Groundbreaking study reinforces urgent need to reduce emissions, and advises over-60s to avoid polluted air by walking in parks and green spacesThe over-60s should stick to green spaces and parks when they go for a walk and avoid the city streets, according to a groundbreaking study that says air pollution from traffic fumes largely wipes out the health benefit from the exercise.Walking is often recommended for older people, but the study from Imperial College London and Duke University in the USA suggests that the over-60s and those with lung and heart problems should steer clear of urban areas with heavy traffic. The negative effect may well be the same in younger people, say the authors, and it reinforces the urgency of reducing emissions in city streets. Continue reading...

Low-calorie diet caused remission in 90% of trial patients who lost 15kg or more, even those who had been diabetic for six years, say researchersA radical low-calorie diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, even six years into the disease, a new study has found.The number of cases of type 2 diabetes is soaring, related to the obesity epidemic. Fat accumulated in the abdomen prevents the proper function of the pancreas. It can lead to serious and life-threatening complications, including blindness and foot amputations, heart and kidney disease. Continue reading...

From replacement skin to entire new organs, regenerative medicine is finally leaving its early scandals – and the controversial ‘earmouse’ – behind. Could it one day provide a cure for birth defects, blindness and diabetes?

The sound of bubbles forming in a glass of fizz might reveal their size – often linked to quality – but choice of receptacle also plays a part, research suggestsWith the bubbly flowing freely over the festive period, you may well wonder if you are being plied with top-notch champagne or fobbed off with cheap fizz. Now scientists say you don’t have to have a discerning palate to find out.Researchers using underwater microphones say the sounds bubbles make as they ping off the sides of the glass can provide tell-tale clues as to their size – a factor long thought to be linked to the quality of the wine. While recent research has suggested tiny bubbles might not lead to optimal aroma release, the theory is that the largest bubbles are found in cheaper booze. Continue reading...

Eighteen months have passed since the EU referendum and the government’s position on science and research is no clearer – we need certainty

The prehistoric shift towards cultivation began our preoccupation with hierarchy and growth – and even changed how we perceive the passage of timeMost people regard hierarchy in human societies as inevitable, a natural part of who we are. Yet this belief contradicts much of the 200,000-year history of Homo sapiens.In fact, our ancestors have for the most part been “fiercely egalitarian”, intolerant of any form of inequality. While hunter-gatherers accepted that people had different skills, abilities and attributes, they aggressively rejected efforts to institutionalise them into any form of hierarchy. Continue reading...

The solution to today’s logic puzzleIn my puzzle blog earlier today I set you the following puzzle:Five cars are driving round a roundabout. In order, the drivers are Akira, Basho, Chie, Daichi and Etsu. The cars have licence plates numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, but not necessarily in that order. Each driver can see only the licence plate of the car in front of them and the car behind them, but not of the car they are driving. All the drivers can speak to and hear each other via headphones. Continue reading...

There were 1,120 treasure finds in 2016, the highest number since the revised Treasure Act came into law 20 years agoA glorious jewel made from hundreds of tiny pieces of garnet set in gold to form geometric and animal shapes lay for 1,400 years on the breast of an unknown woman until her Norfolk grave was rediscovered by a first-year university student. The item was among a record number of treasure finds reported by the British Museum in the year 2016.The pendant and other jewels and coins buried with the woman were among the spectacular discoveries mainly made by metal detectorists – including a hoard of 158 bronze age axes and ingots, the largest of its kind to be found in Yorkshire; and more than 2,000 silver Roman coins in Piddletrenthide, Dorset, which the finder and a local archaeologist managed to lift together with the clay pot holding them and the entire block of soil in which it was buried, so it could be studied at the British Museum.

Choose your words carefully and you can get someone to change their mind, or see you in a new lightIt’s not what you say, it’s how you say it – isn’t it? According to language analysts, we may have this wrong. ‘‘We are pushed and pulled around by language far more than we realise,” says Elizabeth Stokoe, professor of social interaction at Loughborough University. Stokoe and her colleagues have analysed thousands of hours of recorded conversations, from customer services to mediation hotlines and police crisis negotiation. They discovered that certain words or phrases have the power to change the course of a conversation.Some of these words are surprising, and go against what we’ve been taught to believe. (For example, in a study of conversations between doctors and patients, evidence showed that doctors who listed “options” rather than recommended “best-interest” solutions, got a better response, despite the suggestion from hospital guidelines to talk about the best interests of the patient.) But, from conversation analysts such as Stokoe to FBI negotiators and communication coaches, we’re learning which words are likely to placate or persuade us. Here are some of the biggest dos and don’ts. Continue reading...

