Â鶹´«Ã½

Regulars

Woman cares for plants, watering green shoots from a watering can at sunset. Farming or gardening concept. Bottom view.

Life

Why watering your plants at midday won’t damage their leaves

It is a long-held idea that midday watering will scorch plants' foliage and damage their health – but this isn’t supported by the evidence, says James Wong

Regulars

Scientists wonder if space tourists will want to have sex in orbit

Regulars
R3MJ5Y Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) juvenile, Terceira Island, Azores, Portugal, Atlantic Ocean

Why do no other aquatic animals grow to a huge size like whales do?

Regulars
Ice patterns on a door

Why did these strange ice patterns form on a glazed door (pictured)?

Regulars
Handsome man lying in bed and warm blanket and stretching and yawning. Sleepy guy has laptop on the top and holding cup with hot tea or coffee in right hand; Shutterstock ID 622519436; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Is it possible to yawn without closing your eyes? (part 2)

Regulars
JMD2WX refreshing lemonade drink with mint lime lemon in garden

This week’s new questions

Regulars

Tom Gauld: On Fridays, the whole research team works from home

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on exhibition stands at science conferences

Regulars
NEW CLOUDS ABOVE US The modern world relies on satellites for its communications and commerce. While mostly invisible to us as we go about out daily lives, our entire modern way of living ? both socially and professionally ? is intimately linked with the orbital space around the Earth. How we treat this extraterrestrial environment will determine how much we can rely on it in the future. ?In this view of Greenwich, London, you?ve got examples of what?s in space. I photographed about 300 artefacts ranging from satellites to rocket bodies, satellite parts, solar panels, all the way down to the screws and a glove to show what?s up there. The photography was done over a one year period, across North America, Europe and the UK. I wanted to show this from a human perspective ? from the ground looking up. I chose Greenwich because of its history of astronomy and because from there you can see the financial district of London to highlight the modern world?s connection to the satellites that circle Earth.? Max Alexander

Comment

Space debris problem highlighted in new series of photographs

Regulars

Mathematics

How maths reveals the best time to add milk for hotter tea

If you want your cup of tea to stay as hot as possible, should you put milk in immediately, or wait until you are ready to drink it? Katie Steckles does the sums

Regulars

Are racehorses aware that they are expected to come first?

Regulars

Is there a tipping point when harvesting renewable energy is harmful?

Regulars

How was rhubarb found to be edible when it tastes bad raw? (Part 2)

Regulars

This week’s new questions

Regulars