Australian scientists said yesterday they aim to prevent a real-life version of the space disaster scenario portrayed in Oscar-winning film Gravity by removing extraterrestrial debris with lasers.

The female astronaut who advised Sandra Bullock on how to portray movements in space for her role in Gravity says her male crewmates were jealous of her regular chats with the Hollywood star.

Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave resisted the force of Gravity to be named best picture at the Oscars today.

To historian Brenda Stevenson, a scholar on American slavery, 12 Years a Slave is a masterful cinematic work that achieves more than any other film on slavery, so worthy that she plans to screen it in classes at her university, UCLA.

In a London basement, cutting-edge technology is being used to make a computerised Sandra Bullock climb into her rocket. But the team who put her there in Gravity have spent the morning working with more basic tools — syrup, cheese and chocolate.