Across the political spectrum we must all work harder to analyse our sources of information and our biases. The consequences of not doing so are direIt has been little over a year since Donald Trump stunned the world by becoming US president. His election marked a severe upset to conventional wisdom, with his startling use of social media drawing particular attention.A new nadir came last week, with Trump sharing videos from far-right group Britain First via Twitter. These were also shared by conservative Ann Coulter, one of only 45 people the president follows on Twitter.When asked by the BBC’s Nick Robinson to explain why the president might have retweeted videos from a far-right group, Coulter responded that Trump could not be expected to check the biography of people he retweeted and that “the video is the video, it’s not a faked video”. Continue reading...

Technology could be used to wipe out malaria carrying mosquitos or other pests but UN experts say fears over possible military uses and unintended consequences strengthen case for a banA US military agency is investing $100m in genetic extinction technologies that could wipe out malarial mosquitoes, invasive rodents or other species, emails released under freedom of information rules show.The documents suggest that the US’s secretive Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) has become the world’s largest funder of “gene drive” research and will raise tensions ahead of a UN expert committee meeting in Montreal beginning on Tuesday. Continue reading...

We asked you to share photos as parts of the world experienced the only supermoon of 2017. Here are some of our favourite images

A logic puzzle about cars going round in circlesUPDATE: I’ve posted the solution hereHi guzzlers,Key to ignition. Brain in gear. Now drive: Continue reading...

Glitzy ceremony honours work including that on mapping post-big bang primordial light, cell biology, plant science and neurodegenerative diseaseThe most glitzy event on the scientific calendar took place on Sunday night when the Breakthrough Foundation gave away $22m (£16.3m) in prizes to dozens of physicists, biologists and mathematicians at a ceremony in Silicon Valley.The winners this year include five researchers who won $3m (£2.2m) each for their work on cell biology, plant science and neurodegenerative diseases, two mathematicians, and a team of 27 physicists who mapped the primordial light that warmed the universe moments after the big bang 13.8 billion years ago.

A series of three supermoons will start on the 3rd December 2017, continuing on the 1st and 31st of January 2018. The lunar phenomenon occurs when a full moon is at its closest point to earth so it appears larger than usual

Why good health requires good sleep, the role our senses play in what we choose to consume, and some mind-boggling maths about the air that we breatheThink of anything that ever breathed – from bacteria to blue whales to Roman emperors – and some of his, her or its last breath is either circulating inside you now or will be shortly. Thus, with this startling claim, Sam Kean begins his examination of all things gaseous, Caesar’s Last Breath (Doubleday £20), in which he attempts to make stories about gases visible “so you can see them as clearly as you can see your breath on a crisp November morning.”By and large, Kean succeeds in this hugely enjoyable, slightly rambling account of our atmosphere and the remarkable men and women who transformed our knowledge about the air we breathe. I am not quite convinced by the arithmetic used to justify his claim that a few of the molecules that once danced inside Caesar’s lungs are dancing in our own lungs today but still found enough to entertain and stimulate in Caesar’s Last Breath to make it my science book of the year. Continue reading...

A new method of distinguishing viral from bacterial infections will help control the misuse of antibioticsYou have a rasping cough. Your speech is reduced to a whisper and your throat is raw and aching. You cannot sleep. So you tell your sad story to your doctor, who faces a simple issue: do you have a viral infection, or is a bacterium responsible for your illness?It sounds a trivial issue. In fact, the problem goes beyond your immediate health and has implications for the general wellbeing of society. If your doctor makes a misdiagnosis and – thinking your condition is caused by a bacterium – prescribes a course of antibiotics, the decision could have harmful side-effects. Continue reading...

