northumberland: Under the yarrow and sheep’s sorrel of the short turf were the gates, towers and bath house of the stone-built fortHill cloud rolls over the fell top where snow still fills the cups and hollows of high ground. I’m walking a section of the Pennine Way near Alston, uplifted by the layers of overlapping sound: curlews bubbling, peewits wing-thrumming, skylarks trilling. The path drops steeply down to the Gilderdale Burn, the county boundary between Cumbria and Northumberland. Climbing up again, the ground is spongy with recent rain, wet seeping into my boots.A series of grassy mounds and banks stand lime-green vivid against a lowering sky. Tiered like contemporary landform art, they were made nearly 2,000 years ago. This is Epiacum Roman fort on Castle Nook farm, and it has some of the best preserved earthworks of Roman Britain. Built about the same time as Hadrian’s Wall to the north, it is on the line of the Maiden Way that marched up to Carvoran. Archaeologists believe its purpose was to control lead and silver mining. The standard Roman rectangular fort is here skewed into a lozenge shape to fit the slope of the hill. Continue reading...

Explorer Thor Heyerdahl collected many items in his effort to prove South American migration theoryNorway has agreed to hand back thousands of artefacts removed from Easter Island by the explorer Thor Heyerdahl during his trans-Pacific raft expeditions in the 1950s.An agreement was signed by representatives of Oslo’s Kon-Tiki Museum and officials of Chile’s culture ministry at a ceremony in Santiago as part of a state visit by Norway’s King Harald V and Queen Sonja. Continue reading...

Keir Harding says those who have lived through trauma deserve better, and Ash Charlton says it is a myth that one of the biggest predictors for an adult becoming an abuser is if they have been abused themselvesAlexandra Shimo is right to highlight the travesty of people who have lived through traumatic experiences being labelled as having disordered personalities (Opinion, 27 March). Aaron Beck, the father of cognitive behavioural therapy, describes two therapists talking: “I’m having trouble with my patient with personality disorder.” “How do you know they have personality disorder?” “Because I’m having trouble with them.”This gut-feeling approach to diagnosis happens all too often in the UK. But things are changing. Next week is the 20th British and Irish Group for the Study of “Personality Disorder” annual conference in Durham. The inverted commas are indicative of the scepticism that members hold of the value of the personality disorder label. The conference is being launched by poet Clare Shaw, a staunch critic of the borderline personality disorder diagnosis, while other keynote sessions look at the impact of deprivation and trauma. We are moving away from “what is wrong with you?” and looking closer at “what happened to you?”. Continue reading...

Study reveals extent of chytrid fungus and how devastating it has been for frog, toad and salamander species worldwideA deadly disease that wiped out global populations of amphibians led to the decline of 500 species in the past 50 years, including 90 extinctions, scientists say.A global research effort, led by the Australian National University, has for the first time quantified the worldwide impact of chytridiomycosis, or chytrid fungus, a fungal disease that eats away at the skin of amphibians. Continue reading...

Older people without children at greater risk of isolation, poor health and inability to access formal care – reportMore than 1 million people aged over 65 without children are “dangerously unsupported”, and at acute risk of isolation, loneliness, poor health, poverty and being unable to access formal care, according to a report.The number of childless older people in the UK is expected to double by 2030, putting huge pressure on a health and social care system that is already struggling to support the vulnerable, warned Kirsty Woodard, founder of the organisation, Ageing Well Without Children (AWwoC). Continue reading...

Scent linked to epileptic seizures could mean dogs can be trained to warn ownersDogs can detect a telltale scent linked to epileptic seizures, scientists have discovered, raising the possibility that they could be trained to reliably warn owners when a seizure is imminent.The findings may also help explain anecdotal reports that dogs are able to sense when their owner is about to have a seizure. Knowing when a seizure is going to occur could allow people with epilepsy to have greater control and independence, meaning they could take measures to avoid injury, seek help or take medication. Continue reading...

To democratise scholarly publishing, individual academics need to take actionAcademic and scientific research needs to be accessible to all. The world’s most pressing problems like clean water or food security deserve to have as many people as possible solving their complexities. Yet our current academic research system has no interest in harnessing our collective intelligence. Scientific progress is currently thwarted by one thing: paywalls.Related: It's time for academics to take back control of research journals Continue reading...

Survey says cave stretches for six miles, beating Iran’s Namakdan cave in lengthDripping with stalactites and glistening crystals made of salt, the Malham cave at the southern tip of Israel’s Dead Sea is the world’s longest salt cave system, researchers have claimed, following a survey of its twisting and dramatic tunnels.The cavern, which extends over six miles (10km) underground, is believed to be even more extensive than Iran’s Namakdan cave, which was previously thought to be the longest salt cave. Continue reading...

