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One Lump or Two? Understanding the Place of Sugar - Part One
Society, Politics & Law

One Lump or Two? Understanding the Place of Sugar - Part One

...thinking about all that data you use via your mobile network, as he drops another, and yet another, sugar cube into his coffee. (The coffee must be very bitter. Or Tom has a remarkably sweet tooth.) Before Tom can drop another cube into his coffee, a waiter arrives to clean up the cubes that are scattered on the table. The waiter looks scornfully at Tom; Tom doesn't look...
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Article 5 mins
Averages
Science, Maths & Technology

Averages

...think about patterns of pay, it’s not surprising that the mean and the median differ in this way. Nobody can earn, say, £25,000 less than the mean annual pay, because that would be saying they earned less than nothing. However, it’s far from unknown for people to earn £25,000 more than the mean annual pay. A few lucky individuals earn far, far more than that. If the...
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Article 5 mins
Perseus: what’s in a name?
History & The Arts

Perseus: what’s in a name?

...His story is uncomplicated yet satisfying, and he doesn’t force us to think about any of the difficult aspects of heroic behaviour that regularly crop up in other myths – such as Achilles’ terrible anger, Oedipus’ incest, or Odysseus’ willingness to lie. Rather, the appeal of Perseus lies in this simple heroic narrative, a classic tale of good defeating evil....
View article Perseus: what’s in a name?
Article 10 mins
Messaging apps – paying attention and timing it right
Languages

Messaging apps – paying attention and timing it right

...thinking of trip to greece. Asks if any interest. Answer is absolutely] Many people find time in their day to ‘check their messages’ when they pick up their phone, read incoming messages and send messages, often to multiple threads. I call this device attending. For example, Alex finds time to sit on the sofa, before his children are awake or while they are in the...
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Article 5 mins
Do animals have sex for fun?
Nature & Environment

Do animals have sex for fun?

...involved in sex leads many animals to seek it in non-reproductive contexts, and that this aspect of sexuality is not as unique as humans may like to think. This insight is surely vital to understanding sex in other species, not to mention all other aspects of their behaviour too. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article....
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Article 5 mins
The Material World: On Chesil Beach (getting closer to Titan)
Science, Maths & Technology

The Material World: On Chesil Beach (getting closer to Titan)

...think the surface of Titan is like and may help understand the physical processes at the landing site. Remember that these data from Huygens won't be improved on for at least 20 years - when we hope to return to Titan with an even more ambitious mission. John and Karl were writing in support of a special edition of BBC Radio 4's The Material World, which was first...
View article The Material World: On Chesil Beach (getting closer to Titan)
Article 10 mins
Heart of a heartless world, soul of soulless conditions
History & The Arts

Heart of a heartless world, soul of soulless conditions

...Think O Brother Where Art Thou or Big Fish for recent cinematic takes on this famous adventure and its flawed but tenacious protagonist.) Myths about luckless mortals metamorphosed into something monstrous or facing amorous gods in larger than life and outlandish forms permeate the many myths Ovid, the famous poet of Rome, wove into his epic work. (Ovid’s Metamorphoses...
View article Heart of a heartless world, soul of soulless conditions
Article 5 mins
7 accidental discoveries that look like April Fool's Day headlines but aren't
Science, Maths & Technology

7 accidental discoveries that look like April Fool's Day headlines but aren't

...think it was an April Fool's Day prank if someone told you something designed to help the alcohol industry saved lives, wouldn't you? Back in the nineteenth century, French scientist Louis Pasteur was commissioned by a local alcohol manufacturer to figure out why their beer and wine were turning sour. He discovered the blame lay with organisms such as bacteria – the...
View article 7 accidental discoveries that look like April Fool's Day headlines but aren't
Article 5 mins