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Jumping bug Activity

by David Shaw, 22 July 2021 | 0 comments

Twisted blue and white wire.

This simple toy is made from a few paperclips and can jump high into the air. Time to get bending!

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Can’t find your apple? Your brain’s to blame News

by David Shaw, 29 October 2020 | 2 comments

Image of a chi looking at food on a bench.

By Krishitha Gopalakrishnan Have you noticed how you always seem to remember where you hid that chocolate bar but that apple you thought you’d packed for school suddenly seems to have disappeared? Don’t worry, it’s in our genes! It turns out that humans are better at recalling where junk food is.

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All things space – a quick quiz Quiz

by David Shaw, 1 February 2019 | 4 comments

Black lightning bolt in purple circle

Written by Elvina Lee As they say in Star Trek, “Space: the final frontier”. How well do you know this big beyond? This week’s quiz will test your familiarity with all things space. If you’re after more fun science for kids, subscribe to Double Helix magazine!  

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Absolute zero is absolutely impossible! News

by David Shaw, 31 January 2018 | 0 comments

Photo of a thermemeter in the scortching sun with a reading of above 100 degrees farenheit.

What’s the coldest thing in the universe? You may have heard of absolute zero, the coldest temperature possible. But a clever bit of mathematics has shown it might not be possible after all!

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Kirigami steers solar panels News

by David Shaw, 15 December 2015 | 1 comments

A solar panel cut into a lattice shape.

When you’re installing solar panels, it’s important to point them at the Sun. But the Sun isn’t always in the same place – it moves across the sky over the course of a day. If you can aim the panels towards the Sun as it moves, they can produce up to 40 per cent more power…

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Star power on Earth News

by David Shaw, 8 August 2014 | 1 comments

Plama research facility

Written by Sarah Kellett Can we power our homes with the process that powers stars? Nuclear fusion offers to do just that, and scientists are looking for ways to harness this energy with experiments that run hotter than the Sun.

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Elec-TREE-city News

by Sarah, 21 March 2014 | 0 comments

Pierre Vivant's sculpture, Traffic Light Tree in the Docklands, London

Written by Neha Karl Plants are a gift of nature. They provide food to eat, release oxygen into the air we breathe, and make our world a whole lot greener. And soon, they could be a supercharged source of energy! Just as plants grow and develop, so does technology.

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Powered by the sea News

by Pat, 7 June 2013 | 0 comments

Waves breaking on the shore.

It’s hard not to be impressed by the power of the ocean. The thunderous crash of waves during a storm and more gentle movements of the tides have captured many people’s imaginations. But the power of the ocean is not just poetic – it could literally be used to provide electricity.

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Solar spiral optimises power News

by David Shaw, 14 August 2012 | 0 comments

Sunflower

Imagine a flat spiral, similar to a snail’s shell, coming closer and closer to a point. Now imagine more spiral lines, all centred on the same point. This shape looks like the clouds over a cyclone, or a whirling galaxy.

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