Can you believe it? It’s more safe to ride a bicycle without a helmet. So says a man named Bill. And a judge. But what does the science say? We’ll get to that in a second. But first a rant. The recent debate in Australia about the benefits of wearing helmets while bike riding is [...]
Author Archive
Aug
19
It’s round 2 for the Japanese falcon
New Scientist Reports: A new-and-improved successor to the troubled Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa – which finally returned a capsule to Earth earlier this year – could launch as soon as 2014. Hayabusa 2 would then be expected to return in 2020, bearing clues to the origin of life on Earth. Last week, the Japan Aerospace Exploration [...]
Aug
17
Humans butchered horned turtles to extinction
New Scientist reports The giant horned turtles of the Pacific became extinct later than we thought – and we were to blame. The half-tonne meiolaniid turtles were thought to have died out 30 to 40,000 years ago. With no signs of human interference, climate change was blamed. Now butchered turtle remains have been found in [...]
Aug
4
Can fish feel pain?
I’ve always figured that all animals – big, small, ugly – could feel pain. It made sense that every creature should be able to detect some horrible stimuli in order to quickly move away from it. Whilst this feeling of “pain” may not be as complex as the human experience, it’s still pain – isn’t [...]
Jul
31
Skippy’s ancestors enjoyed burritos
The world’s marsupials – including Australia’s iconic kangaroos, wallabies, Tasmanian devils – all originated in what was once South America.
So says Maria Nilsson at the University of Munster in Germany in a paper published this week in PLoS Biology.
Jul
21
If mum is stressed, male fetuses ignore them
New Scientist reports: Male fetuses ignore their mothers’ response to stress – unlike females, which are very sensitive to it. The finding could lead to better treatments for male fetuses at risk of premature birth. It is known that when a pregnant woman produces the stress hormone cortisol, it can cross the placenta. But it [...]
Jul
1
Do “black” people absorb more heat than “white” people?
It was a beautiful day – blue sky, sun shining – but I wasn’t fooled. It was Melbourne in the Spring, and I knew there would be an icy breeze. I put on a jumper, coat and scarf, and headed out to meet a friend. When I reached the cafe, I saw her basking in [...]
Jun
3
Sea levels rise, Pacific Islands grow
New Scientist reports: AGAINST all the odds, a number of shape-shifting islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean are standing up to the effects of climate change. For years, people have warned that the smallest nations on the planet – island states that barely rise out of the ocean – face being wiped off [...]