The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific conceptsDoes anyone know if there is an evolutionary reason for fingerprints?David Taylor, Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland Continue reading...

Comedian Iszi Lawrence on helping academics use humour to make their research more accessible“So, what do you do?” It’s the dreaded question we all get asked at parties. As a member of the self employed the question might as well be “can you justify your existence”?I know what NOT to say. I don’t say I’m a podcaster, because then follows a tedious explanation of what a podcast actually is. I never reveal I’m a comedian: people assume I’m washed up as they’ve not heard of me, or – worse – they ask for a free demo ... never advisable at a wake. So I do everything I can to appear as boring as possible. To keep the follow-up questions to a minimum, I usually say I am an accountant (well, I do my own tax return). I rarely include the fun aspects of my work, like teaching academics how to be funny, because I know where the conversation goes. Doctors and GPs will feel my pain, being bombarded with tales of ailments and body parts at parties before they even have a chance to take off their coats. Continue reading...

The launch of the Humanity Star is proof that the human urge to dominate wild places is as untamed as everNews that Rocket Lab, a New Zealand space company, has somewhat surreptitiously sent a 3ft-wide geodesic sphere into space – looking somewhat like an oversized Christmas tree bauble, has not met with unalloyed joy. Dubbed the Humanity Star, it is due to shine there for nine months (until it burns up in the atmosphere) – a “reminder to all on Earth about our fragile place in the universe”, as the company’s founder, Peter Beck, says. “It’s definitely a reminder,” agrees the astrobiologist Carl Scharf, “… because it’s infesting the very thing that we urgently need to cherish.”Related: 'Space graffiti': astronomers angry over launch of fake star into sky Continue reading...

Thinking caps on!Hi guzzlers,A box contains two red hats and three green hats... Continue reading...

But total lunar eclipse on 31 January won’t be visible in UKThe full moon on 31 January coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth. This means that it will appear slightly larger and therefore slightly brighter than normal. In recent years, this phenomenon has become known as a supermoon. Supermoons are around 7% bigger and up to 30% brighter than other lunar appearances. Although these increases are hardly noticeable to the eye, it is nice to gaze up and know the Moon is near its closest point to Earth, an altitude of around 224,000 miles (360,000km). Continue reading...

‘Here’s a rule that’s catnip for right-wingers everywhere: do not bother children while they are skateboarding’Just a few years ago, I was an unknown professor writing academic books that nobody read. Then, with God’s help, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and develop my potential. Pinkos and wishy-washy liberals had cornered the market in cod psychology, so I guessed there must be a huge hunger for a self-help book, backed up with religion, mythology, CAPITAL LETTERS and stating the obvious – one directed at responsible, socially minded conservatives craving some pseudointellectual ideology to prop up their beliefs. And bingo! Here are my 12 Rules for Life.1 Stand up straight with your shoulders straight

The president’s dementia assessment and other specialist tests are available online, but the media must present them with carePresident Trump’s recent medical examination was partly theatre: the doctor’s white coat, the “good genes”, the superlatives that seemed prescribed. But it was also serious. This commander-in-chief can personally initiate nuclear war. When the Guardian turned the theatre into audience participation, some readers were troubled. The episode illuminated a recurring aspect of life under the internet – information previously known and used only by specialists is now available for use by almost everyone, without expert understanding of the purposes and limitations of that information. This can discomfort specialists and challenge journalists, who will often be the bridge between experts and a general audience.Related: 'Fit for duty': the test Trump took to show he's up to the job Continue reading...

Blue moon, super moon and blood moon combine to create moment not seen in the skies in more than 150 yearsA rare celestial event will grace the skies during the coming week when a blue moon and lunar eclipse combine with the moon being at its closest point to Earth, resulting in what is being called a “super blue blood moon”.The trifecta will take place on 31 January and will be best visible from the western hemisphere. The last time the three elements combined at the same time was in 1866. Continue reading...

Millions of Americans are hooked on painkillers – thousands die as a result. Scientists are striving to design a new, safer generation of opioidsOnly the word “epidemic” really does justice to the scale of human tragedy caused by opioid drug use in America.How else can we describe 145 largely avoidable deaths a day? Opioids – mostly prescribed as painkillers or obtained illicitly by those hooked through previous treatment – killed 53,000 people in the United States in 2016 – more than guns or road accidents. That same year saw deaths caused by synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl, double to 20,145. Continue reading...

