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13 Titanic mysteries that may never be solved

Was it even the Titanic? Everyone agrees that a luxury liner set sail on April 10, 1912, and sank five days later, taking the lives of around 1500 of the 2223 passengers aboard. But that’s pretty much where the consensus ends. Some insist the ship that sank wasn’t the Titanic, but rather, the nearly identical R.M.S. Olympic. As the story goes, the Olympic had been damaged in an accident the year before, but in order to score a bigger insurance payoff, the ships’ common owners passed off the Olympic as the Titanic and then deliberately sank it. While there are lots of holes in this Titanic theory, serial numbers found on parts of the ship that didn’t sink support it. Did a fire actually seal the ship's fate? A recent documentary offers credible evidence that the Titanic (let’s just call it that, for argument’s sake) had been damaged by a coal fire, which had been raging for three weeks before the ship even set sail. The damage would have weakened the hull of the ship, thus hastening the ship’s sinking when it collided with an iceberg. (If it collided with an iceberg, which is another Titanic mystery we discuss below.) Why was the captain speeding? For decades, people believed that Captain Smith was speeding through the iceberg-heavy waters of the North Atlantic because he wanted the Titanic to cross the Atlantic faster than her sister ship, the Olympic. But in 2004, the Geological Society of America published an academic paper by engineer Robert H. Essenhigh with a different theory: It claimed the real reason the Titanic’s captain was speeding was to burn coal as quickly as possible in order to control the coal fire mentioned above. What caused the ship to break into two pieces? On September 1, 1985, oceanographer Robert Ballard discovered the wreckage four kilometres below the ocean surface, along with the surprising news that the ship had broken in two before sinking. Previously, everyone had thought that the ship sank intact after colliding with an iceberg while speeding recklessly through icy waters near the coast of Newfoundland. Ballard’s discovery led to a new theory: that the ship’s splitting into two pieces, which “may have been the difference between life and death,” was the result of design flaws and the skimping on quality materials by the owners and/or builders. Did a torpedo sink the Titanic? Most believe that the Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg on April 14 (regardless of other contributing factors). But not everyone. Some think that the Titanic was torpedoed by a German U-boat. This theory doesn’t seem all that far-fetched considering that three years later in 1915, a German U-boat did sink a passenger ship, the Lusitania. However, it’s possible that torpedo theorists are confusing the Titanic with the Lusitania. It’s also possible that they’re confusing the Titanic with the Olympic, which had sustained damage after colliding with a military vessel in 1911. Still, the presence of several other ships in the vicinity of the Titanic’s sinking leaves the question open. Was there even an iceberg? Assuming the Titanic didn’t collide with, and wasn’t torpedoed by, another ship, it’s safe to believe that it hit an iceberg, right? Not necessarily. Professional mariner Captain L.M. Collins maintains that if the Titanic had hit an iceberg, it would have gone down in mere minutes. Instead, Collins and his followers believe that the Titanic must have hit a hidden floe of “pack ice” (multi-year-old sheets of ice floating near the ocean surface) that had made its way into the Atlantic from the Arctic Ocean. Collins points out discrepancies in eyewitness accounts, which may actually be due to various natural optical illusions. If only the crew had binoculars, right? Why didn't the crew have binoculars? Surely, if the crew had binoculars, they would have seen the danger in time to change course. But the Titanic’s entire supply of binoculars was locked away in a storage compartment. And a crew member who had been transferred off the ship just before it set sail had the key. The crew member later claimed he “forgot” to hand over the key. But did he forget? Or did he deliberately hold onto it? And if so, was it to further the insurance fraud mentioned above? Or was it something else entirely? If there was a warning, why didn't anyone take it seriously? Even without binoculars, the Titanic might have had time to change course before its collision if someone had warned the crew. But here’s the thing: Someone did warn the crew. An hour before the collision, a nearby ship, the S.S. Californian, had radioed to say that it had been stopped by “dense field ice.” However, the Titanic’s radio operator, Jack Phillips, never conveyed the warning to Captain Smith. Some say the message was deliberately conveyed as “non-urgent,” but we will never know for sure since Phillips went down with the ship. Did the Californian have something to do with it? This cruise liner was less than 20 kilometres away from where the Titanic sank. It sent a warning to the Titanic about the dangerously icy conditions, which may have been relayed as a non-urgent matter. Later, the Californian crew reportedly ignored the Titanic’s distress signals, although they claimed they were not aware of those signals because their radio operator had gone off duty. Did the Californian really not notice what was happening within plain view? The "third" ship The Californian may not have been the only ship that ignored the Titanic’s distress signals. A Norwegian ship, the Samson, may have been nearby as well. In fact, some believe that the Samson was closer to the Titanic than the Californian but ignored her distress signals in order to avoid prosecution for illegal seal-hunting. This is a popular theory among defenders of the Californian’s captain, but whether it’s true remains a mystery. Did J.P. Morgan plan the whole thing? Some who believe the Titanic took the place of the damaged Olympic blame financier J.P. Morgan, who was one of the owners of the company that owned both ships. Morgan was one of the wealthiest people on the planet at the time, and he wielded considerable power. In addition, he was a last-minute no-show on the Titanic’s sole voyage. Why did Morgan – and his entire family – not end up on the ship? Did he know what was going to happen? Did he plan it? Was it a murder plot? Some believe the sinking had nothing to do with insurance money, but rather that J.P. Morgan engineered the sinking to kill off his rivals: Jacob Astor, Isidor Straus, and Benjamin Guggenheim, all of whom perished aboard. But how did Morgan plan to pull it off? Neither the insurance theory nor the murder theory takes that into account. Why weren't there enough lifeboats? “No matter what caused the Titanic to sink, such a massive loss of life could probably have been avoided if the ship had carried sufficient lifeboats for its passengers and crew,” notes History.com. So then why did the uber-luxury liner have only 20 lifeboats, the legal minimum? Why did the ship’s owners decide to ignore recommendations to carry 50 per cent more lifeboats? If the sinking were “merely” an insurance scam, how can the devastating lack of lifeboats be explained? This seems to dovetail more with a murder plot. But it also could be nothing more than cost-cutting on the part of the ship’s owners. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/13-titanic-mysteries-that-may-never-be-solved-2?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Cruising

How ‘ugly’ fruit and vegetables could tackle food waste and solve supermarket supply shortages

The world is facing a significant food waste problem, with <a href="https://www.fao.org/3/i4068e/i4068e.pdf">up to half of all fruit and vegetables</a> lost somewhere along the agricultural food chain. Globally, around <a href="https://www.fao.org/3/ca6030en/ca6030en.pdf">14% of food produced</a> is lost after harvesting but before it reaches shops and supermarkets. Alongside food prices (66%), food waste is a concern for 60% of people that participated in a <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/research/food-and-you-2/food-and-you-2-wave-5">recent survey</a> published by the UK Food Standards Agency. <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmenvfru/429/429.pdf">Other research</a> suggests that as much as 25% of apples, 20% of onions and 13% of potatoes grown in the UK are destroyed because they don’t look right. This means that producers’ efforts to meet stringent specifications from buyers can lead to <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmenvfru/429/429.pdf">perfectly edible produce being discarded</a> before it even leaves the farm – simply because of how it looks. Aside from the ongoing environmental implications of this food waste, UK shoppers currently face <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/04/food-tsar-blames-shortages-on-uks-weird-supermarket-culture">produce rationing in some supermarkets</a> due to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/28/british-supermarkets-are-rationing-fruit-and-vegetables-amid-shortages.html">shortages of items like tomatoes, cucumbers and raspberries</a>. Any solutions that increase locally grown produce on shop shelves could improve the availability of fresh food, particularly in urban areas. When imperfect fruit and vegetables don’t make it to supermarket shelves, it can be due to <a href="https://cases.open.ubc.ca/insistence-on-cosmetically-perfect-fruits-vegetables/">cosmetic standards</a>. Supermarkets and consumers often prefer produce of a fairly standard size that’s free of blemishes, scars and other imperfections. This means fruit and vegetables that are misshapen, discoloured, or even too small or too large, are rejected before they make it to supermarket shelves. In recent years there has been a growing trend of selling such “ugly” fruit and vegetables, both by <a href="https://my.morrisons.com/wonky-fruit-veg/">major</a> <a href="https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/content/sustainability/food-waste">supermarket</a> <a href="https://www.tescoplc.com/news/2021/wonky-veg-5th-anniversary/">chains</a>, as well as <a href="https://wonkyvegboxes.co.uk/">speciality</a> <a href="https://www.misfitsmarket.com/?exp=plans_rollback">retailers</a> that sell <a href="https://www.oddbox.co.uk/">boxes</a> of <a href="https://etepetete-bio.de/">wonky produce</a>. And research has shown that 87% of people say they would <a href="https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/fruit-and-veg/nearly-90-of-consumers-would-eat-wonky-fruit-and-veg-according-to-new-survey/670155.article">eat wonky fruit and vegetables if they were available</a>. But other research indicates consumers can still be picky and difficult to predict. One study <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329316302002?via%3Dihub">showed</a> consumers are likely to throw away an apple with a spot, but would eat a bent cucumber. <h2>Getting ugly produce into baskets</h2> So how can producers and retailers boost the amount of non-standard fruit and veg that not only reaches our shelves, but also our plates? <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377221723000668">Our recent research</a> suggests a separate channel for selling ugly produce would increase profits for growers, lower prices for consumers and boost overall demand for produce. For growers, a dedicated channel – either independent or set up by a supermarket – to supply wonky fruit and veg creates a new line of business. For retailers, this provides an opportunity for further revenue over and above current sales of standard produce to shops. When selling both types of product to a single retailer, the ugly items might be undervalued compared with the standard-looking products. Our research also shows that selling the ugly produce through a dedicated channel is likely to increase total demand for fruit and vegetables, while also decreasing on-farm loss. Having two parallel channels for selling produce (the main one and the dedicated “ugly” channel) would increase competition. This benefits shoppers by lowering prices for regular and ugly produce, versus selling both types of products alongside each other in one shop. On the other hand, the growing market for ugly fruit and vegetables could be an economic threat to traditional retailers. It encourages new entrants into the market and could also limit the availability of “regular” produce because growers could become less stringent about ensuring produce meets traditional cosmetic standards. But there is a way for traditional retailers to add ugly produce into their product offerings alongside other produce without affecting their profits. By building on existing consumer awareness of the environmental benefits of ugly food, they could also compete in this growing segment. This would benefit their bottom lines and help consumer acceptance of misshapen fruit and vegetables, possibly leading to less food waste and shortages like those UK shoppers are experiencing right now. Boosting demand for imperfect fruit and vegetables across the supply chain will require all participants to get involved – from grower to seller. Here are some steps the various parties could take: <h2>1. Educating consumers</h2> Education about the environmental and economic impact of food waste could happen through marketing campaigns, in-store displays and even social media. <h2>2. Reducing cosmetic standards</h2> Supermarkets and other major food retailers could revise their cosmetic standards to accept a wider range of produce, including imperfect fruit and vegetables. This would help reduce food waste by making sure more produce is able to be sold. <h2>3. Direct sales</h2> Farmers and growers could sell non-standard produce directly to consumers through farmers’ markets or subscription services. This allows consumers to purchase fresh, locally grown produce that might not meet cosmetic standards for supermarkets but that is just as nutritionally beneficial. <h2>4. Food donations</h2> Supermarkets and growers could donate produce rejected for how it looks to food banks, shelters and other organisations that serve those in need. This would help reduce food waste while also providing healthy food to those who might not otherwise have access to it. <h2>5. Value-added products</h2> Produce that doesn’t meet cosmetic standards could also be used to create other products such as soups, sauces and juices. In addition to reducing food waste, this would create new revenue streams for growers and retailers. <h2>6. Food composting</h2> Anything that cannot be sold or otherwise used should be composted. This would help reduce food waste while also creating nutrient-rich soil for future crops. By implementing these solutions, the supply chain can reduce the amount of ugly or imperfect fruit and vegetables that are wasted, while also providing consumers with healthy, affordable produce, even in times of supply chain shortages. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-ugly-fruit-and-vegetables-could-tackle-food-waste-and-solve-supermarket-supply-shortages-201216" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Images: Getty

Food & Wine

AI may have solved a debate on whether a dinoprint was from a herbivore or meat eater

