BRAIN DUMP

Could we make an artificial black hole?

Katie McClelland

■ Black holes have gravity that’s so intense nothing can escape their grip. They can trap even the fastest particles – photons of light. In theory, it’s possible to make mini black holes by causing high-energy particle collisions inside the Large Hadron Collider, but it hasn’t happened yet. Scientists elsewhere have been busy making artificial black holes to try and understand the real thing. Instead of using intense gravity, these artificial black holes use fibre optics and metamaterials to slow light down. The researchers hope that this might help us to work out what really happens at the event horizon. LM

Is raw always the healthiest way to eat a vegetable?

Liam Fausti

■ Cooking vegetables can destroy some vitamins, but it can also make some nutrients easier to digest. The exact effects of cooking on vegetable chemistry depend on the type of veg and the cooking method. Either way, the