Encyclopedia Britannica defines a galaxy as “any of the systems of stars and interstellar matter that make up the universe.” This may soon need to change thanks to the discovery of J0613+52 – a galaxy without a single visible star. Astronomers were using radio telescopes to study a selection of galaxies which have very few … Continue reading Shedding light on the dark galaxy
Category: Physics
Hitchhiking worms leap for the sky
In my second-ever article I wrote about how spiders can use electric fields to fly. Now scientists have discovered that some worms also have this power, and their technique is much more dramatic. Scientists from Japan were studying a type of worm called Caenorhabditis elegans (see-no-rab-die-tus ell-luh-gans), and kept finding them hanging from the lids … Continue reading Hitchhiking worms leap for the sky
Laser focus lights up hallway
Lasers may seem precise but they still spread out the further they travel. Four scientists have tried to prevent this using nothing but the air around them. One way to keep light focused is to shine it through an optical fibre. These are made so that any stray light will just reflect within the fibre … Continue reading Laser focus lights up hallway
The Nobel Prize round-up 2021
The 2021 Nobel Prizes were announced in early October, with the ceremony held as usual on the 10th of December – the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. It’s almost been another two months since then, but in case you missed it, here’s who won and why. Physics – Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann & Giorgio Parisi … Continue reading The Nobel Prize round-up 2021
The Ig Nobel Prize round-up 2021
The Ig Nobel Prizes are my favourite event in the scientific calendar, so once again here's my summary of this year’s ten achievements “that make people laugh, then think”. Biology – Susanne Schötz, Robert Eklund & Joost van de Weijer Wouldn’t it be great if we could understand what our pets are saying? That’s the … Continue reading The Ig Nobel Prize round-up 2021
How to make bendy ice
Imagine bending an icicle. As weird as this sounds, it should be possible, and scientists have just made it happen (on a very small scale). Using simulations, we can calculate how bendy a material should be, but this doesn’t always match what we measure. Normal ice can only bend about 2 percent as much as … Continue reading How to make bendy ice
Why brazil nuts always come out on top
Have you ever opened a bag of mixed snacks to find that all the biggest items are all on the top? This is called the ‘brazil-nut effect’, and it’s taken a surprisingly long time to figure out how it happens. The brazil-nut effect occurs in granular solids - collections of solid objects that can pour … Continue reading Why brazil nuts always come out on top
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
The power of the dark side (of the solar panel)
“A lot of people think that shadows are useless,” says Singaporean scientist Swee Ching Tan. But his newest creation proves that “anything can be useful, even shadows.” Solar power is a common source of renewable energy, but it needs direct sunlight. Lots of places, like cities, are too shadowy for solar panels to work. This … Continue reading The power of the dark side (of the solar panel)
Rains of water, rains of fire
In 2018, the thirty-five year eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano came to an explosive end. In two months, hundreds of homes were destroyed and over 35 square kilometres of land had been covered in lava. At the time, scientists weren’t exactly sure why the constant but low-level eruption had suddenly turned violent. However, there’s now … Continue reading Rains of water, rains of fire
Lachlan Writes Science 