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Written by Sarah Kellett In the warm tropical ocean around the Great Barrier Reef, the lionfish hunts. Venomous fins fan out to trap a school of smaller fish. The little fish look for an escape. But this lionfish is not hunting alone.

Written by Celia Berrell A one-kilometre single thread each silkworm spins as a cocoon bed. That protein-filled strand, untangled and long, makes fine-woven fabrics so light, yet strong. Surgery too has discovered silk’s riches. Incredibly thin for dissolvable stitches.

Written by Sarah Kellett On Saturn’s largest moon, the hills are named after hobbits and elves, and the lakes after lakes on Earth. Titan is, in many ways, the most Earth-like world we’ve ever found.

Written by Sarah Kellett Humans produce a lot of waste, from flushing toilets to mining metals, like the copper in electrical wires that power computers, phones and tablets. To clean up our act, a new way to purify contaminated wastewater from mines has been developed by CSIRO scientists.

Written by Sarah Kellett A whispering gallery of light has made the world’s most sensitive thermometer yet.

Written by Sarah Kellett The first pterosaur eggs that were preserved in three dimensions have been found in China, giving us a glimpse into the lives of flying reptiles.

Written by Sarah Kellett Cross-species communication between citrus plants, bacteria, jumping plant lice and wasps begins with a fresh, minty smell.

Written by Sarah Kellett The eyes have it. Bright, colourful butterflies and birds easily catch our attention. But to visualise bacteria, we need to get creative, and combine art and science.

This Sunday, 18 May 2014, is International Museum Day. To celebrate, we’re taking a look at the Australian National Biological Collections managed by CSIRO, which are being unlocked for digital access by community.

Written by Sarah Kellett Our Sun has a neighbour, and it’s as cold as the North Pole. An invisible brown dwarf has been found a mere 7.2 light years away, by space telescopes searching in the infrared.