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 place.
Kit Yates shows how pine needles can estimate pi using probability.
Experts say these small moments turn Christmas into a season of discovery.

