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Icy Grip

23 May 2018

When water freezes on the surface of rock, metal, plastic and many other materials, it can be very difficult to remove. What makes the bonds so strong? What materials bond most strongly with ice?


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Barmy rubble

23 May 2018


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Goldilocks geology

23 May 2018

In the search for extraterrestrial life, we look for planets at a similar distance from their sun as Earth is from ours: the so-called Goldilocks zone. However, we are very fortunate to have the bounty of materials that exists in Earth's crust, and our...


wilted plant cartoon

Feedback: Mean words wilt plants, IKEA tells schoolchildren

23 May 2018

It's to do with "various theories in plant neurobiology", we're told. Plus: how to write a hit pop song, why it's not a rib that Adam's missing, and more


Make cartoon

Predictive texts: a bot that dreams up children's stories

23 May 2018

Stymied by writer's block? Let this neural net brainstorm the beginnings of your next masterpiece


forest fire

Burning Planet: Fire's intriguing role throughout Earth history

23 May 2018

We view fire as a hazard, but a thought-provoking book argues it wasn’t always so – and helps us revise our thinking by looking back over geological time


Peter Diamonds and Bob Hariri

Frozen placentas could be the ticket to a long and healthy life

23 May 2018

Placentas are usually discarded, yet they are packed full of stem cells. Now Bob Hariri and XPrize founder Peter Diamandis aim to harness their potential


The curious fate of the eighth wonder of the world

The curious fate of the eighth wonder of the world

23 May 2018

People travelled from far and wide to see New Zealand’s spectacular pink and white terraces. Then they were destroyed in a volcanic eruption – or were they?


Nine curious colours that shaped the history of art

Nine curious colours that shaped the history of art

23 May 2018

From purple sea snail milk to arsenic green and a yellow made from urine, we’ve gone to bizarre lengths in our millennia-long quest to create the most vibrant shades


Lady using phone in busy street

Those GDPR emails should stop soon, but our data nightmare won't

23 May 2018

Your inbox is full of pleading emails because the EU’s new data rules come into force this week – but they might not actually do anything to improve your life


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