An international team of researchers has, for the first time, used AI to analyse the tracks of dinosaurs, and the AI has come out on top – beating trained palaeontologists at their own game. “In extreme examples of theropod and ornithopod footprints, their footprint shapes are easy to tell apart -theropod with long, narrow toes and ornithopods with short, dumpy toes. But it is the tracks that are in-between these shapes that are not so clear cut in terms of who made them,” one of the researchers, University of Queensland palaeontologist Dr Anthony Romilio, told Cosmos. “We wanted to see if AI could learn these differences and, if so, then could be tested in distinguishing more challenging three-toed footprints.” Theropods are meat eating dinosaurs, while ornithopods are plant eating, and getting this analysis wrong can alter the data which shows diversity and abundance of dinosaurs in the area, or could even change what we think are the behaviours of certain dinos. One set of dinosaur prints in particular had been a struggle for the researchers to analyse. Large footprints at the Dinosaur Stampede National monument in Queensland had divided Romilio and his colleagues. The mysterious tracks were thought to be left during the mid-Cretaceous Period, around 93 million years ago, and could have been from either a meat eating theropod or a plant eating ornithopod. “I consider them footprints of a plant-eater while my colleagues share the much wider consensus that they are theropod tracks.” So, an AI called a Convolutional Neutral Network, was brought in to be a deciding factor. “We were pretty stuck, so thank god for modern technology,” says <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jens-Lallensack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr Jens Lallensack</a>, lead author from Liverpool John Moores University in the UK. “In our research team of three, one person was pro-meat-eater, one person was undecided, and one was pro-plant-eater. <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p224866-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> </div> </div> “So – to really check our science – we decided to go to five experts for clarification, plus use AI.” The AI was given nearly 1,500 already known tracks to learn which dinosaurs were which. The tracks were simple line drawings to make it easier for the AI to analyse. Then they began testing. Firstly, 36 new tracks were given to a team of experts, the AI and the researchers. “Each of us had to sort these into the categories of footprints left by meat-eaters and those by plant-eaters,” says Romilio. “In this the ai was the clear winner with 90% correctly identified. Me and one of my colleagues came next with ~75% correct.” Then, they went for the crown jewel – the Dinosaur Stampede National monument tracks. When the AI analysed this it came back with a pretty strong result that they’re plant eating ornithopod tracks. It’s not entirely sure though, the data suggests that there’s a 1 in 5,000,000 chance it could be a theropod instead. This is still early days for using AI in this way. In the future. the researchers are hoping for funding for a FrogID style app which anyone could use to analyse dinosaur tracks. “Our hope is to develop an app so anyone can take a photo on their smartphone, use the app and it will tell you what type of dinosaur track it is,” says Romilio. “It will also be useful for drone work survey for dinosaur tracksites, collecting and analysing image data and identifying fossil footprints remotely.” The paper has been published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2022.0588" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Royal Society Interface</a>. <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=224866&title=AI+may+have+solved+a+debate+on+whether+a+dinoprint+was+from+a+herbivore+or+meat+eater" width="1" height="1" /> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/dinosaur-ai-theropod-ornithopods/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on Cosmos Magazine and was written by Jacinta Bowler. Image: Getty Images </div>

Technology

Just TWO PERCENT of Elon Musk’s wealth could solve world hunger

The director of the United Nations’ World Food Program has called on billionaires to “step up now, on a one-time basis” to solve world hunger, claiming it would require only a fraction of their wealth. In an interview with CNN, David Beasley specifically mentioned Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, the world’s richest men, in his appeal. “$USD 6 ($AUD 7.9 or $NZD 8.36) billion to help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we don’t reach them. It’s not complicated,” he <a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/news/world/just-two-per-cent-of-elon-musks-wealth-could-solve-world-hunger-according-to-un-food-scarcity-organisation-c-4345980" target="_blank">said</a>. With Mr Musk’s net worth totalling almost $USD 289 ($AUD 384 or $NZD 402) billion according to Bloomberg, the sum Mr Beasley is asking for would equate to just two percent of his fortune. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> $36 billion in one day - <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a>'s net worth increase due to a <a href="https://twitter.com/Tesla?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tesla</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/Hertz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Hertz</a> deal. Congratulations, Elon! 1/6 of your one day increase would save 42 million lives that are knocking on famine's door. Unprecedented crisis. Unprecedented wealth. Help!! <a href="https://t.co/n4hfpl5NRE">https://t.co/n4hfpl5NRE</a> — David Beasley (@WFPChief) <a href="https://twitter.com/WFPChief/status/1453681782742818824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2021</a></blockquote> Mr Beasley has also taken to social media to call out the billionaires. “Congratulations, Elon!” Mr Beasley wrote on Twitter after Mr Musk’s wealth increased by $29 billion in a single day. “1/6 of your one day increase would save 42 million lives that are knocking on famine’s door. Unprecedented crisis. Unprecedented wealth. Help!” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> for passing up <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffBezos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JeffBezos</a> as the world’s richest person - worth a whopping $221B! 🥇 Elon, to celebrate I’m offering you a once in a lifetime opportunity: help us save 42M people from starvation for just $6.6B!! Offer expires SOON.. and lives do too. — David Beasley (@WFPChief) <a href="https://twitter.com/WFPChief/status/1450388737444257797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2021</a></blockquote> Mr Beasley went on to say that many nations are “knocking on famine’s door”, due to a “perfect storm” of crises including climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. “For example, take the United States and the region in Central America, the Dry Corridor, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua - just down in that area alone,” Mr Beasley said. “We’re feeding a lot of people down there and the climate is just changing with hurricanes and flash flooding; it’s just devastating.” According to a World Food Program (WFP) report released earlier in the week, 22.8 million people in Afghanistan - almost half the population - are facing an acute hunger crisis. Meanwhile, the WFP estimates that 5.2 million people in Ethiopia urgently need food assistance. Mr Beasley said humanitarian organisations such as the WFP have also struggled to deliver supplies to people in the region due to ongoing conflicts between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. “I don’t know where they’re getting the food from,” he said. “We’re out of fuel. We’re out of cash, in terms of paying our people and we are running out of money and we can’t get our trucks in.” The struggle to feed millions around the world comes as both Mr Bezos and Mr Musk make continued investments in private space travel, which has been criticised by environmentally-minded individuals such as Prince William. Image: @elonmusk / Instagram

Money & Banking

Mystery solved: Why Ritz crackers have jagged edges

Ritz crackers made their TikTok debut, and their most recent post has garnered a huge amount of attention. In a video that has now gone viral on the social media platform, the cracker company shocked consumers by revealing what the mysterious ridges around the edges are for. The jagged edges are not there for purely aesthetic reasons, rather, it can help with preparing cheese to be nibbled. According to the video, which shows someone rolling a Ritz cracker's edges over a slice of cheese, cutting it in half, the disc's design was made with snacking in mind on more levels than one. TikTok viewers' minds were blown at the solving of what was once a sophisticated, and now simple, mystery. Captioned "the more you know", Ritz had simply declared knives as unnecessary. "My life is a lie," one TikTok user commented, while another thought Ritz were lying. "That's not what they're for," another TikTok user said. "You just made this up." In a cheeky clap-back, the company replied, "But we're Ritz, we're allowed to." Other TikTok users were not impressed, with one saying, "Or [you could] just grab the cheese with two hands and tear a slice." Ritz, unbothered, replied, "That works too." Since being posted earlier in the week, the video has had 1.6 million views, and has accrued over 278,900 likes.

