The 'Math Myth' fuels the algebra wars, but what's the fight really about?

Mar 05, 2016 11:28 am UTC| Science

I discovered recently that my calculus students do not know the meaning of the word quorum. Since a course in American government is a high school graduation requirement in most states (including here in Florida), I was...

How can scientists believe evolution is compatible with religion?

Mar 04, 2016 15:14 pm UTC| Life Science

Evolution and religion may not be at war after all. True, the two may sometimes seem like incompatible, competing worldviews: evolutionary science is regularly rejected by prominent religious figures, and its teaching in...

Great balls of fire: the truth about Scotland's mysterious flash of light

Mar 03, 2016 00:14 am UTC| Science

On Monday February 29 around 18:45, many lucky people in Scotland and the north of England witnessed something spectacular. A bright light streamed across the sky, flashing several times before fading away. You could see...

Chief Scientist's address to the National Press Club: The voyage of science and innovation

Mar 02, 2016 09:54 am UTC| Insights & Views Science

Below is a transcript of the speech given by Australias Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel AO, at the National Press Club on 2nd March 2016. Lessons from a lost ship Let me start with a story about a small nation with...

Explainer: making waves in science

Mar 02, 2016 02:25 am UTC| Science

We see them at the beach. Theyre behind every sound and light show and the miracle of Wi-Fi. And now, thanks to whats being called the discovery of the century, they have opened a way of detecting distant black-hole...

Ten things you never knew about the ocean’s deepest places

Mar 01, 2016 16:58 pm UTC| Science Life

The ocean is deep. In fact, most of it is deep. Officially anything deeper than just 200 metres is considered the deep sea, but the average depth of the entire ocean is about 3.5km and the deepest point the Challenger...

Our 500 million-year-old nervous system fossil shines a light on animal evolution

Mar 01, 2016 15:10 pm UTC| Science

The nervous system is the command centre of an animals body, carrying all the complex electrical signals for the actions that keep it alive, such as moving and eating. Because of its critical function, the nervous system...