Japan’s 600-year-old Daisugi technique offers a unique way to produce timber without cutting down entire trees Timber is one of the biggest reasons trees are cut down all over the world. However, in Japan, a country focused on sustainability, an ancient forestry technique called Daisugi harvests timber without cutting the tree.The method began around 14th…
For years, the disappearance of the last woolly mammoths seemed to have a straightforward explanation. A tiny population became isolated, interbred for thousands of years and eventually reached a point where its own genetics made survival impossible. That idea found its way into documentaries, textbooks and scientific discussions alike. A study published in Cell, titled…
Peter Beck never earned a university degree or landed the aerospace job he hoped would launch his career. Instead, the New Zealand engineer turned rejection into an opportunity that reshaped his future. After an unsuccessful trip to the United States in 2006, where attempts to gain experience with organisations including NASA and Boeing fell short,…
Every year, as the seasons change, millions of birds undertake one of nature’s greatest journeys. Some travel only a few hundred kilometres, while others fly thousands without recognising political borders or national boundaries. Instead, they follow ancient migration routes known as flyways, natural aerial corridors shaped by geography, climate and the availability of food and…
Image Credit: Fireballs Aotearoa A spectacular fireball passed over the night sky of New Zealand’s North Island with extreme speed, at approximately 10.26 pm on Tuesday, 28 July 2026. It was accompanied by thunderous rumbles and sharp sonic booms that shook windows and alarmed the livestock in the region. From Auckland down to the Wairarapa,…
The experiments prepared by 750 schoolgirls from India failed on their first try in 2022. But later, it transformed into a space education activity that has a satellite made by them orbiting the planet near the ISS. The information was released by ISRO, the Indian government’s space agency.Under the AzaadiSAT project, 75 schools across the…
Burning soil and peat drove most emissions in Canada’s record 2023 wildfire season, study finds Underground stores of rich soil and thick peat were the main fuel behind the record emissions created during Canada’s 2023 wildfire season. Rather than standing trees and leaves, carbon locked beneath the forest floor accounted for 76 per cent of…
A nesting olive ridley sea turtle on Playa Pejeperro in Costa Rica with a common remora attached to its shell (Credit: Megan Bullock) A mother sea turtle crawled onto a Costa Rican beach to lay her eggs, carrying an unexpected passenger that refused to let go even after leaving the ocean.Gripping tightly to the turtle’s…
The first place people consider when thinking about the source of the oxygen that humans breathe is usually the big rainforest areas like the Amazon. Although forests play a very important role in storing carbon and conserving biodiversity and climate, the oceans provide a greater share of the oxygen in the atmosphere than forests. Almost…
For many people, Lewis Howard Latimer is remembered for his later work on electric lighting and his association with Thomas Edison. Yet years before he became involved in the electrical industry, he helped solve a far more ordinary problem that affected railway passengers every day. Travelling by train in the nineteenth century was becoming increasingly…