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Tipping Point is on the lookout for Mancs to compete in the next series

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 12th April 2021

Hit ITV game show Tipping Point is gearing up to film a new series and is searching for Mancunians to appear.

Hosted by Ben Shepherd, Tipping Point – the show which first aired in 2012 and sees four contestants answer questions on the subject of general knowledge to win counters which they use on a large coin pusher arcade-style machine – is set to return to our television screens for its 12th series in 2021.

And the people of Greater Manchester are being encouraged to get involved.

“We are searching for fun, confident people who enjoy quizzing and would like the opportunity to win thousands of pounds using a combination of ​skill, judgement and chance.” ITV said.

Unfamiliar with the show?

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Usually airing between 4pm and 5pm every weekday, Tipping Point sees contestants answer a series of questions, before taking on the ‘tipping point’ machine, where they can earn money from the silver counters – which are worth £50 – or ‘mystery counters’, and the £10,000 jackpot counter to boost their cash pile.

ITV / Tipping Point

Only the winner at the end of the show has the chance to take home any money.

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The other contestants leave with nothing except any non-cash prizes they may have won during the game.

Keen to apply, or know someone who’d be up for the challenge?

With just a couple weeks left to apply, applicants must be 18 years of age or over and a permanent legal UK resident. The deadline to get your applications in is Friday 7th May, with the last date for postal applications being Monday 3rd May.

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You can apply using ITV’s online application form here, or email [email protected] for postal entries.

Featured Image – ITV / Tipping Point

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Manchester scientists have unlocked the ‘explosive’ secrets of the squirting cucumber

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester is constantly positioning itself at the forefront of scientific discoveries.

Scientists born or based in our city have played truly integral parts in so many major breakthroughs throughout the centuries, including the invention of the first electronic stored-program computer in 1948, the discovery of the electron in 1897, and more recently in the 21st century, the creation of graphene in 2004.

But could this be their most important discovery yet? Probably not… but it certainly grabbed our attentions, that’s for sure.

That’s because scientists from the University of Manchester (UoM), together with the University of Oxford, have uncovered the secrets behind one of nature’s quirkiest plants – the Ecballium elaterium, also known as ‘the squirting cucumber’.

While the name might suggest otherwise, this breakthrough by Manchester‘s-own is no joke.

Manchester scientists have unlocked the ‘explosive’ secrets of the squirting cucumber / Credit: Wikimedia Commons

This cucumber – which has intrigued scientists due to its dramatic seed dispersal method for a long time – spreads its seeds by launching them at high speed in a pressurised jet, sending them more than 10 metres from the parent plant.

For as long as the plant has intrigued scientists, the exact mechanism and its benefits were said to be “poorly understood”.

But now, through using high-speed videography, image analysis, lab experiments, and mathematical modelling to examine each phase of the seed ejection process, scientists have found that, as the cucumber ripens, fluid from the fruit is squeezed into the stem, causing it to stiffen and straighten, and changing the inclination of the fruit so that it is better suited for launching seeds over long distances.

The internal pressure in the fruit is so high that, once it detaches from the stem, the fluid and seeds within the shell are explosively launched in a powerful jet.

This finding has been described as having “important implications” for the understanding of the plant’s population dynamics, could help scientists better understand how plants might adapt to environmental changes such as temperature, rainfall patterns, and soil conditions due to climate change, and even inspire new technologies.

It also offers insights into evolutionary adaptations related to explosive fruit mechanisms.

Lead researcher Finn Box, from The University of Manchester, said that the Ecballium elaterium’s seed dispersal is a process that’s “almost unheard of in the plant world”.

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He added that this particular research is “the first comprehensive mechanical explanation for how the cucumber plant launches its seeds with remarkable speed and precision”.

Featured Image – UoM

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Aldi is giving away thousands of FREE pigs in blankets across the UK this Christmas

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Pigs in blankets lovers, this one’s for you.

While the turkey may be the main event on Christmas Day, nothing completes a hearty Christmas dinner quite like the bits on the side, and arguably the best of the best, when it comes to accompaniments, has to be pigs in blankets.

These little sausages wrapped in bacon may have been a staple of festive feasting for decades, but they seem to have shot up in popularity even more so than ever in recent years.

In the weeks leading up to the big day, it’s not uncommon to see pigs in blankets of all shapes and sizes adorning the shelves of every UK supermarket, as well as restaurant menus featuring them aplenty, and unconventional takes on the snack – such as pigs in blankets sushi, toasted sandwiches, and so much more – popping up in every direction.

Aldi is giving away thousands of free pigs in blankets this Christmas / Credit: Aldi UK

But, in a bid to capitalise on their popularity in a completely new way, you may remember that Aldi launched the UK’s first-ever pigs in blankets restaurant down in London last year.

After becoming a smash-hit success, Aldi has announced that the viral restaurant will be reopening in Shoreditch again this Friday (29 November), and on top of that, the retailer has also announced that it’ll be launching a pigs in blankets delivery service for a limited time only too.

While Greater Manchester residents will sadly not be able to get the meaty treats delivered to their doorsteps, they will be able to apply to win dozens of free pigs in blankets instead.

Aldi unveiled its full Christmas food range for 2024 a couple of months back / Credit: Aldi UK

Starting from this week (25 November), shoppers nationwide will be in with a chance of trying the supermarket’s best pigs in blankets range yet – including the ‘Specially Selected Truffle Chipolata Pigs in Blankets’, and the ‘Ultimate Footlong Vegan Pig in Blanket’ – for completely free of charge by entering the festive giveaway.

All you need to do is send an email over to [email protected] with your name, age, and address, and you could be one of the hundreds given a £5 voucher to get your hands on up to 30 pigs in blankets at your local Aldi store.

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Find out more about the giveaway on the Aldi website here.

Featured Image – Aldi UK

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