Our Times: March 2007

Computer programmer Andrew Lipson, 42, has a PhD in knot theory. In his spare time he builds Lego models of improbable and minimal-surface shapes, including a punctured torus, Klein bottles, Mobius strips, a cross-cap, Costa surface, a Bour's surface, figure-eight knots (pictured) and more.

Brainy honeybee

While the honeybee's brain has five orders of magnitude less neurons than that of humans, the little brain they do have they use very effectively. Bees recognise a flower's colour and shape and waggle-dance that information back to the social network at the hive. Honeybees possess the most complex symbolic language of non-primates.

Heart overload

For every 10 kilograms of extra body fat, there are some 29 kilometres of extra blood vessels through which blood must be pumped.

Live zoo cam

Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the National Zoo in the heart of Washington, DC, is a 163-acre zoological park set amid Rock Creek National Park. At nationalzoo.si.edu you can watch live video from numerous enclosures such as tiger cub cam, panda cam, asian elephant cam, naked mole rat cam and many more!