Having been orphaned herself, Genevieve Fox’s desire to look after herself when she became ill was matched only by her urge to look after her own childrenAs my husband and I approach the UCH Macmillan Centre for the results of the biopsy for a lump in my neck, I wonder if I’ll have a single malt at the pub afterwards, or a warming whisky mac. Richard, usually a decorous drinker, has suggested the stiff drink before we head home for the Secret Santa party we’re hosting later on. The sooner we get this appointment out of the way, the better.We take our seats in the reception area. When I was here two weeks ago, I watched as a Macmillan nurse approached a seated couple and chatted. Clearly one of them had cancer. I don’t want anything to do with Macmillan nurses. Continue reading...

Pictures of the first two cloned primates have caused deep unease. But the idea of making exact copies of deceased humans remains a delusionWith their huge eyes and spindly limbs, the two cloned macaque monkeys, whose births in China were announced last week, made irresistible front page fodder. Created by scientists at the Institute of Neuroscience in Shanghai, the animals, Hua Hua and Zhong Zhong, certainly looked cute. Cuddled together, they displayed an almost human vulnerability, a connection that was not lost on headline writers: “One Step Closer to Human Clones,” claimed one front page.It is only 21 years since the Observer revealed to the world that scientists in Scotland had created the world’s first mammalian clone, Dolly the sheep. Now this triumph has been followed up with a pair of cloned macaques, creatures that are much closer to Homo sapiens in genetic terms than sheep. The suggestion that a similar trick would soon be carried out on humans was therefore too tempting to ignore. Continue reading...

There were lots of exciting scientific tidbits this week, but two stories really stood out. The news of the first primates born using the same cloning method used to create Dolly the sheep opens many possibilities – although scientists are adamant that human clones are not among them. Also potentially rewriting the Homo sapiens story is the discovery of a 200,000-year-old jawbone in Israel – the oldest human fossil ever found outside Africa – which suggests human ancestors left Africa far earlier than previously thought. Some potential good news too, as a Parkinson’s trial discovered evidence that flushing out ‘zombie cells’ in the brain could help stave off the disease – and might offer a new approach to treating the effects of other neurodegenerative diseases and even ageing. Researchers seemed to be looking to science fiction for inspiration as they revealed the first ever “floating 3D printing” – technology that projects graphics into the air, where they are visible from all angles, like a real-life version of the Princess Leia projection in Star Wars. And finally, something that sounds cool, but actually, when you think about it, is not so great: Rocket Lab, a New Zealand startup, has secretively put a satellite likened to a giant disco ball into orbit. It is expected to become the brightest object in the night sky for nine months until it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, and astronomers are furious, dubbing it “space graffiti”. Continue reading...

Her fearless speech was also a reasonable demand for more shared knowledge, faster diagnosis and wider access to experimental treatmentsOn 24 May last year, Tessa Jowell found she could not speak. Two days later, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Two weeks after that, the tumour was cut out. Six months on, she can’t say she was cured, but she sure as hell could speak this week.“I don’t think I immediately leapt to the inevitability of cancer,” she told Nick Robinson on the Today programme on Wednesday. “To begin with, I thought I would have this tumour, that it would be operated on and that would be it.” That, it turned out, was not it. Now her life, she said, was “affected” by her tumour. “How do I know,” she asked, “how long it’s going to last.” Continue reading...

This winter the first wolf in 100 years arrived in Belgium, completing the animals’ return to mainland Europe. But can Europeans relearn how to live alongside the predators?To some it is a roe deer that eats meat: an adaptable animal capable of living peaceably alongside humans. To others it is a demonic killing machine that ruins farmers – and whose presence is a symbol of the city’s contempt for rural life.The wolf is on the rise in Europe. This winter it finally reconquered Belgium, the last mainland European country from which it had been absent after decades of persecution. Continue reading...

Experts study remains dug up in 19th century for first time ahead of Museum of London Docklands exhibitionA puff of dust almost 2,000 years old rose as archaeologist Jackie Keily gently tipped a wastepaper bin-sized lead container, and a pile of cremated Roman remains slid out towards bones expert Rebecca Redfern.“Oh wonderful, look!” Redfern said, pouncing on a bone with the excitement of a treasure hunter. “A toe! Look how white that bone is – really excellent cremation technique.” Continue reading...