If you’re brutish and promiscuous it could be your ancestors’ fault, says Ben AmbridgeYou’ve heard of your IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and your EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient) but what about your NQ (Neanderthal Quotient)? A new study from the State University of New York analysed 200 Homo sapiens to see which personality traits they shared with our distant cousins Homo neanderthalensis. So, what about you? How often (never/occasionally/often) do you…(a) Fantasise about sex with someone other than your partner? (b) Avoid talking to people you don’t know very well? (c) Feel so nervous that nothing could calm you down? (d) Show a lack of imaginativeness in new situations? Continue reading...

There are ways to ward off dementia and the ill effects of brain ageing, say Alexis Willett and Jennifer Barnett

Three nations blame social media for fall in number of girls given cervical cancer jabsHealth officials have become increasingly alarmed at campaigns aimed at blocking the take-up of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, which protects women against cervical cancer.Three leading nations have now seen major reductions in the take-up of the vaccine and a growing number of doctors fear its use could be blocked elsewhere, despite its capacity to provide protection against a condition that kills hundreds of thousands of women a year. Continue reading...

The world’s oldest mummy has been a boon to scientists, the Tyrolean tourist trade and now to filmmakersNo corpse has ever been examined so thoroughly, attracted so many admirers, or spawned such an array of relics and souvenirs. The mummified Neolithic male known as Ötzi, whose shrivelled body was discovered with his tools and clothing in a glacier 26 years ago, is now set to experience a further wave of popularity with the release of a biopic offering a fictional account of his life.Ötzi’s remains were stumbled across by a German couple, Erika and Helmut Simon, during a summer hike in 1991 in the Ötztal Alps in southern Tyrol. So well preserved was the partially thawed body, the couple initially thought the corpse, nicknamed Ötzi after the valley where it was found, to be relatively new. But forensic tests soon established it to be around 5,300-years-old, making Ötzi the oldest known human mummy. The corpse’s organs, even its skin – covered in 60 tattoos – were intact, making it a unique find and one of the most prized archaeological discoveries of all time.Ötzi has long since become a cause célèbre in the scientific world, with thousands of specialists examining everything from the contents of his stomach to how he died. Continue reading...

Sunday’s full moon will be the first and last supermoon of the year, appearing 7% larger and 15% brighter than average – and may have a reddish hueThe first and last supermoon of the year will rise above the horizon in the east on Sunday and loom larger and brighter than normal as it climbs in the night sky until it sets the next morning.Known in the Farmer’s Almanac as the cold moon, the long night moon, and the moon before yule, the event comes as the December full moon coincides with the body’s close approach to Earth, making it appear 7% larger and 15% brighter than average. Continue reading...

A full moon coincides with its closest stage of orbit for the only time in 2017 this weekend. We’d like your help documenting the astronomical phenomenonThe one and only supermoon appearance of 2017 occurs on 3 December, and we’d like to see your pictures as well as read stories about how you captured them.Related: Supermoon: search Sunday's skies for December's 'moon before yule' Continue reading...

Diet alone is not usually enough to reduce chemicals like potassium or phosphate that can build up in your body, so medicines to help do this are important, writes Fiona Loud, director of policy at Kidney Care UKWe are concerned that the headline on your article (Kidney drug ‘may do more harm than good’, say experts, 25 November) is misleading and could result in kidney patients stopping taking their medicines. When your kidneys do not work properly, dangerous levels of chemicals like potassium or phosphate can build up in your body. People who have kidney disease are usually given dietary advice as to how to help restrict their intake alongside medicines that bind these chemicals so that they can be excreted; and there is clear evidence that phosphate binders reduce levels of phosphate. Diet alone is not usually enough to reduce these levels, so medicines to help do this are important as without them levels could become too high and result in an increased chance of death.Nobody should stop taking their medicines after reading this article. If any of your readers are concerned then they need to speak to their doctor about the best ways to reduce phosphate in their diet in combination with taking the right phosphate binder for them and if they should swap to a calcium-free version. Undoubtedly more research is required because evidence in this area is changing all the time and what patients need is clear, simple guidance that they know they can trust – not misleading and potentially dangerous headlines.

Muslim populations | Brexit incompetence | Fortnum & Mason | Trump’s tweets | Thanet invadedForecasts that the Muslim population of the UK and other European countries could increase substantially by 2050 (Report, 30 November) presuppose that all children of Muslims will grow up to be Muslims. While many children inherit their religious beliefs from their parents, others read widely and reason for themselves. Some of those children will follow other religions, or no religion. How many people of Christian heritage in the UK are Christians? How many Britons of Muslim heritage will be Muslims in the year 2050?

