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What’s the coldest thing in the universe? You may have heard of absolute zero, the coldest temperature possible. But a clever bit of mathematics has shown it might not be possible after all!

What kinds of shapes pack a flat surface with no gaps? Squares are great for floor tiles, and bees stick hexagons together. With a bit of work, you can get any triangle, no matter how stretched, to fit together without gaps. But what about pentagons? These five-sided shapes are awkward, but some types fit together.

Plastic waste in our oceans is a big problem for marine fauna. Not only can it look like food, it seems some animals have developed a taste for the material. And that’s a problem.

Built more than 4500 years ago, you’d think there was nothing left to discover inside Cairo’s Great Pyramid of Giza. Think again. Scientists have recently discovered a new chamber deep in the heart of the tomb, all with the help of starlight.

Written by Mike McRae Around 15 years ago, a New Caledonian crow named Betty amazed scientists with her talent for tool-building. That was nothing – wait until your meet these clever cockatoos.

You’ll find yourself going a little loopy with this puzzle, but it’s worth unravelling the secret.

It was once thought octopuses were not very social animals. They seem to keep to themselves, only meeting to fight or mate. It turns out that’s not always the case. A social octopus should consider moving to Octlantis.

Sputnik Planitia is a gigantic, ice-covered area, one thousand kilometres across. This large, pale basin makes up one half of the famous ‘heart’ shape on Pluto’s surface. Despite its size, the Sputnik Planitia was discovered recently, and it only got its name this year!

Len Choa is a two player game from Thailand. It’s an asymmetric game, which means the two players have different rules to follow. In this game, one player controls a pack of six leopards, and their opponent controls one scary lion!

Written by Mike McRae An animal that smells of popcorn sounds more like a creature from a fairy tale than from reality. But the bearcat, found in Southeast Asia, is a real-life fantastic beast known for its unusual popcorn scent. The source of its smell, though, is hardly appetising.