Step into the classroom to help the next generation discover exciting and diverse career opportunitiesAsk a seven-year-old “what do you want to do when you grow up?” and you’ll get an answer built on very limited experience. But unless children are exposed to a wide range of options how can they know what opportunities exist that might interest them?The lack of awareness of primary school children of the full spectrum of careers is highlighted in a new study, Drawing the Future. Carried out for the organisation Education and Employers, the conclusion is that more of us need to go into primary schools to share our experiences of the world of work. Continue reading...

Giant disco ball dubbed ‘Humanity Star’, launched by startup Rocket Lab, will interfere with scientific study of the universe, experts sayAstronomers across the world have criticised a privately owned, New Zealand-based space company after it secretively put a satellite likened to a giant disco ball into orbit.Last week the space exploration startup Rocket Lab launched a rocket from a remote sheep and cattle farm on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. Continue reading...

At the beginning, we hunted frantically for any medical breakthrough that might hint at a cure. Then hope gave way to the unbearable truth. By Peter SavodnikOne night several years ago, I checked out of a hotel in Cairo and hailed a cab to the airport. It was just after 1am. I had been in Egypt for a week, researching a story on the Muslim Brotherhood, and I had come down with a nasty bug. A blood vessel in my right eye burst, but the doctor said it would probably go away in a few days. I had with me my laptop, a duffel bag crammed with T-shirts, a crushed-velvet blazer, a toothbrush, a razor, medications, an exceptionally tattered copy of Herzog, and an empty, oversized suitcase, which I had been dragging around the world for several weeks and was starting to feel like a vestigial organ. That evening, when my flight landed in Hamburg and I checked into a hotel across the street from the terminal, the woman at the front desk said: “This arrived for you.”She produced a box that had been shipped from Brussels and loaded it on to a luggage cart. I took it to my room and ripped it open. It was filled with miniature bottles of a yoghurt-like drink that was supposed to cure dementia. I put the bottles in my suitcase, and the next morning I caught my connecting flight to New York. Continue reading...

Google Lunar XPRIZE withdraws $30m prize for first robotic spacecraft touchdown by private firm as deadline defeats finalistsA lucrative competition to land a robotic spacecraft on the moon will end on 31 March this year without a winner. The Google Lunar XPrize promised to reward the first private company to make such a touchdown with $30m, a prize it was hoped would stimulate a new era of cost-effective and reliable access to the moon.But the mission has proven tougher than anyone suspected. The competition was announced in 2007 but seemed destined to fold back in 2015 because of lack of progress. Continue reading...

Parents offering even limited amounts of alcohol may increase risk of binge-drinking and other problems, study concludesParents who give alcohol to their teenagers could be increasing their offspring’s risk of binge drinking and other alcohol-related problems, research has revealed.The study found that compared with secondary-school aged children who had no access to alcohol, those who were given some by their parents more often admitted to later binge drinking, had symptoms of alcohol-use disorder and experienced alcohol-related harms – such as difficulty recalling events or getting into trouble.

Human ancestors left Africa far earlier than previously thought, discovery of prehistoric jawbone and tools suggestA prehistoric jawbone discovered in a cave in Israel has prompted scientists to rethink theories of how the earliest human pioneers came to populate the planet, suggesting that our ancestors left Africa far earlier than previously thought.The fossil, dated to nearly 200,000 years ago, is almost twice as old as any previous Homo sapiens remains discovered outside Africa, where our species is thought to have originated. Continue reading...

Labour peer given standing ovation for moving speech in House of Lords about her brain cancerTessa Jowell has received a standing ovation in the House of Lords for a moving speech about her brain cancer in which she urged peers to support an international initiative to share resources, research and new treatments.The former Labour culture secretary, who is seriously ill with a high-grade brain tumour, spoke to a packed house about the importance of “a community of love” for people suffering from cancer. Continue reading...

Researchers have discovered why mosquitoes prefer some people over others – and how a swat teaches them to avoid youResearchers have found a solution for those plagued by mosquitoes: thrash about, and the insects will learn to give you a wide berth.While it has long been known that mosquitoes favour some individuals over others – and can shift those preferences when availability is scarce – it was not clear what was behind the switch. Continue reading...

