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A mixture of inexperience and the desire to impress in a car can be a catastrophic for teenage drivers.

This is reflected in statistics showing that adolescents are at a much higher risk of crashing than their parents.

In a bid to reduce the number of teens involved in car accidents, Chevrolet has fitted parental controls in its Malibu model.

'Teen Driver' mode automatically turns on safety features and sounds an alarm is a pre-set speed limit is broken, as well as telling parents how fast their child drives and if they have had any near misses - like a nanny for the car.

In a bid to reduce the number of teens involved in car accidents, Chevrolet has fitted parental controls in its Malibu model (illustrated) 'Teen Driver' mode tells parents how fast their child drives and if they have had any near misses

The system will come in the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu, which is set to go on sale in the US at the end of this year.

It's designed to encourage young people to drive responsibly when their parents aren't in the car with them.

The Teen Driver feature is activated by creating a Pin in the settings menu of the car's MyLink system, which allows parents to register their teenager's key fob.

This means that when their teen gets behind the wheel, the system is turned on automatically.

Teen Driver automatically mutes the radio until front safety belts are fastened and stops it being played too loudly, while safety features such as Forward Collision Alert are automatically turned on.

Teen Driver automatically mutes the radio until front safety belts are fastened and stops it being played too loudly, while safety features such as Forward Collision Alert are automatically turned on. The interior of the car, which will go on sale later this year in the US, is pictured

A study has found that both young people and their parents think there should be more restrictive technologies applied to new cars. A control to limit speed and the number of passengers came out on top, which could put an end to piling into cars for road trips (illustrated with a stock image)

Parents can select a maximum speed, between 40 to 75 mph, (64 to 121 km/h) which, if exceeded, activates a visual warning and audible chime.

Chevy claims that the system is the first to let parents see how their child drive, showing them the maximum speed reached, distance driven and number of times active safety features were engaged.

'We developed this system so parents could use it as a teaching tool with their kids – they can discuss and reinforce safe driving habits,' General Motors safety engineer MaryAnn Beebe said.

'As a mother of two, I know anything that has the potential of keeping one's family safer is of great value to parents.'

While the system may be of comfort to some parents who know that young drivers are between two and three times more likely to die in a crash than older, more experienced motorists, a new survey has shown they want safety systems and restrictions to go further.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, surveyed 1,000 Americans to see which parental controls they want in their cars most.

A control to limit speed and the number of passengers came out on top, with 84 per cent of participants saying these would benefit young drivers and the same number were keen on curfew times too.

While you may imagine that young drivers would be horrified at the idea, the experts said that 81 per cent of motorists between the ages of 18 and 24 were in favour of the restrictions.

A total of 61 per cent of those surveyed overall said they would like to limit the geographic range of the car, but this feature was less popular with teenage drivers.

Using Chevy's new system in the Malibu model (pictured) parents can select a maximum speed, between 40 to 75 mph, (64 to 121 km/h) which, if exceeded, activates a visual warning and audible chime

The one area where 18 to 24-year olds outscored all other age groups was in their receptiveness to having a parental text display in the car that could show them urgent messages.

Surprisingly, 69 per cent of the youngest respondents thought this was useful while only 53 per cent of people aged 56 to 65 would consider this option.

While some of these features are being rolled out in increasingly smart cars, they are only a pit stop on the path to fully autonomous cars, meaning that teenagers may not be able to speed, or control a car at all in the future.

This means that the milestone of taking a road trip with friends could be very different in the future, with all members of the group being able to take in the scenery instead of driving.

However, the introduction of self-driving cars may mean that young people can drink at parties without worrying about getting a lift home – or be picked up without the prospect of embarrassing parents cramping their style.

Chevrolet's system is designed to reduce the chances of young people having car accidents (illustrated with a  stock image). Drivers aged between 17 and 19 only make up 1.5 per cent of UK licence holders, but are involved in 12 per cent of fatal and serious crashes

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Jets of water on Saturn's moon Enceladus might be an optical illusion, researchers have claimed.

Instead, they propose a more exciting explanation - the jets are actually folds in much larger 'curtains' of water erupting from the surface.

It suggests that there are more widespread ejections than thought taking place on the moon.

