Not all birds have eyes on the sides of their heads – but even those that do can see straight in front of them.
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We are in the Milky Way. If you travelled on an extremely fast spaceship for more than two million years, you would reach our neighbour, the Andromeda galaxy. All other galaxies are even further away.
Scientists were not sure if an adult butterfly could remember things it learned as a caterpillar. Then a study by a team of US scientists found something very interesting.
Waves lap against the shore on the south coast of England and the North coast of France – but the answer to this puzzle is in the wind and the land, not the waves themselves.
The only sea creature known to attack blue whales is the orca, also known as a ‘killer whale’. But humans present a much bigger threat to them.
It’s not just Earth: everything in the universe has it’s own pull because of gravity – even you. Here’s how it works.
Tonsil tissue is particularly important in the first six months of life. After this, our lymph glands take over most of the work and the tonsils are essentially out of a job.
We know of about 900 valid dinosaur species that existed. ‘Valid’ means scientists know the dinosaur from enough of the skeleton bones to feel pretty sure that it differs from other known dinosaurs.
Put simply, it’s the outcome of a chemical reaction, which humans learned how to make some 400,000 years ago.
Plastic bags are commonly mistaken for food by sea animals. They require a lot of energy and resources to be made, and have caused floods in some countries.
Even if mermaids aren’t real, they’ll likely feature in human stories for many years to come. Very few mythical creatures are found in so many diverse cultures, across so many years without changing.
You have to be smart and fast to be a fighter pilot – but perhaps the most surprising challenge is the clothes you have to wear.
SIM cards link accounts to handsets. They keep communications private. They store messages. Although small and simple, they are a big part of modern mobile phone systems.
When magma rises towards the surface gas bubbles start to form. Whether or not they can escape as the magma is rising affects how explosive the eruption will be.
Even a small cloud can weigh as much as four tonnes – but gravity, chemistry and temperature keep them floating in the sky.
If the insect wants to stay right in front of your nose, it must fly forwards just a little bit when the car is speeding up. But when the car is at constant speed, it only needs to hover.
Both male and female birds sing to impress other birds, but as well as that, they do it for pleasure!
The loud noise might be a warning that there is something falling nearby, or flying towards you. Our brain tells our eyes to quickly shut, to help protect them from any damage.
Many people think green snot means you are really sick, or that you need antibiotics. Not true. Green snot is actually a sign that our immune system is working and that we are getting better.
The pull created by a black hole is so strong that if you get too close to one – even if you are travelling away from it at the fastest speed it is possible to go – you will never be able escape.
Top contributors
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Reader in Astrophysics, Keele University
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Associate Professor of Science & Medicine, Bond University
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PhD Candidate, University of Southern Queensland
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Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland
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Researcher, The University of Melbourne
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Professor, Macquarie University
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Senior Teaching Fellow, Medical Program, Bond University
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Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide
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Lecturer, University of Southern Queensland
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Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology
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Associate Professor, Philosophy of Science, The University of Melbourne
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Professor of Astronomy, UMass Lowell
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Senior Lecturer in Physics, University of New England
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Honorary Associate Professor, UNSW Sydney
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PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland
