The parts of the brain that get ‘smell signals’ from the nose also do other things, such as storing memories or provoking emotions. That is why some smells can bring back old memories.
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Every human carries an instruction booklet with a very special code, called DNA. Our eyes cannot read the code, but our bodies can. The code tells our body what to do and how to look.
Are there stars other than the Sun that might explode soon close to us? Yes, there are! As long as by ‘soon’ we mean within a million years.
There are lots of places where it’s much, much hotter than the Sun. And the amazing thing is that this heat also makes new atoms - tiny particles that have made their way long ago from stars to us.
Dropping leaves might seem like a waste, but plants are actually saving nutrients.
Like reptiles, birds do not have two separate exits from the body. They have one, called the cloaca. It is quite similar to the human anus but the cloaca expels both indigestible bits and toxins.
Bush flies and blowflies all vomit on their food, but other flies are a little more polite at the dinner table and don’t vomit at all.
Just like a mobile phone, your body needs to be recharged every day. You need to eat food and drink water every day to keep your body going. Some foods are better than others at helping you stay well.
Don’t try this at home, kids.
Dog skin is exactly the same as yours and mine! It changes colour depending on how much light it’s exposed to.
Having looked after chickens for generations, humans are pretty good at getting them to keep on laying eggs.
Secondary radar is an important tool in the control of aircraft traffic, and helps make air travel safe. It was developed during dangerous times.
There was once a chicken called Miracle Mike who lived for 18 months without a head: it’s all to do with nerves.
It was a rocky beginning for English spelling. Then things got worse.
These school holidays, check out the podcast Imagine This, a co-production between ABC KIDS listen and The Conversation. And comb through our Curious Kids series.
Your field of view is how much you can see without turning your head. When things are closer to us, they take up more of our field of view, which makes them look bigger.
Are you dreaming that you’re awake or are you living in a computer simulation? There might be no way to be sure.
Clouds formed by rising warm air currents are called ‘convection clouds’. Because of all the rising air coming up, these clouds can be bumpy on top, sometimes looking like cotton wool or cauliflower.
Our brain cells do look a lot like a map of the universe – but that doesn’t mean they’re the same thing.
We don’t control our heart – it’s an involuntary muscle – but special pacemaker cells help keep it ticking away.
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Reader in Astrophysics, Keele University
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Associate Professor of Science & Medicine, Bond University
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Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland
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Professor, Macquarie University
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Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide
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PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland
