51¶¯Âþ

food science

Humans

Holiday brain-off round 2: Test your reaction time

Who in your family has the sharpest reflexes? To find out, all you need is a ruler and this table of numbers

Features

beer bottle

Technology

Old 51¶¯Âþ: How to get drunk rationally

Regulars

Humans

Holiday brain-off round 3: Build the Tower of Hanoi

Features

Humans

Holiday brain-off round 1: Challenge your original thinking

Features

sweeping bottles

Health

Hangovers: What science says about why you feel so rough

Features

animal artwork 1

Earth

Animal magnetism: Why dogs do their business pointing north

Features

origami

Technology

Fold your own universe with our cosmic origami decoration

Features

Quantum computers ditch all the lasers for easier engineering

Technology

Quantum computers ditch all the lasers for easier engineering

51¶¯Âþ

Quantum photocells, which look like an arrangement of grey squares on a darker background

Life

Quantum solar cells could explain why plants are green

51¶¯Âþ

Fingers grasp olives on the branch

Humans

Ancient leftovers show the real Paleo diet was a veggie feast

Early humans seem to have eaten a wide variety of vegetables and nuts, alongside delicacies such as elephant brain and fish

51¶¯Âþ

Physics

Physics may be a small but crucial fraction of our reality

Culture

Life

Earwigs and rotten panther: The diet of a Victorian eccentric

Culture

Earth

Stop buying organic food if you really want to save the planet

Analysis

Life

The plan to ban fishing in more than half the world's oceans

Insight

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