If my kids ever find out, I’m in big trouble. A love for M&M chocolates has sparked a physics breakthrough. A US physicist was known to be passionate about the chocolates, so his students played a prank, leaving an oil drum’s worth in his office. Which made him realise that the oval M&Ms packed more tightly than normal round spheres.

“The issue of how particles pack together has intrigued scientists for centuries and has implications for fields such as the design of high-density ceramic materials for use in aerospace or other industries.”