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hoopoe

Eurasian hoopoes protect their eggs with a dark foul-smelling goo

3 April 2019

The Eurasian hoopoe is an unmistakable sight. Its zebra-like wing markings and impressive crown delight birdwatchers across Europe, Asia and North Africa


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Lighter Earth

3 April 2019

We have sent a large number of spacecraft and satellites into space. This must reduce the mass of the planet, albeit by a small amount. Does this reduction affect Earth's gravity with respect to the sun and moon?


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Space reflectors

3 April 2019

Does the space junk orbiting Earth have any effect on the amount of solar energy reaching the surface of our planet, either by absorbing or reflecting it?


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Take a bite

3 April 2019

Why aren't hit-and-run attacks common in the animal kingdom? Surely a barracuda or shark could take a meal-sized chunk out of the back or belly of a whale before it could respond. The same goes for smaller pairings of animals.


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You say tomato

3 April 2019

What creates accents? Is it purely psychological, or is there some physiological element in play?


sherlock holmes dog cartoon

Feedback: China plans to clone Sherlock to help sniff out super crooks

3 April 2019

Plus the real dangers of enjoying a hot cuppa, why you’ll need to pack Blistex for your space trip, and the second coming of that supersonic car


oil spill

From the archives: When oil turned Alaska's coastline black

3 April 2019

The Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989 was one of the worst environmental disasters on record – but 30 years on, some good has come come of it


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