Twilight of the new moon

For the past three years, there’s been a second moon orbiting around the Earth. Don’t feel too bad for not noticing, though – scientists only detected it two weeks ago. On the 15th of February, scientists working on the Catalina Sky Survey (which tracks near-Earth objects) recorded a bright rock orbiting the Earth. This turned … Continue reading Twilight of the new moon →

Olm is where the heart is

You might have a favourite spot to sit, but a small cave-dwelling amphibian from Europe takes this to the next level. Scientists found out that most olms will spend years in the same ten-metre area. One particularly comfortable individual was found in the exact same place seven years after it was first spotted. Olms, which … Continue reading Olm is where the heart is →

Ig Nobel Prize summary 2019

Last month I wrote about the Nobel Prizes, the most famous awards in science. Now it’s time for their more fun cousins – the Ig Nobel Prizes. These awards honour “achievements that make people laugh, then think”. The result is one of the quirkiest collections of research and development from science and beyond. Here is … Continue reading Ig Nobel Prize summary 2019 →

Flash heating turns waste into graphene

The modern world has a problem with waste. Up to a third of all the food we produce is thrown out, and millions of pieces of plastic enter our oceans every day. However, one group of scientists may have a solution to both of these problems – turn it all into graphene. Graphene is a … Continue reading Flash heating turns waste into graphene →

Where is Australia’s largest rock?

Planning a trip to the largest rock in the world shouldn’t be too difficult, but there’s a problem. No-one can agree where it is. Depending on who you ask, it could be either Uluru in the Northern Territory or Mount Augustus (also called Burringurrah) in Western Australia. We know Mount Augustus is twice as large … Continue reading Where is Australia’s largest rock? →