The science of pain is our hot topic this week. David Julius reveals the molecular mechanisms of pain and what a chilli pepper has in common with a tarantula, Geoff Woods describes the genetic mutations that lead to people not feeling pain at all, and to explain the phenomenon of phantom limbs and ways in which we can deal with pain is pain consultant Cathy Stannard. In Kitchen Science Derek Thorne braves freezing weather to sniff out the science of sausages, and in the final part of our Science of Colour series, Anna Lacey discovers how colour could find you your perfect date.