Six degrees

Brandon Flowers (right) and his band The Killers are sure to cause some Hot Fuss when they stop off at the AsiaWorld-Expo on Tuesday. The Las Vegas-based outfit's lead singer claims to be grateful that stars such as Elvis Presley and Bono have been open in the past about their religious beliefs, paving the way for him to speak openly about Mormonism. Last year, Flowers defended his faith on a Swedish talk show after taking offence to accusations of charlatanry against the religion's founder, Joseph Smith, by famed atheist Richard Dawkins …

In 1839, Darwin married his first cousin, Emma Wedgwood, with whom he would raise a family of 10 children, but the decision did not come easy to him. Prior to proposing, the scientist compiled two lists - "Marry" and "Not Marry" - under which he added, as a positive, "a constant companion and a friend in old age … better than a dog anyhow". The downsides, he noted, were "less money for books" and a "terrible loss of time". This year, the Bank of England announced that the portrait of Darwin that graces the back of Britain's £10 note will be replaced by a likeness of 19th-century novelist Jane Austen …