Food & Wine

How to solve a jigsaw puzzle fast

Puzzle-solving tips from the experts Sitting down to begin work on a jigsaw puzzle is an exciting but daunting experience. Alfonso Alvarez-Ossorio, the president of the World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation, and Tammy McLeod, a competitive puzzle solver, share their tips on solving puzzles quickly, expert strategies for completing jigsaw puzzles of all sizes, the best methods to get started with the hobby of puzzling, and more details about how jigsaw champions work on their puzzles. The challenges of solving a puzzle fast “The difficulty of a jigsaw puzzle – and the time it will take to assemble it – is directly proportional to the number of pieces,” says Alvarez-Ossorio. In addition, there are two factors that account for the difficulty of a jigsaw puzzle, says Alvarez-Ossorio. First, he says is the “morphology of the pieces, which depends on the manufacturer and the die used (the more you distinguish some pieces from others, the easier),” and second is “the contrast of the puzzle image (the greater the contrast, the more diversity of colours and strokes more defined, the easier and faster the assembly).” The right surface Where you do jigsaw puzzles is almost as important as how you do one. “In official competitions, vinyl-plastic is used so that the pieces move quickly across the surface,” says Alvarez-Ossorio. The mats are usually used white, “to reflect the light of space – lighting is a very important factor.” When doing a puzzle at home, you’ll want a dedicated space, such as a folding card table, so you can spread out your pieces and so they won’t get lost. If you don’t have room, puzzle mats are helpful because you can easily roll a puzzle-in-progress up for storage when you need to reclaim your dining room or coffee table. Different strategies for different puzzles In her personal puzzle-solving experience, “a 500 piece jigsaw is small enough to be spread out completely on a table so that all the pieces can be viewed at the same time,” McLeod shares. “This makes it easy to simply pick out pieces to be assembled, without sorting; usually, each piece contains enough details to uniquely identify it.” Larger puzzles are a different story, however. With a puzzle of 2000 pieces or more, “each piece contains a much smaller portion of the full image, so it’s faster to sort into general groups,” she says. Edges first? A popular strategy is to put the edges of the puzzle together first because, with one straight edge, the pieces are easier to identify and put together. “There isn’t a single strategy that will work for 100 per cent of puzzles, but in the majority of cases, it is easiest to start with the edge,” McLeod says. “This does not apply for non-rectangular puzzles and some puzzles where the edge pieces are cut interchangeably, but generally, to solve a puzzle fast, sorting is key.” Cutting corners Because there are only four of them, McLeod doesn’t spend time looking for corner pieces. “You’d have to spend a lot of time sifting through all the pieces just to find them,” she says. “Instead, start by pulling out the edges, then when you have most of them, start assembling them.” She goes to say that you shouldn’t be of the mind that you need to find every single edge piece, as that too will waste time. “The few edge pieces that you miss will naturally emerge after other pieces get placed.” Smart sorting “The larger the puzzle, the more time you should devote to sorting the pieces,” says Alvarez-Ossorio. “Divide the jigsaw puzzle by zones, normally identified by colours, though sometimes it can also be by textures.” For example in a puzzle about nature, “separate an area of trees and another from grass – both can be the same colour but the textures are completely different.” Perfect placement Once you have your pieces sorted, it’s time to start placing them. If your puzzle is of a drawing, painting, or collage that contains lots of details or has words, it makes it easier to place pieces, notes McLeod. On the other hand, “Photographs and landscapes usually have large patches of similar textures which can be a stumbling block for beginners,” she says. Take a break Don’t expect to complete your puzzle in an afternoon. “I have worked on puzzles with over 4000 pieces that take 60+ hours to complete, so I definitely cannot finish them in a single sitting!” McLeod shares. And yes, fresh eyes can help, especially if you’re tired. You may also want to invest in a lighted magnifying glass. Puzzling patience “Working on puzzles helps you develop your hand-eye coordination, your visual acuity, colour and shape recognition, and your patience,” McLeod says It’s also a very meditative activity, she says, “Your mind can wander while your hands and eyes are involved with assembling plus you get a hit of dopamine every time you fit a piece, so it becomes a long session of satisfying feelings.” Written by Charlotte Hilton Anderson. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/culture/how-to-solve-a-jigsaw-puzzle-fast">Reader’s Digest</a>. Find more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="https://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA93V">here’s our best subscription offer</a>.

Mind

20 rebus puzzles that are almost impossible to solve

Test your smarts with these rebus puzzles Rebus puzzles, also known as word picture puzzles or picture riddles, use images or words to convey a phrase or message, typically a common idiom or expression. To help you solve them, make sure to look at word placement, size, colour and quantity. Take your time and don’t give up. These can be pretty tricky. To help you get your brain on the right track, take a look at the most frequently used idioms in the English language. Rebus puzzle #1 We’ll start off with a simple rebus puzzle. Can you guess this one? Answer: Green with envy. Rebus puzzle #2 Can you solve this puzzle? Hint: Focus on the word here. Answer: Split pea soup. Try these 21 brain games guaranteed to boost your brain power. Rebus puzzle #3 This is one of the rebus puzzles where you need to focus on the placement – and number – of numbers. Answer: For once in my life. Rebus puzzle #4 Tilt your head to solve this rebus puzzle. Answer: What goes up must come down. See how you fare with these 19 trivia questions only geniuses get right. Rebus puzzle #5 How fast can you solve this tricky rebus puzzle? Make sure to take note of the placement of the words. Answer: Overseas travel. Wrack your brain with these mind-bending logic puzzles. Rebus puzzle #6 You might think this rebus puzzle has something to do with wine, but think again. Answer: Win with ease. Rebus puzzle #7 Hint: Think of different types of house layouts. Answer: Split level. Here are 5 more puzzles sure to get you thinking. Rebus puzzle #8 The answer isn’t “try to stand.” If that’s what you thought, keep guessing. Answer: Try to understand. This puzzle was dubbed the hardest ever by a university professor. Can you solve it? Rebus puzzle #9 Clear your brain and think hard about this rebus puzzle. Can you solve it? Answer: Summer (sum R). Rebus puzzle #10 We’ll give you a hint to solve this rebus puzzle. What words start with “meta”? Answer: Metaphor. Rebus puzzle #11 Hmm, what do those numbers mean? Answer: Safety in numbers. Rebus puzzle #12 First, rearrange the letters to make a real word. Answer: Trail mix. Rebus puzzle #13 We’ll throw in one of the easier rebus puzzles to give your brain a rest. (The colour here matters.) Answer: Greenhouse. Rebus puzzle #14 Can you figure out why the word “cover” appears four times and the word “head” only appears once? Answer: Head for cover. Rebus puzzle #15 This one is tricky. What words do you see? Answer: Go up in smoke. Rebus puzzle #16 This rebus puzzle represents an idiom you might use when you’re happy. Answer: Sitting on top of the world. Rebus puzzle #17 Notice the shape of this rebus puzzle to help you solve it. Answer: Street corner. Rebus puzzle #18 Can you decode this one? Answer: In between jobs. Rebus puzzle #19 Rebus puzzles aren’t easy. If you’ve solved every one so far, that’s super impressive. Answer: Up for grabs. Rebus puzzle #20 How many of these rebus puzzles did you get right? Guess this last one and finish strong. Answer: Forgive and forget. Written by Morgan Cutolo. This article first appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/thought-provoking/20-rebus-puzzles-that-are-almost-impossible-to-solve?pages=1">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.com.au/subscribe">here’s our best subscription offer</a>.

