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Bushfires are destructive and dangerous. They can be fickle, but scientists are developing ways to predict their behaviour. This activity shows you one way that a scientist might think about bushfires.

With dry conditions and high temperatures, the risk of bushfires increases over the Australian summer. But while the destructive nature of fire cannot be denied, fire still plays an important role in some ecosystems.

Written by Sarah Kellett Bottles of champagne may send corks sky high, but spacecraft take cork as far as Mars. Their success depends on it. Cork reached new heights as part of the protective aeroshell that insulated the Mars rovers Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity from the intense heat of entering the Martian atmosphere.

Welcome to Double Helix magazine’s Q&A section – Microscope. We take a close look at small questions full of big ideas. Q: I want to know which is hotter, fire or lava? Or are they both the same?

Strike a match. It lights thanks to phosphorus. This element doesn’t just have fiery applications – it’s important for life itself.

Last week in Science by Email we looked at the heatwave that has affected much of Australia. In this country, where heatwaves go, bushfires often follow.

In Australia, the year is off to a sizzling start. Much of the continent has been sweltering under a record-breaking heatwave. Let’s look at what’s causing these extreme temperatures.