Mathematics
Mars rover’s parachute carried secret message
spaceThe huge parachute used by NASA’s Perseverance rover to land on Mars contained a secret message in binary code, thanks to a crossword lover on the spacecraft team having fun
COVID maths: All the world’s virus in a drink can
mathematicsAll the COVID-19-causing virus in the world right now could easily fit inside a single soft drink can, according to a fascinating calculation by a mathematician
More girls to become STEM stars of the future
scienceDespite still being outnumbered by males, more girls and women are starting careers in science than ever before, now making up 42.6 per cent of the workforce in STEM areas
Latest
Friends first for young Aussies in Kids News survey
Aussie kids are most looking forward to spending time with their friends this year after an interrupted 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the results of a survey by Kids News
New height agreed for Mount Everest
China and Nepal jointly announced a new and slightly higher official height of 8848.86m for Mount Everest on Tuesday, ending a disagreement between the two nations
Dogs then cats top list of favourite pets
Australians love pets and our favourite pets are definitely dogs, according to the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, which, for the first time, asked us about animals
All aboard Emily, the big jet to nowhere
The Great Southern Land scenic flight is thought to be the fastest-selling flight in Qantas history, giving passengers a birds-eye view of Australia then delivering them back to where the flight began
Alligator-squeak research wins big science prize
Scientists have won an international prize for research intended to make you laugh — and then think — for testing whether an alligator that breathes in helium squeaks like Minnie Mouse
T-rex maybe not so mighty after all
An international team of scientists — led by a palaeontologist at the University of New England in New South Wales — have re-examined 100 years of dinosaur research to look afresh at T-rex
Human-sized wormholes are possible
Scientists have used quantum mechanics and maths to show that gateways connecting two points in space and time and big enough and stable enough for human travel are theoretically possible
Aussie giraffe takes world height record
After a tricky time measuring him, a 12-year-old giraffe called Forest – who lives at Australia Zoo in Queensland – has been confirmed as the world’s tallest giraffe, standing at 5.7m
Old video game sells for $164,000
A 35-year-old Super Mario Bros. video game has been sold for more than $164,000, but the very high price still doesn’t beat the recent sale of an expensive Star Wars Boba Fett action figure
36 alien races could live in Milky Way
Astronomers now believe there are 36 advanced alien civilisations living in the Milky Way and able to send radio signals, assuming that intelligent life on other planets is similar to humans
Big asteroids zooming ‘close’ by Earth
Four asteroids have zoomed past Earth this week at 80,000kmh, one thought to be about 44m wide. NASA had put them all on its ‘close approach’ list, but there’s no risk they’ll crash into us
Climbers to remeasure height of Everest
A team of climbers is on its way to summit Mount Everest this week to measure whether it has grown as Earth’s tectonic plates move and try to end international disagreement on the subject
Human urine could help make concrete on Moon
Scientists have found that urea, the main chemical ingredient in urine, would make a good lunar concrete for building a Moon base, reducing the need to launch supplies from Earth
Home learning enough to make parents scream
In his weekly series, award-winning cartoonist Mark Knight explores how parents are coping — or not — with the need to support their children’s education from home
What and where is the equator?
Parachutists have set a world record for crossing the equator 12 times in a single jump, which got us wondering what the equator is, where it is and why do they launch space rockets there?
Hi-tech masked owl fights money fakers
Australia’s new $100 note has been unveiled, featuring a little owl that makes it almost impossible to counterfeit. It’s the final denomination of the Next Generation Banknote Program
What is a leap year? Why is there one this year?
There is a February 29 on this year’s calendar. We explain why and what it has to do with the Sun, the Earth and a calendar created way back in 1582
Celebrating once-in-a-lifetime palindrome day
When the calendar clicked over to 02/02/2020 on Sunday, few people realised it was a universal palindrome, a momentous date that hasn’t happened since 11/11/1111
Five and 10 cent coins to ‘die naturally’
The head of the Royal Australian Mint has signalled the eventual end of the 5c and 10c coins. We look at the value of cash and when it could be the right time to let these coins go
Can you crack the 30-year-old code?
The final clue to a coded message on a sculpture outside the US spy agency’s HQ unveiled 30 years ago has been revealed by the code’s creator
What we searched for on Google 2010-2020
This year’s bushfires prompted a bigger spike in Australian Google search queries than any other news event this decade, with floods and Cyclone Yasi also making the top-topics list
NASA’s totally unexpected Sun surprise
NASA’s Parker spacecraft has reported back that the Sun is sending out sudden, violent bursts of solar wind so powerful that the magnetic field flips itself in the opposite direction
World map of most common last names
A fascinating new map has plotted out the most common surnames in every country in the world. Can you guess the most common last name in Australia?
