5 things we learned this week

1 We do not lose most of our body heat through our head. The old wives’ tale originated from a study in the 1950s, says The Atlantic, in which people were tested by being sent into the cold wearing ‘neck-high Arctic survival suits’. It was found that only about ten per cent of body heat escapes from the head. This is a good example of how theories of ‘dubious origin’ can, through endless repetition, ‘take on the veneer of scientific fact’.

2 Actor Brian Cox swears almost as much as his Succession character Logan Roy. During the photoshoot accompanying an interview with ES Magazine, the 76-year-old complained about being

‘stuck in a f ****** traffic jam for three f ****** hours’.

And when asked if he was an art collector, on account of all the paintings and sculptures in his flat, he replied: ‘What do you f ****** think?!’ 3 Two radiated tortoises (native to Madagascar) have become parents at 90 and 53. The critically endangered reptiles – Mr Pickles, left, and his younger partner Mrs Pickles – last week welcomed three hatchlings at Houston Zoo: Dill, Gherkin and Jalapeno. 4 A cereal maker is trying to boost business by convincing us to have a bowl before bedtime. Sweet Dreams is said to have notes of lavender and chamomile, along with vitamins and minerals intended to boost production of the sleep hormone melatonin. 5 Despite all the cheering cherry and magnolia blossom, Britain is having one of the dullest months of March on record. As a whole, the country has had less than half its usual amount of spring sunshine, and only a third in London, the South West and Wales.

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