Tortoise Mr Pickles, 90, becomes a father for the first time

A tortoise has become a father for the first time at the age of 90. Mr Pickles, who has lived at Houston Zoo for 36 years, welcomed three hatchlings with his partner Mrs Pickles, 53, who came to the zoo in 1996. Both are radiated tortoises, which were once considered one of the world’s most abundant tortoise species, but which are now classed as critically endangered. The hatchlings – named Dill, Gherkin and Jalapeno – might not have survived, had a keeper not noticed Mrs Pickles laying her eggs, which were swiftly moved to the more hospitable conditions of the Reptile House.

UK space sector is booming

The UK space sector grew by around £1bn in 2020-2021, and added almost 1,800 jobs to the economy, a report commissioned by the UK Space Agency has concluded. It found that space companies generated an income of £17.5bn in the year to April 2021, up from £16.5bn the previous year, despite the pandemic, meaning the UK sector outpaced the growth of the global space industry. Strong results were recorded in areas including debris removal and space surveillance.

Children learn repair skills by fixing broken toys

A British start-up is hoping to inspire a new generation of engineers – and a make-and-mend attitude – by sending children broken toys to fix. Each toy, whether a walkie-talkie or a games console, has a fault that recipients (aged ten to 14) are encouraged to fix with the help of an app. Once fixed, the toy can be sent back to be broken for another child. “The idea is that they learn useful repair skills and also learn the science and technology behind how the components inside it work,” Team Repair’s chief operating officer explained.

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