The Conversation

Abu Hamza addressing worshippers in London under police observation. Stefan Rousseau/PABy Matthew Francis, Lancaster UniversityAbu Hamza has been sentenced to life in a US prison, after being found guilty of 11 charges of terrorism and kidnapping. The ruling was handed down as events unfolded in France, once again putting his role in inspiring jihadist sympathizers in the spotlight.

Theist, gnostic, agnostic and atheist. What is the difference? Link: ben-kay.comBy Mark Beeson, University of Western AustraliaGetting on for 14 billion years ago the universe suddenly sprang into life. I can’t actually do the math, as they say, but I’m happy to accept the word of those who can that the physics is unambiguously nailed down. But for all their undoubted brilliance, mathematicians and physicists don’t know what was going on before the big bang.

The first Kinematics dress, now acquired by the MoMA. Nervous SystemBy Martijn Gommeren, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityHave you considered buying a 3D printer? A major spectacle at the Consumer Entertainment Show in Las Vegas for the last two years, they’re now available for as little as £300 – around the same price as the latest Xbox One or Playstation 4.

Giving it a go... EPABy Angelo Niko Grubišić, University of SouthamptonSpaceX is attempting a huge feat in spacecraft engineering. It is seeking to land the first stage of its Falcon 9-R rocket on a floating platform at sea. Normally this would end up at the bottom of the ocean. If successful, SpaceX will shake the rocket launch market, by shaving millions of dollars off launch costs.

Academic wizardry. ShutterstockBy Nick Butler, Lund University and Sverre Spoelstra, Lund University

Could climate change be making flying more unsafe? KamrenB Photography, CC BYBy Todd Lane, University of Melbourne

Up close and personal with the demon shrimp. Amaia Green Etxabe - University of PortsmouthBy Alex Ford,University of PortsmouthDemon vs killer shrimp sounds like the latest CGI movie to come out of Hollywood. But in fact these are two particularly pernicious crustaceans that have been making their way westward across Europe from countries surrounding the Black Sea, eradicating native freshwater rivals en route.

David Pope's cartoon posted on Twitter. David PopeBy Robert Phiddian, Flinders UniversityCartoonists and satirists in “the West” are confronted with the risks of their expressive freedom today as a consequence of the assassinations at Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

Is artificial super-intelligence lurking nearby, under wraps? eugenia_loli, CC BYBy Tony Prescott, University of Sheffield

The way we relate to other people shapes our moral life – and that's something that requires imagination. David Galindo/FlickrBy Matthew Beard, University of Notre Dame AustraliaCreativity and imagination - it’s impossible to discuss one without reference to the other - are often discussed with regard to the great artists, thinkers, and visionaries of our world. Those are the people who are able to visualize things in a way that others simply aren’t able to.

Ribosomes: squiggly and yummy. crobin, CC BYBy Robert Root-Bernstein, Michigan State University and Meredith Root-Bernstein, Aarhus University