UK may discover if there is life on Mars
And other stories from the stranger side of life

Is there life on Mars? The question that eluded David Bowie could finally be answered by a British laboratory. The UK Space Agency has won funding to build the only facility where samples from the Red Planet will be stored and analysed. Dr Rain Irshad, a systems engineer at the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, said: “If we brought these rocks and we split them open and we found a fossil, that would be so exciting. We could definitely have the first discovery of life on Mars happening in the UK.”
Irons and lunch box sales up as WFH ends
Sales of lunch boxes and irons are on the rise as remote working comes to an end, according to The Times. John Lewis said that sales of irons were up 47% last week, with sales of lunch boxes up 64% on the same week last year. The department store said that website searches for smart clothes are also rising. Searches for dresses were up 76% last week, while searches for men’s shirts rose 83%. Steve Jackson, head of category at the department store, said: “As the nation smartens itself up we’ve seen sales of irons soar.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Park that closes at sunset spends $350,000 on lights
A park in Miami has spent $350,000 on new lights. But there is one problem: it closes at sundown. The park on the shores of Biscayne Bay recently reopened to the public, boasting several new amenities including a path along the waterfront. Discussing the new lights, Albert Gomez, the co-founder of the Miami Climate Alliance, said: “It’s so that the homeless don’t use it. Police officers like to patrol and not get out of the car and not have to go through the park in the dark with flashlights.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
A wine-themed tour of beautiful Uruguay
The Week Recommends Secret paradise in South America boasts beautiful vineyards
By The Week UK Published
-
Romanian democracy: no place for the 'TikTok messiah' Calin Georgescu
Talking Point State is 'fighting back' against poster boy for right-wing conspiracists
By The Week UK Published
-
5 terrifically taxing cartoons about tariffs
Cartoons Artists take on rising prices, dumb ideas, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published