STONEHENGE - MYSTERY OF THE STONES
|
 |
It is one of the world’s best known ancient monuments, yet Stonehenge remains largely a riddle - but one that the first archaeological dig in 40 years sought to solve. Plus, read why astrophysicist Stephen Hawking believes we need a new space race, how our major ailments - from hernias to hiccups – can be blamed on our evolution from fish, what Rodney Brooks - Australia's wild child of robotics - is doing next, and how parallel universes may be leaking into ours.
REVENGE OF THE INNER FISH
You can blame many illnesses and frailties we humans suffer - from hiccups and hernias to shonky knees - to the simple fact that we evolved from fish, says Neil Shubin.
THE FINAL FRONTIER
Humanity must rekindle the excitement of the space race era and commit to exploring space if we are to ensure our survival as a species, argues Stephen Hawking. But what can we expect to encounter, and where can we set up the outposts of civilization?
COSMIC COLLISIONS
Parallel universes were once thought little more than theoretical curiosities. But, as Diana Steele discovers, scientists are starting to suspect that, not only may we be able to detect them, they might occasionally collide with our own universe.
THE POPULATION BOMB
A population the size of Germany’s is being added to the Earth each year - the equivalent of one new city born every day. Can our planet take the strain, asks Robin McKie.
SCRATCHING THE SURFACE
Tormenting, all-consuming itchiness has always been just beyond the reach of understanding. Early studies hinted that itchiness was merely pain’s little brother, but Laura Sanders finds out that the latest research weaves a very different path.
I, RODNEY
From backyard tinkering as a child in Adelaide, Rodney Brooks went on to revolutionise robotics, challenging gospel truths in the field and bringing robots to homes of millions. Helen Pitt meets the charming bad boy of artificial intelligence.
We are living in a material world - one that could soon be made from smart biomaterials, if Sally Gras has anything to say about it.
The latest happenings in science.
Sirenomelia is a rare developmental condition causing some children to be born with their legs fused from hip to heel forming a fish-like tail. Named after the Sirens in The Odyssey, it occurs in 1 in every 70,000 births.
The archerfish is famous for its ability to piece together a large number of variables to accurately hit a moving target.
Like discovering a new planet, the invention of the light microscope unveiled a whole new world, a miniscule landscape full of life and structures never before seen. The beauty and complexity of this world continues to be explored and captured most brilliantly in photomicrography: the art of imaging via the microscope. We bring you some of our favourites from the 2008 Nikon International Small World Competition.
When cod fishing collapsed on ‘the Rock’, inhabitants of the remote outpost of Canada turned to their other resource: their rich natural history. Peter Calamai explores a naturalist’s nirvana.
War can divide a man from his son, or bring a son to an understanding of his alienated father - even when the war is fought against real aliens. Original new fiction from Australia’s Greg Mellor.
An opera about the atomic bomb, and a browse through the latest in science books and DVDs.
Science can often be controversial, but the benefits of independent scientific inquiry are too important for governments to skew research or gag scientists from speaking out, says Kim Carr, Australia’s Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.
