The Week Junior Science+Nature UK

WEIRD SCIENCE

A round-up of the strangest science stories from around the world.

The Week Junior Science+Nature UK

BOOK CLUB

There is just over one week left to take part in our Scavenger Hunt Photo Contest.

The Week Junior Science+Nature UK

Hydrogen-powered planes

Meet the team designing a new way of taking to the skies.

The Week Junior Science+Nature UK

Super-speedy cucumber

Squirting cucumbers fire out seeds as fast as a moving car.

The Week Junior Science+Nature UK

CAST ADRIFT

This image, taken by photographer Gilad Topaz, shows adventurers floating in the freezing Baltic Sea in the north of Sweden, just 50 miles from the Arctic Circle.

The Week Junior Science+Nature UK

How many types of insect are there?

Scientists estimate that insects make up 90% of all animal species.

The Week Junior Science+Nature UK

Finding the Titanic

Relive the search for the “unsinkable ship\" that sank and was lost in the ocean depths.

The Week Junior Science+Nature UK

Punam Krishan

Meet the doctor who wants to teach young people life-saving skills.

The Week Junior Science+Nature UK

THE HIT LIST

The Week Junior Science+Nature UK

SCIENCE WORLD

Check out some LEGO art, see the world through wasps’ eyes and get active this month.

The Week Junior Science+Nature UK

A ladybird summer

Warmer than average weather this year has seen a boom in ladybird numbers in the UK, say experts.

The Week Junior Science+Nature UK

Cancer-fighting fungus found in King Tut's tomb

Could a deadly fungus be used to save people's lives?

The Week Junior Science+Nature UK

THE LAB

Three things to make and do

The Week Junior Science+Nature UK

CHAOS RULES

Sarah Wild unlocks the hidden patterns that control the universe.

How It Works UK

HOW SNAILS BUILD A SHELL

All they need is a specialised organ, some calcium-rich food and time

How It Works UK

SOUTH KOREA WANTS TO BUILD A MOON BASE BY 2045

South Korea's space ambitions keep growing. The nation wants to build a Moon base by 2045, The Korea Times reported on 17 July, citing a long-term exploration road map that the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) laid out that same day.

How It Works UK

NEANDERTHAL INVENTIONS

These caveman creations kept our ancient hunter-gatherer relatives alive

How It Works UK

WORLD'S BIGGEST SPACE AGENCIES

Between their rivalries and collaborations, how have the world's top national space agencies contributed to our knowledge of the cosmos?

How It Works UK

Severed bow of US warship finally found in the South Pacific

The bow section of the US warship USS New Orleans, which was blown off by a Japanese torpedo in 1942, has been located near the island of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. Although the ship survived the attack, more than 180 of the crew on board the heavy cruiser were killed when one of the ship's magazines of ammunition was hit by a torpedo and detonated, tearing off the front of the vessel.

How It Works UK

SALLY RIDE MEMORABILIA COLLECTION SELLS FOR OVER £100,000

A set of memorabilia chronicling Sally Ride’s pioneering path to space just fetched a pretty penny at auction.

How It Works UK

DISCOVERING THE TITANIC

Finding the remains of this iconic liner on the seabed was no easy feat, but after more than seven decades the wreckage revealed itself

How It Works UK

TRACKING SEA MONSTERS

How a NASA star-mapping tool is being put to a new use - following the largest fish in the sea, whale sharks

How It Works UK

WHY ARE SMOKE DETECTORS RADIOACTIVE?

These devices use a radioactive element to help sniff out smoke and alert you to a potential fire

How It Works UK

THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL LASERS

What happens when a beam of energy 100 times the power of the global electricity grid is concentrated onto a pinpoint?

How It Works UK

World's first planned migration of an entire nation

More than 5,000 people have applied for a first-of-its-kind migration visa that offers residents of a Pacific island an escape from the worst effects of climate change. Applications for the visa closed to people in Tuvalu on 18 July. Under its terms, 280 Tuvaluans can relocate to Australia each year from 2025 through a ballot system. Four days after the ballot opened, 3,125 Tuvaluans, roughly one-third of the nation's population of 11,000 people, had already registered for a chance to receive the visa. “This is the first agreement of its kind anywhere in the world, providing a pathway for mobility with dignity as climate impacts worsen,” Australian government representatives said. The representatives said that they recognised the “devastating impact climate change is having on the livelihoods, security and well-being of climate-vulnerable countries and people, particularly in the Pacific region.”

How It Works UK

HOW DINOSAURS BECAME BIRDS

Dinosaurs were prehistoric egg-laying reptiles that went extinct millions of years ago, but their survivors still live among us

How It Works UK

1,600-year-old tomb of Maya city's first ruler unearthed in Belize

Archaeologists in Belize have unearthed the tomb of the first ruler of the ancient Maya city of Caracol, which was a major centre in the Maya Lowlands during the 6th and 7th centuries.

How It Works UK

AN XBOX ONE?

A victim of the Xbox 360's success

How It Works UK

BACKYARD POWER STATIONS

With growing demand and dwindling resources, there's only one direction fuel bills are going. But soon we could have power stations in our gardens

How It Works UK

Scientists transform urine into material fit for medical implants

Scientists have developed a method that can transform human urine into the hard mineral in bones and tooth enamel. The research, funded by the US military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), uses yeast to break urine down into hydroxyapatite, a form of calcium used in bone and dental implants. And hydroxyapatite isn't useful only for implants; the researchers behind the study said the material could be used in archaeological restoration, as biodegradable alternatives to plastic and as building materials for construction projects.