Ground control to major Tim: how does it feel? “I was told that it would stop with a big jolt as the main chute opened, but in our case, it didn’t,” said Tim Peake as he recalled the moment when he feared his spacecraft’s main parachute had failed to open. In related news, the discovery of two “baby” planets this week (awww) is exciting for a number of reasons, not least because they’re still developing, giving us “a glimpse of planet formation as it occurs”. And finally, researchers explore the moral dilemma of programming driverless cars. Continue reading...

To find out whether the ‘wisdom of crowds’ is real, I asked people on Twitter to guess the weight of my scotch. With Britons voting in a referendum to leave the EU, their responses speak volumes about the ability of populations to find the right answersLet me tell you the most boringly overused statistical anecdote ever. In 1906, an ox was butchered at a fair in Plymouth. 800 people present were asked to guess it’s weight, and you will literally not be amazed when you hear what happen next. From the Victorian polymath Francis Galton, who wrote about the event, we know that average of the crowd’s estimates was within a gnat’s bingo wings of the true figure – 1207 pounds versus 1198.Fast forward about a century, and James Surowiecki popularized the concept of ‘the wisdom of crowds’ in his book of the same name. The basic idea is this: if you get a large number of people, and you ask them to answer certain types of question – usually ones involving estimation, general knowledge and spatial reasoning - the average of their answers will be as good as or better than any one of them. The theory is that random individual errors cancel each other out, while collectively the crowd acts as a kind of fishing net to gather lots of little bits of information that accumulate to guide the result. Continue reading...

Ian Sample talks to Stuart Clarke about his new book exploring exoplanets and alien worlds, and how to find another EarthMany of the thousands of alien worlds discovered around distant stars are unlike anything in our solar system. Some face perpetual hurricane-force winds; others have not one, but two suns.But some of these planets do have striking similarities to those in our own cosmic neighbourhood. Could an Earth-like planet capable of harbouring life be one of our next discoveries? Continue reading...

Dutch researchers successfully raise radishes, peas, rye and tomatoes in soil mixed to match that of the red planet – giving hope that settlers could grow foodCrops of four vegetables and cereals grown in soil similar to that on Mars have been found safe to eat by Dutch scientists.

Pumping of groundwater blamed for causing soil to collapse as development roars ahead above, with railways among infrastructure at risk, say scientistsChina’s capital is known for its horrendous smog and occasional sandstorms. Yet one of its major environmental threats lies underground: Beijing is sinking.Excessive pumping of groundwater is causing the geology under the city to collapse, according to a new study using satellite imagery that reveals parts of Beijing – particularly its central business district – are subsiding each year by as much as 11 centimetres, or more than four inches. Continue reading...

Independent UK mission hopes to analyse the atmospheres of distant worlds using off-the-shelf componentsTwinkle is a small mission with big ambitions. Designed to reveal the chemical composition, weather and history of planets orbiting distant stars, it will involve building and launching a space telescope before 2019.Twinkle is an independent mission proposed by UK scientists and engineers. It will be built in the UK, and this month it passed a key design milestone. Continue reading...

The EU referendum has led some to claim big decisions should only be made by intellectuals and elites. But gut instincts should play a huge part in how we voteTowards the end of CS Lewis’s The Silver Chair there is a fascinating little exchange between a rather dour marsh-wiggle called Puddleglum and a brilliant sorceress that has imprisoned him and his friends below ground. Tightening her grip on their minds, the witch tries to convince Puddleglum that there is no such thing as above ground, that Narnia and Aslan are all fantasies, that his quest for something better is hopeless. The friends are close to being persuaded when Puddleglum finds some inner strength to resist. His argument is stuttering. He admits that maybe he’s wrong and a dreamer. Yet his made-up world feels a lot more inspiring than the apparently real one described by the witch. “That’s why I’m going to stand by the play-world. I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn’t any Narnia.”I write in half-defence of what is now being called “post-truth politics”. In half-defence only because – obviously – I’m not enthusiastic about defending Trump-like liars and political frauds, or the idea that people in power can say anything they like regardless of its truth. But still, there is something about Puddleglum’s answer that represents a noble suspicion of what is asserted as established and uncontestable reality by intellectual elites. Continue reading...

