Barbie should be put back in her box to make way for more “creative” toys such as Lego and Meccano that are traditionally given to boys, according to one of Britain’s top women scientists.

In an article in the Irish Examiner on September 4, the Nobel laureate, Sir Paul Nurse, said politicians should be “crushed and buried” for cherry-picking science to suit agendas, including in relation to climate change.