Man uses brain implant to make rock album request

The first patient to communicate through a brain implant has taken the opportunity to ask to be played an album by the rock band Tool. The man in Germany was able to communicate dozens of thoughts, including, “I love my cool son” and “I would like to listen to the album by Tool loud”. Melanie Fried-Oken, who studies brain-computer interface at Oregon Health & Science University, was thrilled by the development. “It’s so cool,” she told Science.org.

Commons staff told to stop drunkenly sleeping in offices

Sir Charles Walker, the Conservative MP who chairs parliament’s administration committee, says MPs’ staff who drunkenly sleep in the office after missing their trains home are a fire and security risk. He asked MPs “to be vigilant in ensuring that passholders, be they our staff or anyone else, conduct themselves to the highest standard at all times”. Parliamentary staff could be banned from consuming alcohol in the office unless for a specific work-related function.

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Farts research explains shower mystery

Farts smell worse in the shower but it is not their fault, said an expert. Hussain Abdeh, a clinical director and superintendent pharmacist, told the Daily Star “there is no evidence to suggest that farts are actually stronger in the shower than they are anywhere else,” but “certain practical factors of showering make the smell much more noticeable”. The factors range from the lack of clothing to shield your nostrils from the worst of it to the fact you are in a small, warm and steamy room.