As part of the Game of Thrones blog carnival, Dave Hone takes a look at whether Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons could fly if they were realThe dragons from the Game of Thrones books and TV series are, sadly, a fiction but that does not mean they are not worthy of some serious (OK, semi-serious) scientific thought and musings. Certainly they are not the most unlikely animals that scientists have seriously suggested could fly as made famous by the proposition in 1920 that Stegosaurus could take to the air (yes, that Stegosaurus, the one with the plates).Fictional creations in science fiction and fantasy can certainly be instructive and a great launch point for discussion and thoughts about what might be possible or plausible in reality. Many ideas and concepts have appeared in fiction before serious scientists looked at them, and some have been provided a real inspiration for later research and technological developments. With that in mind, just how plausible are these animals, in particular given their huge size? Continue reading...

Tech enables us to do more while understanding less. That’s fine, until there’s a glitch – which is why the US navy is teaching sailors how to navigate by the starsThe smartphone in your hand enables you to record a video, edit it and send it around the world. With your phone, you can navigate in cities, buy a car, track your vital signs and accomplish thousands of other tasks. And so?Each of those activities used to demand learning specific skills and acquiring the necessary resources to do them. Making a film? First, get a movie camera and the supporting technologies (film, lights, editing equipment). Second, learn how to use them and hire a crew. Third, shoot the movie. Fourth, develop and edit the film. Fifth, make copies and distribute them. Continue reading...

Known as a culinary delicacy, this coastal plant plays an important role in saltmarshes – a powerful buffer against erosion from pounding wavesSamphire is a juicy green shoot eaten as a delicacy with fish dishes. It has a briny taste because it grows in saltwater.After the summer solstice is the traditional start of the samphire harvest. The shoots are picked at dawn each day on mudflats along the coast and river estuaries, especially in the Wash of Norfolk, and then rushed to market. Continue reading...

Australian researchers find 27% of unexplained deaths have a genetic mutation, findings which could open the way for preventative treatment for existing family

The anatomy of ancient roots pushes the boundaries of palaeobiology, pointing to more diverse root biology than previously understoodMost palaeontologists tend not to think about cells too much. Our world is dominated by the parts of living things that preserve well, and on a human scale: teeth, bones, shells, or (in my case) the bits of plants which best survive the processes of decay and preservation. Soft part preservation is highly unusual, and cell-scale detail is incredibly rare. Yet it is what soft parts do that most of biology focuses on, from molecules up to ecosystems. If we want to reconstruct lost worlds, we need to think about all these scales.Where we do see cellular detail, it is thanks to permineralisation, a mode of preservation where mineral-rich fluids infiltrate the cells of an organism before decay can take hold. If you have seen a polished slice of petrified wood, with its tree rings clearly visible and beautifully preserved, you have seen a permineralised fossil. Microbial fossils, found in some of the oldest rocks on the planet, are the most ancient direct evidence of life on Earth, and by their very nature, show us cell-scale detail.

Archaeologists find coins, pottery and stretch of road in Ipplepen, beyond what was thought to be limit of Roman influenceThe discovery of a few muddy coins in a Devon paddock by a pair of amateur metal detector enthusiasts has led to the redrawing of the boundary of the Roman empire in south-west Britain.Previously it had been thought that Ancient Rome’s influence did not stretch beyond Exeter but the find has resulted in a major archaeological dig that has unearthed more coins, a stretch of Roman road and the remnants of vessels from France and the Mediterranean once full of wine, olive oil and garum – fish sauce. 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 queriesIf you’re asking this question, you’re probably also wondering if perfectionism can ever be a good thing.Perfectionists are those who strive for flawlessness, for a perfect creation, outcome or performance. They set excessively high standards. They’re harshly critical in their evaluations both of themselves and of others, and they’re highly concerned about the way others evaluate them and their work. They find compromise challenging – either something is done to their own high and exacting prescription or it’s regarded as a total failure. They find it difficult to delegate, even if that means neglecting their health, relationships and wellbeing in pursuit of a “perfect” outcome. They also find it difficult to forget about a past mistake or a situation in which they feel they failed – and as a result, they’re often plagued by feelings of guilt and regret. Continue reading...