Not yeti: that was the disappointing message for those hoping DNA analysis of nine ‘yeti’ specimens would at last prove the existence of the abominable snowman. Instead, the samples were shown to belong to eight bears and a dog. Still, scientists say the testing has shed light on the evolutionary “family tree” of bears, so that’s something at least. Much cheerier is the fascinating news that prehistoric women’s arms were stronger than those of today’s elite rowers. A bone analysis and comparison with modern women has revealed profound effect of manual agricultural labour on the human body – and shed new light on the role of women in ancient communities. Further archaeological excitement surrounded the news that experts believe they have pinpointed the place where Julius Caesar’s fleet landed to begin their invasion of Britain in 54BC – Pegwell Bay, on the eastern tip of Kent. Nearby excavations have revealed the remains of an ancient defensive base, bones and iron weapons, which point to the bay as the most likely landing spot for a Roman fleet. And finally, a new generation cancer drug offers tantalising hope for an HIV cure after boosting the immune system and reducing the reservoir of dormant HIV cells in a patient. However, as this is a single case, much more research will be needed – but it’s a glimmer of hope. Continue reading...

Sex tech isn’t all just ‘realistic’ robots and wifi-enabled marital aids. Girl on the Net reports from the innovative and surreal Goldsmith’s sex tech hack showcaseIn an old church somewhere in South London, senior computing lecturer Dr Kate Devlin lies down on top of a sleeping bag and submits to a hug from a robot. But it doesn’t look how you’d imagine a robot to look: it has no face, no hands, and none of the porny characteristics common to sex robots we see in the mainstream media. It’s a pile of plastic inflatable tubes on top of a sleeping bag, which wrap around you and pulse with air – squeezing and hugging whoever has been brave enough to lie down and try it. In my opinion it’s one of the sexiest things to come out of the Goldsmith’s sex tech hack.Although only in its second year, the sex tech hack has already managed to throw out ideas that radically challenge the way we think about sex and tech. Broadly, the products we’re used to seeing on sale offer a recognisable upgrade to our current sex toys – vibrators that connect over the internet to allow long-distance play, or sex robots which are basically sex dolls plus a simple Siri-style AI. But at the sex tech hack, the participants’ vision of the future is altogether more unusual: exploring the edges of sensual pleasure, and taking a new look at how we communicate intimately.

Walton on the Naze, Essex The iron-rich, sandy layer of the Red Crag, laid down by a cool sea, is rich in marine fossils.I walk past the arcades and beach cafes. The smell of vinegar on chips is sharp in my nose and makes my mouth water but I haven’t come to Walton on the Naze for seaside snacks. Higher ground is visible beyond the beach, partly shrouded in mist, and I strike out towards it. Continue reading...

Scientists unearth 215 eggs with preserved embryos of the fish-eating Hamipterus tianshanensis, providing fresh understanding of dinosaur’s cousinA discovery in northwestern China of hundreds of fossilized pterosaur eggs is providing fresh understanding of the flying reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs, including evidence that their babies were born flightless and needed parental care.Scientists said on Thursday they unearthed 215 eggs of the fish-eating Hamipterus tianshanensis – a species whose adults had a crest atop an elongated skull, pointy teeth and a wingspan of more than 11ft (3.5m) – including 16 eggs containing partial embryonic remains. Continue reading...

Patient given nivolumab, a new generation cancer drug, shown to have a reduced reservoir of dormant HIV cells and a boosted immune responseA new generation cancer drug has raised hopes for those living with HIV after it was found to reduce the reservoir of dormant HIV cells in the body and boost the immune response of a patient.Doctors say the effect the cancer drug nivolumab appeared to have on the patient offers a tantalising hope that it might provide a way to eradicate the virus from patients. Continue reading...

Nearly 50% of cases occur in adulthood, but many doctors assume adults with diabetes symptoms have type 2, leading to potentially dangerous misdiagnosisDoctors are wrong to assume that type 1 diabetes mainly affects children, according to a new study that shows it is equally prevalent in adults.The findings, published in the journal Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, overturn previous thinking that the form of diabetes, an auto-immune condition, is primarily a childhood illness. Scientists from Exeter University found that in a lot of cases it was actually misdiagnosed among adults. Continue reading...