Mind

Mystery behind royal green dress solved

The Duchess of Cambridge has effortlessly worn glorious gowns, chic casual blouses and even stylish capris that have left many royal watchers completely enamoured by her wardrobe choices. Which is why fans took a keen interest in the royal’s latest outfit choice on her most recent video call from the confines of her home. Shared via Kensington Royal's social media pages on June 23, the mother-of-three appeared in a new clip alongside Duchess Camilla as they made a call to staff members and a family who have been supported by a UK-based children's hospice. Both Kate and Camilla have deep roots with their patronages in the UK, including many hospice organisations which is why they made sure to tune in for the National Children’s Hospice Week. In the emotional footage, the 38-year-old royal is seen in her family home Anmer Hall where she has been self-isolating with her three young kids and husband Prince William. However, one thing stood out which was her gorgeous green top. Fans sure enough found her green ensemble online and confirmed it was in fact a frock we've all seen before on the Duchess. Named the 'Maja' dress created by Belgian designer Diane Von Furstenberg, the royal wore the lush green get-up back in 2011 while she was visiting Los Angeles. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836675/prince-harry.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b192302d161542e49a2360f759f9bfac" /> The dress is special as it is what she wore during one of her first royal tours alongside Prince William. The gorgeous frock features a tie at the waist, three-quarter sleeves and dainty, delicate finishes just above the knee.

Beauty & Style

Could electric planes solve flying's CO2 problem?

The UK government plans to ban the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40726868">by 2040</a>. Clearly the plan is for all citizens to be driving electric or hybrid-electric cars, or – better still – riding bicycles. But can electrification help cut emissions from that other carbon-intensive form of passenger transport, flying? This is a complex question and one where size matters. It is possible for small aircraft to be powered by electricity. In fact several companies are already developing small electric aircraft and they could come on the market within <a href="https://theconversation.com/get-set-for-take-off-in-electric-aircraft-the-next-transport-disruption-114178">the next few years</a>. But for the large aircraft we all use more frequently it is unlikely to happen anytime soon. The problem isn’t the propulsion technology but the energy storage. Jet fuel contains around 30 times more energy per kilogram than the most advanced lithium-ion battery currently available. The world’s largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, can fly 600 passengers 15,000 kilometres in a single flight. But, according to my calculations, with batteries it could only fly a little over 1,000 kilometres. Even if all the passengers and cargo were replaced with batteries, the range would still be less then 2,000 kilometres. To keep its current range, the plane would need batteries weighing 30 times more than its current fuel intake, meaning it would never get off the ground. This trade-off is particularly bad for long-haul flights because the fuel makes up half of the aircraft’s weight at take-off. What’s more, a conventional plane gets lighter as the fuel is consumed, but an electric aircraft would have to carry the same battery weight for the entire flight. As I said, size matters. For a five- to ten-seat light aircraft, fuel is likely to make up 10% to 20% of the aircraft’s weight. Simply swapping the fuel for batteries might still reduce the distance the plane can fly by an impractical amount. But replacing two or three passengers with additional batteries would give a range of 500 kilometres to 750 kilometres, compared to a fuel-powered range of over 1,000km. <h2>First commercial model</h2> However, there could be another option. Israeli firm <a href="https://www.eviation.co/alice/">Eviation</a> recently revealed a prototype version of what it claims will be the world’s first commercial all-electric passenger aircraft. The aircraft, named Alice, doesn’t just swap jet fuel for batteries but is a whole new design concept that improves the way the propulsion system is integrated into the airframe. Carrying nine passengers with a range of 1,000km, Alice is expected to enter service in 2022. Alice may be a practical alternative for small, regional journeys but not for most scheduled passenger flights, even short-haul ones. So how can electrification help here? Improving battery technology is one option. A new technology known as <a href="https://theconversation.com/lithium-air-a-battery-breakthrough-explained-50027">lithium-air batteries</a> can theoretically reach the same energy density as jet fuel. However, they are still at the laboratory stage. Given the extremely safety conscious nature of the aviation industry, it is unlikely to plan future aircraft on unproven technology. What we are more likely to see for short-haul flights in the next 20 to 30 years is hybrid aircraft that combine current turbofan engines with new electric propulsor systems. This more flexible hybrid system could be optimised to provide the high thrust required for take-off and the energy density needed for a long cruise. This is an area being actively pursued in the <a href="https://www.airbus.com/innovation/future-technology/electric-flight/e-fan-x.html">E-FanX</a> project, which involves Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens teaming up to develop a hybrid-electric propulsion flight demonstrator. Using a BAe 146 aircraft, which usually carries around 100 passengers, they plan to replace one of the aircraft’s four Honeywell turbofan engines with a propulsor fan driven by a two-megawatt electric motor. In the project’s initial phases, the electricity will actually be supplied by a Rolls-Royce AE2100 gas turbine housed in the aircraft’s fuselage (main body). But the E-FanX will still be an important step in the evolution of hybrid electric technology. <a href="https://www.airbus.com/innovation/future-technology/electric-flight.html">Airbus says</a> it wants to make this technology available for 100-seat aircraft by the 2030s. It’s also possible to equip a plane with multiple small electric propulsors in a so-called distributed propulsion system that is more efficient than traditional designs that use two large turbofans. This idea can be taken further by combining the separate fuselage and wings into a single “<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/FS-2003-11-81-LaRC.html">blended-wing-body</a>”, more efficiently integrating the propulsors with the airframe in a more aerodynamic design. This could reduce the amount of energy the aircraft would need by 20%. But neither of the world’s two main aircraft manufactures, Boeing and Airbus, are actively pursuing blended wing technology. Such a major design shift has too many technical challenges <a href="https://leehamnews.com/2018/04/03/dont-look-for-commercial-bwb-airplane-any-time-soon-says-boeings-future-airplanes-head/">to make it commercially viable</a> right now. For example, most airports wouldn’t be able to accommodate a blended-wing aircraft. <h2>No alternative</h2> Unfortunately, for the type of flights most of us make there is currently no practical alternative to jet-fuelled turbofans. For this reason, the main aircraft engine manufacturers are investing heavily in improving their current engine technology. The International Air Transport Association <a href="http://www.iata.org/policy/environment">estimates that</a> each new generation of aircraft is on average 20% more fuel-efficient than the model it replaces, and that airlines will invest US$1.3 trillion in new planes over the next decade. For example, Rolls-Royce’s most recent engine, the <a href="https://www.rolls-royce.com/products-and-services/civil-aerospace/airlines/trent-xwb.aspx#section-overview">Trent XWB</a> that powers the new <a href="https://www.airbus.com/aircraft/passenger-aircraft/a350xwb-family.html">Airbus A350</a>, is marketed as “the world’s most efficient large aero-engine”. Airbus claims the engine will help the A350 to achieve “25% lower operating costs, fuel burn and CO₂ emissions when compared with previous-generation aircraft”. The next generation of Rolls-Royce engine, the <a href="https://www.rolls-royce.com/products-and-services/civil-aerospace/future-products.aspx#/">UltraFanTM</a>, will offer a further 20% to 25% reduction in fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions and is due to enter into service in 2025. But it’s worth remembering that aviation currently contributes only 2% to 3% of global CO₂ emissions. This compares to about 30% to 35% for the whole transport sector, and another 30% to 35% for electricity generation. The number of air passengers is <a href="https://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/Pages/2018-10-24-02.aspx">expected to double</a> over the next two decades but so are total emissions so this is unlikely to make aviation a bigger part of the problem. Reducing aviation emissions by 20% per generation of aircraft probably might not a sustainable improvement. But if hybrid aircraft are made a reality then flying really could become even less of a contributor to total emissions than it is today. Written by Duncan Walker, Senior Lecturer in Applied Aerodynamics, Loughborough University. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/electric-planes-are-here-but-they-wont-solve-flyings-co-problem-125900" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

