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question 9: why do children play?

Children laugh on average 400 times a day, adults 25 times. Why do we stop laughing? And why do we stop playing – most of us anyway? Is play simply a form of learning, a preparation for the future?  Read more

question 38: how unnatural are our domestic animals?

The evolution of wild animals into tame domestic ones shows how man has controlled animal biology and our own culture down the ages. No domestic animals can in fact be called 'natural' – and we may wonder how far this development can go. Which animals will be the pets of the future?  Read more

question 46: only 46,400 species to go?

A marathon 20-year project is underway in Sweden. It's goal? To describe all the multi-celled living organisms in the country. Every last creepy-crawly and weed is to be tracked down, scientifically investigated and then described and illustrated in a gigantic reference work for the general public. Carl Linnaeus would be rubbing his hands with glee!  Read more

question 51: is it riskier to have an older father?

It is a fact that women cannot bear children after the menopause. However, new research shows that men's sex cells also have a best-by date. And the number of mutations in the genetic material is actually larger in men than in women. What do these findings mean?  Read more