Your vaccines are ready – how they did it in under a year
More than 180 different COVID-19 vaccines were in the initial pipeline – and the majority of them can be placed in one of four vaccine categories. One is a classic. Two are comparatively…
Why do our eyes water when we chop up onions?
Onions emit a sulphur-containing gas when they are chopped. The gas irritates the cells of the eye, which react by producing tears that are intended to clear away the substance. In ordinary onions,…
This prehistoric croc was faster on two legs, despite having flat feet
Scientists have found evidence that crocodile ancestors walked on their hind legs – like a Tyrannosaurus rex. Modern crocodiles crawl forwards with four legs all to the sides, but 120 million years ago,…
Aussie lungfish has largest animal genome known to science
Scientists are teasing out the secrets that place the Australian lungfish near a critical moment of evolution. A team of researchers at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna has sequenced…
New issue out now! Quasars, anxiety, underwater killers, quantum computers and the Doomsday Glacier…
Issue #80 of Australian Science Illustrated publishes today! Learn about the cosmic storms generated by quasars, the world-changing ways of quantum computers, the promising future of wave energy, the frightening hunting methods of…
Superdeep diamonds reveal the limits of carbon-based life
For the first time, analyses of diamonds have demonstrated how deeply life leaves its mark inside the Earth. All life on Earth is part of the carbon cycle. Plants and animals are made…
Look to the skies: rare chance to see candidate for Star of Bethlehem?
Right on the solstice, a ‘great conjunction’ of Jupiter and Saturn will occur when the two planets converge shortly after sunset Australia time tonight, Monday 21 December. They will appear almost as one…
Aussie Anne Abbott wins John Maddox Prize for ‘Standing up for Science’
While the main John Maddox Prize for 2020 goes to Anthony Fauci and Salim Abdool Karim for their communication of evidence during the Covid-19 pandemic, the judges have again this year chosen to…
Is Rudolph’s nose really red?
Reindeer do have red noses, due to a high concentration of red blood cells. The four-legged animals have at least 25% more blood cells in their noses than humans. While this may have…
Lorikeets rule as 4.6 million birds are counted in 7 days
The 2020 Aussie Backyard Bird Count achieves a record response for citizen-based science. Unprecedented numbers of people across Australia took part in BirdLife Australia’s popular 2020 Aussie Backyard Bird Count, which ran from…
