麻豆传媒

Root and branch in the groves of academe: Scientists from Newton on have adopted the tree as a symbol. From stately, spreading giant to the tiniest twig and leaf, trees and their various parts have become the commonest images in all branches of science

Ships that scaled the seven seas: Airfix kits may evoke memories of glue and brown plastic. Yet the company’s designers showed great nautical ingenuity in recreating the sailing ships of the past

A Christmas ghost in the machine: Bugs in the computer system may be the remnants of redundancies past

The meteorite only knocks once: If you’re lucky, a meteorite will land near you. If you’re unlucky, it will land on you. Some people go to the ends of the Earth to find one . the rest of us can simply buy a mail-order lump

Letter: I’m glad you brought that up . . . – 麻豆传媒’s agony aunt, Constance Pugh, answers letters from her heaving postbag

Boondoggles we knew and loved: How many great ideas have you had today? Just thank your lucky stars that no one took them seriously. Others have not been so fortunate and have had to live with the consequences

Pharmaceutical magic from the Magi: Ancient remedies based on frankincense and myrrh have something to offer modern medicine

James Moriarty – a forgotten mathematician: We remember Sherlock Holmes’s greatest adversary for his involvement in serious crimes, but he was also a mathematician of exceptional gifts

Art of darkness: Braving explosions, underground rivers and rock falls, photographers have been taking pictures of the underground world for nearly 130 years – from the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky to coal mines in England

A calendar for all seasons: Two hundred years ago, the scientists of the French Revolution devised a calendar based on reason rather than tradition. Despite their best efforts, it lasted for only 17 years

Peptides to the rescue: Proteins produced by caterpillars and frogs to fight off bacteria may point the way to powerful new drugs. Strangely, these drugs could combat viruses and cancer as well as bacterial infections

Guardians of the Amazon

Farmers get their goat: Europe’s butter and grain mountains are squeezing the profits of British farmers. Many of them are looking hard at ways of beating the production quotas. Could goats be the answer?

Plant power – fuel for the future: Plants are a benign source of energy. But lack of investment has hindered their development as a modern fuel. The threat to the global environment from fossil fuels could change all that