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Listed under:  Science  >  Scientific inquiry  >  Data collection  >  Evidence
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Four Corners: Increasing threat of megafires

Many scientists believe we are already experiencing megafires and that they will continue to increase in the future. In this clip you will hear from Australian scientists at the forefront of fire research. Discover what they have to say about the causes, projections, and consequences of an increased megafire threat.

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Robot biomimicry

This 9 minute video segment from Catalyst shows how inspiration from the world of animals has helped in the mechanical design of robots and adhesive materials.

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Catalyst: Megafauna fossils

Travel back in time in outback Australia and investigate the giant lumbering beasts of the past - the megafauna. Visit a fossil site in Cuddie Springs, New South Wales, where megafauna bones have been discovered. Explore the connection between Aboriginal peoples and megafauna, and theories for the extinction of Australia's ...

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Density Simulation (sk-Intel)

This resource is in the style of an 'authentic' scientific investigation. The investigation is set in a crime lab where finding the densities of the various items can solve the crime. The tool enables students to explore mass and volume for a variety of solids and liquids and hence determine their densities.

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Earthshine

This six and a half minute video segment from Catalyst explains Earthshine as light from our own Earth reflected back from the Moon's dark side. A PhD student is studying it to learn about how light reflects from a planet that contains liquid water as well as land. Her work may one day lead to the discovery of other planets ...

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The research process

In this resource Thomas Keneally reveals the sources he used to uncover the details about early life in Australia.

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Electromagnetic Simulation (sk-Intel)

In this resource students explore how an electromagnet works in real life. They can then apply their learning in an electromagnetism game by changing the magnetism of a scrap lifter in a scrap yard and removing various amounts of scrap. The resource demonstrates the connection between the power applied, the number of coils ...

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Cloud seeding

This nine and a half minute video segment from Catalyst describes how researchers from Monash University have hard evidence that cloud seeding can produce good amounts of extra rainfall. Data collected over a long period of time has give hope to scientists and environmentalists who are trying to reduce the impacts of droughts ...

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Daniel O'Doherty

This 5 minute video segment from Catalyst describes how a school student conducted his own scientific investigation. Daniel O'Doherty was intrigued to find out what was the carbon impact of travel to and from school each day, and what could be done to reduce this impact. His project won the 2008 Action Against Climate Change ...

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Caving for fossils

Imagine the enthusiasm of Australian paleontologists when they heard about the discovery of three caves in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain. Watch this clip to find out just what was discovered in the caves and why it is so significant.

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Working towards a renewable energy future

Listen to electrical engineering student Kulsoom Hussain describe her dream career. What are some of the challenges she says she'll face in trying to achieve her goals? What can you find out about the energy sources used in Australia? How much renewable energy is used to power our country?

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Fair and reliable reporting on Medieval Angkor

What are the dangers of relying on one historical source for an understanding of an ancient society? How important is it for historians to verify information? In this animation of one of history's most significant documents, Zhou Dugaun's 'A Record of Cambodia: the land and its People', consider the reliability of Zhou's ...

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Testing the 5-second rule

When it comes to dropping food, have you heard of the 5-second rule? Or the 3-second rule? Watch this video to learn what really happens when you drop food. In order to cause disease, what must bacteria do? What circumstances allow bacteria and viruses to contaminate food more successfully?

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What are microbes?

What are microbes? What are the four major groups that most microbes belong to? Listen as Dr Taghrid Istivan explains where microbes are found. What is the name of the group of microbes she describes as beneficial to our health? Can you explain what happens when people get food poisoning?

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Could you make a unicorn by crossing DNA?

Good question! Find out whether this is possible by watching as biologist at MIT, Dr Sera Thornton explains. What is a genome? And why do genomes need to be decoded? If the rhino genome was successfully decoded and the part that described the rhino horn was isolated, what would the process be for creating a unicorn?

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Zhou Daguan's account of Medieval Angkor

The city of Angkor was the centre of the mighty Khmer Empire for five hundred years, beginning around 900 CE. It was not only one of the most populous cities in the world, it featured some of the most sophisticated architecture and infrastructure, particularly in regards to water distribution. In this beautiful animation, ...

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Catalyst: What is a megafire?

Join Catalyst reporter Anja Taylor as she visits the Jemez Mountains in New Mexico and discovers the impacts of recent megafires on the landscape there. What is a megafire? And how is a megafire different from a regular wildfire? How have recent fires permanently transformed the landscapes that Anja and Professor Craig ...

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The power of science photography

Visual art and science are often considered to be separate fields. Watch as Phred Petersen talks about the way he combines his passions of photography and science. What is the role of technology in enabling this crossover? What kinds of scientific discoveries can be assisted by high-speed photography? And how can scientific ...

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Monday Conference: Alvin Toffler discusses women's liberation, 1972

How was Australian society affected by the women's liberation movement in the 1960s and 70s? One issue, the struggle for women to access the same opportunities as men, caused much uncertainty about the future of the family. In this clip, writer and futurist Alvin Toffler offers his unique take on women's liberation and ...

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The Snowy Mountains Scheme

How did the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme come to be Australia's greatest economic achievement in the decades following World War II? In this clip, discover what Australia hoped to accomplish through the scheme, and some of the sacrifices that were made for it. Also learn what life was like for migrants from war-devastated ...