It’s not often that the Science Lite desk is allowed beyond the confines of the office. And for good reason – calamity, befuddlement and faux pas are usually quick to follow any excursion we make.

Fermat’s last theorem and the Poincaré conjecture – just two of the great mathematical problems that have tested and teased humanity’s love affair with numbers for generations. And it is a love affair that has given us so much.

From the earliest recoded traces of human culture, to copy something was considered the highest form of flattery. From a rudimentary cave-painting of the best hunter in the clan, to the most refined bust of the most historical leaders – if something is rendered in some way, then it is fair to say…

Welcome one and all to this, your very own 2012! If we seem a little perky for what would ordinarily be a time of year bogged down in the post-party misery of a stupendous hangover – then we can only suggest that is because we think we have a new cure for overindulgence.

Tis the season to be jolly – for many a time to wind down from the year’s pressures, a time to relax as a new year waits in the wings. But just before you reach for the sherry – Science lite has a rather terrifying task for you to consider.

A tinge of professional jealousy is something that most have experienced at some stage, but in the field that the Science lite desk finds itself engaged – i.e. light hearted musings on the world of R&D – this time of year can render us especially envious.

As you will no doubt have noticed it is the 40th anniversary of Laboratory News, and this issue is something of a ‘birthday party’ issue. The Editor has been rattling his ‘40th anniversary sabre’ for several months now. “I want you all fully on board with this.

Laughter, they say, is the best medicine. Strange then, that the world’s pharmaceutical companies have yet to cotton on to this and develop a cure-all in the form of a simple laughing pill.

Motivation. Unfortunately something the Science lite desk has but a passing acquaintance with, yet even we are aware that it can usually be boiled down to several key ingredients – and money is more often than not the king, and indeed queen, of driving forces.

They live in damp locations, feeding on bacteria and other micro-organisms – honey and oats is a bit of a treat, but what slime mould really wants is a sedative. Slime mould has a tough life – it is exploited to solve mazes and mimic ‘logic gates’ – it’s no wonder that the primitive bacteria