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Scientists in Arizona say that views of jets on the surface of Enceladus (shown on the right in this image) are actually just bright 'folds' in larger curtains (shown left) taking place on the surface. These curtains are huge walls of water stretching for hundreds of miles on the surface

The research was conducted by scientists in Arizona using data from Nasa's Cassini mission.

Images taken by the probe revealed jets on Saturn's moon, which are thought to be water from a subsurface ocean.

But, while the images had shown the jets bursting alone from points on the surface, the scientists think this view may be wrong.

They propose that there are actually long fissures on the surface where walls of water are erupting from underground,

But these cracks in the surface are not straight - they are wavy and meander across the surface for hundreds of miles.

The reason the jets appear in images is because the viewer is looking at a 'fold' in this curtain of material, the researchers said.

'We think most of the observed activity represents curtain eruptions from the "tiger stripe" fractures, rather than intermittent geysers along them,' said Dr Joseph Spitale, lead author of the study and a scientist on the Cassini mission at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona.

'Some prominent jets likely are what they appear to be, but most of the activity seen in the images can be explained without discrete jets.'

Enceladus icy eruptions create an illusion of discrete jets.

'We think most of the observed activity represents curtain eruptions from the "tiger stripe" fractures [illustrated], rather than intermittent geysers along them,' said Dr Joseph Spitale, lead author of the study and a scientist on the Cassini mission at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona

The research was conducted using data from Nasa's Cassini spacecraft, illustrated on the left. On the right, the size of Enceladus compared to the UK is shown. At about 310 miles (500km) across, Enceladus is the sixth largest moon of Saturn after Titan, Rhea, Iapetus, Dione and Tethys

The jets are believed to originate from a subsurface ocean on the moon (shown in cutaway illustration). Another recent study has revealed that this ocean may be salty, and may also drive the processes necessary for life to survive in its depths

Dr Spitale added that the direction you view the moon will play an important role in where these 'phantom jets' appear.

'If you rotated your perspective around Enceladus' south pole, such jets would seem to appear and disappear,' he said.

These phantom jets also appear to line up with features spotted in Cassini images that seem to be columns of spray.

Such curtain eruptions similarly occur on Earth where molten rock, or magma, gushes out of a deep fracture.

These eruptions, which often create spectacular curtains of fire, are seen in places such as Hawaii, Iceland and the Galapagos Islands.

'Our understanding of Enceladus continues to evolve, and we've come to expect surprises along the way,' said Dr Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.

'This little ice world is becoming more exciting, not less, as we tease out new details about its subsurface ocean and astonishing geophysical activity.' 

Such curtain eruptions similarly occur on Earth where molten rock, or magma, gushes out of a deep fracture. These eruptions, which often create spectacular curtains of fire, are seen in places such as Hawaii, Iceland (shown) and the Galapagos Islands

'Our understanding of Enceladus [illustrated] continues to evolve, and we've come to expect surprises along the way,' said Dr Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. 'This little ice world is becoming more exciting, not less, as we tease out new details'

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As the UK votes in today's General Election, Google has published a map that plots which political parties and their respective leaders are dominating internet searches across the country.

Data experts analysed Google search data from the past 12 months to track which party leaders were searched for the most nationwide, before aggregating this information across 5,000 towns and cities in the UK.

The results were converted into seats in the House of Commons and suggest that David Cameron will win the majority, with Nigel Farage in second place and Ed Miliband in third.

Roll your mouse over the map - or touch a constituency if viewing on mobile device - to see most-searched for leader, current MP and party

Data experts looked at Google search data over the past 12 months to track which party leaders were searched for the most nationwide, before aggregating this information across 5,000 towns and cities in the UK. Zoom into the map above to see the name of a constituency, the most-searched for leader in that region, the name of the current MP and their party

The leaders of the respective parties are shown on the left-hand side of the map. Their corresponding colours are plotted on the map of the UK. 

If viewing the map on a desktop, hover the mouse over a region to reveal the name of the constituency, the most-searched for leader, the name of the current MP and their party.

If viewing on a mobile, touch the constituency to see the same information and pinch to zoom in. 

The map was created by the Google News Labs team with Dr Alasdair Rae, a senior lecturer in urban studies and planning at the University of Sheffield. 

They used Google search data over the past 12 months and used Google's Knowledge graph technology to look for the most-searched party leader in more than 5,000 towns and cities. 