Here’s why the persistent idea that a woman’s outfit can make her responsible for her own assault has no basis in scienceSterling work by undercover reporters for the Financial Times have caused a storm around the Presidents Club. Reports of their annual gala dinner involving horrific harassment of hostesses, paid (surprisingly little) to cater to the whims of rich powerful men under alarmingly draconian conditions have quickly caused the club to close.This is just the latest in a long line of scandals regarding men in powerful positions using them to abuse, harass and sexually manipulate women. The potent backlash to the Presidents Club revelations and the ongoing #MeToo movement suggest that we may be undergoing a long-overdue societal shift when it comes to sexual politics and interactions, especially with regard to men exploiting their power over women. Continue reading...

The creation of two monkeys brings the science of human cloning closer to reality. But that doesn’t mean it will happenThe cloning of macaque monkeys in China makes human reproductive cloning more conceivable. At the same time, it confirms how difficult it would be to clone a random adult – Adolf Hitler, say – from a piece of their tissue. And it changes nothing in the debate about whether such human cloning should ever happen.Since the cloning of Dolly the sheep by scientists in Scotland in 1996, several other mammals have been cloned, including dogs, cats and pigs. But the same methods didn’t work so well for primates – like monkeys, and us. That’s why this latest step is significant. It shows that, with a bit of modification, the technique used for Dolly can create cloned, apparently healthy baby monkeys. The pair made this way by scientists at the Institute of Neuroscience in Shanghai have been christened Hua Hua and Zhong Zhong. Continue reading...

Ticks carry a wide array of pathogens – and environmental changes mean they are spreadingSince the beginning of our species we have been at war. It’s a continuous, neverending fight against the smallest of adversaries: armies of pathogens and parasites. As we have developed new ways to survive and stop them, they have evolved ever more complex and ingenious methods to thwart our efforts.Humans have faced numerous attempts to challenge our dominance on planet Earth , and from the Black Death to the Spanish flu, we have weathered them all. However, since the start of the 21st century, with its trend towards global interconnectedness, these onslaughts are ever-increasing. In the past 17 years we have battled Sars, the Ebola virus, Mers, and more recently the mysterious mosquito-borne Zika virus. These diseases seeming to appear from nowhere and rapidly ravage our populations. One commonality is that they almost always originate in animals before jumping across to people, and few parasites are as good at jumping between animals and people as the tick.

Matildas striker Sam Kerr named young Australian of the year and biophysicist Dr Graham Farquhar the senior Australian of the yearThe quantum physicist Prof Michelle Yvonne Simmons has been named the 2018 Australian of the year for her pioneering work in the field of quantum computing.At an awards ceremony on Thursday, Simmons was praised for world-leading research that could result in the first working quantum computer – a machine that performs calculations using subatomic particles rather than components of classic computing. Continue reading...

All-day breakfast filling identified as worst offenderIt’s a staple of the British diet and a popular choice for a quick and easy lunch. But new research reveals the carbon footprint of the humble sandwich could be fuelling harmful greenhouse emissions.The worst offender is revealed as the ready-made “all-day breakfast” sandwich, crammed with egg, bacon and sausage. Continue reading...

Impact of one daily cigarette on risk of heart disease and stroke greater than previously thoughtSmoking just one cigarette a day is more dangerous than commonly thought, say researchers who have found it still raises the risk of coronary heart disease or stroke to about half the risk from smoking 20 a day.The team behind the study say that the findings emphasise that cutting out cigarettes, rather than just cutting down, is necessary to dramatically reduce the chance of cardiovascular problems – a key cause of premature death among smokers.

Elon Musk says Falcon Heavy, his company’s newest rocket, will launch ‘in a week or so’ after test at Kennedy Space CenterSpaceX fired up its newest, biggest rocket in a critical launch pad test on Wednesday, advancing toward a long-anticipated test flight possibly in just a week.The Falcon Heavy briefly roared to life for the first time at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center. All three boosters – 27 engines in all – were tested. The thunderous booms could be heard at the press site three miles away, as huge white clouds of engine exhaust billowed into a clear blue sky. Everything appeared normal: the 230ft (70-meter) rocket stood tall and brilliantly white after the test on the historic pad once used by Nasa’s Apollo moon rockets and space shuttles. Continue reading...

