Number of words: 2,087 China’s President was almost unknown to the world just over a decade ago — even his folk singer wife, Peng Liyuan, was far more renowned than the trailblazing political statesman. But over the last 50 years Mr Xi — the son of a powerful communist revolutionary — strategically used his personal … Read more

Number of words: 545 Much of the evidence for the Alvarez idea involves an unusual layer of clay that separates two periods in geologic history: the Cretaceous and the tertiary. This boundary not only contains the last burial ground of the dinosaurs but an unusually high concentration of iridium, that is however much more abundant … Read more

Number of words: 160 The very largest of these comets are certain to leave their calling cards on the earth. One certainly was left at Tunguska in Siberia in 1908. What caused the giant explosion there has been a puzzle for some time. But I think it was a comet. It formed a shallow creator … Read more

Number of words: 371 In our computer modelling of the comets and how they plunge through the atmosphere, we came across a result that we did not advertise. We learnt that water clouds produced by the occasionally large small comets, those that penetrate deep into the atmosphere, would have a peculiar shape. If you look … Read more

Number of words: 124 It is also fairly obvious that an increase in the number of small comets could cause clouds to form about 50 miles up, reflecting sunlight and cooling the earth. Comet storms could create a global ice cloud and may have been responsible for the ice ages. The last one known as … Read more

Number of words: 445 Wilde believes that the composition of the oceans may be the crucial clue to the problem of the excess volatiles. If the water was here from the beginning then it could have changed over time. When you start with a reservoir of water, it is like a fresh pool. But if … Read more

Number of words: 542 If you nibble on a mint leaf, you might notice that it makes your mouth feel cool. That’s because mint, much like chili peppers, is a biochemical success story — for plants, at least. The evolutionary marvel lies in special molecules that these plants produce: capsaicin in chilies, and menthol in … Read more

Number of words: 411 Italian chef Antonio Carluccio says it is delicious with spaghetti and red chilli. But to gardeners it is a menace that threatens their hedges, roses and rhododendrons. The parasitic and apparently tasty honey fungus not only divides opinions; it is also widely seen as the largest living organism on Earth. More … Read more

Number of words: 2,078 Picture the scene. A small group of well dressed people stand around a room with a large pond in the middle watching a serious looking man and a  9 yr old girl. Everyone watches in silence as he lifts her up and swings her out over the edge of the water.  … Read more