We are shielded from most of the neutrons by the atmosphere, but radiation is more intense the higher you goSpace weather, determined mainly by solar activity, rarely troubles us on Earth. We are not bothered if satellites are buffeted by solar winds, unless they stop working. However, extreme solar events may cause real problems down here. Giant, once-a-century solar storms are a known threat to power grids, but aircraft may be at risk from far more frequent events according to a new study of data from a neutron storm in February 1956.There is a steady background drizzle of neutrons, but when a large solar flare strikes the Earth’s atmosphere it can produce a cloudburst of them. We are shielded from most of the neutrons by the atmosphere, but radiation is more intense the higher you go. During the event in 1956, monitors showed 50 times the base level of neutrons at sea level. Airliners at the time mainly flew below 20,000 feet and were at little risk. Continue reading...

Chores and bones | Sallie Thornberry | Mating signals | Doorstep scamsFollowing this research (Pounding grain gave Neolithic women bones to beat athletes, it would be interesting to study the difference, if any, between the bones of women before, say, the 1970s and today. Before most households possessed automatic washing machines, washing clothes, scrubbing floors etc must have contributed to healthier bones; even if, before rubber gloves, knuckles, hands and knees became sore.

Riko Muranaka awarded prize for efforts to explain jabs’s safety amid scare campaigns which have seen Japanese vaccination rate fall from over 70% to 1%A Japanese doctor who has stood up to a campaign of misinformation around a common anti-cancer vaccine has won a prestigious prize for championing evidence in the face of hostility and personal threats.Riko Muranaka at Kyoto University was awarded the 2017 John Maddox prize on Thursday for her efforts to explain the safety of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine amid strong opposition from anti-vaccine activists and a small group of academics. Continue reading...

Longstanding question of whether sponges or comb jellies were first to branch off the evolutionary tree from the common ancestor of all animals may be settledA longstanding row in animal evolution has come to a head, with a team of scientists claiming they have ended the debate over which type of creature is the sister of all other animals.Researchers have been torn for years over whether sponges or marine invertebrates known as comb jellies were the first type of creature to branch off the evolutionary tree from the common ancestor of all animals.

Researchers say erenumab is ‘incredibly important step forward’ for condition that affects 8.5 million people in UKA new migraine drug that can halve the length of attacks has been hailed as “the start of real change” in how the condition is treated.Erenumab, a laboratory-made antibody that blocks a neural brain pathway called CGRP, is the first drug in 20 years proven to prevent migraine attacks. Continue reading...

Are you 100% sure that you’re a mammal? Do you ever worry that you might be a moth or something? Well, fret no more, we’re here to helpYou likely know that you’re a mammal. You have neither feathers nor a shell, you cannot breathe underwater and you only have to look at an ant to feel the vast spans of evolutionary time that lie between you and insects. But are you absolutely sure? Are you 100% confident that you’re a mammal, and not some exotic form of mollusc? Well, now you can be, with this easy-to-use guide! Continue reading...

MPs as private landlords | Dowsing | Coming out | Picture captions | Rodney BewesStephanie Lovett asks why “crippling private rent” is not being addressed by politicians (Letters, 28 November). The answer could lie in reports following the Grenfell Tower disaster which showed that 123 MPs – almost one in five – are private landlords. They include the chancellor of the exchequer, the foreign secretary, the shadow foreign secretary and the Speaker. Eighty-seven of them are Tories and 28 Labour.

New light shed on role of women in ancient communities, as bone analysis reveals profound effect of manual agricultural labour on the human bodyPrehistoric women had stronger arms than elite female rowing teams do today thanks to the daily grind of farming life, researchers have revealed, shedding light on their role in early communities.

My father, Alan Eddy, who has died aged 90, was the founding professor of biochemistry at Umist - the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology – where he carried out groundbreaking work with yeast. He was appointed professor and head of the department of biochemistry in 1959, and was in the vanguard of Umist’s transformation into a leading university.Born in St Just, Cornwall, Alan was the son of Ellen (nee Berryman) and Alfred Eddy. His mother was a teacher; his father worked as an assayer (working out how much metal there was in rocks) in the local tin mines and later, after qualifying as an accountant, as a salesman for the Burroughs Adding Machine company. Alan showed early academic promise, winning a scholarship to Devonport high school and then an open scholarship to Exeter College, Oxford, to study chemistry. At Oxford he rowed for the college and, as a member of the athletics club, trained with Roger Bannister. Continue reading...