Prof Jennifer Doudna, one the pioneers of Crispr-Cas9 gene editing, explains how this revolutionary discovery enables precise changes to our DNA, which can be used to correct mutations that cause genetic diseases and eradicate them from a germ line. Doudna raises the key issues of debate around gene editing and suggests what will have the most immediate impact. Continue reading...

Over 10 years, the French artist went inside space centres around the world to photograph ‘the past and future of space exploration’, from the 1968 Apollo mission to the future Nasa rocket aimed at Mars

High levels of noxious substances found in soil and on balconies in west London

As May announced her intention to quit after phase one of Brexit, MPs attempted to take control of the debate with a series of indicative votes. The former UK ambassador to the EU Sir Ivan Rogers reflects on how the negotiation process favoured the bloc once the timetable was agreed. Plus: Caroline Criado Perez on what a lack of spacesuits for women tells us about entrenched sexismWhen Sir Ivan Rogers resigned unexpectedly from his post as the UK’s ambassador to the EU in 2017, it created shockwaves. It also meant the loss of one of the country’s most experienced negotiators at a time when Britain was about to trigger article 50.He joins Anushka Asthana to discuss how the Brexit negotiations have panned out since and argues that when Theresa May and her initial Brexit secretary, David Davis, agreed to a timetable that required a withdrawal agreement to be signed before beginning trade talks, the EU gained the upper hand.

Discovery in 71-year-old Jo Cameron may aid development of new pain relief treatmentsDoctors have identified a new mutation in a woman who is barely able to feel pain or stress after a surgeon who was baffled by her recovery from an operation referred her for genetic testing.Jo Cameron, 71, has a mutation in a previously unknown gene which scientists believe must play a major role in pain signalling, mood and memory. The discovery has boosted hopes of new treatments for chronic pain which affects millions of people globally. Continue reading...

8,000 packs of Orkambi go out of date during standoff between maker and NHS

UK’s superbug tsar Lord Jim O’Neill compares idea to way banks were taken over after 2008 financial crashNationalised or state-run “utility” drug companies may be the only answer to the lack of investment in new antibiotics, former banker and superbug tsar Lord Jim O’Neill has suggested.The drastic measure would be intended to ensure that the development and production of new antibiotics were not at the mercy of capitalist market forces – which may seem at odds with O’Neill’s background as a chief economist at global banking giants Goldman Sachs. Continue reading...

Move ‘would save 10% of all endangered birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles’Nearly 10% of the world’s bird, mammal, amphibian and reptile species currently on the brink of extinction could be saved by killing invasive mammals such as cats and rats on 169 islands, according to a new study.Islands comprise just 5.3% of the Earth’s landmass yet have experienced 75% of known bird, mammal, amphibian and reptile extinctions since 1500. More than a third of species currently classified as “critically endangered” on the IUCN Red List are found on islands, with many particularly vulnerable to just eight species – including feral pigs, dogs, goats and mongooses – introduced by humans. Continue reading...

Men in least deprived areas of England are also living almost 10 years longer than those in most deprivedThe life expectancy of women in the poorest parts of England has fallen by three months, while that of women in the wealthiest areas rose by almost as much, new figures show.There was a drop of 98 days in life expectancy at birth among women in the most deprived areas between 2012-14 and 2015-17, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Life expectancy for women in the least deprived areas rose by almost 84 days, representing a divergence of around half a year in the length of the lives of the poorest and wealthiest women. Continue reading...

Of unemployed people with autism, 54% surveyed said they had never held a job despite wanting toAustralians living with autism are being locked out of the workforce, while some of those who found paid employment say they have previously lost a job because they are on the spectrum, new research claims.A study commissioned by autism peak body Amaze, and described as an Australian-first by its authors, surveyed the employment experiences of those living with autism and their carers, as well as attitudes towards autistic people in the workforce. Continue reading...

India’s PM criticised for making televised address about missile test during election campaignIndia’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, has announced the successful test of the country’s first space weapon, an anti-satellite missile, in a surprise televised address in the middle of the election campaign.The dramatic nature of the announcement – during a caretaker period when governments are restricted in what they promote – drew criticism alongside praise for India’s space scientists. Continue reading...

