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Why does information travel 'faster' down fibre optic cable than copper wire? 28 comments

Spectroscopy lets scientists identify silicon dust in the clouds of gas giant planets like HD 209458b located 150 light-years away. How do astronomers use light to study stars and planets?

I often hear scientists talking about using 'spectroscopy' to study distant stars. How does it work and what can you really tell about an object by the light it gives off? 2 commentsArticle has photo slideshow










Can acid rain go through anything? Why? How? 0 comments

The Southern Cross is upright in May/June but it changes position throughout the year. By late August it will look like this in the early evening, and in December it will be upside down. Can you see the Southern Cross in the Northern Hemisphere?

How far north of the equator can you see the Southern Cross group of stars? 10 comments


Was the tornado at Lennox Head on the New South Wales far-north coast a freak event? 11 commentsArticle has videoArticle has photo slideshow

Winter challenge: Should you use cold or hot air to clear a foggy windscreen?What's the best way to clear a foggy windscreen?

Why does cold air from the air-conditioner demist a car's windscreen on a wet day faster than warm air from the car's heater? 28 comments

Can animals predict the weather?

Is it possible that animals might be able to predict when a change is the weather is coming? 13 comments


Some time ago there were exciting reports of an oil-eating bacterium that would solve the ecological damage caused by spillage. Why haven't they been used in the Gulf of Mexico? 8 commentsArticle has videoArticle has photo slideshow


I heard that pigs share 98 per cent of human genes. Is this correct? 4 comments

The Eyjafjallajokull volcano is located under a glacier in the south of Iceland.How big was the Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption?

How does the eruption of the Iceland volcano Eyjafjallajokull compare to other volcanic eruptions in human history? 20 commentsArticle has audioArticle has photo slideshow

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