Not only is laughter a great tonic, argues evolutionary theorist Alastair Clarke, it also plays a vital role in the development of our intellectual, perceptual and problem-solving abilities

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Giullermo and Enrique are Agentinian brothers wowing audiences with their playful and technically brilliant tango interpretations.

Calling themselves Los Hermanos Macano (meaning 'witty guys' and 'guys who've just got it'), they see their art as a modern link in the history of traditional tango. At the start of the last century, Argentina was an immigrant country with few women. Consequently, men were obliged to dance with each other.  

Now take a look at this...

Despite the growing concern about the way we raise our farm animals, many of us don’t think twice about wearing leather writes Julia Stephenson.

This may be because of the general assumption that leather is a by-product of the meat industry, but this is increasingly not so.  As Tara Garnett of the Food Climate Research Network explains, "global production of raw cattle hides grew 24% between 1984 and 2004 - a faster growth than the production of cattle meat, at 19% over the same period.

There are few artists in the music industry who are more influential or more respected than Herbie Hancock, writes Geraldine Royds

Richard Dawkins is doing religion a favour, argues Shambhala Buddhist Ed Halliwell — by exposing faith and spirituality to criticism, he paves the way for their renewal

I doubt it was his intention, but in 100 years time Richard Dawkins could be hailed as a prime architect of 21st-century religion.

Though strident to the point of comic fundamentalism, the New Atheist diatribe has not only laid bare the irrationalities of believers, but forced those of us who favour scientific-spiritual accommodation to sharpen our arguments.

And that can only aid the development of spiritual forms fit for the modern world.

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The latest rumour about the singing star Susan Boyle is that she was turned away from joining a local choir just weeks before her sensational success on 'Britain’s Got Talent'.

This had nothing to do with her talent, but was simply because the choir was full, due to a surge in popularity of group singing.

Choirs are experiencing a renaissance. And as more and more people join up, the benefits of this new hobby are being noticed by the medical profession, with people reporting all sorts of health improvements. Singing involves breathing in a different way, which increases the airflow, so helps with lung and cardiovascular problems. It also encourages a natural high, counteracting stress and depression.

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