Breeds with exaggerated features include the Scottish fold. Andrey Tairov/Shutterstock For decades, humans have been selectively breeding cats and dogs to exhibit exaggerated features – particularly in their faces. When it comes to cats, the very flat, round faces of the modern Persian and Exotic Shorthair are classic examples. TheseContinue Reading
Breeds with exaggerated features include the Scottish fold. Andrey Tairov/Shutterstock For decades, humans have been selectively breeding cats and dogs to exhibit exaggerated features – particularly in their faces. When it comes to cats, the very flat, round faces of the modern Persian and Exotic Shorthair are classic examples. TheseContinue Reading
Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Could someone become a superhero in real life? – Emma, aged six, Tonbridge, UK Do you know the difference between these two groups of superheroes? Dr Strange, Scarlet Witch, Superman. Black Panther, Black Widow, Iron Man. The answer is that the superheroes in the first group all have personalContinue Reading
Parkes radio telescope. CSIRO/wikipedia, CC BY-SA The US$100m (£70m) Breakthrough Listen Initiative, funded by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, has identified a mysterious radio signal that seems to come from the nearest star to the Sun – Proxima Centauri. This has generated a flood of excitement in the press and amongContinue Reading
NASA's James Webb telescope mirror undergoing cryogenic testing. Ball Aerospace/Flickr, CC BY-SA Space exploration achieved several notable firsts in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, including commercial human spaceflight and returning samples of an asteroid to Earth. The coming year is shaping up to be just as interesting. Here are someContinue Reading
It's time to snap out of bad habits. Jolygon/Shutterstock, CC BY-SA There’s no doubt that 2020 was difficult for everyone and tragic for many. But now vaccines against COVID-19 are finally being administered – giving a much needed hope of a return to normality and a happy 2021. However, monthsContinue Reading
h In football, free kicks occur when the referee believes a rule has been broken. If central enough and within 30 metres from the goal, the attacking team typically attempts a direct shot on goal. However, the goalkeeper routinely places a “wall” of defensive players in between the ball andContinue Reading
Jackie Niam/Shutterstock The world population is estimated to reach 9.5 billion by 2050. Given that most of our current energy is generated from fossil fuels, this creates significant challenges when it comes to providing enough sustainable electricity while mitigating climate change. One idea that has gained traction over recent yearsContinue Reading
Shutterstock/DmitryKalinovsky These days almost everyone has either flown a drone or listened to the nasty whining sound they produce. Although small drones (up to 20kg) are about 40 decibels quieter than conventional civil aircraft, they produce a high pitched noise – which people tend to find very annoying. One NasaContinue Reading
There's a lot of matter in the universe, here the cat paw nebula of dust and gas. NASA It’s one of the greatest puzzles in physics. All the particles that make up the matter around us, such electrons and protons, have antimatter versions which are nearly identical, but with mirroredContinue Reading
