Fascinating history - definitely not how I was taught at school...

Interesting article in this week's New Scientist on blood bacteria. Blood is normally considered sterile as nothing grows when in a petri dish. But DNA analysis points to about 1000 dormant bacteria per ml. They probably get into the blood via gum disease, but do nothing unless there is sufficient free iron in the b...

Super documentary on the gun problem in America, mostly from the pro side.

Do you have a blue brain or a pink brain? This is a terrible exhibit at the Science Museum, probably will be taken down soon. http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/b6ac84f6af9d96f07bbec691a393145faeedeb5b.swf (Flash) - I got pink, of course...

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Don't understand why the two methods can't coexist - agribusiness on productive land with plenty of resources; improve low fertility land using these techniques and all benefit. Hope that's what happens in reality, but media likes to present it as all or nothing, and that certainly won't happen.

Ashamed of this country.

Up to 40% of South Africans still use kerosene for heating, lighting and cooking – a highly- flammable and toxic fuel. Others rely on torches with expensive batteries for emergencies. Now a new generation of cheap, high-performing solar lights can provide clean, safe lighting and phone charging – an...

In one sentence, what's your "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything?"