Knowledge Nibbles

For National Marine Week we’re highlighting the seaside superheroes found in our seas, along with recent marine news from across the South West!

Find out more about the plight of the pollinators, and how we can help…

During Dark Skies Week (22nd – 30th April) 2022, we chatted with Dr Sam Morrell about his research into how light affects humans and animals...

Decades of misuse and overuse of antibiotics have led to many strains of bacteria developing resistance. We need a new solution, fast, and scientists are turning to an unlikely friend to help us: one of the oldest, most deadly, entities on Earth: viruses...

Did Great Britain’s fantastic performance in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic diving get you wondering about how it’s possible to fit so many incredible tricks and stunts into less than two seconds of falling? Read on…

Now recognised as a symbol of hope and gratitude, a rainbow is a beautiful natural phenomenon. But how do they form? And why are they curved? Find out what makes a rainbow, and where to look for that pot of gold…

Fireworks have been with us for centuries but the technology continues to advance and amaze us with dramatic colours, patterns, sounds and precision timing. So what’s the science behind these marvels?

The theme of World Space Week 2020 is “Satellites Improve Life” – find out more about why we need them, Elon Musk’s ambitious project to revolutionise our internet connection, and why the thousands of metal boxes in orbit are inadvertently posing a modern threat to our night sky.

Find out what’s in our night skies throughout October, and how to see them with the naked eye! Wrap up warm, head outside and explore the heavens this month, as part of World Space Week (4^th-10^th October) and beyond.

In the bath, washing the dishes or playing outside – we all recognise the rainbow sphere of a soap bubble. But soap isn’t rainbow coloured, and neither is water… So what causes the beautiful spectrum on its surface?

Around the world, every day there are over 3 million flashes of lightning – that’s about 44 strikes per second. The beautiful bolts and characteristic rumbles of thunder are instantly recognisable, but what actually causes them? And can you have one without the other?