Our final mini-series episode asks what impact might AI have on society – and who decides when to turn it off?Subscribe and review on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud and Acast, and join the discussion on Facebook and TwitterIn 1997, Garry Kasparov famously lost his rematch with IBM’s Deep Blue, marking the first time a reigning world champion had been defeated by a program under tournament conditions. Much of the press that followed was predictably hyperbolic, with headlines questioning whether a “Terminator scenario” was just around the corner. Twenty years on, the potential danger posed by powerful AI is in the spotlight once again. It’s a concern that leads to the fourth and final question of this mini-series: if we cannot align AI with our own goals and values, do these systems need an off switch? Continue reading...

Cloning of macaque monkeys a breakthrough, but researchers insist work will not be extended to humansTwo baby macaque monkeys have become the first primate clones to be produced using the same approach that gave rise to Dolly the sheep, researchers have revealed.Big eyed, fuzzy-furred and spindly-limbed, the macaques have been named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua. Zhonghua is part of the official name for China, where the animals were born.

Despite what you may have read in the furore surrounding Johann Hari’s new book, it’s very dangerous to stop antidepressants without professional advice

Every day millions of people ask Google life’s most difficult questions. Our writers answer some of the commonest queriesLoneliness is a stealthy bastard. It can settle in on your soul without you even noticing, until the texture of the words appear on your tongue one day: “I’m lonely.” It’s a hollow melancholy that wraps itself around your heart and stays there, whispering fear of social rejection in your ear and growing stronger, feeding on your insecurities.As much as we may like to think it is a symptom of old age – the kind of thing that only happens when everyone you loved is laying supine six feet under – it can touch anyone from any age or demographic. Loneliness does not discriminate; it is so prolific that you could say it is an inevitable quirk of human existence. In loneliness, my friend, you are not alone: a Red Cross study revealed that 9 million people in the UK are always or often lonely. Continue reading...

Findings from on risky behaviours will help to design interventions, say researchersAlmost half of children in the UK have tried alcohol by the age of 14, while nearly 20% have had a run-in with the police, new figures have revealed.The research also found that among 14-year-olds, 17% of boys and 8% of girls had gambled in the previous four weeks, 17% had tried a cigarette at some point, and more than one in 10 admitted to binge drinking on at least one occasion – defined as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting. Continue reading...

Alternative treatments could alter effects of prescription medication, warn researchersHerbal remedies such as St John’s wort, ginseng and ginkgo biloba could have harmful interactions with conventional drugs, scientists have warned.In an extensive review of the medical literature, the team uncovered dozens of cases in which alternative treatments appeared to have altered the effects of prescription medication, either diluting it, making it more potent or causing potentially dangerous side effects. Continue reading...

How can we tell if an extinct animal is male or female? And how did dinosaurs mate?

Deniers have found a platform in emerging publications that publish without rigorous reviewThere’s a new scientific journal you might not have heard of called the International Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences. It says it “supports scientist who sweats for the real innovation & discovery”.

Exoplanets orbiting Trappist-1 have thrilled astronomers since their discovery last year thanks to their Earth-like potential to harbor water

Stats and studies are not enough. Progressives must realise that voters are won over by narratives, not numbersWith the Brexit debate still raging and a stream of bewildering news emanating from the Trump administration, progressives on both sides of the Atlantic are floundering, struggling to make sense of a world that was unthinkable just a couple of years ago.Their failure to win over hearts and minds has been critical in shaping events in the last few years. Progressive campaigning efforts largely haven’t worked, and are still not working. Since the EU referendum, little has changed in the tone and tenor of the public conversation on Brexit. In the run-up to the vote, the remain campaign desperately tried to take to task the leave campaign’s claim that exiting the EU would free up £350m a week for the NHS. The urge to set the record straight, call out “fake news” and counter false information has not subsided since then. Continue reading...

Possible approach to treating effects of neurodegenerative diseases – and even ageing – revealed by trialIn work that could open a new front in the war on Parkinson’s disease, and even ageing itself, scientists have shown that they can stave off some of the effects of the neurodegenerative disease by flushing “zombie cells” from the brain.The research in mice raises hopes for a fresh approach to treating the most common forms of Parkinson’s disease, which typically arise through a complex interplay of genetics, lifestyle and potentially toxic substances in the environment. Continue reading...

