Sign up to our newsletter The Weird Science Drop

Introducing our free Weird Science Drop newsletter, and why you need to subscribe.
A brand new newsletter is bringing back crazy chemistry, bonkers biology and foolish physics in the shape of The Weird Science Drop.
The newsletter goes where other, more-sensible publications fear to tread. Every week, it brings the overlooked, under-the-radar and, above all else, most madcap science news, views and research straight to your email.
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From the keyboard of Daniel Smith, The Weird Science Drop keeps a close eye on the latest scientific discoveries and research while also unearthing the little-heard strange stories from the past.
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Daniel is an experienced journalist who has worked for news websites on both sides of the Atlantic. Back in the furthest reaches of time somewhere near Watford he fancied himself as an astrophysicist but proved to be hopeless. So he put down the telescope and picked up a pen instead.
Daniel was once the author of the Weird Science Blog - one of the top blogs in this media group - and is delighted to get back in the saddle.
He said: 'It's been great to dust off the old white lab coat and bring Weird Science back but this time in a far better, more dynamic fashion with The Weird Science Drop.
'The newsletter will hunt out the choicest morsels of science goodness, where everything from the world 's unluckiest scientist who inadvertently tried to end the planet twice to research showing monkeys are the world's best yodellers is put under the microscope.
'I'll try to keep people informed, amazed and astounded, while hopefully provoking the old smile along the way.
'So why not subscribe?'
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So what's in The Weird Science Drop?
Each newsletter will feature regular sections such as Weird Science News, Photo of the Week, Infographic Magic, plus a rotating platter of goodness including…
Weird Scientist - a look back at some of the oddest characters who ever picked up a test tube
Weird Science Hero - amazing people who have done amazing things
Weird Science in Films - sometimes they get it right, sometimes they throw the laws of reality out of the window
We're Alone / Not Alone - weighing up the odds of alien life out there in the cosmos
Weird Animals - there are some very strange creatures out there
How do I sign up for The Weird Science Drop?
The Weird Science Drop will be published on Substack, an independent platform with no ads, making for a cleaner reading experience than on many other websites.
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You can read there on desktop or the app, or simply from your email inbox. So not only do you not have to go searching for the news itself – or wait for the algorithm to decide this is what you might like to see – you don't even have to search for the newsletter. Once it's live it's sent directly to you to read at your leisure.
Sign up for The Weird Science Drop here

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Daily Mirror

4 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

Gogglebox star's 'complicated' love life after split from TV partner

Former Gogglebox star Daniel Lustig-Webb split from Stephen Webb last April after the pair married six years ago. Now, Daniel has opened up on his love life after his divorce Ex-Gogglebox star Daniel Lustig-Webb has been a familiar face on our television screens since 2018, but he has only now found the confidence to open up about his hidden disability. The 50-year-old, who split up with his husband of six years, fellow Gogglebox star Stephen Webb, last April, reveals he's spent decades coping with hearing loss in one ear after catching mumps as a child. However, until recently, he felt too embarrassed to tell people he was partially deaf. ‌ 'I've never really spoken about it before and it's always been a big part of my life,' he says. 'I wasn't very confident talking about it years ago.' While Daniel is ready to open up for the first time publicly about his hearing loss, he admits it has had a huge impact on his life. 'It has impacted my whole life constantly,' he says. ‌ 'As you get older, you have mechanisms to cope with everything but when I was younger, I didn't have a lot of friends. I was quite a shy kid and it made it worse – I remember just hearing a lot of noise but not being able to pinpoint where it was coming from. If you're on the periphery of a conversation and you're not concentrating, you can't hear what people are saying properly.' Daniel lost his hearing in one ear aged seven, after mumps led to an ear infection. 'We were on holiday and while I was told it was safe to fly home, the flying must have perforated it,' he says. 'I don't remember anything about it – except that at sports day at school, I wasn't running in a straight line. My parents said that it really affected my balance.' He spent decades hiding his deafness, with the salon owner admitting he didn't tell Stephen when they started dating. 'I was quite embarrassed by it and I didn't tell Stephen in the beginning,' he says. 'He was like, 'Why didn't you tell me? It's nothing embarrassing.' I'm not worried now, but if you go to a dinner party, you have to get there first because you have to get to the corner of the table where you can hear everyone.' Daniel admits he even struggled to hear during his first series on Gogglebox, after producers placed him on the wrong side of the sofa. 'The producers went, 'Can you sit here because that's where Stephen's former co-stars Chris and his mother had sat?' ‌ 'I didn't speak up and, bless him, Stephen didn't think about it but it's not up to him to think about. I remember saying that I needed to move sides because I can't really hear but they said, 'Well, you always have to sit this side now – that's how we work.'' Daniel had to wait until the next series of Gogglebox to swap positions with Stephen on their couch. 'The whole first series, I couldn't really hear what he was saying half the time,' says Daniel. 'I'm just giggling and laughing – I don't say much. That was only a few years ago, but it sits with you.' ‌ The couple left Gogglebox in 2023, before shocking fans the next year by announcing their plans to divorce after more than a decade together. While it's been more than a year since their split, the exes are still living together in their Brighton flat and working together at their hair salon. 'Our flat is on the market but the market is slow, so we still live together,' Daniel says. 'We've probably had the nicest break-up that I know of. We get on really well. We obviously run the salon together, so maybe 70% of the time we're still working together. When a problem arises, we're very grown up – more grown up than when we were married – and we talk everything through. We both want to start making our new lives but, for now, we're like we were on Gogglebox – still watching TV together!' Their living arrangement does mean that it's tricky for either of them to date. 'That's complicated,' he says. 'If I'm going on a date, I'm a bit sheepish about it. I'll say I'm going to meet a friend but Stephen can just read me. He'll say, 'Don't wear that.' I can't bring anyone to the house so it's a little bit different – but we make it work.' ‌ Daniel turned 50 last month, celebrating with a party at Soho House in Brighton and a stay at his brother's property in France. He admits his love life hasn't panned out the way he thought it would. 'I didn't think I was going to be single at 50 but I am, so it's fine,' he says. 'People are very complicated and the last time I was single, there weren't any dating apps. Now, you pass by people all the time who are probably really decent but because their profile isn't perfect, you don't look at it.' That's why Daniel is following in the footsteps of Stephen, who did Celebs Go Dating last year. 'I did do something to do with dating that's coming out next year, but I can't talk about that,' he teases. He's also dying to strut his stuff on Strictly Come Dancing. 'I don't know if I'd be any good, but I think I look alright in a sparkly shirt,' he adds, laughing.

