Turbulence during a flight may make plates crash to the floor but it doesn’t make planes crash. Airplanes are built to withstand turbulence, but people aren’t, so it can make for a most unpleasant...
Past studies have suggested that a connection may exist between diet and breast cancer. A paper published in the prestigious journal, Science, proposes a possible explanation. It seems that a...
The original mistletoe, Viscum album, (different from the ornamental North American version) got its name from the Anglo-Saxon word “mistel” for “dung” and “tan” for “twig.” Dung-on-a twig really...
What is a kilogram? A seemingly easy question with a bizarre answer. The gram (1/1000th of a kilogram) is defined as the mass of one cubic centimetre of water at 0˚C, so it seems obvious that a...
E-readers might be convenient, but they’ll never have that comforting old book smell. It turns out that the smell of old books is due to the organic materials in books (like cellulose from wood...
While it makes for a great album title, the dark side of the moon is simply a myth. As the moon rotates around the Earth, and the Earth around the sun, the moon is exposed to the sun’s light just...
The fear behind the rule of ‘no phones on planes’ is that portable electronic devices could potentially interfere via electromagnetic radiation with the measurement and navigation tools on board....
It’s time to put to rest the idea that plane air will make you sick. While the thought makes sense, as the air on a plane is indeed recycled, and the many passengers are spreading their germs into...
The precious noise-cancelling headphones that every seasoned traveller carries in their bags are actually quite an incredible piece of technology. These headphones work by listening via microphone...