Monthly Archives: August 2011

10 BQ – Secrets revealed in waves

By Stav | Published: August 30, 2011
Q: How did the universe begin? A: In a previous ‘Can You Believe It?’ article (The Advertiser, March 22) talked about cosmic microwaves, which are an echo left over from the early days of the universe. By using radio telescopes, astronomers can learn about how the cosmos has changed during its 14 billion [...]
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10 BQ – Clouding the future

By Stav | Published: August 18, 2011
On June 14 this year, 40,000 passengers were left stranded when most airlines cancelled Adelaide domestic services because of a volcanic ash plum over Australia. A week later, the airport was again quiet as aircraft were grounded because the ash cloud was circling the earth. This disruption occurred just a year after the Icelandic volcano [...]
Posted in Adelaide, Earth & Environmental Sciences | Leave a comment

10 BQ – Ending the extinction

By Stav | Published: August 10, 2011
How will we preserve species diversity? The short answer is to reduce our impact on the Earth’s resources, but that’s not very informative. So, how can you help preserve species diversity? CUTTING out unnecessary car journeys would help slow global warming. EATING less meat would free pasture for forest regeneration. CHOOSING local foods would reduce imports and unwanted [...]
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10 BQ – The XX (or XY) factor

By Stav | Published: August 10, 2011
HOW did life evolve? There are different factors that can determine whether a female or male creature develops. In some species, sex is determined by the temperature in which their eggs grow. However, in mammals it is the sex chromosomes, and specific genes on these sex chromosomes, that control whether an embryo develops as a [...]
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