The EU referendum has stirred the blood of the UK body politic as never before. It is up to us to ensure a positive outcomeAt 5:30 pm tomorrow I will make my way to the annexe room at our local library to give blood. The appointment was fixed months ago so the fact that it falls on the same day as the vote in the EU referendum is just a coincidence. But as the 23 of June has approached and the campaigns intensified, being scarred lately by lies and xenophobia, and then disfigured horribly by the brutal killing of MP Jo Cox, the symbolic aspects of the vote and the donation have come to seem fused.I used to give blood when I was a student but, during my peripatetic early career working as a research assistant in Grenoble, Surrey and Boston (USA), I got out of the habit and only picked it up again a few years ago. I’m no great fan of needles, but as long as I look away I can cope with being pricked and drained of a pint of the red stuff. It’s for a good cause, though giving blood is clearly also an act of reciprocity: should I be in need one day, I hope the NHS will have the donations of others to treat me. Continue reading...

How does a song we dislike at first hearing become a favourite? And when we try to look different, how come we end up looking like everyone else?If you had asked me, when I was 10, to forecast my life as an adult, I would probably have sketched out something like this: I would be driving a Trans Am, a Corvette, or some other muscle car. My house would boast a mammoth collection of pinball machines. I would sip sophisticated drinks (like Baileys Irish Cream), read Robert Ludlum novels, and blast Van Halen while sitting in an easy chair wearing sunglasses. Now that I am at a point to actually be able to realise every one of these feverishly envisioned tastes, they hold zero interest (well, perhaps the pinball machines in a weak moment).It was not just that my 10-year-old self could not predict whom I would become but that I was incapable of imagining that my tastes could undergo such wholesale change. How could I know what I would want if I did not know who I would be? Continue reading...

Samantha and Clive Jefferies had been about to start fertility treatment with embryos when army veteran died suddenly

Creating different personalities can be key to personal growth. We could all learn a lot from David BowieIt’s a commonplace that we are different people in different social roles – mother, worker, friend, lover. We put on a face to meet the faces that we meet. Creating new personas, or using ones from other settings, is important in order to flourish.David Bowie’s life is a powerful illustration of how we can be more conscious of which persona should be the host of the radio show, so to speak. Three of his aunts and his half-brother had mental health issues. Bowie’s consequent fear of insanity stalked him during the years of his greatest creations, between 1969 and 1973. It suffused his lyrics and was expressed in his stage personas. Continue reading...

British astronaut relives fretful moment of re-entry journey from ISS as he calls on UK to support human spaceflightTim Peake has spoken of the fleeting moment when he feared his spacecraft’s main parachute had failed to open as he plummeted back to Earth.

Irrational feelings of disgust can cloud our moral judgment. It’s time to get wise to politicians who provoke them to gain powerWhat do Donald Trump, “moist”, and Pantone 448 C have in common? They all demonstrate the powerful sway that disgust has over us.The word “disgust” is overused, and is not well understood. It is one of the most powerful biological responses we have. It shapes how we think, feel and behave far more than we realise. It permeates and perverts politics, exercises an insidious influence on our laws, and helps trigger tragedies. Disgust at two men kissing, combined with self-disgust at his own homosexual feelings, motivated a gunman in Orlando to kill 49 people. And Donald Trump’s knack for triggering conservative America’s revulsion has helped propel him to his present political success. Continue reading...

Restoration of the La Belle, which left France on the orders of King Louis XIV in 1684 to establish a new colony, took 17 years after worms damaged the shipArchaeologists have restored the remains of a 330-year-old frigate that carried hundreds of French settlers on a doomed journey to the coast of Texas, where they set up an ill-fated colony that led to a grim end for a famous explorer.Related: Captain Cook's Endeavour: from the Great Barrier Reef to Rhode Island? Continue reading...

British astronaut Tim Peake says he’d love to go to the moon for his next mission. He was giving his first press conference since returning back to Earth three days ago at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne. He said he’d go back to space in a heartbeat and added that he’d already discussed the idea with his wife. He refused to say which way he would vote in the EU referendum. Photograph: PA Continue reading...

Primatologist creates ‘humankind evolution bed’, which apes key features of a treetop lair to provide a good night’s sleepAfter he woke feeling unusually rested and refreshed among the treetops of an east African forest, Koichiro Zamma was convinced he had ended the seemingly elusive quest for the perfect sleep.There were no memory foam pillows or mattresses, just a simple bed of cool leaves held together by a wickerwork of twigs, and built not by humans but by chimpanzees. Continue reading...

