Objects dropped in a Norfolk marsh can disappear completely within weeks or even days as they are broken down by bacteria into nothing. And then there are the objects that can last for thousands of years in the marsh in good condition. What is it about the marshes that keeps some objects and disposes of others? The amount of oxygen in the water affects how waste material decomposes. In a well-oxygenated environment, the bacteria that break down organic material to create waste will continue to feed off the material until all of it has been broken down. In an anaerobic environment, where the water is not well-oxygenated, such as in a peaty, waterlogged ground, there are no bacteria that require oxygen to feed, meaning that the organic material is not broken down by the waste process. In ...

The traditional pub cellar was a beautifully designed piece of engineering prior to the advent of mechanical refrigeration. Simple in design, with no moving parts, no noisy machinery, and no complicated controls, the cleverly placed holes in the walls at correct heights, and joined up by brickwork or slate-lined shafts, allowed the air to slowly pass through the cellar in a loop. The Victorian and Edwardian engineers of the pub trade built excellent beer cellars. Long before the advent of mechanical refrigeration they worked out that the worst enemy of good beer is not warmth but fluctuation. So in a cellar at 10°C one night and 16°C the next, cask ale will fob, go flat or turn. But if the temperature is held constant at say 11°C to 13°C then the beer will look after itself. These si...