the conversation
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Why I Implanted Computer Chips In My Hands
I have computer chips in my hands. The tiny (two millimetre by 12 millimetre) glass ampules are nestled just under the skin on the back of each of my hands and were implanted by a local body piercer several years ago. The chip in my right hand is a near-field communication device that I scan…
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Discovery of Two New Giant Radio Galaxies Offers Fresh Insights Into the Universe
Two giant radio galaxies have been discovered with South Africa’s powerful MeerKAT telescope, located in the Karoo region, a semi-arid area in the south west of the country. Radio galaxies get their name from the fact that they release huge beams, or ‘jets’, of radio light. These happen through the interaction between charged particles and…
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Rare Fossil Helps Answer the Mystery of How Starfish Evolved Arms
A chance discovery of a beautifully preserved fossil in the desert landscape of Morocco has solved one of the great mysteries of biology and palaeontology: how starfish evolved their arms. Starfish are one of the most recognisable animals on our planet. Most people probably associate them with trips to the beach, walking in rock pools…
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Quantum Philosophy: 4 Ways Physics Will Challenge Your Reality
Imagine opening the weekend paper and looking through the puzzle pages for the Sudoku. You spend your morning working through this logic puzzle, only to realise by the last few squares there’s no consistent way to finish it. “I must have made a mistake,” you think. So you try again, this time starting from the…