On the record

“Of all the places to make artificial snow, this has to be the most absurd.”

Jonathan Loh, co-author of a report by environmental group WWF showing that citizens of the United Arab Emirates, the desert destination for indoor snowboarding, have the largest ecological footprints in the world.

Number crunch

524 Nobel prizewinners and nominees from 1901 to 1950 were included in a University of Warwick survey of their average longevity.

75.8 was the average lifespan of the unlucky also-rans.

77.2 was the average longevity of the winners, suggesting that receiving a Nobel boosts more than just your career.

Scorecard

Cigarette companies

The amount of nicotine inhaled by the average smoker increased by 11% between 1998 and 2005, research shows, because cigarettes now contain higher levels of the drug.

Credit: R. DELAHAYA/CHIMP HAVEN

Quitting smoking

But smokers might be able to kick the habit more easily than before with the help of varenicline, a recently licensed drug that seems to treble the odds of successfully quitting, according to early data.

Zoo news

Surprised staff at the Chimp Haven sanctuary in Shreveport, Louisiana, are to carry out a paternity test after one of the females, Teresa (pictured), unexpectedly gave birth this month — despite the males all having been given a vasectomy.

Sources: Environmental News Network, University of Warwick, New Scientist, Cochrane Library, AP