Christmas offers plenty of chances to slip science into festive fun, researchers say.
Simple experiments at home can spark curiosity without spoiling the celebrations.
Matthew Cobb suggests a sweet-tasting test to show how smell shapes flavour.
With eyes shut and nose held, most sweets taste simply sweet until smell is restored.
Sophie Scott recommends using cracker jokes to test why people laugh.
Laughter, she says, is mainly social and far more likely in company than alone.
For anatomy fans, Steve Brusatte advises examining turkey bones after dinner.
The carcass reveals how wings move and how birds store energy for flight.
Sue Black suggests boiling the bones to create a hands-on skeletal puzzle.
Chemistry also has a festive role, says Andrea Sella.
Salt and ice can freeze custard into ice cream by lowering the freezing point.
For maths lovers, Kit Yates recommends a pine-needle version of Buffon’s Needle.
Scattering needles on lined paper can even estimate the value of pi.
