4+ day, 14+ hour ago   (677+ words) Flushing toilets release particles into the “breathing zone” of adults and can remain suspended in the air for at least 20 seconds, a new study has found. And closing the lid might not be enough to avoid a “plume” of potential…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago   (443+ words) Country diary: The rain has come, and suddenly the land looks (and smells) different The Guardian Country diary: The rain has come, and suddenly the land looks (and smells) different Inkpen, Berkshire: From lurid yellow to a moorland brown; from…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago   (336+ words) Autumn pleasures | Solar gain | Meghan and Harry | Rowing knowledge | Eye test | Bad moodRegarding Emma Brockes’s Digested Week (Is there anything sadder than the end of summer?, 28 August), the end of summer is the beginning of autumn – the best season of…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago   (237+ words) Ynys Môn (Anglesey): The rosy footman is a relative newcomer to this part of Wales, bringing with it nectarine tones and markings like hieroglyphs I have a routine in the summer months that I like to keep to as often…...

3+ week, 18+ hour ago   (270+ words) Leeds, West Yorkshire: I missed it first time as my dad couldn’t wake me up. The second time round, he pulled my toe Dad and I were boiling in the house because of the UK heatwave. So we decided to…...

1+ mon, 2+ week ago   (295+ words) With the news that the ginger giants arrange playdates for their offspring, scientists say messing about has health benefits for humans of all ages The answer, of course, is the playdate: the socially sanctioned art of abdicating responsibility for a…...

1+ mon, 2+ week ago   (285+ words) North Devon: The cool water was full of them – and we found out later that one of them, the compass jellyfish, should be avoidedOn a scorching hot day, my friend and I went surfing at my local beach. We partnered…...