Editor's note

Obese people think about eating the same number of times as lean people, and they give in to that urge the same number of times, too. But a key difference, Hans-Peter Kubis discovered, is that obese people get little enjoyment from the food they eat. This could result in overeating. Tim Spector and Cristina Menni have also been looking at ways to maintain a healthy weight, but their solution is in the gut, not the brain. They explain how smart toilets and smart loo paper could help keep us healthy in the future.

Pluto was demoted from planet to dwarf planet about a decade ago, as scientists realised there are other objects of similar size orbiting the sun beyond Neptune. Now a team of astronomers have discovered 840 icy worlds in the region, making it the largest set of discoveries ever made in our solar system. Michele Bannister says the research can help reveal many secrets about the solar system – including whether there is a yet unseen ninth planet lurking in its outer regions.

In the aftermath of World War I, as Britain struggled to repay its debts, an anonymous donor gave £120,000 to the state to help. It later emerged that it was Stanley Baldwin, who went on to become prime minister. Another donor followed his suit in 1927 – to the tune of £500,000, starting the National Fund. Now the government is trying to get at the money. Kevin Stagg tells the story.

Clint Witchalls

Health + Medicine Editor

Top stories

YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV/Shutterstock.com

Obese people enjoy food less than lean people – new study

Hans-Peter Kubis, Bangor University

Obese people don't have more frequent or intense food wanting episodes than lean people, but they do enjoy their food less.

Postbiotics and smart toilets: new era of harnessing our microbial chemicals to keep us slim and healthy

Tim Spector, King's College London; Cristina Menni, King's College London

Gut microbe metabolites can tell us a lot about our health.

The Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) at sunset, which observed the OSSOS survey. wikipedia

How we discovered 840 minor planets beyond Neptune – and what they can tell us

Michele Bannister, Queen's University Belfast

Discovery of many icy worlds helps unravel the solar system's history.

A George V sovereign. CGB via Wikimedia Commons

Stanley Baldwin asked Britain's rich to help pay off the national debt after World War I – but it didn't work

Kevin Stagg, Cardiff University

The British government is trying to unblock £400m donated in 1927 by an anonymous donor who wanted it to help pay off the national war debt.

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