Science Illustrated Nov/Dec issue on sale November 17
Wind power: It’s plentiful, accessible and gentle on the environment, but challenges still remain for this renewable energy source. We take a look at this growing industry and where it might go in…
Backyard bugs: Meet the Blue Banded Bee
For a long time people thought that blue banded bees were only attracted to blue and purple flowers. While it is true that they have a particular fondness for blue things (and not…
Ask Us: What gives bird feathers their colours?
Birds can see a larger spectrum of colours than most of us, and they flaunt a variety of eye-catching plumage. Pigments called melanins, carotenoids and porphyrins made in the bird’s skin produce most…
Maggot factory offers hope against flesh-eating parasites
A factory in the southeastern Mexican city of Tuxtla Gutierrez is hard at work churning out an unusual product: bugs.
Outback race for the Square Kilometre Array telescope
Following a career that has included stints at NASA and the European Southern Observatory, Dr Peter Quinn now has a brief to bring Australia the most exciting new space project of the new…
Desert beetle aids breakthrough in water collection
Inspired by the biological structure of the desert-dwelling Stenocara beetle, University of Sydney researcher Dr Chiara Neto’s groundbreaking water collection technology could soon bring relief to drought-stricken areas.
Ask Us: How do scientists see atoms?
With high-powered microscopes. Most of our early knowledge of atomic structure was based on indirect experimental observations, but in 1955, Erwin Muller and Kanwar Bahadur of Penn State University in the US imaged…
Bacteria can squeeze through small spaces
Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, two common microbes, move easily through passages just 30 per cent wider than themselves, say researchers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
Giant buoy will research life in the seas
With 30 of its 50 metres below water, French marine architect Jacques Rougerie’s SeaOrbiter lab will allow scientists to observe underwater life 24 hours a day for months at a time and provide…
New spider species has biggest females
Golden silk orb spiders are known for their large size and fantastic webs. Nephila komaci, the newest member of the group, is the biggest yet.
