When I was growing up in the small village of Talaván in Extremadura, Spain, we never ate nettles. They were wild plants that grew along the edges of the fields, and the sort you tried to avoid: like many children, I learned about them the hard way, brushing against them while playing and getting stung….

Bomb cyclone. Polar vortex. Atmospheric river. There’s no shortage of intense-sounding terms in the world of meteorology. This week, it feels like “super El Niño” headlines are suddenly everywhere. New forecast data has scientists watching the Pacific Ocean closely and considering whether a rare, unusually strong climate pattern could be taking shape. But what does…

Normal sudoku rules apply, except the numbers in the cells contained within dotted lines add up to the figures in the corner. No number can be repeated within each shape formed by dotted lines. To see the completed puzzle, buy the next issue of the Guardian (for puzzles published Monday to Thursday). Solutions to Friday…