Author: Andrew Rogers

Christmas offers plenty of chances to explore science without leaving the kitchen or sofa.Simple games can reveal how our senses, bodies, and even probability really work. Professor Matthew Cobb of the University of Manchester suggests tasting sweets while holding your nose.The experiment shows flavour depends more on smell than taste. Cracker jokes provide another test.Professor Sophie Scott from University College London explains laughter is mainly social, not about humour quality. A festive roast can become a biology lesson.Steve Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh recommends examining turkey bones to understand movement and flight. Chemistry also features in the kitchen.Andrea Sella,…

Declan Rice built his elite career on honesty, discipline, and steady improvement.Coaches call his mindset “clean feedback”, meaning clear criticism without excuses or comfort. Released by Chelsea at 14, Rice joined West Ham United with doubts around his potential.Even there, opinions were split on whether he deserved a scholarship. Rice accepted criticism, worked relentlessly, and earned his pathway to the first team.Former coach Slaven Bilic initially saw him as a dependable defender, not a future midfield star. His development accelerated through adaptability, leadership, and a hunger to learn.Set-piece mastery emerged under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. Rice evolved from a defensive…

Researchers say parts of the Moon will be set aside as spacecraft graveyards for defunct satellites.Lunar orbits are expected to fill rapidly as space agencies plan bases, mining, and science missions. Unlike Earth, the Moon has no atmosphere to burn up old satellites.Most dead spacecraft will eventually need controlled crash-landings. Scientists warn random impacts could damage instruments, historic sites, or pristine terrain.High-speed collisions create craters, vibrations, and clouds of abrasive dust. Experts from University of Durham and Birkbeck University of London say planning is essential.More than 400 lunar missions are expected, including projects led by NASA and the European Space…

Plans to stage a Serie A match between AC Milan and Como in Australia have been cancelled.The fixture was due to be played in Perth and would have been a first for a European domestic league. Serie A cited financial risks and last-minute demands from the Asian Football Confederation.League president Ezio Simonelli said the requests were unacceptable. The match was moved because San Siro is unavailable during the Winter Olympics ceremony.Italy’s football federation approved the relocation and UEFA later granted clearance. Serie A hoped the game would boost its global profile.However, AFC conditions, including control over match officials, caused delays…

Aston Villa strengthened their title push with a dramatic home win over Manchester United at Villa Park.Morgan Rogers scored twice to secure a seventh consecutive league victory for Unai Emery’s side. Villa sit third in the table, three points behind leaders Arsenal, as momentum continues to build.Rogers opened the scoring with a superb curling finish late in the first half. Manchester United responded quickly through Matheus Cunha, who levelled with a fine strike before the break.The game remained intense after half-time, with both sides pressing for control. Villa regained the lead when Rogers struck again, drifting inside before finishing calmly…

Kylian Mbappé matched Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid calendar-year record during a 2-0 win over Sevilla.The French forward scored a late penalty to reach 59 goals, capping his birthday with a decisive moment.Jude Bellingham had earlier headed Real Madrid in front before Sevilla were reduced to ten men.The victory keeps Real second in La Liga, one point behind Barcelona. In Italy, Juventus stayed in the title picture with a 2-1 home win over Roma.Goals from Francisco Conceicao and Loïs Openda cancelled Roma’s hopes of closing on the leaders.Roma remain fourth, while Juventus moved just behind them in the standings. In Germany,…

In the mountains of Greece’s southern Peloponnese, vast swathes of fir forest are turning brown and dying – even in areas untouched by fire. Scientists say the damage marks a worrying shift driven by climate change, where drought, insects and fire are now combining to overwhelm even the region’s hardiest trees. Greek firs have long been considered resilient, able to withstand poor soils, dry summers and periodic wildfires. But when forest researcher Dimitrios Avtzis surveyed a recent spring fire, he found something unprecedented: hundreds of hectares of dead and dying trees well beyond the burn zone. “The scale of the…

Around one in 10 people in the UK aged 70 and over may have brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to the largest population-based study of its kind. The research, published in Nature, analysed blood samples from nearly 11,500 people using a biomarker test that can detect Alzheimer’s-related changes early. While this is not a diagnosis, it suggests more than 1 million people could meet NHS criteria for anti-amyloid treatments—far more than current estimates. The prevalence of these changes rises sharply with age, from under 8% in people in their 50s and 60s to around two-thirds of those over…

A carnivorous pitcher plant has been found to drug its prey with a toxic nerve agent before digesting it, researchers have discovered. The plant, Nepenthes khasiana, produces a sweet nectar along the rim of its pitcher-shaped traps to attract insects, especially ants. But the nectar contains isoshinanolone, a nerve toxin that disrupts the insects’ nervous systems, causing sluggish movement, muscle weakness and excessive grooming. Affected ants often lose coordination, fall into spasms and eventually tumble into the pitcher, where they are drowned and digested. Some die from the toxin alone. The nectar also contains three sugars that absorb water, making…

The first new treatments for gonorrhoea in decades have been approved in the US, raising hopes of a breakthrough against increasingly drug-resistant strains of the sexually transmitted infection. Gonorrhoea cases are surging worldwide, with an estimated 82 million infections each year. Rates are at record highs in England and have tripled across Europe since 2014. Health officials are alarmed by growing resistance to current frontline antibiotics, leading the World Health Organization to classify gonorrhoea as a priority pathogen. Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration approved two new antibiotics. Zoliflodacin, marketed as Nuzolvence, was cleared on 12 December, followed…