CSIRO Opens a Flexible Solar Panel Printing Facility
November 2024 saw the opening of CSIRO’s new facility that prints solar panels. The Printed Photovoltaic Facility is in Clayton, Victoria, and cost $6.8 million. With this new infrastructure, CSIRO aims to create new industry opportunities and meet the growing demand for renewable energy.
Majority of Earth’s Meteorites Linked to Three Asteroid Families
An international team of scientists from France, Germany, and the Czech Republic discovered last October that the majority of Earth’s meteorites originate from just three asteroid families in the main asteroid belt. This finding has solved a decades-old mystery about the origins of meteorites.
What Happens When Tropical Cyclones Collide? Scientists Investigate Rare Phenomenon
Last December, two German marine scientists published a groundbreaking study on the merger of Tropical Cyclones Seroja and Odette in the Indian Ocean, which resulted in an unexpected cooling effect on ocean temperatures. This rare event demonstrated that even relatively weak tropical cyclones can significantly alter ocean conditions, potentially reshaping climate forecasting.
Greenland’s Ice Sheet Melting Faster, Raising Sea Level Risks
Scientists at Northumbria University in the UK have confirmed that Greenland’s ice sheet is melting at an alarming rate, with ice loss accelerating fivefold over the past thirteen years. Their research, published last December, used the first joint satellite measurements to track ice thinning, revealing serious implications for rising global sea levels.
World’s Oldest Alphabet Unearthed in Syria: A Groundbreaking Rewrite of History
Last November, an international team of archaeologists discovered the world’s oldest alphabet on a 4,400-year-old clay cylinder in a Syrian tomb. The find, dating to the Early Bronze Age, reshaping the history of written language as it predates all known alphabetic scripts by five centuries.
Turkana Basin Fossil Footprints Transform Understanding of Hominin Coexistence
Last November, an international team of archaeologists discovered 1.5 million year old fossilised footprints of Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei in Kenya’s Turkana Basin. While previous studies suggested that ancient hominin species lived in parts of Africa at the same time, definitive evidence of coexistence had been lacking – until now.
Earthlings, Pack Your Bags: Mars is Calling!
As SpaceX’s Starship achieves successful test flights late last year and NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers uncover vital resources like water ice throughout the year, the dream of making Mars habitable is no longer science fiction. However, as debates about Earth’s pressing challenges and the costs of space exploration grow, the question arises: Should we embark on this journey? Mars colonisation is an inspiring step forward, one that has the potential to benefit humanity in countless ways. Here’s why.
The Aquaman of Lizards: The Scuba-Diving Lizards of Costa Rica
In the streams of Costa Rica, a water anole (Anolis aquaticus) – a semi-aquatic lizard – has evolved a way to breathe underwater, using an air bubble around its nostrils, to escape predators. This fascinating discovery, confirmed by researchers at Binghamton University in 2021, sheds light on the significance of this adaptation.
Spider-Man Tech Becomes Reality: Scientists Create Working Web Shooter
Last year, scientists at Tufts University, in Boston, USA developed a Spider-Man-inspired web shooter capable of transforming liquid silk into sticky fibres. This remarkable innovation recreates the web slinging technology once confined to the realm of comic books.
AI is Not an Effective Teaching Method
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not the right way that students should receive their crucial education. Here are the facts to prove it.