Psychologists have studied what makes a good Christmas gift

If you still have to buy a last-minute Christmas gift or two, good news: researchers have studied what makes a good present. And maybe we shouldn’t judge those people who gave us a bread bin or a gadget from the pound shop too harshly: psychologists have so much to say on the topic they’ve just…

12 films you should definitely watch over the Christmas break

Christmas is a time for giving, eating, and spending time with your family. It's also the only time of year where it's acceptable to watch Christmas movies, which is a bit of a shame because some of them are really good. So get ready to hunker down on the sofa with a mince pie and…

15 TV shows you can’t miss this Christmas

Christmas TV is one of the best things about the festive period, with specials, mashups and quizzes galore. We've taken our pick of the 15 best shows to fall asleep in front of this year. [nextpage title="next"] Strictly Come Dancing -- 5PM Christmas Day, BBC 1 Bruce Forsyth is back hosting this special one-off episode…

LG tricks dogs with transparent TV prank

You might remember LG's prank department for their viral super-hit convincing interview candidates that the world was ending. Now they're back, using 4K on a super-thin bezel-less TV to trick dogs into thinking the screen is transparent. Unsurprisingly, the animals are pretty convinced there's really another creature behind the screen. We're not totally sure this shows the benefits of 4K…

Review: we set the phone from The Apprentice a series of tasks

Image source: BBC Apprentice Frankly, if you’d told us last month that we’d be reviewing a landline phone, we’d have laughed you out of the office. But when we were given the chance to try not just any landline phone, but the one from The Apprentice – well, how could we refuse? This couldn’t be just…

Watch your back: Crows are smarter than anyone realised

Scientists (and Alfred Hitchcock) already knew that crows were clever, able to differentiate between and remember human faces, as well as using tools and having their own sophisticated form of communication (French, n'est-ce pas?). Now Russian researchers have found that crows are also capable of advanced relational thinking, alongside apes, monkeys, and oh yes, us.…

Wine ice cream exists, and you can get drunk on it

The universe has heard your prayers.Your favourite two guilty pleasures – ice cream and wine – have come together in a heavenly fusion that can only be described as dangerously brilliant. This isn't wine-flavoured ice cream, oh no. This is eight separate flavours of wine-infused, proper ice cream with a butterfat content of 15% and a proof of…

Energy-efficient housing increases the risk of asthma

Things that are good for the environment often turn out to be good for our health as well, but that’s not always the case. In fact, a new study’s found that when it comes to energy-efficient housing, people are actually more at risk of developing asthma. A research team from the University of Exeter Medical…

NASA parodies Meghan Trainor with ‘All About That Space’

Everyone loves the catchy beat of Meghan Trainor's smash hit 'All About That Bass', but not everyone's been quite as keen on the lyrics. Luckily, NASA's here to save us with their science-themed parody, 'All About That Space', and we love it. Yes, some of the dancing's a bit dodgy and yes, it goes on…

iPads can make penguins procreate (probably)

It’s been a big year for penguins. Not only have they embraced their robot brethren and starred in the best John Lewis Christmas ad of all time, like orangutans before them, they’ve now started using iPads – with unexpected side effects. As Fast Company reports, little magellanic penguins at the Aquarium of the Pacific in…