Whether at Stonehenge or in their back gardens, Guardian readers shared their pictures of the glorious strawberry moon during the summer solstice Continue reading...

Mental health problems are often blamed for violent crimes, but this is often just a deflection based on needless prejudiceWhenever a violent crime occurs, one thing that happens with depressing inevitability is the accusation that the perpetrator was mentally ill. Continue reading...

Britain has achieved more in space exploration by being a member of the EU says Clare Moody, MEP. And that has economic benefits for allBritain, long dormant in the space race, has recently taken up its full role in space science. It has done this through the EU space programmes and the European Space Agency.As a nation, we fete Tim Peake, launched by a European team to the International Space Station; and the landing of Rosetta’s Philae probe on a comet 500 million miles away. These things and so much more are the product of a collaboration of European technologies and science. It is proof positive of the ability of space to inspire. Continue reading...

How should we explain hospital statistics to the parents of potential patients? Christina Pagel and David Spiegelhalter’s website helps make sense of themKnowing your child needs heart surgery is daunting for any parent. Being able to reassure yourself that survival rates at your child’s hospital are in line with UK’s very high standards could help ease at least some of the anxiety. But would parents know where to look and if they did find them, how easy are the statistics to understand?The NHS is increasingly publishing statistics about the surgery it undertakes, following on from a movement kickstarted by the Bristol Inquiry in the late 1990s into deaths of children after heart surgery. Ever more health data is being collected, and more transparent and open sharing of hospital summary data and outcomes has the power to transform the quality of NHS services further, even beyond the great improvements that have already been made. Continue reading...

Altered radiotherapy regime would cut around 150,000 hospital visits per yearRadiotherapy for prostate cancer on the NHS could change after a new system that delivers higher-beam doses over a shorter period was found to work as well as existing treatment.

Review finds women are more likely to experience chronic pain than men, while prevalence was generally found to increase with ageChronic pain affects more than two fifths of the UK population, meaning that around 28 million adults are living with pain that has lasted for three months or longer, a new study reveals.The authors estimate that almost 44% of the population experience chronic pain, with up to 14.3% living with chronic pain that is either moderately or severely disabling.

Summer solstice coincides with a full moon this year - and if you’re lucky enough to have clear skies on Monday night, we’d love to see your photos

Did you ace today’s tennis puzzles?Earlier today I set you the following three puzzles: Continue reading...

A trial in mice has shown that the drug denosumab could become a preventative breast cancer treatment for women with BRCA1 gene mutationsWomen who have a high risk of breast cancer may benefit from a drug that is already prescribed to treat bone loss in old age, according to scientists in Australia.

Scientists believe the bodies - one a planet larger than Neptune, the other a young, ‘hot Jupiter’ - are among the youngest ever detectedTwo “baby” planets have been found orbiting close to young stars, providing new insights into how planets and solar systems form, scientists say.The planets, just a few million years old, are among the youngest ever to be discovered. Reported by two separate teams of researchers, they are both are giant planets which take around five days to orbit their stars.

Circassia Pharmaceuticals loses two-thirds of its value after significant placebo effect halts vaccine for sufferersAn Oxford company hailed as a star of British biotechnology lost almost two-thirds of its stock market value on Monday after it revealed that its experimental cat allergy treatment had failed in a late-stage trial.Circassia Pharmaceuticals floated on the stock exchange in 2014 and was seen as one of the great hopes of the sector for its research into cat allergies, which affect 24 million people in the US alone. Continue reading...

British astronaut experiencing dizziness and vertigo as he readjusts to Earth and begins intensive rehabilitation in GermanyBritish astronaut Tim Peake is experiencing the “world’s worst hangover” after spending six months in space.Now back on Earth at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, he faces three weeks of rehabilitation during which he will undergo a barrage of medical tests and maintain a strict exercise regime. Continue reading...

Pioneering case settles family feud by verifying Murray Pringle’s hereditary claim to 17th-century baronetcy of StichillAn accountant from the home counties has won the right to inherit a Scottish baronetcy in a pioneering case where DNA testing proved aristocratic entitlement.The judicial committee of the privy council (JCPC) ruled on Monday that Murray Pringle, 74, who lives in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, should become the next baronet of Stichill.

