Tag: Weird and Wonderful
Don't keep it in the family: Inbreeding behind mammoth extinction
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Researchers have found woolly mammoths were more closely related to modern, living elephants than previously thought.[MORE]
Birds of different feathers flee together
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New research sheds some light on how birds communicate with each other.[MORE]
Mexican scientists turn tequila into diamonds
Mexican scientists have turned the country's national tipple tequila into diamonds, and are seeking applications for their discovery - but the crystals are too small to be used in jewellery.[MORE]
Fridge-sized tape recorder could crack lunar mysteries
A 1960s tape recorder the size of a household fridge could be the key to unlocking valuable information from NASA's Apollo missions to the moon.[MORE]
New glue out-geckos geckos
A type of dry glue based on the sticky limbs of geckos has been developed, far exceeding the capabilities of the gravity-defying lizards, according to a study published in the United States.[MORE]
Dog fleas, string star in whacky science prizes
Scientists who discovered the inner workings of dog fleas, crisps and tangled string swept the tongue-in-cheek 2008 Ig Nobel Prizes.[MORE]
Japan plans world's first space elevator
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Japan is working on a massive $9 billion space elevator to lift people and objects into orbit.[MORE]
Atom-smasher probe could give findings this week
An investigation into technical problems with the world's largest atom-smasher could produce its preliminary findings this week into why it had to be shut down.[MORE]
New technology to sniff out graffiti threat
New technology that can alert authorities to graffiti vandals by detecting their paint fumes is being showcased at a security exhibition in Sydney.[MORE]
World's smallest snake found in Barbados
The world's smallest snake has been found on the Caribbean island of Barbados.[MORE]
Astronaut's alien claims fall short, says UFO researcher
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UFO believers says the revelations of a former NASA astronaut may have done their cause more harm and good.[MORE]
Sex lives of echidnas in the spotlight
Scientists from the University of Tasmania have discovered that echidnas have some unusual mating habits.[MORE]
Sex lives of echidna in the spotlight
Scientists from the University of Tasmania have discovered that echidnas have some unusual mating habits.[MORE]
Giant squid dissection stuff of 'myth and legend'
Scientists in Vic say they have received worldwide interest in the dissection of one of the biggest squids ever caught. [MORE]
Glow-worms regular as clockwork
A UQ researcher has made an exciting discovery about Tasmanian cave glow-worms - they can tell the time. [MORE]
Soil on Mars 'good for asparagus'
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NASA's Pheonix Mars Lander has collected soil on the red planet which could support some life forms.[MORE]
Fifth human foot washes up in Canada, baffling police
Five human feet that washed ashore on Canada's south-west coast have become an international science puzzle, and have sparked intense speculation about whether murder or a tragedy is the cause.[MORE]
We may all be space aliens: study
Genetic material from outer space found in a meteorite in Australia may well have played a key role in the origin of life on Earth, according to a study to be published on Sunday.[MORE]
GLAST into space: NASA's mission to unlock cosmic mysteries
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NASA's GLAST telescope mission aims to discover more about black holes and cosmic explosions.[MORE]
Who's the daddy? Swiss zoo in gorilla paternity mix-up
Monkey business is clearly afoot in a Swiss zoo after a paternity test revealed one of its gorillas has effectively been cuckolded by a young pretender half his age.[MORE]
Fun and phenomena at new museum centre
A new interactive science centre has been opened at Launceston's Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery.[MORE]
It's moments like war you need chocolate
A northern Tasmanian laboratory is claiming a breakthrough in food research that could boost the morale and health of Australian soldiers.[MORE]
Bees to help sniff out quality wine
Scientists at the Queensland Brain Institute are using bees' noses to help develop a machine that can smell the difference between a good and a bad wine. [MORE]
Fossil sea monster biggest of its kind
The fossil of a 15 metre long "sea monster" found in Arctic Norway was the biggest of its kind known to science, with dagger-like teeth in a mouth large enough to bite a small car. The 150 million-year-old pliosaur, a fierce marine reptile, was about five metres longer than the previous pliosaur record holder found in Australia. Palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum in Oslo Joern Hurum, led the expedition to dig up the fossil on the archipelago of Svalbard 1,300 kilometres from the North Pole.[MORE]
From tips to clicks: restaurants try e-menus
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Restaurants in Europe, the United States and Japan are testing technology to let diners order their food direct from a screen at their table instead of depending on a fellow human being to note their choice - sometimes grumpily or erroneously.[MORE]
