From space to schools – What’ll Happen to the Wattle??!

All across Australia, thousands of school students are growing space wattles. They’re doing the What’ll Happen to The Wattle??! program, run by the One Giant Leap Australia Foundation. One Giant Leap director Jackie Carpenter organised for hundreds of wattle seeds to travel to the International Space Station for six months. Now they’re back on Earth, … Continue reading From space to schools – What’ll Happen to the Wattle??! →

Hummingbirds dress up to avoid being noticed

Did you know that you can often tell whether a bird is male or female by how colourful it is? For many species, males have bright, eye-catching feathers while females are plainer. Sometimes, however, these bright colours are actually a disguise. Scientists were studying the white-necked jacobin (a type of hummingbird) when they noticed that … Continue reading Hummingbirds dress up to avoid being noticed →

Scientists 3D print brain tumours

3D printing generally uses metal or plastic, but it isn’t limited to these materials. Chocolate, pasta and ash are among the stranger ingredients that have been printed, but none are as weird as a recent development – 3D printed brain tumours. As anyone who’s gone through treatment can confirm, killing cancer is currently very difficult; … Continue reading Scientists 3D print brain tumours →

Fish addicted to drug pollution

Drugs can be very addictive, and not just for the humans who take them. Many chemicals can leave our bodies still-intact, travel through the sewage system and end up entering the food chain in our lakes and rivers. Scientists often check water pollution by measuring levels of different chemicals, including drugs. Recently, a team from … Continue reading Fish addicted to drug pollution →

Cats sit in imaginary boxes

If you own a cat (or have ever been on the internet) you probably how much they love to sit in boxes. This also applies to squares drawn on the ground – even if it’s only an illusion. The Kanizsa illusion uses Pacman-like shapes to form the corners of a shape such as a square. … Continue reading Cats sit in imaginary boxes →

Octopuses throw punches at fish

Nature contains many examples of animals working together, but things doesn’t always go smoothly. Over the last few years, scientists have watched several octopuses try and hunt with fish, get annoyed, and punch them. The big blue octopus (which isn’t actually blue) will sometimes team up with fish to catch prey. The octopus hunts through … Continue reading Octopuses throw punches at fish →

Orb weavers know what’s up

Which direction is ‘up’ in space? Without gravity, there’s no real answer, but some spiders have invented a solution. When golden silk orb weavers create their webs, they place the ‘hub’ (the web’s central point) towards the top, instead of in the exact middle. This is where they sit to hunt, facing downwards and ready … Continue reading Orb weavers know what’s up →

The Ig Nobel Prize round-up 2020

It’s once again time to celebrate the Ig Nobel Prizes, the awards for “achievements that make people laugh, then think”. On the 17th of September, ten prizes were awarded in an online ceremony – here’s who won, and why. Acoustics – Stephan Reber, Takeshi Nishimura, Judith Janisch, Mark Robertson & Tecumseh Fitch Inhaling helium to … Continue reading The Ig Nobel Prize round-up 2020 →

Illusions in Nature

Humans love to fool each other with optical illusions, but we aren’t the only species that falls for these tricks. Several famous illusions can be found in nature, each helping animals and plants to survive and reproduce. The Ebbinghaus Illusion Which orange circle is bigger? While they don’t look like it, they’re actually both the … Continue reading Illusions in Nature →

Poop transplant cures constant drunkenness

Imagine getting drunk without swallowing a single drop of alcohol. Not only is this a real medical condition, but the newest way to cure it is with a poop transplant. Our intestines contain many types of bacteria and fungi, including some which turn sugar into alcohol. This is completely natural and healthy, until they become … Continue reading Poop transplant cures constant drunkenness →