This information was aggregated to establish which leader was most-searched in each location. 

The maps do not reveal in which context the party leaders were searched for, and searches do not automatically equate to votes for that particular party.

Google used it as a guide to create the maps.

For example, the south east is predominantly purple, suggesting the region search the most for Nigel Farage, but that doesn't mean people in that region will necessarily vote for UKIP.

The Google maps also reveal Labour has a potential stronghold across London, and in particular the north east.

Tiverton and Honiton's preference for Nick Clegg is at odds with the blue (Conservative) and purple regions surrounding it in the south west.  

However, if these search results do equate to votes, Google predicts David Cameron will win 237 seats.

Nigel Farage will get 221, Ed Miliband will win 125, Nicola Sturgeon will win 43, Nick Clegg will get 17, Natalie Bennett receives 3 and Leanne Wood earns a single seat. 

According to the map, the south east is predominantly purple, suggesting the region search the most for Nigel Farage. The Google maps also reveal Labour has a potential stronghold across London (pictured), in particular the north east based on searches, while Tiverton and Honiton's preference for Nick Clegg is at odds with the blue (Conservative) and purple regions surrounding it in the south west 

The remaining three seats are assigned to 'Others'. 

Unsurprisingly the majority of Scottish constituencies are yellow, searching for Nicola Sturgeon and her Scottish National Party.

Separate research from advertising tech firm Captify found, conversely, that Ed Milliband is the most searched for party leader with 31 per cent over the past seven days.

Nigel Farage comes in second place again, though, with 22 per cent of searches. 

However, the Conservative party is the most-searched for political party on 46 per cent, followed by Labour on 32 per cent, UKIP on 12 per cent, Lib Dems on 8 per cent and Green with 2 per cent. 

Over the past week, the economy was searched alongside the Lib Dems more times than any other party, immigration and searches for UKIP went hand-in-hand, and healthcare was the most searched for political issue. 

Yesterday, Facebook launched its 'I'm a voter' button to encourage people to visit the polling station. 

The company said: 'Voters logging on to Facebook this Thursday will see a 'megaphone' message at the top of their Facebook News Feed, and will be able to click to share that they are voting with their friends.

'By clicking the button people can highlight their status as a voter to their Facebook friends, without specifying who they voted for.' 

Separate research from advertising tech firm Captify found, conversely , that Ed Milliband is the most searched for party leader with 31 per cent during the past seven days. Nigel Farage comes in second place again, though, with 22 per cent of searches (pictured)

However, the Conservative party is the most-searched for political party on 46 per cent, followed by Labour on 32 per cent, UKIP on 12 per cent, Lib Dems on 8 per cent and Green with 2 per cent (pictured)

A study published in Nature in 2012 showed that conversation on Facebook ahead of an election can increase voter turnout, with 300,000 voters turning out to the polls in America in 2010, having seen Facebook posts from their friends. 

It's hoped the button will have the same effect on UK voters on 7 May.

'Politics is huge on Facebook, and with over 52 million interactions related to the General Election already this year, we fully expect it to be the most discussed topic in the UK in 2015, said Elizabeth Linder, Facebook's politics and government specialist for Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Over the past week, the economy was searched alongside the Lib Dems more times than any other party, immigration and searches for UKIP went hand-in-hand (pictured), and healthcare was the most searched for political issue 

And the economy is the most mentioned election-related topic, leapfrogging health, which echoes YouGov's most recent issues poll.

This poll found that voters think the economy, immigration and health are the biggest issues facing the UK.

In the five months between 1 January and 1 May, there were more than 4.5 million Economy-related interactions from 1.4 million people and the Economy was the most discussed topic in 350 of the 651 constituencies in the UK.

Interactions comprise likes, shares and comments.

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For the first time, a gorilla in the wild has been seen using tools - using a stick to capture and then eat ants.

Previously the behaviour had only been seen in chimpanzees.

Researchers were observing one of eight mountain gorilla groups habituated to humans in the Volcanoes National Park, in Rwanda.

Lisanga, a juvenile female, using a stick to catch and then eat ants - the first time the behaviour has been seen in the wild.