International Travel

Mystery solved: Why do cats eat grass even when it makes them sick?

While our feline friends are full of mysteries - there are some questions that should be answered for the sake of health. Cats have a strange habit of eating grass despite it making them ill. Researchers from the University of California’s School of Veterinary Medicine believe they have found the reason behind the odd practice. Experts suggest feline’s ancestors would chew on roughage (comparable to grass) to get rid of intestinal parasites. Cats would pick up parasites from eating rodents then eat the grass to flush out the worms. Chewing on grass would provoke muscle activity in their digestive tracts. While it is unnecessary for our furry friends to keep the habit in modern times, researchers believe it is what cats choose to do when they have an irritation. “Given that virtually all wild carnivores carry an intestinal parasite load, instinctive plant-eating would have an adaptive role in maintaining a tolerable intestinal parasite load, whether or not the animal senses the parasites,” the statement read.

Caring

Less than 1 per cent of people can solve these puzzles

Consider yourself a puzzle master? Challenge yourself with this mind-bending test. The Puzzled Out quiz was tested on 2,000 people to see how well they can spot the missing pattern in pictures while racing against time. Players have to tackle 10 questions, each with a 10-second timer. Less than one per cent got all the answers correct. Could you be one of them? <div class="test-app" style="width: 100%; height: 600px; margin: 0 auto; background: #fff; position: relative;"><iframe data-url="https://www.buzzbingo.com/bingo-games/puzzled-out/#embed" src="https://www.buzzbingo.com/bingo-games/puzzled-out/#embed" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 1px solid #ccc;"></iframe></div> <div class="meframe"></div> <div><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.buzzbingo.com/bingo-games/puzzled-out/" target="_blank">Puzzled Out</a> by <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.buzzbingo.com" target="_blank">Buzz Bingo</a></div> According to the quiz creator <a href="https://www.buzzbingo.com/bingo-games/puzzled-out/">Buzz Bingo</a>, some demographics performed better in finding the missing puzzle pieces. People aged 18 to 25 picked the correct answer in 52.6 per cent of the pictures compared to people aged over 65 with 34.9 per cent. Those who regularly partake in brain teasers also scored more highly. Those who often do exercises such as sudoku and crosswords picking 45.1 per cent of the pictures correctly compared to non-partakers at 38.5 per cent.

