Science, Bitches | Issue 26

Posted 1:49pm Sunday 5th October 2014

I’m pretty sure everyone reading this has had antibiotics before. To be honest, they’re pretty great. But the way we use them has to change. When Louis Pasteur first noticed a fungi killing his bacteria, the arms race between bacteria and antibiotics began. In 1928, he noticed that a compound the Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 23

Posted 4:38pm Sunday 14th September 2014

It’s another Monday morning. You stumble out of bed, bleary-eyed, and throw on some clothes. You’re running late, so you chew a piece of toast as you climb onto your Moa. Trotting to uni, you barely dodge some asshole’s Haast Eagle on Castle Street and make it just in time for your 9am. “I wouldn’t Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 22

Posted 11:52pm Sunday 7th September 2014

I know being a teenager was a hard time for a lot of us, but imagine going to your mum’s funeral then waking up the next morning to find your family jewels had been replaced with, well, lady bits. Think your teenage identity crisis was bad? This is the life of the clownfish, which makes for a bit Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 20

Posted 12:53am Monday 18th August 2014

A fish splashes around a saltwater marsh in California, its silvery flank flashing like a mirror in the sunshine. An ant quietly slips away from its colony in the canopy of a Thai forest. And a mouse in New Zealand suddenly loses its fear of cats. All of these animals are the victims of mind Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 17

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014

From the honeybee waggle-dance, to the moonwalking red-capped manikin, to your dad’s awkward shuffle, everyone loves a boogie now and again. It’s hard to resist tapping your feet when a groovy tune comes on, but what is it about certain songs that make them so danceable? Imagine, for a Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 15

Posted 6:52pm Sunday 13th July 2014

There are more bacterial cells in your body than there are human cells. Think about that for a moment. Gross? Nah, not really. It’s perfectly healthy to be covered in bacteria. They are everywhere – from your eyelashes to your toes, all over your skin, in your gut, under your nails and up Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 11

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014

I was having tea with my grandma when she looked up and exclaimed, “Oh, the wallpaper’s changed again! It’s covered in spaniels now. I think I prefer this to the flowers.” The strange thing is her home has had the same unpatterned, cream-coloured walls for the last 20-odd years. Now, she’s Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 07

Posted 4:50pm Sunday 6th April 2014

What do wasabi alarms, farting fish, bat blowjobs, dogs’ bollocks, and undead salmon have in common? They were all subjects of Ignobel prize-winning research! Now, if you’ve never heard of Ignobel Prizes, get excited. Far funnier than Darwin awards, they acknowledge research that “makes you laugh, Read more...

Science, Bitches! | Issue 04

Posted 2:59pm Sunday 16th March 2014

What did the particle physicist say when he went to the heavy metal concert? “Wow, it seems the participants of the mosh pit behave intriguingly like gas molecules!” Take note, young grasshoppers; the science doesn’t stop when you leave the lecture theatre. That wasn’t a bad joke; that was a Read more...

Science, Bitches! | Issue 01

Posted 6:57pm Sunday 23rd February 2014

Have you heard of herd mentality? It can manifest in a few different ways. You may notice some of these as you observe University of Otago students in their natural habitat. (Cue David Attenborough voiceover.) Approaching the St. David’s lecture theatre around half past the hour, you Read more...