Society  If a General Election is held in the middle of the Christmas party season, some people may find themselves arriving at the ballot box while inebriated. While 54% of Brits are confident that they definitely would not vote differently were they to cast a ballot while drunk, 5% say they definitely (1%) or probably (4%) would vote differently. A further 20% say they probably would not vote differently. Source: YouGov.

The number of 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland detained for mental health treatment has increased significantly over the past decade. In 2009/10, 20 per 100,000 of the population were detained; in 2018/19, this increased to 60. Source: Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.

Scots owe more than £6m in council tax payments. Source: Citizens Advice Bureau.

A traditional negative definition of a narcissist is someone likely to 'engage in risky behaviour, hold an unrealistic superior view of themselves, are over-confident, show little empathy for others, and have little shame or guilt'. However, although narcissists may be irritating to other people, researchers have found that they are less likely to be depressed or stressed. Source: Queen's University Belfast.



Economy  Brexit has cost the Scottish economy around £3bn due to firms delaying investment as they await the outcome of the UK's exit from the EU. Source: Fraser of Allander Institute.

Only 27.8% of mums return to full-time employment three years after having a child, compared with 90% of dads. Source: Bristol University/ Exter University.

The average salary for a woman in her 50s working full time is around £32,000 – 28% lower than that of a man the same age. Source: Rest Less.

Sales have increased by 25% at Just Eat, despite the company being in the middle of a £9bn merger with Takeaway.com. Source: Just Eat.

Two Indian call centres, accused of defrauding UK victims out of thousands of pounds, have been closed by City of London Police after a four-year investigation. Around 300 victims were swindled out of £127,000. Source: Metro.

Education  Children as young as 14 months can understand the concept of counting long before learning about number words and what they mean. Source: John Hopkins University.

Four school age children die by suicide each week in the UK. Source: Papyrus.

Each day in the US, more than 3,000 15 to 18 year olds attempt suicide. Source: Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.



Science  The ancestral home of all humans has been traced back to the Zambezi River in Botswana 200,000 years ago. It is believed to be the geographical location where Homo sapiens first 'arose' into existence. Source: Nature.

An international team of researchers from 35 countries have created a global atlas of earthworms. The atlas takes into account data from 7,000 sites and will be used to protect the numerous species of earthworms found across the world. Source: Science.

A newly discovered species of beetle – Nelloptodes Gretae – has been named after climate change activist Greta Thunberg. The beetle is less than 1mm in length and has two long pig-tail-like antennae. Source: BBC.



Health  128,949 people in Scotland were living with the effects of a stroke in 2018/19 – the highest number this decade. Source: NHS Scotland.

Homeopathy should not be recommended to the public because it gives a 'false impression' to patients that the treatments are 'clinically and scientifically established'. Source: NHS England.

Eating baked beans on toast reduces the risk of lung cancer, because it is high in fibre. Other beneficial foods which could lower the chances of developing cancer are wholemeal bread and yoghurt. Source: Vanderbilt University Medical Centre.

Recreation  Between April and June this year, Instagram removed 834,000 pieces of content relating to self-harm and suicide from its site – 77% of which had not been reported by users. Source: BBC.



Oddities  A university course on pornography is to be offered to students next year as part of an art history and visual culture degree. It will include topics such as protection for workers in the industry. Source: Exeter University.