Mind

7 common backyard problems solved

When it comes to garden solutions, there’s no substitute for hands-on experience. So we asked the experts to share their solutions to Handyman readers’ outdoor problems. 1. Bare patches in the lawn PROBLEM: “I spilled fertiliser and killed a patch of grass. So I reseeded, but nothing happened. When I laid turf over it, the turf died. What can I do?” SOLUTION: It’s contaminated soil you’re up against, and this is a problem that’s easy to remedy. Turn the soil over, then dig deep and flip over clumps of soil. This buries the most contaminated top layer far down where the contaminants will dissipate before new roots grow. Flood the area with water for at least 15 minutes to drive the contaminants deeper, then you’re ready for seed or turf. 2. Heavy potted plants PROBLEM: “I move pots about so I always have flowers in bloom on my deck, but some are too heavy. Can I lighten them?” SOLUTION: Use foam packing peanuts instead. They are around $7 for 100g, from stores like Officeworks. Fill the pot one-third to one-half full with packing peanuts and cover with landscape fabric, then top up the pot with a good-quality potting mix. While this planting method lessens the weight of the pot, it will need more frequent watering due to the reduced amount of soil. Cover the mix with bark mulch to help retain moisture. 3. Rotten post in the fence PROBLEM: “One of my fence posts is rotting away and needs replacing, but I’m really not sure how to get the concrete footing out of the ground.” SOLUTION: It’s not complicated, but you’ll definitely work up a sweat. Dig a semicircular hole the same depth as the concrete around one side of the footing. Make the hole large enough so you can get a good swing at the concrete with a sledgehammer. When you’ve knocked off half the concrete, you and a helper should be able to lift the post out of the hole. TIP: The post may break off while it’s being lifted. If it does, tie a rope around the footing to lift it out. 4. Spots of dead grass PROBLEM: “There are 100mm wide areas on the lawn with dead grass in the middle. I wonder if my dog could be causing them?” SOLUTION: You are right. They’re called dog spots and occur when a dog wees in the same area and the urine burns the grass roots. Give your pet lots of water and soak its favourite areas to flush out the salts. Also train it to wee in a special spot and mulch the area. Dig out the dead spots and replant the affected area. Soak the spot to dilute the acids and salts from the urine and wash them deeper into the soil. Scrape up the dead grass with a hand rake, then loosen the soil to 20mm deep. Add a thin layer of topsoil, then grass seed, covering with another thin layer of soil. Keep the area moist until the new grass is about 50mm high. 5. Straying weedmat PROBLEM: “Every spring, I have to fix the open seams between sections of landscape fabric in my garden beds. Is there a way I can make the fabric stay put?” SOLUTION: Using pins is the answer to this problem. You’ll find them in hardware stores for about $9 for a pack of 20, but most people don’t use them. Make sure the edges of the fabric overlap by at least 75mm. Push in the pins through the fabric at the seams and perimeter, spacing them about 400mm apart. 6. Stubborn shrubs PROBLEM: “A few shrubs need removing from the yard, but the roots won’t budge. How can I get them out?” SOLUTION: Use leverage. Dig around the base of the shrub and cut the roots you can get at, then lay pieces of plywood on either side of the roots. Position a jack stand or concrete blocks on one side and the jack on the other. Lay a timber beam on top and tie the root to the beam with a chain. You’ll be applying hundreds of kilograms of pulling force, so the beam and chain must be strong. Use an 1800mm length of 140 x 75mm timber for the beam and a chain designed for towing cars. Wearing eye protection, raise the jack, then cut the roots as they are exposed, reducing the tension on the chain beforehand. TIP: If you max out the jack’s height before all the roots are free, use blocks to increase the beam height. 7. Invasive plants PROBLEM: “I love my black-eyed Susans and lilies, but they’re taking over the garden and choking other plants. How can I stop the invasion?” SOLUTION: Many plants multiply by dropping seeds and sending out roots to establish new plants. A layer of mulch will prevent the seeds from taking root. But a solid barrier is needed to stop those aggressive roots. The spreading plants can be replanted inside underground enclosures. Use a plastic plant pot or bucket, making sure it is big enough to extend at least 250mm below ground so the roots can’t sneak underneath. Simply cut off the base of the container and position it in the ground, then add the plant. TIP: This technique won’t work with plants that spread above ground such as mint or strawberries. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.handyman.net.au/7-common-backyard-problems-solved">Handyman Australia</a>.

Home & Garden

Solve the secret of Mystery Island

With a name like Mystery Island, adventure surely awaits on this uninhabited islet. The good news is that tiny, 1.5-hectare Mystery Island can be solved in a day! It’s small enough to walk around the whole coast in 20 minutes, so you can experience everything from the tranquil to the taboo in a single visit to Vanuatu’s most southerly island. According to local tales, the name was bestowed on the island that was originally called Inyeug, by Queen Elizabeth II who visited in 1975 aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. Her entourage stopped for a picnic and were instantly bewitched. Truth be known, it was more likely the marketing department of cruise line Sitmar who decreed it so, due to the precarious landing conditions before the sturdy jetty was later installed. Either way, were these first modern voyagers entranced by the ghosts and spirits that the locals on neighbouring Aneityum Island believe gather there after dark? These tales keep Inyeug uninhabited, but also made it a perfect lair for 19th century ‘blackbirders’ like Captain James Paddon, men who would snatch locals to work on plantations back in Australia in the mid-19th century. Call them ‘slavers’ if you like. It was after ‘discovery’ by Her Royal Highness that word spread and soon guests from cruise ships such as Fairstar, were being ‘secretly’ brought ashore for a day of idyllic relaxation on the magnificent beaches of newly christened Mystery Island. With no electricity, running water, roads or telephones, you can pretend you’ve washed up on a deserted island like Gilligan and his crew and relax under your own palm tree. Or when you’re visiting from your cruise ship, join in the fun with villagers from Aneityum, who cross the waters to sell handicrafts, T-shirts and fresh seafood. You can even have your photo taken in a cauldron with a cannibal. Don’t worry, he doesn’t really eat humans, but it shows that the locals have a great sense of humour. In contrast to the sad history of the blackbirders, cruise lines have worked hard with the locals and provided a boat to help them ferry supplies and develop activities for the guests and earn extra income for their communities. “Cruising has really improved our lifestyle, most houses now have generators, some now have boats, the school is available to all children and our shops are supplied a lot better than they ever have been. New shops are developing and this is most welcome,” says chief Silas, “Cruise ships give opportunities to islanders who want to work and sell things to the passengers. They can plant and sell taro, or operate tours, souvenir shops and kava bars.” Maintaining the island in its pristine condition is also part of the job. “Traditional life here fascinates people, particularly custom dancing, traditional food preparation and the games that children play,” says Tony Keith, a local employed as a ranger and marine conservationist. He keeps an eye on the exquisite reefs and the other locals who like to use the island, the serene green sea turtles, whose population is recovering after decades of over-harvesting. Is there more to the mystery? OK, don’t tell anyone, but hidden away on the other side of the island is a secret runway, built for the US Air Force during World War II. It’s still used occasionally to drop off guests and supplies but you won’t see it until you stumble upon it in the grass. The nearby marine reserve has much better (and easier) snorkelling than the main beaches. If you’re lucky, you might swim with Tony’s green turtles and see the tags he puts on them for his monitoring project. This is also one of the few places in the South Pacific where you can drink kava out of a coconut shell. It’s a mouth-numbing drink served at traditional welcoming ceremonies, which are held for visitors for a small fee. It’s best you drink just one cup, as be warned that it’s a lot stronger than the ‘lite’ kava you may have tried in Fiji. The biggest mystery is why nobody lives in such a beautiful haven. Some say the island is still haunted, but we didn’t tell you that. Written by Roderick Eime. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.mydiscoveries.com.au/stories/solve-the-secret-of-mystery-island/">MyDiscoveries.</a>