Whether they were introduced to you by family or friends, we want to hear about the distinctive American words in your vocabularyIf you live or work in America, what do you call a fizzy drink you buy during your lunch break? Is it soda? Maybe it’s pop? Or perhaps it’s a soft drink, or a coke (even if it’s not actually Coca Cola)?Related: British Library project discovers two new words – thanks to Guardian readers Continue reading...

Where did human language come from? What role does it serve? And how might emojis and GIFs enhance human interaction?Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud & Acast, and join the discussion on Facebook and TwitterSince beginning in 1825, the Royal Institution Christmas lectures have seen the likes of Michael Faraday, David Attenborough, and Monica Grady take centre stage. Continuing this string of science’s brightest stars, this year’s lectures will be given by Professor Sophie Scott, a cognitive neuroscientist from University College London. Continue reading...

Every day millions of internet users ask Google life’s most difficult questions, big and small. Our writers answer some of the commonest queriesWhy do good people suffer? Five words to take you into a dense maze of ideas philosophical, psychological and theological. Where to start? What suffering looks or feels like is probably one of the most subjective notions we can ponder. Even the way we usually categorise suffering – “physical” or “mental” – is blurry, because rarely does one come without the other. Our minds hurt when our bodies hurt, and vice versa.If we put aside the “good” or “bad” ranking – for now – and ask why any person suffers, we can start at the beginning: when our body, pulled apart from the one we grew inside, is suspended in the world on its own for the first time. Birth. Continue reading...

A study shows that tweaking the genes of alligators can produce feather-like structures – we could be on our way to understanding how birds became birds

Although it has not revealed the existence of the abominable snowman, DNA analysis has shed light on the evolutionary ‘family tree’ of bears, scientists sayHuge, ape-like and hairy, the yeti has roamed its way into legend, tantalising explorers, mountaineers and locals with curious footprints and fleeting appearances. Now researchers say the elusive inhabitant of the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau has been unmasked.Scientists studying nine samples – including hair and teeth – supposedly from yetis, say the samples are not from a huge hominin but in fact mostly belonged to bears. Continue reading...

Nearby excavations reveal remains of an ancient defensive base, bones and iron weapons, which suggest bay as most likely landing spot for Roman fleetJulius Caesar’s invasion of Britain was launched from the sandy shores of Pegwell Bay on the most easterly tip of Kent, according to fresh evidence unearthed by archaeologists.Researchers named the wide, shallow bay the most likely landing spot for the Roman fleet after excavators found the remains of a defensive base dating to the first century BC in the nearby hamlet of Ebbsfleet, near Ramsgate.

Compared with married couples, single people have a 42% elevated risk of dementia, and those who have been widowed a 20% increase, researchers findBeing married could help stave off dementia, a new study has suggested.Levels of social interaction could explain the finding, experts have said, after the research showed that people who are single or widowed are more likely to develop the disease. Continue reading...

Whether they were introduced to you by family or friends, we want to hear about the distinctive Australian words in your vocabularyIf you live or work in Australia you may have heard people use different words to describe what women wear when they go swimming. If you’re in Queensland women might be wearing togs; if you’re in the Victoria area they’re bathers, and if you’re in New South Wales they’re cozzies.

Boys are more likely to have asthma than girls, but the situation reverses with adolescence, prompting researchers to examine role sex hormones might play

From writing to flushing the toilet, we have to struggle. Left-handers may excel at elite sports, but the playing field that is life needs to be levelled upThe news that left-handers excel at some sports but not others confirmed my thoughts that the 10% of people that make up us southpaws are used to punching above our weight. A study published in the journal Biology Letters concludes that being left-handed is an advantage in sports where time pressures are particularly severe – such as table tennis, or cricket, or squash.I am the exception to the rule – I manage to be equally rubbish at any sport regardless of whether it be fast or slow. My PE teacher told me at least I had one good tennis shot in me, but I felt that was a backhanded compliment. But if we left-handers lead at sports such as cricket or tennis, it is yet to make up for the inequality we face in everyday life. Continue reading...