Don’t change lanes – the maths of holiday traffic jams
ClimbWhenReady/Shutterstock.com Millions of people will take to the roads this holiday season, only to end up spending frustrating hours sitting in traffic jams. Congestion costs drivers time, fuel and patience – while also increasing pollution and placing huge pressure on transport networks. If you’ve ever found yourself staring enviously at the lane next to you, […]
Can scientists make a new element for the periodic table?
surprisestock/Shutterstock There are currently 118 chemical elements on the periodic table. The last one added was oganesson, which was first created by scientists in 2002. Seven-year-old Robyn, from Edinburgh in Scotland, wants to know whether scientists will be able to make any more new elements, and how they do it. He joined our host Eloise […]
Can beetroot juice boost your sports performance? Here’s what the latest study shows
Anton Vierietin/Shutterstock.com Evidence that beetroot juice can improve athletic performance has long been inconsistent. While some studies reported benefits, others found little or no effect. Now, a new study, combining results from 33 studies, provides the clearest evidence yet that it can enhance exercise performance. The meta-analysis included data from more than 500 professional and […]
From Alexander Litvinenko to Sergei Skripal: the long road to reforming UK security
When Alexander Litvinenko was murdered in London in 2006, poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 slipped into a pot of tea, the UK was shocked. Litvinenko, a former Russian intelligence officer who had become a critic of Vladimir Putin’s government, died after a highly publicised illness. A later public inquiry concluded that his killing was probably approved […]
A forgotten young poet gives us a rare glimpse below stairs at the 1995 Pride and Prejudice’s Netherfield Hall
Edgcote House as Netherfield in the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. BBC “Netherfield Park is let at last!” go the famous opening words from Mrs Bennet in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. To her delight, the estate has been taken on by the eligible newcomer Mr Bingley – a “single man in possession of […]
The 16th century lesbian poet who could be Scotland’s answer to Gentleman Jack
Amarillis crowning Mirtillo by Jacob van Loo (circa 1640-1660). Muiderslot Marie Maitland, a 16th-century Scottish gentlewoman, has for centuries been recognised as the likely scribe of the Maitland Quarto. This important manuscript, now held in the Pepys Library of Magdalene College, Cambridge, is an anthology of Scottish poetry by members of the noble Maitland family […]
Why the US-China Moon race could turn into a lunar land grab
Nasa is planning to build up its lunar base in stages. Nasa Sixty years ago, the United States and the Soviet Union were embroiled in a race to the Moon, which the USA won. The 21st-century lunar contest, with China stepping in for the Soviet Union, has many similarities, but key differences. The Apollo astronauts […]
Why climate scientists need to talk more about the very worst-case scenarios
London is under water. The Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Bank of England are all submerged. Far away, the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets have collapsed, triggering accelerated sea level rise which, combined with a storm surge in the North Sea and a high spring tide, has led to […]
The mystery behind what killed Botticelli’s muse: has a 550-year-old medical case been solved?
Sandro Botticelli, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Simonetta Vespucci is probably one of the most painted women of the Italian Renaissance. Sandro Botticelli is widely believed to have used her as his model for Venus, and she appears, transformed and idealised, across several of his most famous works. She died in 1476, aged just 23. […]
Himalayan snowfall has been miscalculated for years, here’s how we found a new way to measure it
Researchers developed a new way to measure snowfall which will help communities plan on how to use and capture water. Evgeni Fabisuk/Shutterstock Mountain snow and meltwater from glaciers in the Himalayas determine how much water is available for drinking, farming and hydropower for millions of people in India, Pakistan, Nepal, China and Afghanistan. This is […]