Cruising

4 common travel nightmares solved

Don’t panic. There’s an easy fix to these travel disasters. You’ve lost your passport The number one fear of every international traveller. Almost 40,000 Australian passports go missing every year, so there’s a good chance your number will come up. Travel with extra copies of everything, either in hard copy in your luggage or emailed to yourself and stored online. Don’t keep all of your ID together so that you have a spare in reserve. Create your own ‘emergency passport kit’ with some recent photos, secondary ID, proof of citizenship and travel itinerary. Travel insurance should help to cover the cost of a replacement passport. Your flight is cancelled OK, we know that there’s actually nothing you can do about a cancelled flight. That’s under the control of the airline or the airport and you, as the lowly passenger, just have to go along with it. But it pays to be prepared. Travel insurance means you will at least get some compensation or a hotel room paid for that night. And while you’re in the moment, the best thing to do is stay calm and be polite. No one ever got a better deal by yelling at the check in staff. Ever. You forget or lose your medication If you regularly take prescription medication, it can be a serious problem if you suddenly find yourself without it. And it’s not as easy as walking into a pharmacy and requesting more. Before you leave, get your regular doctor to write you a letter on official stationery outlining your medical issues and the drugs you need. Carry this and an additional prescription with you. They won’t always be accepted overseas, but it's a start. Make sure you know the proper names of the drugs you take, not just the brand names, and also write them down in other languages depending on where you are travelling. If you can’t get any more, speak to your hotel concierge about finding a local doctor who can help. Your luggage doesn’t show up You’ve stood at the carousel for an hour and your suitcase hasn’t come down the slide. In the USA, about six bags per 1,000 are ‘mishandled’ each year, so there are a lot of other people waiting with you. When packing, make sure to keep the essentials in your carry on – toothbrush, contact lenses, clean underwear, essential medication. That way, you are prepared for a day or so until it turns up. Make sure your suitcase is clearly labelled and include the details of your first hotel, so they can track you down faster. Lodge a claim with the airline as soon as you can and keep the receipts for any new things you need to purchase. Have you ever had a travel nightmare?

Travel Trouble

Can you solve these riddles?

Keen to give the mind a bit of a workout this morning? Here are seven riddles to get you thinking! Have a guess before you scroll through the gallery to get the answer and tell us in the comments below, how many did you get right? Related links: <a href="/news/news/2016/08/spot-the-leopard-in-the-rocks/">Can you spot the leopard hiding in the rocks?</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/08/spot-the-waving-child-hidden-in-this-rocky-landscape/">Can you spot the cat taking a nap among these logs?</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/08/spot-the-waving-child-hidden-in-this-rocky-landscape/">Can you spot the little girl waving to the camera?</a>

Mind

Can you solve the world’s shortest IQ test?

The Cognitive Reflection Test is regarded as the world’s shortest IQ test, and the quickest way to distinguish between someone of average intelligence and an undercover savant. Featuring just three questions it may at a glance seem to be a walk in the park, but it’s nowhere near as easy as it looks. A sign of genius is not just getting the right answer, but managing to come up with it within the right timeframe. Test yourself in the gallery above. Did you get the answers?

Mind

Can you solve this math problem for primary students?

A homework question that was intended for an 8-year-old has left parents clueless. The question, which was shared on parenting website <a href="https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3245037-Can-someone-help-with-this-KS2-homework?messages=100&pg=1#prettyPhoto" target="_blank">Mumsnet</a>, asks students to solve a riddle that involves working out what time various lighthouses will shine their lights. The answer is achieved by working out the common multiples between the schedules of the lighthouses. Can you solve the homework riddle? <img width="500" height="650" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7818287/1_500x650.jpg" alt="1 (136)"/> The question has been criticised as being “ridiculous” for primary students to answer. The puzzle reads, “On the coast there are three lighthouses. The first light shines for 3 seconds then it is off for three seconds. The second light shines for 4 seconds then it is off for 4 seconds. The third light shines for 5 seconds then it is off for 5 seconds. All three lights have just come on together. “When is the first time that all three of the lights will be off together? “When is the next time that all three lights will come on at exactly the same moment?” The math question left parents baffled but they eventually arrived at the same answer that the lights would be off together at six seconds, and they would come on together at 120 seconds. Parents found that the problem was easiest worked out by finding the time they were off and then finding out when they were off at the same time. <img width="500" height="289" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7818288/2_500x289.jpg" alt="2 (78)"/> The first light house comes on every 6 seconds, the second every 8 and the third every 10, so you have to work out the lowest number that can be divided by all those numbers – which is 120. The question frustrated many parents by the level of difficulty being given to students in Year 4. “That is a ridiculous question and I'm only here to learn something,” one wrote. Did you solve the problem? Let us know in the comments below.

Mind

Time saving hacks that solve everyday problems

It’s funny how many problems we encounter in life, are actually being experienced by so many other people. <a href="https://www.boredpanda.com/useful-life-hacks/?cexp_id=6007&cexp_var=1&_f=featured" target="_blank">Bored Panda</a> has revealed some time saving hacks to solve everyday problems that many people come across. Scroll through the gallery above to see if any of these hacks will be able to help you out. Do you have any life hacks that solve everyday problems? If so, share them with the Over60 community in the comments below. Image credit: Bored Panda

Retirement Life

Can you solve this maths riddle?

A simple maths puzzle shared by parenting website, Mumsnet, has left the internet divided after users came up with a number of different answers. The puzzle asks: “A man buys a horse for $60. He sells the horse for $70. He then buys the horse for $80. And he sells the horse again for $90. “In the end, how much money did the man make or lose? Or did he break even?” <img width="452" height="408" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/02/16/15/494A4DCF00000578-5400399-image-m-13_1518795457523.jpg" alt="Stumped: A seemingly simple riddle has left the internet confused and scratching their heads " class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" id="i-6db9768446800797"/> People came up with a variety of responses, but the correct answers is: The man made a $20 profit. How to solve the riddle: First, subtract $70 from $60 as the man made a $10 profit when he sold the horse for $10 more than he bought it Next, subtract $80 from $90 because the man made another $10 profit when he sold the horse again So the problem looks like: 70-60=10 and 90-80=10. And 10 + 10 = 20

Mind

Can you solve these difficult brainteasers?

Playbuzz has released a new quiz that is filled with tricky brainteasers that will put your mind to the test. According to the quiz’s creator, only those with a PHD will score more than 50 per cent. Those who do score high are said to have excellent memory, an extensive vocabulary and a keen sense of observation. So, how well can you score? <div class="playbuzz" data-id="da044508-9595-48f3-a965-3a1238c97754" data-show-info="false" data-comments="false" data-show-share="false"></div> How did you score? Share your results in the comments below.

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