There are sure to be plenty of fireworks displays across the UK this weekend to mark Guy Fawkes night. That’s zero fun for pets, who often get spooked by the loud, sudden noises. But there are some techniques you can try to keep the cats, dogs and even horses happy while we humans are out ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the sparkles.

A decade ago, the Royal Mint accidentally produced a bunch of 20p coins without a date on them. It’s worth emptying out that jar you’ve got full of old change (you’ve got that jar, everyone’s got that jar) in case you’ve got one of these precious mistakes. It could fetch you about 50 quid on Ebay today. But even bog-standard 20p coins are actually quite interesting, it turns out. Here are our top 10 facts about the equilateral curved heptagons in your wallet.

A lot of us know by now what Gwyneth Paltrow suggests we do with jade eggs. If you haven’t heard about her unconventional approach to women’s health, consider that you may be lucky to have missed this particular moment in pop culture. Her website Goop was recently fined $145,000 for making unscientific claims about using the eggs to balance menstrual hormones. Classicists also get quite frustrated by Paltrow’s warped interpretation of the ancient rituals and medicines they study.

Democrats claim a “blue wave” is coming in the US midterm elections next week. Our colleagues at The Conversation US have looked at whether the evidence tells us the same ahead of the vote and will continue to bring us updates throughout the week.

We also heard this week from a speculative fiction author who is revelling in an age in which her work is taken seriously as literature. And in New Caledonia, a referendum is being held tomorrow on whether to declare independence from France.

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