On Monday morning the Nature offices in the King’s Cross area of London were evacuated.

The problem? – Gas.

Following a fire on a nearby building site, there was a danger that four gas cylinders would explode (BBC coverage here). The standard procedure apparently involves cooling down the cylinders with water and then waiting 24 hours before removing them. I remember last year when a similar thing happened in the back of a van on the M25, someone suggested deliberately blowing up the cylinder by firing an armour-piercing bullet at it – a much more instant, and obviously spectacular, solution! (Unsurprisingly, the authorities went for the watch-and-wait approach).

I worked in chemistry labs for quite a few years and never had trouble with gas cylinders – it seems ironic that only now they cause me problems…

Anyway, two days later, we’ve been allowed back in to our offices – without a single shot being fired.

Sometimes gas is not a laughing matter.

Stuart

Stuart Cantrill (Associate Editor, Nature Nanotechnology)

Troublesome fuel tanks are deemed safe enough.

The space shuttle Discovery could be in orbit this time next month, according to NASA engineers who have given the craft’s troublesome fuel tanks a clean bill of health.

Read more here.