Barbie is one of the most successful children's toys in history, spawning a multimedia franchise that includes merchandise, video games and a live-action film. Since US toy giant Mattel launched the original Barbie in 1959, more than 1 billion of the dolls have been sold worldwide. Certainly, Barbie's looks have been tweaked over the years to reflect changing beauty ideals and societal shifts. But according to a new study, one subtle change to Barbie has gone largely unnoticed – until now. Scientists in Australia have found that Barbies today have flatter feet than they did in past decades.

The amount of conflicting advice there is on how to bring up happy and successful children can make your head spin. Parents often find themselves questioning how strict they should be with youngsters and how much independence they should allow them. Now a new book by psychologists says our approach is wrong – because we're training them to be computers, reports NPR. Instead of focusing on'success' at school, we should be teaching them how to be better at being social, navigate relationships and be good citizens in a community. That's according to two professors who have written Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children.