Why floods are bad for your health
The damage done by cyclones extends far beyond damaging winds. Often the flooding that follows affects more than properties: flooding is also bad for our health.
Blog
When TV signals interrupt radio astronomy in the middle of nowhere
For years, radio astronomers at the Murchison Widefield Array facility in remote Western Australia couldn’t work out why they were getting interference from TV signals, but now they have worked if where it came from and how to remove it.
Dessert stomach is real and in your head
That feeling of being full after a meal, but still having room for dessert? Totally real. And it begins in your brain.
Parker Solar Probe successfully makes closest approach to the Sun
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has successfully made the closest approach to the Sun. On Christmas Eve, the spacecraft passed within a record-breaking 6 million kilometres of the scorching star. NASA received an all-clear message from Parker on Thursday night confirming it survived the journey.
Giant rats in tiny vests trained to sniff out illegally trafficked wildlife
Scientists have trained African giant pouched rats to sniff out illegally traded animal parts. And they get to wear tiny vests.
People hate stories they think were written by AI, even if they were written by people
Many people, myself included, are really distrustful of AI. A recent study found that people don’t like stories written by a machine as much as that by a human – even when it was written by a human.
Most thunderstorms are really radioactive
Researchers have known for several decades that thunderstorms can act as miniature particle accelerators that produce antimatter, gamma rays and other nuclear phenomena. But they did not know how common the phenomenon was. In observations taken by a retrofitted U2 spy plane, they’ve discovered essentially all large thunderstorms produce gamma rays in many dynamic, unexpected and unknown ways.
The world’s oldest cheese is Chinese
For 20 years, researchers have been fascinated by the white substances smeared around the necks of three ancient mummies in China. New analysis has shown they are chunks of preserved kefir cheese. Dating back around 3,600 years, it is the oldest cheese ever found.
As the Moon slowly drifts away…
The Moon is always with us, but what we don’t realise is that it is slowly drifting away from Earth. But no need to panic, it’s only a little over 3.5 cm every year.
Storm in a teacup?
Air pressure during a storm can be so low as to make water boil at 98°C, totally ruining your chance of making a decent cup of tea. During a massive storm across southern England, France and Channel Islands last year, millions of people found this out the hard way.
The weird things that happen during a solar eclipse
The solar eclipse on 8 April was quite the event by all accounts, but what else happens aside form millions of humans looking upwards?
How did people clean their teeth before toothpaste?
Dental issues and teeth cleaning have become topical in our house this week, as our daughter started orthodontic treatment. I wondered: how did people manage to keep their teeth clean and healthy before modern toothbrushes and toothpaste?
Echidna CSI: Echidna Conservation Science Initiative
You can help researchers learn more about echidnas – where they are, what they are doing and if they are healthy.
You can help identify what’s killing lorikeets
Lorikeets in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland are becoming paralysed, often resulting in death. Scientists are beginning to discover why – but need your help.
Perhaps we need our appendix after all
It’s not entirely clear why we have an appendix. Some other primates don’t have one at all and it seems they are more prone to diarrhoeal diseases, especially when they are infants.