The use of the stick was witnessed by Dr Jean-Felix Kinani, the head veterinarian with Gorilla Doctors, an organisation of vets that works with wildlife authorities to monitor the health of wild gorillas in the area.

'This is the first time tool use has been reported in a wild mountain gorilla despite the intensive monitoring of this subspecies,' the team say.

'A routine health check, including behavioral observations, was performed by one veterinarian and two trackers on May 14, 2013 (the end of the main rainy season) in the Neoboutonia Forest at 7389 feet (2252 m.) altitude, the researchers wrote.

'During the 2 hr monitoring visit, Kigoma, the second ranking silverback, was observed to use his left hand to collect driver ants (Dorylus sp.) from a hole in the ground. 

'When he first inserted his hand into the hole, he quickly withdrew it and ran from the hole while shaking his left arm, presumably to remove the biting ants.'

However, one of the females in the group, called Lisanga, witnessed the event - and it gave her an idea. 

'Lisanga, a juvenile female, was approximately 6m away from Kigoma at this time and observed him eating the ants and running away. 

'She then approached the hole and watched the ants entering and exiting the hole for approximately 2 min. 

Lisanga approached the hole and watched the ants entering and exiting the hole for approximately 2 min.

She then put her left hand into the hole, but quickly withdrew her hand covered in ants, shaking her arm vigorously, again presumably due to painful ant bites.

'She proceeded to insert her left hand into the hole, but quickly withdrew her hand covered in ants, shaking her arm vigorously, again presumably due to painful ant bites.' 

She was then observed to select a piece of wood off the ground that was approximately 20 cm long and 2 cm wide at one end, 1 cm wide at the other. 

The piece of wood was a freshly broken branch, thought to be from a tree found 2 m from the ant hole. 

She inserted the stick into the hole and then withdrew the stick, licking the ants off of the stick. 

'After licking the ants off the stick, Lisanga ran away shaking her left hand to remove the still biting ants.'

The team say no other gorillas appeared to have witnessed Lisanga using the stick nor were any other gorillas observed trying to eat ants during this observation period.'

She then finds a stick, inserts the stick into the hole and then withdrew the stick, licking the ants off of the stick.

Lisanga is a curious gorilla,' explained Dr Kinani to the BBC. 

'She is known to have an investigative personality.'

For example, one anecdotal report details her showing more than casual interest in a researcher's bag, quietly approaching behind the researcher and attempting to take the bag away.

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Spend long enough exploring the red planet, and you may be treated to a glorious blue sunset.

That exactly what the Curiosity rover saw recently, after it captured stunning views of the sun disappearing from Mars' horizon.

The images were taken on 15th of April, on sol 956, after a three-year wait by the team working on the Rover's MastCam.

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Damia Bouic from the Planetary Society was able to recreate the colours of a sunset on Mars to create these stunning views. The images were taken on 15th of April, on sol 956, after a three-year wait by the team working on the Rover's MastCam

They were sent by the rover in black and white, but Damia Bouic from the Planetary Society was able to recreate the colours to create these stunning views.

Nasa has also recently released a video on the social media site Vine showing the sun dipping towards the Martian horizon, captured by its exploratory rover Opportunity.

The time-lapse video of the eerie sunset was created by piecing together images taken by Opportunity.

The images show a darker, dustier sky than here on Earth that perhaps loses some of the romance that often accompanies sunset on our own planet.

Sunset on the red planet: Sun going down on Mars

Although much of the surface of Mars is a deep red colour, it is this thick dust that also turns the sunset blue

Rather than turning the sky a deep orange, as happens on Earth, the setting sun gives the sky a deep blue

And rather than turning the sky a deep orange, as happens on Earth, the setting sun gives the sky a deep blue tinge.

Although much of the surface of Mars is a deep red colour, it is this thick dust that also turns the sunset blue.

However, Dr John Bridges, a planetary scientist at the University of Leicester who studies Mars, warned that the cameras on the Opportunity rover may not be conveying the true image.

He said: 'We do have to be a little careful with the colour produced by the cameras on this rover as they are a false colour image.

'What is very striking though is how much smaller the sun appears compared to here on Earth.

'Taking images like this can teach us a great deal about the atmosphere on Mars. 

'Most of the dust is in the troposphere, which is about 40km up on Mars.

