Congratulations, you've made it through the week!

Have a Happy Thought:   You may be wondering why you’re getting this so early in the week, especially those of you not in Aotearoa/New Zealand.   Tomorrow (25 th April) is the day we recognize Anzac Day, commemorating the soldiers of WWI (and has been expanded to remember all who have served and suffered in war). The symbol of the day, and of the fallen, is the red poppy. Papaver rhoeas, the red-flowered corn poppy. Image: Smithsonian Museum .   Here are some strange things I have learned about poppies this week.   Poppies mostly grow in temperate regions, but there is at least one species of poppy that thrives above the Arctic Circle. Papaver nudicaule, the Icelandic Poppy. Image: W. Pfahler , CC BY-SA4.0     Oh right, that means there must be more than one species of poppy – this is correct, there are over 70 different species!   And not all of those species can be used to make opium… at least not easily. In case you’re wonderi...

Have a Happy Thought:   Volcanoes are beautiful and amazing and terrifying and destructive and make new ground for life to grow on.     The latest volcano to remind us of these facts is Mount Ruang in Indonesia, which has led to many evacuations, airport and road closures, but (as far as I could see) so far no deaths.   Which means we can all enjoy these spectacular photos in good conscience.   Hot lava flows from Mount Ruang volcano during an eruption in Sitaro, North Sulawesi province, Indonesia, April 17, 2024. (Antara Foto/HO/BPBD Kab Sitaro/via REUTERS)     This handout photograph taken and released by the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation on April 17, 2024, shows Mount Ruang spewing hot lava and smoke as seen from Sitaro, North Sulawesi.     Image: Reuters   And last but not least… volcanic lightning!        Image: Reuters  

Have a Happy Thought:   Many of us, at one point in our lives, wanted to be a superhero. At some point, maybe you downgraded that desire to just having at least one superpower.   The good news for you this week is that you probably have at least one superpower… they’re just maybe not as flashy as, well, The Flash.   For example, you might be able to actually see images ‘in your mind’s eye’. Many of you will say ‘yeah, of course!’ but to someone like me, who is largely aphantastic , this is a superpower!   Or maybe you can make your ears rumble , a sensation (or sound-muffling?) that most of us only experience on accident when we are in the middle of a really. Big. Yawn. (sorry if you just yawned. I did. Several times while writing this part)   Or maybe you can see ultraviolet light, that most humans can’t but a lot of insects can – if you’re aphakic , meaning you’re missing the lens on one or both eyes, you might be able to see some add...