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Written by Alice Ryder Actors in Christmas nativity plays take note – the three wise men may come up one present short for baby Jesus this year, because the world’s supply of frankincense is in danger.

Dogs chase cats – it’s one of the facts of life. However, what seems to be true in the backyard might not be the case in the Australian bush.

Citizen science is on the rise. More and more, amateurs, or ‘citizen scientists’ are given opportunities to help scientists.

It’s a small molecule, made of oxygen and hydrogen atoms in a V-shape. It’s colourless, odourless and expands when it freezes into a solid. It’s water, and without it, we wouldn’t be here.

These mimic activities are about memory. To do them well, you need to remember exactly what you saw. Your brain makes memories in a few stages. Sensory memory describes what happens when you briefly see an object. It lasts just a split second, however.

Written by Sarah Kellett That’s not paint: this is how the rainbow gum, Eucalyptus deglupta, really looks. Sweeping down the trunks of these trees are streaks of red, green and purple.

It looks something like beef. It tastes something like beef. It’s made from cow cells, but no animal will die in the making of this beef patty. Biologist Mark Post, from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, plans to eat a lab‑engineered beef burger while appearing on television later this year.

About 70% of the world’s surface is covered by ocean. You don’t even need to live near the coast to be affected by the sea. The sea is an important source of food, its currents influence climate systems and a significant amount of the oxygen we breathe comes from phytoplankton in the ocean.