Author: Andrew Rogers

Dr Kate McLean-MacKenzie is creating an atlas to capture the world’s urban “smellscapes”.The designer and researcher at the University of Kent has studied smell for more than 15 years. She was struck by how easily images and sounds are shared, while smells are rarely recorded.Her response was to map scents in cities using guided “smell walks”. Participants document what they smell, how strong it is, how long it lasts, and what it evokes.McLean-MacKenzie turns this subjective data into visual maps and cultural stories. The atlas now covers 40 locations, including Glasgow, Paris, Kyiv, Kolkata, and New York.Some descriptions are poetic,…

Christmas is a perfect time to slip simple science experiments into festive fun.Researchers say curiosity, not lab coats, is all that is required. Matthew Cobb suggests testing taste by eating sweets while holding your nose.The experiment shows flavour depends more on smell than taste. Cracker jokes offer another lesson, says Sophie Scott.People are far more likely to laugh when others are present. Festive meals can also teach anatomy.Steve Brusatte recommends examining turkey bones to understand movement and flight. Chemistry appears in the kitchen too.Andrea Sella explains how salt and ice can freeze custard into ice cream. Even maths has a…

Declan Rice’s journey to the elite began with rejection at Chelsea aged 14.Rather than dwelling on setbacks, he embraced honest criticism and constant improvement. At West Ham United, coaches questioned his future but valued his attitude.Rice accepted “clean feedback” and focused on development instead of frustration. Early doubts centred on his awkward running style and limited attacking output.Gradually, those weaknesses turned into strengths through relentless work. His breakthrough performances earned leadership roles and international recognition.A standout display against Real Madrid confirmed his world-class status. A £105m move to Arsenal elevated expectations and responsibility.Under Mikel Arteta, Rice evolved from a defensive…

Researchers say parts of the Moon will be set aside as graveyards for defunct satellites.Lunar orbits are expected to fill rapidly as space agencies plan hundreds of missions. Unlike Earth, the Moon has no atmosphere to destroy old spacecraft safely.Most dead satellites will need controlled crash-landings on the surface. Scientists warn uncontrolled impacts could damage instruments and historic sites.High-speed collisions would also create dust clouds and surface vibrations. Experts support designated impact zones far from sensitive locations.Agencies including NASA and the European Space Agency are developing disposal plans. Researchers say planned impacts could also help study the Moon’s internal structure.

Serie A has cancelled plans to stage a league match in Australia due to regulatory complications.The fixture between AC Milan and Como was scheduled for Perth on 8 February. Officials said financial risks and late demands made the proposal unworkable.Serie A president Ezio Simonelli cited unacceptable requests from the Asian Football Confederation. The match was approved after San Siro became unavailable due to the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.Uefa had reluctantly cleared the move earlier this season. Serie A viewed the game as a chance to expand its global profile.However, AFC conditions, including control over match officials, derailed the plan. The cancellation…

Morgan Rogers scored twice as Aston Villa beat Manchester United 2-1 at Villa Park.The win extended Villa’s remarkable run and kept them firmly in the Premier League title race. Villa sit third, three points behind leaders Arsenal, after a seventh straight league victory.Unai Emery’s side dominated long spells, with Rogers producing the decisive moments. Rogers opened the scoring before half-time with a curling finish into the far corner.Manchester United responded in stoppage time through a composed strike from Matheus Cunha. Early in the second half, Rogers struck again after drifting inside and finding the same corner.The goal sparked wild celebrations…

Kylian Mbappé equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid scoring record with a late penalty against Sevilla.The 2-0 win keeps Real one point behind Barcelona at the top of La Liga. Juventus revived their Serie A challenge by beating Roma 2-1 in Turin.The result leaves Roma fourth and Juventus just one point behind them. In Germany, Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to defeat RB Leipzig 3-1 away.The win lifted Leverkusen to third before the winter break. Wolfsburg wasted a hat-trick from Dzenan Pejcinovic in a 4-3 defeat to Freiburg.Eintracht Frankfurt drew with Hamburg, while several Bundesliga matches ended goalless.

In the mountains of the southern Peloponnese, Greek firs – long considered among the country’s hardiest trees – are turning brown and dying in vast patches. When forest researcher Dimitrios Avtzis inspected a recent fire site, he found hundreds of hectares of dead and dying firs well beyond the burn zone. The scale was unlike anything he had seen before. Experts say the die-off is being driven by multiple pressures acting together. Prolonged drought has weakened the trees, while declining winter snowfall has reduced vital moisture in soils. This stress has left firs vulnerable to bark beetles, which have spread…

Around one in 10 people in the UK aged 70 and over may have brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to a large population-based study published in Nature. The findings are not a diagnosis but suggest more than 1 million people could meet NHS criteria for anti-amyloid treatments, far above previous estimates. Researchers analysed blood samples from nearly 11,500 people using a newly approved biomarker test that can detect Alzheimer’s changes earlier than before. The prevalence of these changes rose sharply with age, reaching about two-thirds of people over 90. Experts say the results could transform early detection, but…

The carnivorous pitcher plant Nepenthes khasiana has been found to lace its sugary nectar with a toxic nerve agent to subdue prey. The plant oozes sweet liquid along the rim of its pitchers to attract insects, especially ants, but the nectar contains isoshinanolone, a compound that disrupts the nervous system, causing sluggish movement, muscle weakness and disorientation. Combined with water-absorbing sugars that make the rim extremely slippery, the toxin increases the chance that insects fall into the pitcher, where they are digested. The strategy helps the plant obtain nutrients in the poor soils where it grows.