Mathematical formula can prevent child tantrums in cars

A toddler crying in her car seat

(Image credit: Alex Segre/Alamy Stock Photo)

Academics at Nottingham Trent University have devised a formula to predict a tantrum from children during car journeys: T = 70 + 0.5E + 15F – 10S. Dr James Hind, a senior lecturer at the university, said the time (T) it took a child to become angry on a long journey was usually 70 minutes, and parents could delay the back seat breakdown by introducing entertainment (E) and food (F). For instance, food allowed parents to delay a tantrum by 15 minutes. The report comes as families prepare for bank holiday car journeys, The Times said.

Pasta joke named funniest at Fringe

A gag about pasta has been named the funniest joke of the Edinburgh Fringe, the BBC reported. Masai Graham was voted the winner with his quip: “I tried to steal spaghetti from the shop, but the female guard saw me and I couldn't get pasta.” Now in its 13th year, previous winners of the award include Ken Cheng, Olaf Falafel, Rob Auton, and Zoe Lyons. The second-placed joke, from Mark Simmons, was: “Did you know, if you get pregnant in the Amazon, it's next-day delivery.”

‘Poo transplants’ could help IBS sufferers

A Norwegian study has found that 75% of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients who received a transplant from the stools of a healthy donor reported fewer symptoms after three years, and a greater quality of life. The Telegraph said the “squirm-inducing” and “radical new science” of “poo transplants” sees medics replace defective gut bacteria with healthy ones of a donor by transplanting them to the colon, where they will begin fighting off bugs causing distress or infection.