'There is a lot of effort to find out how high up dust clouds can get up on Mars - particularly after some cloud-like plumes were spotted that appear to be much higher in the atmosphere than we thought dust can go.'

Scientists say sunset on Mars would have a blue light, however, as the red dust in the atmosphere filters out much of the red light from the sun.

As the sun dips lower in the sky, its light has to travel through the lower layers of the atmosphere where the dust is thicker.

On Earth our own atmosphere scatters blue light creating the red and orange shades that light up the sky at sun down.

It is not the first time Nasa has shown the world what a sunset on Mars would look like and it released a longer video in 2010.

Opportunity has seen around 3940 sunsets since it arrived on Mars.

As the sun dips lower in the sky, its light has to travel through the lower layers of the atmosphere where the dust is thicker

From the surface of Mars the sun appears about five eighths of the size it is when seen from the Earth

From the surface of the red planet the sun appears about five eighths of the size it is when seen from the Earth.

The red planet receives just 40 per cent of the light we experience on Earth, meaning the sky appears much darker as the sun begins to fall towards the horizon. 

However, twilight can continue for up to two hours after the sun has set - far longer than on Earth - as sunlight is scattered around to the night side of the planet by the abundance of dust high in the atmosphere.

The average length of a day on Mars is about 24 hours and 37 minutes.

Scientists running the Mars rovers take occassional images of the Martian sunset to help them determine how high into the atmosphere the Martian dust billows.

They low angle of the light also makes it easier for them to see ice clouds that can form in the sky.

At 141,610,000 miles from the sun, the average temperature on the surface of Mars is around -66°C (-87°F).

Twilight can continue for up to two hours after the sun has set - far longer than on Earth. The average length of a day on Mars is about 24 hours and 37 minutes

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Dead bodies give off a distinctive, sickly-sweet odour that's immediately recognisable and hard to forget. 

The smell of death can consist of more than 400 volatile organic compounds in a complex mixture, researchers have revealed. 

These compounds are produced by the actions of bacteria, which break down the tissues in the body into gases and salts.

Dead bodies give off a distinctive, sickly-sweet odour that's immediately recognisable and hard to forget. The smell of death can consist of more than 400 volatile organic compounds in a complex mixture

The exact composition of the gas mixture changes as decomposition progresses.

It also varies slightly according to the exact composition of the bacterial population in and around the body and the interactions between them, the climate of the habitat, and to a lesser extent the genetic make-up and diet of the deceased.

The compounds given off can vary, but there may be core compounds with concentrations that change in a consistent way.

If so, analyses of the exact composition of the smell given off by a body could eventually help forensics investigators to estimate the time of death more accurately.

Chemists typically analyse the smell of death using a technique called gas chromatography, which enables them to separate the compounds in the mixture and determine the concentration of each.

The compounds given off can vary, but there may be core compounds with concentrations that change in a consistent way. If so, analyses of the exact composition of the smell given off by a body could eventually help forensics investigators to estimate the time of death more accurately

The two best-characterised components are cadaverine and putrescine, foul-smelling molecules that repel most animals. 

First discovered in 1885 by a German physician named Ludwig Brieger, they are small molecules produced by the breakdown of the amino acids lysine and methionine, respectively. 

Several years ago, researchers finally identified the cadaverine receptor in zebrafish.

Necrophagic - or 'dead-eating' - insects are attracted to the smell given off by rotting flesh and may help researchers to identify other core compounds. 

Different species colonise a cadaver in successive waves and at different stages of decomposition, using their exquisitely sensitive olfactory systems.

This has been adapted over millions of years of evolution to home in on decaying flesh. 

As a result, different species might identify different components in the smell, which might only be given off during certain stages of decay.

Some researchers are developing 'electronic noses' and other gas sensor systems capable of detecting many of the compounds in the smell of death. 

Such devices could one day be used to locate the bodies of people who die in natural disasters, such as buried earthquake victims, or murder victims whose bodies have been buried in shallow graves.

They could find applications beyond forensics, too, particularly in the food industry. 

Devices that are sensitive to the smell of decay may, for example, help with estimating how long fish or meat have been kept in storage or help factory workers identify spoiled products before they are sent out to be sold.

Moheb Costani is a neuroscientist and author of '50 Human Brain Ideas You Really Need to Know This article original appeared in Mosaic.