Randolph Quirk was a longstanding family friend. Whenever he and his wife, Jean, came to our house it was full of laughter and fun. He was also exceedingly competitive.On holiday in Northumberland in the 1960s he challenged a Roman Catholic priest, Alec Fraser, who was with us to a motor race on a two-lane, straight but switchback road. Quirk drove with his family in a Morris Minor and Fraser drove an Austin Standard. They took it seriously, overtaking or blocking each other several times, sometimes side by side, shouting and waving. Quirk came second. As he got out of his car he shook the priest’s hand and said: “You missed your vocation, father.” Continue reading...

It is 15 years since Nasa lost contact with mankind’s first interstellar probe. What can you remember about it and the missions that followed?Fifteen years ago today, scientists at Nasa received the final faint signals from Pioneer 10, the first manmade object to leave the solar system. Over the years, her sister ship Pioneer 11 and the two Voyager probes have also embarked on the long journey to be emissaries for the human race among the stars.How much do you remember about these groundbreaking space missions, the discoveries they made, and the strange objects they had on board? Continue reading...

We modelled the climate for George RR Martin’s series for fun, but there’s a serious side to predicting weather for a fictional worldFor fans disappointed that the next series of Game of Thrones won’t be on our screens until 2019, here’s some food for thought: an attack on Westeros would be most likely to come from the south in winter and north in summer, according to a climate model of the world of Game of Thrones.Furthermore, the model also sheds light on many mysteries surrounding the climate of the lands of Westeros and Essos – including the likely hibernation zones of White Walkers and the similarities between The Wall and Lapland. Continue reading...

Scientists condemn Satyapal Singh for saying Darwin’s theory is ‘scientifically wrong’India’s minister for higher education has been condemned by scientists for demanding that the theory of evolution be removed from school curricula because no one “ever saw an ape turning into a human being”.Satyapal Singh stood by his comments on Monday, saying his ministry was ready to host an international conference at which “scientists can come out and say where they stand on the issue”. Continue reading...

In a letter to Justin Trudeau, 250 scientists highlight their concern over the imminent end of a research program to better understand climate changeCanadian climate science is facing a looming crisis whose repercussions could be felt far beyond the country’s borders, hundreds of scientists have warned, after the Canadian government failed to renew the country’s only dedicated funding program for climate and atmospheric research.

‘Scientific’ eugenics is on the rise, and grabbing a foothold in respected journals. The claim that these theories are a credible part of a general discussion should worry us allIn the fallout from Toby Young’s resignation from the Office for Students this month, it emerged that University College London has been unwittingly hosting an annual conference attended by race scientists and eugenicists for the past few years. This might have come as a shock to many people. But it is only the latest instalment in the rise of “scientific” racism within academia.Researchers with extreme views on race number relatively few but, having languished on the margins of their fields for many years, they are now managing to push their ideas into the mainstream, including into respectable scientific journals. Continue reading...

More than 200 UK agencies that provide ‘CE’ safety labels may lose recognition after March 2019Highly specialised jobs in Britain assessing whether products ranging from MRI scanners to phones can carry the “CE” safety label could be at risk post-Brexit after the European commission put manufacturers on notice over future standards.In an official notice, the EC said the agencies that provide the safety certificates may not have their work recognised after 29 March 2019, unless an agreement can be reached. Continue reading...

A study at the University of Nottingham has shown that blood drains from someone’s face when they are under stress. Here are the other bodily signs to look out forTouch your nose. If it is cold, you may need to calm down. Science, by using thermal imaging cameras and stressing the hell out of students, has discovered that stress causes a cold nose (and face). Blood moves from the face to other parts of the body that might need it more in a dangerous situation, such as muscles and limbs. This can be useful, if you need to be alert for something, such as jumping out of the way of a moving car. But chronic stress can have a dangerous effect on the body. Here are some other ways your body is telling you that you are stressed. Continue reading...

Females favour the right and males the left, say researchers, although reason is still unclearWhether stalking down the stairs or tiptoeing into the litter box, cats have a preference for which paw they put forward, according to new research, with females favouring their right paw and males their left.Scientists say that while such preferences are a matter of individual inclination, males generally prefer stepping out with their left foot, while females typically favour their right.