Matildas and Socceroos to get equal pay
In what’s believed to be a world-first deal, Australia’s two national soccer teams will be paid equally and all income from both teams will be split 50/50
Tiny computer makes quantum leap
Google has achieved a breakthrough in quantum computing, developing a processor that took minutes to do what would take the world’s best supercomputer thousands of years
Little mistakes could make you big money
Check your change and empty your money box! You may be the owner of coins that contain minting mistakes or imperfections that makes them worth thousands of dollars
Quick steps for world’s fastest ant
Scientists have found the fastest ant in the world — the Saharan silver — which takes 47 steps a second to cover about 90cm, the equivalent of a human running 579kmh
First-ever diamond inside a diamond
Miners have unearthed an ultra-rare diamond with a second diamond loose inside it, believed to be the first example of such a diamond ever found
Secret code hidden in new 50 cent coin
The Royal Australian Mint has made history after releasing the first Australian coin featuring a secret code. The new 50 cent coin has been launched to mark the 70th anniversary of ASIO
Girl wins big as 1 billionth plane passenger
A 10-year-old Australian girl has been met from her flight by crowds and an orchestra after becoming the one billionth passenger at Sydney Airport, which turns 100 this year.
Human-sized extinct penguin found
A citizen scientist has found fossilised bones from an extinct penguin that was the size of an adult human and swam in the ocean around New Zealand about 60 million years ago
Space telescope spies massive storm on Jupiter
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has taken an amazing new photo of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, a massive storm wider than the Earth, with furious winds reaching speeds of up to 684kmh
Australia’s world-record big gold coin on show in US
The largest coin ever created, with a denomination of $1 million and worth about $60 million, travelled from its home in Australia to take centre stage for one day at the New York Stock Exchange
World’s best Rubik’s cubers ready to set records
Australia’s champion speedcubers are warming up their fingers and concentrating their minds to take on the rest of the world for the World Rubik’s Cube Championships, July 11-14
Huge freshwater aquifer discovered below ocean
Scientists have discovered a lake under the ocean holding enough freshwater to fill 1 billion swimming pools, believed to be the biggest known undersea freshwater aquifer on Earth
Lost wallet study finds people care about others
Researchers “lost” 17,000 wallets across 355 cities in 40 countries in a social experiment that showed people are more likely to return it if it contains money
All you need to know about hair
The longest arm hair ever recorded was 21.7cm, but that’s not the norm. Though human head hair keeps growing, human body hair doesn’t. We look at how and why there’s a difference
Antarctica’s emperor penguins go missing
Scientists thought Antarctica’s Halley Bay would be a refuge from global warming for emperor penguins, but many breeding pairs are already missing
Australia’s rebel time zone
Look at the clocks in the roadhouses along a remote, 340km section of the highway through the Nullarbor and you’ll see they don’t match anyone’s smartphone time
World’s biggest T-rex unearthed
A massive, fierce dinosaur nicknamed Scotty has been dug from sandstone. Its leg bones are so big it is thought to have weighed 8800kg when it roamed the Earth
Daylight saving on way out
As Australians in four states grope around in the darkness of the last daylight saving mornings of the season, Europe has voted to cancel this clock-changing practice
Bees know how to do basic maths
An Australian study has found that despite having tiny brains, bees can learn to add and subtract
How we tell the time just got more accurate
Since the 1960s, the Earth’s time has run on 400 official clocks that we all use every day without even realising it. But a new kind of almost-perfect clock could change everything
Definition of a kilogram about to change
Since 1889 we have weighed everything against a little cylinder of metal locked in a vault in France. Now, the world is about to agree to completely change the way it defines a kilogram
Good at maths equals good with money
Maths and money go hand in hand. Westpac research shows almost all adults believe learning maths is important in helping Aussies be smarter with their money
Hypersonic jet to fly New York-London in two hours
Hypersonic jets that travel five times faster than the speed of sound could be taking passengers by 2030
People power builds Australia’s electric highway
Tired of waiting for the government, electric-car owners of Australia have united to build a massive “electric highway” of charging stations right around the country
Kids growing wiser at saving money
New research shows children are becoming wiser at saving their pocket money with almost a third of the cash being stashed away
Fastest Rubik’s cube solve ever
Melbourne student Feliks Zemdegs is the fastest human ever to solve a Rubik’s cube. He took 4.22 seconds. How fast are you?
Lego Titanic docks in top musuem
Autistic teen’s Lego Titanic replica finds a permanent home in top US museum honouring the doomed ocean liner
This 6-year-old boy earns $14 million
While most six-year-olds are busy playing dress-ups and watching cartoons, one kindergarten boy is raking in millions and millions of dollars by simply reviewing toys online.
Angus’ sweet eye for business
Grade two entrepreneur Angus Walters is seeing his kooky Croc Candy being snapped up around the Northern Territory
Going cashless at hi-tech tuck shops
Canteens are going cashless in schools across Australia as technology changes the way we interact with money
Teacher a Wootube sensation
Sydney mathematics teacher Eddie Woo’s YouTube channel was made for one student. Now it has more than 100,000 subscribers. VIDEO
Student’s winning spinning formula
A year 8 Tintern Grammar student’s fidget spinner project has impressed national Maths Talent Quest judges
New iPhone turns your face into an emoji
Apple has unveiled three new iPhones at an event in Cupertino, California. VIDEO
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