If you think snakes normally look scary, you may want to turn away now, because this one has its eyes on you. In March, rangers in the Northern Territory found this three-eyed carpet python on the side of a highway, near Humpty Doo. The snake, nicknamed ‘Monty Python’, was quite young, and around 40 centimetres … Continue reading Three-eyed snake found in the Northern Territory
Under the microscope: My job as a sheep poo analyst
On a farm half an hour from Temora, in the middle of New South Wales, is a lab. Every day before work, Tom Shuttleworth drives to town, collects the mail, and takes it back to be analysed under a microscope. However, this isn’t anything that you’d normally find in a parcel. Instead, Tom looks at … Continue reading Under the microscope: My job as a sheep poo analyst
Healthy bananas grow without soil
Bananas are famously a tropical fruit, only growing in warm regions of the world. However, a group of scientists in the Netherlands have just harvested their first crop, and it could help save banana plantations around the world. Fusarium (fyoo-SAIR-ee-um) is a fungus that has infected banana crops worldwide. It blocks water transport to the … Continue reading Healthy bananas grow without soil
Lost Opportunity
On the 24th of January 2004, the Mars rover Opportunity landed on the planet’s surface. The mission was supposed to last ninety days. It didn’t. Fifteen years later, NASA has finally declared the project complete, and said goodbye to our most experienced Martian explorer. What is a Rover? Rovers are large, remotely-controlled vehicles sent to … Continue reading Lost Opportunity
How to move house… up
This was originally written as a university physics assignment. As such, it is longer and contains more technical detail than most of my other writing. The 2009 film ‘Up’ featured the fantastical idea of flying a house by means of a large number of helium balloons. This plays off the common comedic idea of helium … Continue reading How to move house… up
Dracula ant snaps up world record
When you think of fast animals, cheetahs and falcons are probably at the top of your list. However, an animal speed record has just been won by an unusual candidate – the dracula ant. Scientists from the United States have discovered that when these ants snap their jaws, it’s the fastest movement made by any … Continue reading Dracula ant snaps up world record
Human history preserved in whale earwax
Scientists are measuring stress in whales – using the animal's earwax. The research is uncovering how recent human history has affected whales. Whale earwax has light and dark bands, with one of each made every year. The bands are caused by the different conditions the whales experience on their annual migrations (travel). This means that … Continue reading Human history preserved in whale earwax
Spiders use electricity to fly
If you’ve read or watched Charlotte’s Web, you might remember the scene where hundreds of baby spiders fly away from the farm on their webs. This technique, used by many spiders, caterpillars and mites, is called ballooning. You might expect that the spiders use the wind to balloon, like flying a kite. However, Dr Erica … Continue reading Spiders use electricity to fly
Birds’ eyes work as a compass
Migrating birds 'see' magnetic fields... and scientists now think they know how. Many birds, such as robins, travel thousands of kilometres during spring and autumn. For years, scientists have thought that they use Earth's magnetic field to navigate, like having an inbuilt compass, but they weren't sure how it worked. Researchers from Germany and Denmark … Continue reading Birds’ eyes work as a compass
Lachlan Writes Science 