The life cycle of gentoo penguins
As interesting as they are adorable, gentoo penguins have developed a sophisticated life cycle to thrive in the frozen South.
Category: Environment
The features of giant water lilies
The floating plants known for their enormous leaves and short-lived flowers The Victoria amazonica is the largest species of water lily in the world and is native to South America. An individual plant can...
How do tree rings work?
Fractions of a millimetre wide, tree rings are an accurate biological archive of recent and ancient history The concept of determining a tree’s age by counting its rings is only half right; most trees...
The science behind metamorphosis
It’s morphing time: Discover the transformative power of metamorphosis and the range of species that undergo it As children we are taught the simple transformations of some species; the iconic blossoming of a butterfly...
Thor’s Well: Down the Pacific plughole
Image credit: John Fowler What created Thor’s Well and where does all the water falling into it go? Along a large, forested headland of Oregon, US, sits a sinkhole that appears to drain away...
Biosphere 2: Earth in a bottle
Image credit: Katja Schulz Since the early 1990s Biosphere 2 has demonstrated the possibilities and shortfalls of creating a second home on Earth Completed in 1991, it took four years to create Biosphere 2,...
How does a desert form?
Discover the world’s largest deserts and why these dry (but not barren) areas exist Across vast expanses of thirsty land, silence is met with the occasional caw of a passing vulture or the howl...
The anatomy of a dolphin
Popular in human culture due to their intelligence and playfulness, dolphin species can be found all over the world, ranging in shape, size and character dramatically There are many species of dolphin ranging from...
Over the rainbow mountains
Discover the origins of the colours cascading over Peru’s iridescent Ausangate Mountain Stretching over 7,200 kilometres along the western spine of South America, the Andes is the world’s longest mountain range. It spans seven...
Earth’s Atmosphere: ‘We’ve got a leak’
Our atmosphere is escaping into outer space, but how long until we run out? Our atmosphere is vital for life on our planet to survive. However, some processes can knock atmospheric gases out from...
