Science writer, editor, and presenter
As the great glam metal band Poison sang in 1988, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". Like so many glam metal bands to grace the world's stages before them, none of Poison's members were botanists.  If they were, they might have known that roses actually have prickles, not thorns. It's an easy enough mistake to make.  But …
Next time you happen to be walking though the Chamela-Cuixmala nature reserve on the West Coast of Mexico, keep your eyes out for this parasitoid wasp: Its scientific name is Heerz lukenatcha.  There is also a related wasp named Heerz tooya.  Who comes up with these things!? Biologists, it turns out. The current official naming system for animals …
What kind of bed do you sleep in? Personally, my bed is a double. Â It is about 1.4m (4.5ft) wide and 1.90m (6.25ft) long . Â Two people can sleep comfortably on it, hence the name "double". Â With the matress, boxspring and frame, it probably weighs about 20 kg (~40lbs). Now, imagine fastening two of these …
Jon Farrow 