The lack of recognition for complex PTSD by the psychiatric establishment means it is difficult for sexual abuse victims who might suffer from it to receive the right diagnosisSuppose, for the sake of a thought experiment, that a new psychological disorder was discovered. It is supported by dozens of studies and recognized by some of the world’s leading psychiatrists and psychologists, but not by the North American psychiatric establishment. And let’s say the refusal to accept this new disorder had devastating consequences for #MeToo survivors.That claim is asserted by a growing number of sexual abuse victims, psychiatrists and psychologists worldwide. Continue reading...

Scientists analysed millions of US Twitter posts to find 45% rise in references in 13 monthsDonald Trump was, the researchers concede, an easy target. Having cringed themselves when he was on the campaign trail, they felt compelled to test their hypothesis: that the election of the 45th president of the US had prompted an upturn in national embarrassment.The scientists, with no official records of the nation’s mood to pore over, turned to Twitter for an answer. After analysing tens of millions of tweets sent from US accounts between June 2015 and December 2017, they found references to embarrassment and variants on the word had risen 45% since the election, from an average of 909 per million to 1,319 per million. Continue reading...

Amateur astronomer Ken Lawson says it took him eight years but he finally lined up the ‘perfect’ shotAn amateur Australian astronomer who took a “perfect” photo of the International Space Station passing in front of the moon says it took him eight years to set up.Ken Lawson, from Geraldton in Western Australia, has been an avid astronomer and photographer since childhood. On 14 March he captured the shot of the space station passing between Earth and the moon, in perfect light, with a simple camera and telescope. Continue reading...

Space agency blames shortage of outerwear after first-of-its-kind mission falls throughNasa’s plans for the first all-female spacewalk have fallen through – at least in part because the agency doesn’t have enough spacesuits that fit the astronauts.What should have been a giant leap for womankind has turned into a stumble after Nasa said on Monday night that they will only have access to one correctly sized spacesuit top by Friday when the walk was scheduled. One of the two women on the mission, Anne McClain, will now have to give up her place to a male colleague. Continue reading...

There needs to be serious, urgent research into better saddles for female cyclists, says Hannah Dines, who has endured years of pain and swelling caused by friction as she ridesThe plastic surgeon, in that particularly endearing way of surgeons, was trying to reassure me that although he had never operated on an endurance cyclist before, he had seen “presentations” like mine. “I’ve seen chronic inflammation and long-term trauma to the vulva like this. You know …” he paused, “in patients who compulsively rub up against bedposts.” Silence.I decided against explaining that the relationship with my bike saddle did not, perhaps, deserve to be in among the psychiatric cases in his cognitive filing system. However, he had a point. While there is no love lost between me and the necessary evil that is my saddle, I have continued to train, despite huge amounts of destruction to my body, pain and trauma. Continue reading...

Scientist David Nutt memorably said alcohol is more dangerous than crack. Now, he is trying to invent a healthy synthetic alternative, and the race is on to get it to market‘This is what my brain looks like,” says David Nutt, showing me an intense abstract painting by a friend of his that is sitting on the windowsill in his office. Nutt’s base at Hammersmith hospital has a cosy, lived-in feel – a stark contrast to the gleaming white laboratory he oversees as director of the neuropsychopharmacology unit at Imperial College London. Lab coats hang on a hook by the door, an ancient kettle sits in the corner and next to the painting is an unruly collection of objects that offer clues to his research interests: brain-shaped awards, an atomic model of Nutt’s invention for detecting inflammation in the brain of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients, a poster for the 1967 film LSD Flesh of Devil and two carved wooden mushrooms – the final items hinting at his role at Imperial’s psychedelic research group.All that is missing is something to do with the demon drink, to reflect Nutt’s ambitious plan to bring a safe synthetic alcohol substitute called Alcarelle to the masses. Nutt has long been developing a holy grail of molecules – also referred to as “alcosynth” – that will provide the relaxing and socially lubricating qualities of alcohol, but without the hangovers, health issues and the risk of getting paralytic. It sounds too good to be true, and when I discuss the notion with two alcohol industry experts, they independently draw parallels with plans to colonise Mars. Continue reading...

Scientists say research will help predict how glaciers’ melting will affect oceansAustralian researchers have discovered huge underwater lakes beneath the largest glacier in east Antarctica.The lakes were detected by scientists setting off small explosives 2m below the surface of the Totten glacier and listening to the reflected sound. Continue reading...

The solutions to today’s puzzlesEarlier today I set you the following two puzzles:1) Why is every even digit palindrome divisible by 11? (An even digit palindrome is a palindromic number that contains an even number of digits, like 1221, or 678876.) Continue reading...