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Many Indians have been queuing up outside banks across India, following the announcement that the highest denomination currency notes are being withdrawn. These notes are widely used in business and property transactions to evade tax, and the measure aims to target that money. Now Indians will be able to deposit their old notes in bank accounts and get new ones.

Molecules found on mobile phones can reveal a lot about the owner’s health and lifestyle, including their food preferences and medication. That’s the conclusion of a study by the University of California. Scientists found traces of everything from caffeine and spices to skin creams and anti-depressants on 40 phones they tested. We leave traces of molecules, chemicals and bacteria on everything we touch.

A robot in Germany set a new record, by solving the challenge of a Rubik’s Cube in less than a second. The Sub1 Reloaded robot took just 0.637 seconds to analyse the toy and make 21 moves, so that each of the cube's sides showed a single colour. By contrast, the Rubik's Cube record for a human is a little under five seconds. (Images courtesy of Infinenon)