Earth and Skye

Pompeii

Volcanoes are such astonishing works of nature, in a moment they can completely recreate the world around us. Volcanic eruptions destroy the land around them and can relocate thousands of people in a day. And they are erupting all of the time; just here in Australia we’re not really aware of it thanks to our lack of large, active fiery mounds of doom. But, these eruptions are also the creation of new life, volcanoes are the way in which islands are created (and destroyed), after years and years, the volcanic ash that has been scattered across the land helps new plants to colonise the land. Just think of Hawaii! But there is one thing that a volcano has given us that was unpredictable and completely unexpected. A greater insight into the Roman Empire in 79AD.

Cars on Mars

Mars has been in the media a lot lately, whether it’s because there are plans to fly people to Mars in the next 20 years, or because of the chance that Mars may be hospitable to humans, The Red Planet has gained a fair bit of attention. And so it should, it is a fascinating planet and the next frontier of space exploration. But, how do we know so much about this fascinating place? The Mars Rovers.

The Six Stages of Life

Every animal, from the smallest insect to humans travels through life on a journey from birth to death. We all go through it, but there are six major stages that are familiar across all groups on land and under the sea. Last year’s BBC series, ‘Life Story’ takes you through this exact journey, so does their latest exhibition at Vivid in Sydney, also conveniently called ‘Life Story’. Anyone who loves David Attenborough (as I do) will know that he also focuses on these six stages of life throughout many of his tales. So here are the six stages of life, and some really fascinating animals to match.

My First Day with Reef Watch Intertidal

Walking out towards a group of people in the beautiful weather today, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I was about ten minutes late, which did not help with my confidence in the slightest.

Oyster Reefs – The Ocean’s Cleaning Muscle

Water quality is a constant issue in today’s media. We talk about the quality of freshwater, drinking water, the ocean. But what can be done about it?

A Little Long in the Tooth

Marine mammals are beautiful and, like most of the ocean and its inhabitants, mysterious. It’s also hard to tell how old they are. But the South Australian Museum has a wonderful laboratory that has helped us to unlock that mystery. But why? Why do we need to know how old a whale, dolphin, porpoise or sea lion is? Other than just being interesting, what’s the point?

Boats, Blights and Ballast

Invasive species are a huge problem, especially in Australia. The introduction of these pest species into coastal ports is just one of the many locations in Australia that has suffered huge losses to its natural ecosystems. A recent study has found that the increasing global traffic of boats between ports is the main way in which these invasive species are introduced into these waters.

Dr. Andrew S. W. Thomas AO

Growing up, a lot of kids want to become an astronaut. Who wouldn’t? You get to travel to places that no man has been before, see the world in a way that most of us would only ever dream of and experience flying through the air. For one amazing South Australian, that dream became a reality.

Hallo Space Boy, You’re Sleepy Now

This week’s A Week in Science episode certainly had me thinking, plus it started a few very random discussions in the office! Well, any discussion about the impending doom of the Earth fascinates and entertains the RiAus staff, actually anything scientific and slightly off-kilter is classed as entertainment here… but it really got me thinking about something that I don’t normally think about. Space. More specifically, I became (a little morbidly) fascinated by all of the ways that space could possibly kill you. So here is a list of some of those very ideas that us here at RiAus came up with.

A Virtual World of Future Discovery

Anthropology isn’t the study of ants (believe me, I’m asked about ants often). It is the study of people or culture. There is a much larger, more complex and heavily debated definition, but that is it in simplest terms. Anthropology literally translates to the study of man (anthrop meaning man and ology meaning study of).