Science
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Coral crisis for Great Barrier Reef
Can we save the reef before it is too late? The Great Barrier Reef is dying: experts have found that over half of its corals have been lost. To save the rest, they say, we have to act fast.
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Moon mission a new era for space travel
Does space travel bring us hope? Experts working on an historical lunar mission say it helps us stay optimistic during hard times – but some people think we should stick to earthly problems.
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Brilliant women scientists win Nobel prize
Is science sexist? Two women have made history by sharing the Nobel Prize for chemistry. Only seven women have ever won the award, but the total for men is 180. Some say science must change.
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After 3,000 years Tasmanian devils are back!
Should there be more wild animals in the world? Tasmanian devils once roamed the mainland of Australia. Now, after thousands of years on a neighbouring island, they are being reintroduced.
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Attenborough: ‘Yes we CAN save the planet’
Can a film save the world? Sir David Attenborough hopes it can. In his new documentary, A Life on Our Planet, he predicts a terrifying future for Earth unless we all act now.
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This is a Golden Age of dinosaur discovery!
Can we learn anything useful from studying dinosaurs? Using new technology, scientists have learnt about them in the last 50 years than ever before. But some say it’s pointless research.
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Scientists plan oxygen factory on the Moon
The European Space Agency is working on a scheme to support human settlements on the Moon. It aims to build an oxygen plant to make rocket fuel and breathable air.
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Trees can help predict famines and wars
Scientists are finding that tree ring patterns are a time-map of rainfall and drought, accurately going back thousands of years. These might help us predict future famine and conflict.
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Priceless oil painting ‘ruined’ by repairs
One of the world’s most famous paintings has been carefully restored by experts to look as it would have looked when it was new, 600 years ago. But many experts think it has been spoilt.
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‘Smart skin’ makes virtual touch a reality
Should touch become digital? A new thin, wireless skin could allow us to reach through a computer and touch what is on the other side. Is it wonderful or disturbing?
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The smallest dinosaur that ever lived
A spectacular amber fossil holds the skull of the smallest dinosaur ever found: a bird-like creature that lived more than 99 million years ago and grew no bigger than a bee.
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Everything we know about maths could be wrong
What is maths? A maths expert has said that advanced maths is so complicated that no one in the world really understands it. This means that many equations could be wrong.
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The living robot! Part-frog, part-machine
Using the cells of a frog and artificial intelligence, scientists have made a creature small enough to travel inside a human body. Half-machine, half-animal, it is an entirely new life form.
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Optical illusions reveal secrets of the brain
Do our brains create an alternative reality? Optical illusions are designed to trick our minds, but a group of scientists has proved that the brain could “see things wrong” for a reason.
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Soapy bubbles pop pollen on to fruit trees
Are bees replaceable? As numbers of the insects drop worldwide, a team has been searching for alternative approaches to pollination. Now, they have succeeded with the help of a bubble gun.