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Is Santa’s sleigh zero carbon? The answer lies in reindeer poo
Norman Tsui/Unsplash, CC BY-SA Mike Jeffries, Northumbria University, Newcastle Santa’s sleigh is famously pulled by eight reindeer, nine…
Explainer: what happens when magnetic north and true north align?
Very rarely, depending on where you are in the world, your compass can actually point to true north.…
Winter solstice: the astronomy of Christmas
Stonehenge sun. Gareth Dorrian, Nottingham Trent University and Ian Whittaker, Nottingham Trent University From the Neolithic to present…
Mulled wine: how ‘Christmas in a cup’ went from ancient medicine to an Aussie winter warmer
shutterstock. Morag Kobez, Queensland University of Technology When the temperature drops in the southern hemisphere, you might like…
How the Earth’s tilt creates short, cold January days
The Sun rises in Midland, Michigan, shortly after 8a.m. on Jan. 13, 2017. Christian Collins/Flickr, CC BY-SA Deanna…
The surprising role cheese played in human evolution
shutterstock Penny Bickle, University of York A solid white mass found in a broken jar in an Ancient…
How do fireworks work? A pyrotechnics chemist explains the science behind the brilliant colors and sounds
Colors, sparks, booms and whistles all require different pyrotechnic recipes. chensiyuan/WikimediaCommons, CC BY-SA Paul E. Smith, Purdue University…
Thank fungi for cheese, wine and beer this holiday season
These foods are all dependent on microorganisms for their distinctive flavor. margouillat photo/Shutterstock.com Antonis Rokas, Vanderbilt University It’s…
Citizen scientists discover new type of aurora
The aurora Steve. Rémi Farvacque/Alberta Aurora Chasers (facebook) Nathan Case, Lancaster University A collaboration between aurora-hunting citizen scientists…
Do the northern lights make sounds that you can hear?
John A Davis/Shutterstock Fiona Amery, University of Cambridge It’s a question that has puzzled observers for centuries: do…