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Beautiful bacteria: winners of the 2015 Agar Art Competition – in pictures Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Microbes and germs were used to paint masterpieces on a canvas of agar jelly in a competition run by the American Society for Microbiology. Scientists from around the world submitted entries, recreating famous paintings as well as original works.

Paleolithic artwork in Lascaux, France. Photograph: Sissie Brimberg/National Geographic/Getty ImagesIn our self-obsessed age, the anonymous, mysterious cave art of our ancient ancestors is exhilarating by Barbara EhrenreichIn 1940, four teenage boys stumbled, almost literally, from German-occupied France into the Paleolithic age. As the story goes – and there are many versions of it – they had been taking a walk in the woods near the town of Montignac when the dog accompanying them suddenly disappeared.

The ObserverLondon Review of BooksInterviewIs the LRB the best magazine in the world?Elizabeth DayThe London Review of Books has become the most successful – and controversial – literary publication in Europe. Just what is Mary-Kay Wilmers, its 75-year-old editor, getting so right?The offices of the London Review of Books are situated on the top two floors of a Georgian townhouse in the shadow of the British Museum. To reach them, you either brave the claustrophobically small lift or walk up five flights of brown-carpeted stairs, before emerging in a light-filled room containing a scattering of terrifically bright people sitting at computers, surrounded by piles of books and an air of quiet industry.

SportblogMLBKansas City drafted two hall of famers in the 1979 MLB draft. They just happened to excel in a different sport The 1979 Major League Baseball Draft was not particularly prosperous for the Kansas City Royals. They did not find their next great shortstop or big first baseman. Their top choice was a pitcher named Atlee Hammaker whose best years were as a San Francisco Giant. Most of their other picks were young men who would never breathe the air of a big league clubhouse.

Children and teenagers This article is more than 9 years oldPro-gun picture book for children aims to reassure kids about parents' weaponsThis article is more than 9 years oldMy Parents Open Carry aims to explain 'the right to bear arms and the growing practice of the open carry of a handgun' Julia Donaldson's cigar-carrying scarecrow ignites controversy Sporting a cover image of a blue-eyed family with guns clipped to their belts, a new American children's picture book is setting itself out as the solution for all those parents who "

Literary tripsFrom a Saramago masterpiece to Monica Ali’s rural blues, via mountains, cities and coast, bookmark this reading list for a flavour of Portugal – and its people More fiction trips: Italy | France | Spain | Greece The Guardian’s product and service reviews are independent and are in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. We will earn a commission from the retailer if you buy something through an affiliate link.

The Canal Saint-Martin in Paris. Photograph: Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty ImagesEvery year, thousands of bikes are tossed into rivers, ponds, lakes and canals. What’s behind this mass drowning? by Jody RosenEvery decade or so, the city of Paris drains the Canal Saint-Martin. The nearly three-mile-long waterway, which runs south across a swathe of the Right Bank, was originally constructed to keep Paris clean, supplying fresh water to a city plagued by cholera and dysentery.

Architecture and design blogArchitectureBlood bricks: how India's urban boom is built on slave labourAfter children as young as four found working in squalid conditions, NGO launches 'blood bricks' campaign to raise awareness of human rights abuses in India's brick kilns Across India, once small trading towns are transforming into bustling centres, as global companies flood in to set up call centres, factories and software development branches, eager to capitalise on high skill-sets at low labour prices.

UK news This article is more than 9 years oldFraudulent faith healer jailed for 10 yearsThis article is more than 9 years oldJuliette D'Souza masqueraded as a shaman for more than 12 years, persuading people to hand over thousands of poundsA woman who posed as a faith healer to con vulnerable victims out of almost £1m has been jailed for 10 years. Juliette D'Souza masqueraded as a shaman for more than 12 years to convince 11 of her clients to hand over thousands of pounds to solve issues such as illness, redundancy, or problems conceiving a baby.