Tyson Gay This article is more than 7 years oldSprinter Tyson Gay embarks on icecapade at US bobsled championshipsThis article is more than 7 years old Former 100m world champion sprinter switches to national event in Calgary Gay has had ‘a handful of days’ experience pushing a sled’, says Team USATyson Gay will switch from the track to the ice this week when the former world 100 metres champion competes in the USA Bobsled National Push Championships in Calgary.

Children's booksChildren's booksThese Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner – review ‘These Broken Stars was an irresistible love story and a wonderful escape’ Although I began this book with some doubts, after trying (and failing) to read it previously, I was soon enamoured with the world of Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner’s creation, or should I say, the worlds. I must admit, I’m not typically a sci-fi lover, but the action-packed plot and the vividness of this space-adventure universe intrigued me nevertheless.

Donald TrumpTrump lawyers urge supreme court to reinstate him on Colorado ballotLawyers call on justices to reverse disqualification after Colorado barred him from primary ballot over January 6 insurrection Donald Trump’s lawyers urged the US supreme court on Thursday to reverse a judicial decision disqualifying the former president from Colorado’s Republican primary ballot as the justices prepare to tackle the politically explosive case. Trump’s lawyers in court papers presented the former US president’s main arguments against a Colorado supreme court ruling on 19 December barring him from the primary ballot over his actions around the January 6 Capitol attack, citing the 14th amendment of the US constitution.

ETHICAL CONUNDRUMSWhen does a cult become a religion? WHEN it progresses from killing its members to killing non-members. David Lewin, Oxford. Cults are small and generally ignored and despised. Religions are big and generally accepted. Cults grow into religions but the bigotry remains the same. The bigotry then becomes acceptable. Phil Edisbury, Wick, UK A religion is a cult which has become acceptable. Richard., None.

Pass notesDatingDoes it help to break down the physical appearances of men and women into animal-based categories? Probably not. But that won’t stop it being hotly debated on social media Name: Animal dating types. Age: About a month old. Appearance: Like a dog, like an eagle, like a bear or like a reptile. What on earth are you talking about? A new trend whereby the physical appearance of all men is broken down into four animal-based categories, as recently discussed on social media.

EthiopiaThe Ethiopian smashed the women’s record in Berlin, reviving the debate about the role of hi-tech shoes in athletic performance They say shoes maketh the man. But did a pair of trainers make Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa a record-breaking runner? Her shattering of the women’s marathon world record by more than two minutes – while wearing a pair of Adidas’s new Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1s – has reignited the debate about the role of “super shoes” in athletic performance.

Lil Wayne This article is more than 10 years oldLil Wayne backtracks from his 'offensive' Emmett Till lyricThis article is more than 10 years oldRapper's acknowledges hurt caused by reference to civil rights icon but stops short of using the words 'sorry' or 'apologise'Lil Wayne has offered what might be taken for an apology for a rap lyric mocking Emmett Till, who became a civil rights hero after he was murdered in 1955 for flirting with a young white woman.

Gymnastics This article is more than 2 months oldMary Lou Retton released from hospital but has ‘long road ahead’ in recoveryThis article is more than 2 months oldGymnast became hero of Team USA at 1984 Olympics55-year-old was seriously ill with pneumoniaOlympic gymnastics champion Mary Lou Retton has returned home after a lengthy hospital stay because of pneumonia, her daughter said on Monday. Shaley Kelley Schrepfer, the oldest of Retton’s four daughters, posted an update on Retton’s condition on Instagram nearly two weeks after the family disclosed that the former Olympic all-around champion was in intensive care.

Horror filmsReviewMade on a measly $11,000, Joseph Sims-Dennett’s twitchy psychological thriller is poised on a knife edge between excellence and a cabin-fever B movie For 11 days in January 2013, director Joseph Sims-Dennett holed up in an apartment in Rozelle, Sydney and spent $11,000 making his second feature film – roughly the same cost as the duck canapés and gougères served at a Hollywood premiere. Two years later he emerges with Observance: a twitchy, icky, genuinely unsettling psychological thriller about a private investigator who takes on what appears to be a simple, well-paying job.

Sweet tears. Photograph: Petri Oeschger/Getty Images/iStockphotoSweet tears. Photograph: Petri Oeschger/Getty Images/iStockphotoNotes and queriesBiologyThe long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts I understand that tears flush away foreign objects from the eye. But what advantage does crying have when one is feeling sad (or happy)? Perhaps it is to signal an extreme of emotion, but then why would a solitary sad person cry when there was no one around?