THINGS WE LEARNT THIS MONTH

CLIMATE CHANGE COULD LEAD TO A GLOBAL BEER SHORTAGE

Severe weather including droughts and heatwaves may lead to substantial decreases in barley yields, a study at the University of East Anglia has found. The most extreme scenarios could see beer prices in the UK doubling as a result of the shortages, the researchers say. Better make mine a half.

WEARING WOOL CAN HELP YOU SLEEP

When it comes to nodding off to sleep, wearing wool could be just as effective as counting sheep, a team in Sydney, Australia has found. Study participants wearing wool rather than cotton or polyester fell asleep up to 15 minutes earlier, they say. The benefit is thought to be due to the textile’s heat-regulating effects.

ELEPHANTS CAN DO MATHS

Researchers at Japan’s Ueno Zoo trained a 14-year-old Asian elephant named Authai to use a touchscreen computer displaying different quantities of fruit and choose the one with the largest number. Authai was able to choose the correct answer almost 70 per cent of the time.