Aurora rails: In northern Norway, a new overnight train has been built with one goal in mind, letting passengers watch the Northern Lights while they travel. Instead of standard windows, the cars are wrapped in glass, including the ceiling, so the sky stays in view from every seat. The interior lighting is kept low to avoid reflections, making it easier to see faint movement outside. The route runs through areas already known for strong aurora activity, turning the journey itself into the main attraction. Designed as an alternative to daytime sightseeing, the train pairs slow travel with night skies. For travellers, it offers an immersive way to experience the aurora from a moving viewpoint.

Reef voices: Coral reefs are alive with clicks, pops, and low noises, but it's been hard to tell which fish make which sounds. A new tool solves that by recording audio and video together, letting researchers match a sound to the fish seen making it. The system uses underwater microphones paired with a wide-view camera, so crowded reef scenes are easier to sort out. Early recordings showed that many fish make sounds scientists didn't know about before. Those identified noises are added to a shared library for future study. Over time, the recordings can be checked without divers returning to the site. Researchers say listening this way could become a simple way to track reef activity and changes.

Ancient paths: In Bolivia, a rock surface covered in dinosaur footprints is offering a rare look at daily life in the distant past. Instead of bones, the site preserves steps left in soft ground, showing where animals actually walked. The markings stretch across what was once a wet shoreline, forming long paths that hint at repeated movement through the area. Most prints belong to meat-eating dinosaurs that travelled on two legs. Some tracks curve or overlap, suggesting turns, pauses, or shared routes. Because footprints stay where they're made, researchers can study direction, pace, and spacing with unusual confidence. The site helps turn frozen moments into a clearer picture of how these animals moved across the land.

Vape power: In England, an engineer has shown how much energy is thrown away by turning discarded vaping devices into a working home battery. Instead of seeing them as trash, he collected hundreds of used units and removed the rechargeable cells inside. Once combined, those small batteries formed a single power source capable of running household electronics for hours. The setup worked without drawing from the grid, lighting rooms and running everyday appliances. The project began after he noticed how easily people tossed devices built with reusable parts. The experiment highlights how much usable energy ends up in the bin and what careful reuse can unlock.

"Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity." ~ Simone Weil

"I intend to live forever. So far, so good." ~ Steven Wright

Prebbleton Craft Group Craft Day, Every second Thursday 7-9pm, Prebbleton Cottage, Cnr Blakes & Springs Road, join us to create a variety of craft projects. 0212156164

My Walking Group A friendly group of singles aged 45+ who have fun & friendship by walking and biking. 03 323 6232

Volunteers required by the Down by the Liffey Gallery, Lincoln for monthly 3 hour shifts. Contact 3252832 for further details.

Free Curtain Bank, CEA provides free, recycled curtains (sewn to fit) for any household in need. Call 0800 GET WARM, or visit www.cea.co.nz

Greater Hornby Residents Association. Meetings are held in the last Sunday of every month in the Hornby Rugby Clubrooms, Denton Park at 2pm. All welcome.

Widow and Widowers Group. We welcome widowers and widows to join our group. We offer friendship and outings with monthly meetings. Ph Denise 322-7724, Carol 981-4125

Tecorians a friendly club for people looking to gain confidence, stimulation or simply enjoy talking to interesting people. Meetings 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at 7.30pm. Phone or text 021 395 587

Free notices for not for profits grace@coffeenews.co.nz

1. Which composer wrote The Four Seasons?

2. This is the longest river in South America.

3. What is the longest running animated television series in history?

4. What is the name of the cowboy in the Toy Story movies?

5. The chemical symbol for silver is Au, Ag, or Si?

Doughy history: France's famous croissant actually began in Austria, where a crescent-shaped pastry called kipferl was already part of local baking. Its form inspired the treat now linked with French bakeries, long before it became a breakfast favourite.

Calm seas: The Pacific Ocean got its name from Ferdinand Magellan after his voyage brought him into calm waters. "Pacific" comes from a word meaning peaceful, reflecting his first impression of this particular ocean.

Bump reflex: Goosebumps appear when tiny muscles pull each hair upright, creating small bumps across the skin. This reaction can happen during strong emotion as well as cold, showing how our bodies still carry an ancient insulating response.

Frozen filter: When seawater turns to ice, much of its salt is pushed out, leaving the frozen surface far fresher than the ocean below. After years of this natural filtering, melting sea ice can release water that's surprisingly close to fresh.

Crystal balance: Deep in your inner ear sit tiny natural crystals that shift whenever you move. Their small movements help your brain understand direction and keep your sense of balance steady, even during simple everyday motions.

What hotel does cheese stay in? Stilton.

The failed poet decided to leave the writing process to the prose.

Take it from a scientist: Never believe atoms. They make up everything.

Navy jet pilot: That is it! We're flying faster than the speed of sound! Co-pilot: What?

When the TV repairman got married, the Reception was excellent.

1. Antonio Vivaldi 2. Amazon 3. The Simpsons 4. Woody 5. Ag