Daily Mirror

7 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

I'm a romance author - these are the 10 best romance novels to read this summer

Author Katie Ginger, who writes contemporary romance as Annabel French, has shared her top reading recommendations for this summer There's nothing quite like delving into a good book, and with the sunny days and balmy evenings of summer, it's the perfect time to enjoy some outdoor reading. While everyone has their favourite genres, romance novels are arguably the best books to read during the summer. They're fun, easy to follow and often set in sun-drenched locations. If you're on the hunt for your next favourite romance novel, author Katie Ginger, who pens contemporary romance as Annabel French for Avon, HarperCollinsUK, has shared her top reading picks for this summer. Her latest novel, The Floating Amsterdam Flower Shop, is a slow-burn, grumpy-sunshine love story that's ideal for anyone seeking some summer escapism. Here are Katie's top 10 romance recommendations. For more book suggestions, reviews, and news, click here to subscribe to our free weekly newsletter, The Bookish Drop, on Substack. 1. Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood "There's a reason Ali Hazelwood is one of the biggest names in romance right now and her latest read described as 'what is wrong meets what feels right' definitely won't disappoint. "With an older man/younger woman dynamic and a destination wedding in Sicily, this forced-proximity romance is going to sizzle like the Sicilian sun!" You can buy Problematic Summer Romance here. 2. Maid for Each Other by Lynn Painter "Lynn is an absolute auto-buy author for me. Her books are always full of witty banter, red-hot chemistry and gorgeous heroes. So this one about a professional cleaner and featuring some of my favourite tropes (forced proximity and fake dating! ) sounds perfect to curl up with on a sun lounger." Get your copy of Maid for Each Other here. 3. 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But as her crush on him grows, and their big fat vampire wedding looms, will their promise of 'till death do us part' be fake after all?" You can buy My Big Fat Vampire Wedding here. 10. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry "No summer reading list would be complete without an Emily Henry book, so I've had to include her latest offering. Another perfectly written love story about two writers vying to tell the tale of a reclusive heiress, but with more plot twists and secrets than an episode of Succession!" You can buy Great Big Beautiful Life here. Katie Ginger writes contemporary romance as Annabel French for Avon, HarperCollinsUK. Her next book, The Floating Amsterdam Flower Shop, a slow-burn, grumpy-sunshine love story, will be published in June 2025. Follow her on Instagram for everything romance reading and writing.

