This week Canberra received 70mm of rainfall in three days; for context, the entire month of March normally only gets 55mm. Luckily this caused little damage, but it did result in an unusual sight around the city. In what appeared to be a bizarre act of vandalism, trees were covered in foam. It looked like … Continue reading Why are the trees foaming?
Hey, that’s my food!
Seagulls stealing your chips is a common beachside stereotype, but it’s actually more true than we thought. Not only do seagulls want food, they want OUR food. Researchers showed seagulls two identical bars of food. They then picked up and held one of the items for twenty seconds before putting it back and walking away. … Continue reading Hey, that’s my food!
Return of the pink manta ray
A bright pink manta ray has made its spectacular return to Queensland, delighting and confusing researchers with its unique colour. The ray, named Inspector Clouseau after the main character of the ‘Pink Panther’ films, has been recorded only seven times since it was first spotted in 2015. He is the first and only pink manta … Continue reading Return of the pink manta ray
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?
Nobel Prize summary 2019
Every year, the Nobel Prizes for physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and economics are presented. Each is considered the field’s most prestigious award, celebrating the greatest contributions made by living people to modern society. Here is my summary of the Nobel Prize winners of 2019. Physics – Michel Mayor, Didier Queloz & James Peebles Exoplanets … Continue reading Nobel Prize summary 2019
Shadow of the vampire star
Stars are massive – even the smallest are far larger than Earth. That doesn’t stop them from trying to get bigger, though, and astronomers have just discovered one that’s managed exactly that. A binary system is when two stars orbit around each other. Generally, they don’t directly interact, but occasionally one will steal material from … Continue reading Shadow of the vampire star
Lachlan Writes Science 