Yet another round in our series spotlighting items of curiosity you may have missed.
As usual, let’s get the nasty, boring science-y bits out of the way first.
A report on the lethal “Elephant’s Foot” in the remains the Chernobyl Sarcophagus. Yes, that is going to be a huge problem for years to come. But no, it doesn’t mean nuclear power is inherently unsafe if operated correctly.
Trees aren’t the only things that can be aged by their growth rings. Oh and they missed one out too: carp can be aged from the rings in their scales.
From trees to … dog farts. Part two of how to make dog farts less noxious. Might work for us too!
Cats are much more civilised creatures, and are probably less consciously a human creation than dogs.
As predatory carnivores cats are pretty high up the food chain, and we like to think we are too. But actually humans are middle ranking along with pigs (and I suspect dogs).
Now for some surgical wizardry. Chinese surgeons have saved a man’s hand by temporarily grafting it onto his ankle. I never cease to be amazed at the skill and ingenuity of surgeons.
Guess where the coldest place on Earth is? Yep it’s in the middle of the Antarctic, as the NASA-USGS Landsat 8 Satellite has confirmed. But it isn’t in the record books because it wasn’t measured with a ground-based thermometer!
More satellite wizardry. Google Earth helped scientists find the lost forest on Mozambique’s Mount Mabu.
So then all you extroverts out there: this is how the rest of us feel. (You’ll need to zoom it.)
They just don’t make ’em like they used to. Theoretical Physicist and thinker David Deutsch on the finest TV series ever made: Jacob Bronowski’s “The Ascent of Man”. And I have to agree with him.
OK, so here’s one for the pub quiz. Who invented the world’s first security camera and when, and then used it to secure a conviction?
Teenager cleared of sex charges after witness doesn’t know if she saw his penis or a mop handle.

This video of a performance artist Casey Jenkins talking about her “vaginal knitting” has just qualified as my online video of the year.
As it’s that time of year, here is a present for the person who has everything: a Taxidermied Mice Chess Set.

And finally I have to break with tradition and leave you with something more edifying. A gorgeous advent calendar from the sketchbook of Kate Whittington.
The next edition won’t now be until after the festivities, so in the meantime:Happy Christmas to all my readers!