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

• Daily Mirror

Daniel Brocklebank's two-word comment on Coronation Street exit after 11 years

EXCLUSIVE: Daniel Brocklebank has opened up about his upcoming exit from Coronation Street after 11 years, as well as hinting at 'cloak and dagger' ITV soap crossover with Emmerdale Daniel Brocklebank has opened up about his upcoming exit from Coronation Street. The legendary actor, who is set to continue in his role for the foreseeable future, will depart from the ITV soap after 11 years next year. But while the actor who plays vicar Billy Mayhew admits that he was "sad" to be leaving the soap opera, he teased a "major new storyline" which is yet to be revealed. Daniel, 45, joined the soap in 2014 and has since taken on a series of big storylines, most famously, his partner, Paul, battling Motor Neurones Disease, a cause which has a personal link to Daniel. ‌ Speaking about his exit from the soap, Daniel exclusively told the Mirror: "11 years is a long time, but I've been acting professionally for 31/32 years now. As a freelancer, as a jobbing actor – jobs end, that's what happens, contracts finish. The difference is that with a job like Corrie is that, potentially, you're there for longer than the term of your contract. ‌ "I would have been there 11 years by the time I go. It's never not in the back of your mind that the contract you're on could be your last." One thing that Daniel is excited for is the Emmerdale and Coronation Street crossover, which will see the soaps join forces for a special hour-long episode in January next year. Although details remain unknown, sources have hinted that the cast is currently in the process of discovering who is involved in the upcoming episode. "We're all very excited for it," Daniel gushed. He went on to add: "It's never been done before, none of us know anything about it at the moment. "It's all being kept very cloak and dagger, but it is very exciting that these two universes are colliding." One storyline that remains close to Daniel's heart is Paul's MND journey, and Daniel's own connection with the condition affected him years before he took on the storyline. "My connection to the MND Association goes back 23 years," Daniel revealed. He went on to add: "My grandfather had motor neurone disease, so that is how I'm connected to the MND society. The fact that we ended up doing an MND storyline on Coronation Street was a complete coincidence. ‌ "The producers had no idea of my connection to the illness or the charity," Daniel states that he personally didn't learn anything about the condition through the show, as he and his family had already been on the same journey that Billy and Paul went through. He added that he used the opportunity to commemorate his grandfather and the people whom he knew who had been living with the condition. "With everything that our storyline did and simultaneously, the wonderful Rob Burrow and his wife Lindsay did, I've seen more awareness raised for MND in the last sort of two or three years than I've seen in the last two decades. That's been the most beautiful thing to come out of it all." Daniel says that the MND community is not like anything he's ever known before. "It's like a club that nobody wants to be in," he said, but added that other people dealing with the condition or their loved ones are "supportive and upbeat." He said: "The strength and the positivity is continually astounding, and it is a really tight-knit, beautiful community." ‌ Daniel, who is an ambassador for the MND Association, is fronting the Omaze Million Pound house draw, with the funds going directly to the MND Association. "This is amazing," he said of the partnership, adding further: "It's fantastic. Hopefully, it should raise millions for the research, nurse network, which is going to be helping towards pioneering treatments and I genuinely, I'm ever hopeful that in my lifetime, I will see a cure for this disease because it is one of the cruellest diseases I think I've ever witnessed anybody go through." He praised Dame Pamela Shaw, the UK's leading neurologist for MND, saying: "She's incredibly positive about the future. They are making steps in terms of treatment, which could potentially slow it down. We now have Tofersen, a drug, there are different types of MND, but if you have the SOD1 gene, which is the familial type of MND, Tofersen is a type of drug that will slow it down. I know several people on Tofersens, and the quality of life is so much better, and the disease has rapidly slowed down in its progression. So it's very encouraging." ‌ But while Dan has appeared in shows such as Emmerdale, Waterloo Road, Casualty, The Bill and obviously Coronation Street, he admits it's his love of acting which draws him to a role. "I've also done a huge number of movies, a huge amount of theatre, and spent years with the Royal Shakespeare Company," he said. He went on to add: "It's whatever excites you. I love acting, I love my job, and I've been doing this since 1994. So when I pick up a script and I get that little flutter of excitement. It's always fun to embody somebody else. For me, it's getting that little buzz of excitement imagining yourself becoming that person. It's the detail for me, I enjoy playing characters and trying to find the truth in whatever story they're telling." ‌ Although Daniel has proudly spoken about his sexuality and often shares an insight into his relationship with his boyfriend Jordan, he was once advised by a former manager not to come out as gay. Daniel was told that being open about being gay would affect his work, which he later discovered was correct. Nowadays, though, he believes that attitudes have massively changed. "It's cool now," he said of being open about sexuality. "I think I'd have done it back then, it would not have been very cool," he said of coming out. He commented: "Now, it's sort of celebrated. So yes, attitudes, definitely have changed dramatically in the 30-odd years that I've been doing this for a living. "That's across the board, legally things have changed, and the attitude of the general public has changed. Yes, absolutely, it's a very different world from the one I knew when I was young and freshly coming out." MND Association Ambassador Daniel Brocklebank is supporting the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Sussex in aid of the charity. Draw entries are available now at The Draw closes at midnight Sunday June 29th.