Laptop-sized device can be used to spot hidden brain injuries or bleeding and allow speedy emergency interventions to reduce long-term damageA portable ultrasound system that can detect bleeding in the brain could help save the lives of soldiers on the battlefield and people living in remote communities far from well-equipped hospitals.Researchers in Scotland have created software for existing ultrasound scanners that allows the devices to be used by medics with no formal training in diagnosing brain injuries.

Tim Peake says adjusting to life back on Earth after spending six months in space is like having the world’s worst hangover. The British astronaut landed safely in Kazakhstan on Saturday inside a Soyuz capsule, alongside a US and Russian cosmonaut in Kazakhstan. Photograph: Stephane Corvaja/ESA/PA Continue reading...

From deep inside caves to the bottom of the ocean, wildlife photographer Danté Fenolio seeks out the creatures that don’t want to be found Continue reading...

Three tennis puzzlesHello guzzlers,To celebrate Andy Murray’s triumph at Queen’s yesterday, and in anticipation of Wimbledon, which starts next week, lets smash some neurons around the grass court of your brains. Continue reading...

Latest New Shepard mission took off on Sunday morning in West Texas and was the first time the Amazon chief’s company, Blue Origin, aired live videoThe private space company run by Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos completed its fourth successful unmanned rocket launch and safe landing in West Texas on Sunday, using the same vehicle.The latest New Shepard mission took off on Sunday morning near Van Horn, and was the first time Bezos’ company, Blue Origin, aired a live video of the launch and landing. The rocket landed upright, with Bezos tweeting: “Successful mission.” Continue reading...

The ability to manipulate DNA is advancing with breathtaking speed – and breathtaking potential. There is no argument for stuffing the genie back in the bottle, but we must proceed alert to the risks of accident and abuseThe confluence of technology and imagination is what drives science forward, sometimes at astonishing speed. This has been especially true of biology since the structure of DNA was elucidated by Crick and Watson in 1953. The discovery of the chemical basis of life meant that it could be manipulated directly, by chemistry, rather than slowly and indirectly by selective breeding. But, of course, man came late to this game. Viruses had been attacking and subverting DNA for billions of years, and organisms have been defending themselves against such subversion for just as long. Slowly we have learned to find and appropriate the weapons of that long war and turn them to our own purposes. We now have access to tools of astonishing power and precision for the editing of DNA. At the same time we are able to manufacture the substance through pure chemistry. It’s possible to glimpse a future in which DNA engineering becomes something as relatively simple as software engineering, and its products become as easy to use.Easy to use is not at all the same as safe. We have refined our nuclear engineering to the point where unimaginable destruction could be released at the press of a single button. Genetic engineering is not as spectacular, but it might have military applications almost as devastating – even if it were never used directly on humans. The results of a malevolent or a simply flawed experiment could devastate food supplies, weaken disease resistance or increase the virulence of existing pathogens. Entire ecosystems could be destroyed by thoughtless tinkering. This is not an entirely new threat. We have been doing that for millennia now: the history of the settlement of the Americas is (among other things) a ghastly chronicle of ecological destruction, the extermination of animal species, and the use of biological warfare against other human groups. So there is no reserve of natural goodness or moral luck which we can rely on to protect us against such dangers now that they are greater and closer than ever before in history. What will be needed is a profound sense of responsibility towards the planet and towards our fellow human beings. Continue reading...

It may be flattering to be described as Britain’s “top scientist” with the power to “disciplin[e] the disputes and manifest failings” of scientists, but I hasten to assure Simon Jenkins (Scientists aren’t gods. They deserve the same scrutiny as anyone else, 9 June) that science is not a hierarchical priesthood with a papal authority to enforce appropriate discipline and dogma.At the frontiers of science there is always debate and disagreement about the facts and their meaning. It is only as evidence accumulates that a consensus emerges. Sometimes the consensus itself changes as new facts come to light. It is important that people have at least some idea of the evidence behind various claims and counterclaims so that they can judge their value. What ultimately matters is the strength of the evidence, not the motivation of the researcher or where the funding comes from. This is why it is important to encourage a scientifically engaged society, which must necessarily begin with the education of our children. Continue reading...

