A recent study, published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, proposed a biological mechanism that may explain how dragonflies see near-infrared light — far surpassing the capacity of human vision. This ability, termed “super red vision,” can also be found in other animals, such as butterflies and mantis shrimp. Looking across the rest of the animal kingdom, colour vision differs greatly between many species and ourselves. While humans have trichromatic vision (meaning we...

Over the last few weeks, the sudden outbreak of meningitis in Kent has served as a chilling reminder of the Covid-19 pandemic. News reports detailing vaccine rollouts, case statistics, and mask wearers loudly echo those publicised six years ago. The unwelcome, but familiar, feelings of anticipation and uncertainty have somewhat returned. However, with tentative thankfulness, as of 23 March, the outbreak has likely passed its peak, totalling twenty confirmed cases. This unexpected wave of...

Oftentimes, the scariest horror films are those which capitalise on the seconds before a scare, rather than the scare itself. Think The Conjuring , The Woman in Black , Insidious — all have key scenes that were made more terrifying just by the build-up towards them. The latter of these films stands out for a particular moment. For those who have not seen James Wan’s 2010 supernatural horror, an iconic scare occurs following a psychic’s shaky account of her encounter with a demon....