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changes of matter

Distilling oils and hydrosols

Article

Distilling oils and hydrosols

Where can a question take you? For Sue Fergus and her students at Taranaki’s Toko School, questions about candle scents ...

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Matter in our world

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Matter in our world

Matter is anything that occupies space and has mass. All physical objects are composed of matter, and an easily observed ...

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Hidden heat

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Hidden heat

Converting states of matter from one form into another requires the involvement of heat energy. For example, converting water at ...

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Temperature – the highs and lows

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Temperature – the highs and lows

Temperature is a measure of the average energy of the particles that make up a substance. It relates to the ...

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Globe diagram showing warm water and cold water streams driving global ocean currents.

Article

Changing times in Antarctica

In February 2025, the world hit a new low for global sea ice extent. Arctic sea ice has been declining for several decades now, but Antarctic ...

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A clock in the rocks: Cosmic rays and Earth science

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A clock in the rocks: Cosmic rays and Earth science

Rocks act as geological archives and new techniques are helping scientists capture data about past events. This article has been republished from The Conversation under Creative ...

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Case study: Tetracycline antibiotics in the environment

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Case study: Tetracycline antibiotics in the environment

Antibiotic medicines have been an important development for human health, and they’re credited with improving the average human lifespan. While important for human and animal health, ...

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Case study: Zinc in the environment

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Case study: Zinc in the environment

We use chemicals every day, and they’re all around us. We know different chemicals come in different forms and that they will behave differently in different ...

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Chemical contaminants in the environment

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Chemical contaminants in the environment

Did you know there are over 30,000 chemicals approved for use across Aotearoa New Zealand? Who approves and regulates the use of these chemicals? How do ...

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Climate change, melting ice and sea level rise

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Climate change, melting ice and sea level rise

One implication of climate change is sea level rise. Sea level is the average height of the ocean relative to the land, between the high and ...

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Ripples in the universe from the Big Bang

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Ripples in the universe from the Big Bang

A team of US astronomers, after years of working in the Antarctic, say they have found long-awaited evidence for the theory that the Universe underwent a ...

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Space weather

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Space weather

Each day, we consciously experience atmospheric weather, driven by radiation from the Sun. In addition, we are mostly unknowingly subjected to space weather driven primarily by ...

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Better wool

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Better wool

Scientists at AgResearch are looking for ways to improve the durability of woollen textiles and carpets in order to sustain the place of wool as a ...

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Wool in wound dressings

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Wool in wound dressings

Two AgResearch scientists explain how wool products are traced and how wool proteins are using in wound dressings. Listen to this RNZ programme, Wool in wound ...

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New Zealand’s peat bogs reveal climate history

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New Zealand’s peat bogs reveal climate history

New Zealand’s ancient peat bogs may hold the key to understanding how the climate has changed in the past 10,000 years and how it may change ...

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Solar flares hurl charged particles at Earth

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Solar flares hurl charged particles at Earth

In early March 2012, two solar flares erupted, sending a streaming cloud of charged particles (known as a coronial mass ejection or CME) hurtling towards Earth. ...

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CERN creates mini big bangs

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CERN creates mini big bangs

On November 2010, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), operated by CERN under the French-Swiss border near Geneva, successfully created an initial series of mini big bangs ...

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Investigating elements – writer's insight

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Investigating elements – writer's insight

The atomic theory of matter is one of the fundamental theories of all science. The importance of this theory cannot be overstated. It has been said, ...

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Harnessing the Sun – introduction

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Harnessing the Sun – introduction

Scientists have learned to harness the Sun, transforming its energy to meet our energy needs. In Māori mythology, Māui, with the help of his brothers, harnessed ...

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Alternative conceptions about energy

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Alternative conceptions about energy

Our use of language in everyday life is often quite different to the language of scientists. This can sometimes be confusing because what scientists mean and ...

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Associate Professor Ashton Partridge

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Associate Professor Ashton Partridge

Position: Lecturer and researcher, University of Auckland. Field: Nanomaterials. Associate Professor Ashton Partridge was a researcher and lecturer at Massey University where he headed a team ...

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Solar cars

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Solar cars

Solar cars are powered by electricity through the use of solar energy. Solar panels are attached to the surface (generally, the top) of the vehicle. Photovoltaic ...

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Photovoltaics

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Photovoltaics

Sunlight can be converted into useable electricity. To do this, we need a solar cell. Solar cells are also called photovoltaic cells Photovoltaic panels convert sunlight ...

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Diagram of the food (energy) chain.

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Using solar energy

Solar energy is transformed into other energy forms for our use on Earth – energy for food (chemical energy), electrical energy and heat energy. Energy from ...

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Solar energy

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Solar energy

The Sun is the source of almost all our energy. It is a huge ball of hot gases that gives off energy as heat and light. ...

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