Hello, friends!

What do teeth, a round of applause, and volcanoes have in common? Answer in a moment, but first…

At peak output, the power of all the engines on SpaceX’s Starship 3 will exceed all electricity generation in Germany. The most powerful rocket in history will launch tonight at 23.30 BST. (New Scientist)

Cows can recognise familiar human faces. A study found that cows looked longer at videos of unfamiliar faces, suggesting they can distinguish between known and unknown people. It also found that they can match a known human to their voice. (EurekAlert!)

In 2007, Heston Blumenthal co-wrote an academic paper about the flavour of tomatoes. A collaboration with Reading University researchers, it was called ‘Differences in glutamic acid and 5′-ribonucleotide contents between flesh and pulp of tomatoes and the relationship with umami taste’. (PubMed)

Viagra can cause colourblindness. Most of the time it’s temporary, but a 2018 study suggested that large doses of the drug’s active ingredient, sildenafil citrate, can do actual damage to the colour-receptive cone cells in the retinas. (Mount Sinai)

184 feet: The maximum altitude reached by the first ever liquid propelled rocket, launched by the “father of modern rocket propulsion” Robert H. Goddard. The flight lasted 2.5 seconds. (Ignition! An Informal History of Liquid Propellants, John D. Clark)

Science talks and lectures from Monday 25 May to Sunday 31 May. Many are free!

(All times are BST.)

Clinical and scientific challenges of delirium, with Dr Gregory Scott, King’s College London, Tuesday 26 May, 13.00, free #neurology

Animal, vegetable, or mineral? Linnaeus’ Systema Naturae, first edition, with Andy Shaw, Linnean Society, Tuesday 26 May, 14.00, free #naturalhistory

Education – and its limits, with Professor Daniel Susskind, Gresham College, Tuesday 26 May, 18.00, free #ai #education #society

Hear far, wherever you are: The amphibious hearing of pinnipeds, with Dr James Rule, Linnean Society, Wednesday 27 May, 12.30, free #naturalhistory #animals

AI and mental health equity: Reimagining the future of clinical decision support, with Marta Maslej, King’s College London, Wednesday 27 May, 15.00, free #healthcare #ai #mentalhealth

Human immune system variation, development, and the microbial roots of health, with Professor Petter Brodin, Imperial College London, Wednesday 27 May, 17.30, free #medicine #immunology

Your Joyful Years: Empowering good health and happiness beyond 50, with Joyce Harper, UCL, Thursday 28 May, 13.00, free #wellbeing #menopause #ageing

Mineralomics: the origins and mechanism of calcification, with Professor Sergio Bertazzo, UCL, Thursday 28 May, 17.30, free #medicine #minerals

What we ask Google, with Simon Rogers, LSE, Thursday 28 May, 18.30, free #datascience #humans

Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Prize Lecture: Hope in the shadow of unnatural extinctions, with Professor Sadiah Qureshi, The Royal Society, Thursday 28 May, 18.30, free #naturalhistory

Discourse: Photodynamic therapy: Physicists and physicians unite to heal with light, with Stephen Bown, The Royal Institution, Friday 29 May, 19.20, pay what you can (minimum £5) #physics #medicine

The psychology of comedy: How laughter brings us together, with Cate Mackenzie, Seed Talks, Sunday 31 May, 17.00, from £17 #psychology

“Not at all interesting.” – Amelia Earhart, aviator, upon seeing an aeroplane for the first time at age 10.

…and the answer to the question is: they all erupt. (Or can be said to erupt.)

Thanks for coming, and see you next week! x

PS: Look at these puppies.