Science

Modern society is filled with rumours and fabrications that are spread via illustrious gossip. Just ask the Sexperts. We’ve all heard at least one juicy piece of gossip in our lifetimes, but sometimes you may hear something that just cannot be. Or can it? Such is the way with urban legends. There is a world of modern myths out there, and as it turns out some of them have some scientific basis.

“How can the same shit happen to the same guy twice?”; muttered from the foul mouthed, generally bad-ass cop John McClane in Die Hard 2 as he yet again finds himself crawling around ventilation shafts in order to foil a terrorist plot. In this case our chain-smoking New Yorker was merely venting his anger, but this quote does ask a pertinent and deceptive question – how is it that we believe we are experiencing something that we think we have experienced before? Why do we get déjà vu?

This week Sydney Gramforth, the famous household radiator, whose novel 'Is it hot in here, or is it just me?', was the subject of unwanted attention when a Mr Derrin Flimsy issued a court summons accusing him of plagiarising the main idea and concept of his book from the back of a cereal box which initially belonged to Mr Flimsy.

Puzzle corner: our guest is logic theorist Vincent Danos

Ah yes, ageing. It’s a natural obstacle that we all face – and it’s all downhill from here, according to our mardy bum elders. Good news everyone: wrinkles, creaking joints and drooping (yes, you heard me) are features of ageing that we can all look forward to. Hooray! If only we could avoid this metamorphosis and live forever as spritely twenty-somethings. Which leads me to ask: is there a secret to living forever, be it an instant Dungeons & Dragons-esque remedy or simply a wise choice of lifestyle? Even then, is eternal life physically possible?

How was the universe created without defying the third law of thermodynamics?