By David Shaw, 23 February 2018
You’ve heard of rice and wheat. You may have heard of maize and quinoa. But have you heard of teff? This ancient grain has been feeding the people of Ethiopia for thousands of years. And thanks to the work of CSIRO, it might soon be feeding you too!
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By David Shaw, 6 February 2018
What’s 180 metres long, 30 metres wide, and travels between distant solar systems? No, it’s not a new NASA spacecraft. It’s a space rock known as ‘Oumuamua, and it’s the first known object from outside our solar system that has come to visit!
By David Shaw, 18 January 2018
Plastic waste in our oceans is a big problem for marine fauna. Not only can it look like food, it seems some animals have developed a taste for the material. And that’s a problem.
By David Shaw, 12 January 2018
Built more than 4500 years ago, you’d think there was nothing left to discover inside Cairo’s Great Pyramid of Giza. Think again. Scientists have recently discovered a new chamber deep in the heart of the tomb, all with the help of starlight.
By David Shaw, 12 December 2017
Written by Mike McRae Around 15 years ago, a New Caledonian crow named Betty amazed scientists with her talent for tool-building. That was nothing – wait until your meet these clever cockatoos.
By David Shaw, 20 November 2017
It was once thought octopuses were not very social animals. They seem to keep to themselves, only meeting to fight or mate. It turns out that’s not always the case. A social octopus should consider moving to Octlantis.
By David Shaw, 10 November 2017
Sputnik Planitia is a gigantic, ice-covered area, one thousand kilometres across. This large, pale basin makes up one half of the famous ‘heart’ shape on Pluto’s surface. Despite its size, the Sputnik Planitia was discovered recently, and it only got its name this year!
By David Shaw, 23 October 2017
Written by Mike McRae An animal that smells of popcorn sounds more like a creature from a fairy tale than from reality. But the bearcat, found in Southeast Asia, is a real-life fantastic beast known for its unusual popcorn scent. The source of its smell, though, is hardly appetising.
By David Shaw, 5 October 2017
How do you imagine time? Is it a road, with the future fading off into the distance? Or is it an ocean, slowly draining as we spend our precious seconds? Surprisingly, the way you imagine time might affect the way you experience it!
By David Shaw, 19 September 2017
The rocks beneath your feet tell an amazing story. Back when dinosaurs roamed the land, all the continents of Earth were joined together in a supercontinent we call Pangaea. But it wasn’t to last. About 180 million years ago, Pangaea started to split apart – first into two, and then into smaller and smaller pieces.
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