Blue Origin live-streams the launch, and successful landing, of its New Shepard rocket on Sunday for the fourth time. Brainchild of CEO Jeff Bezos, The New Shepard is designed to potentially take six people some 62 miles [99.7km] above the Earth’s surface, considered the edge of space. On Sunday, Blue Origin conducted an intentional ‘crash landing’ of the crew capsule, to test whether people would be safe should a failure occur Continue reading...

British astronaut who spent six months on the ISS will undergo checks in Germany – but first he gets family time, pizza and beerThe British astronaut Major Tim Peake, on terra firma for the first time in six months, is to spend up to three weeks being prodded and probed by scientists and doctors as he begins to acclimatise to gravity.As the 44-year-old spends time with his young family, researchers eager to glean crucial data on how humans adapt to living in space will be subjecting him to a battery of tests. Continue reading...

Politics, the badger cull, trainspotting, the psychic powers of Paul the octopus – maths comes into it all, says the TV and radio presenterDr Hannah Fry is quickly becoming the UK’s best-known mathematician, having appeared as an expert and presenter on BBC4’s Climate Change by Numbers, Radio 4’s The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry, and City in the Sky, an in-depth study of the aviation industry, currently on BBC2. Far from being a mere pop scientist, however, Fry is a much-published researcher and a lecturer at UCL’s Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA), where she specialises in the mathematics of urban and social systems. After gaining her PhD in fluid dynamics five years ago, she has published papers combining mathematics with criminology and architecture, as well as her 2015 book The Mathematics of Love, which applies statistical and data-scientific models to dating, sex and marriage. The accompanying TED talk has been viewed nearly 4 million times.In City in the Sky, you look at the maths behind the aviation industry. Are you concerned about the way that industry is expanding?

Whether you’re skiing or piloting a plane, mistakes are inevitable. And learning from them is vital, says Matthew SyedWe want our children to succeed, in school and, perhaps even more importantly, in life. But the paradox is that our children can only truly succeed if they first learn how to fail. Consider the finding that world-class figure skaters fall over more often in practice than low-level figure skaters. At first sight this seems contradictory. Why are the really good skaters falling over the most?The reason is actually quite simple. Top skaters are constantly challenging themselves in practice, attempting jumps that stretch their limitations. This is why they fall over so often, but it is precisely why they learn so fast. Shizuka Arakawa of Japan estimates that she endured some 20,000 falls as she progressed from a beginner to an Olympic champion. Continue reading...

Swarming mayflies, a black-naped monarch and beached whales are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world Continue reading...

The British astronaut will have an enormous impact on science and technology in the UK, and his project could influence the future of humanityWelcome home, Tim! It’s a sentiment that will be shared by most scientists and engineers – whether or not they are involved in space research. You will no doubt feel a bit rough for the next few days, but you’ll recover. Whether your life will be normal again after travelling 125 million kilometres and witnessing so many of Earth’s glories from space is a different matter. I am certainly jealous of the experiences you have had and have waved at you several times as the bright dot of the International Space Station moved across the night sky.In the UK the impact of your mission – especially on schoolchildren – is likely to be enormous. A million pupils have been involved in carrying out experiments connected with your adventure and it will be important to see if this enthusiasm is translated into a long-term interest in science and technology in secondary schools and universities – something this country sorely needs. If such a surge takes place, you could certainly argue that the cost to the UK of this venture will be justified on these grounds alone. Continue reading...

The father of evolution tested his theory as he sat watching plants and animals from his windowThe room that Charles Darwin used to monitor his revolutionary biological experiments has been recreated more than 100 years after it was closed and its contents were dispersed. Visitors to Down House, the great scientist’s home in Kent, will now be able to sit in the great bedroom where Darwin once monitored the research that helped him to develop his theory of natural selection.Curators from English Heritage have used decorators’ inventories, family photographs and paint analysis to recreate the likely wallpaper, carpets, chintz curtains and giant four-poster bed that would have adorned Down House’s great bedroom. There is also a sofa based on the one that Darwin used while listening to his wife, Emma, reading extracts from popular novels, as well as a bookcase that includes a volume of Darwin’s favourite book, Mark Twain’s The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. Continue reading...