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Carbonate chemistry

Article

Carbonate chemistry

Calcium carbonate is the principal mineral component of limestone. Its chemical and physical properties lie behind the modern-day uses of ...

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Preserving harakeke taonga

Article

Preserving harakeke taonga

Māori have many traditional uses for harakeke (Phormium tenax) such as the making of traps and fishing nets and the ...

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Types of chemical rocket engines

Article

Types of chemical rocket engines

Chemical rocket engines use a fuel (something to burn) and an oxidiser (something to react with the fuel). Together, they ...

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What is fire?

Article

What is fire?

Fire is the visible effect of the process of combustion – a special type of chemical reaction. It occurs between ...

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Acids and bases – introduction

Article

Acids and bases – introduction

From our bodies to our Earth’s oceans and rocks, acids and bases play an important role in our lives and ...

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Article

Our air 2024

Every day, adults take around 20,000 breaths of air. Children, who breathe faster, take even more. The air we breathe plays an important role in both ...

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Why caves matter

Article

Why caves matter

Aotearoa New Zealand’s limestone caves are special places. To many Māori, they are tapu. To explorers and thrill seekers, they are a great place for an ...

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Case study: Neonicotinoid insecticides

Article

Case study: Neonicotinoid insecticides

Insects are vital for our ecosystems, but sometimes there are places where we don’t want them – destroying our gardens, eating our food crops and trees, ...

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Case study: Tetracycline antibiotics in the environment

Article

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

Article

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

Article

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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A sinking feeling

Article

A sinking feeling

This Connected article by Ken Benn, looks at a class investigation into why they lost the boat float competition. It starts when student Meihanna asks “How ...

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Catalysing chemical reactions with enzymes

Article

Catalysing chemical reactions with enzymes

Proteins are one of four main classes of biomolecules in living organisms. The others are lipids, which form our membranes, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), which ...

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Cover of 2020 Level 4 Connected article: Wildfire

Article

Wildfire

Using the huge 2019 Nelson wildfire as a starter, this Connected article explores wildfires, focussing on: what wildfires are their causes how they affect us how ...

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Trees, seas and soil

Article

Trees, seas and soil

This Connected article starts with the question "What kind of sink can't be used to wash the dishes but can be grown in your garden?" The ...

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Black is back

Article

Black is back

Dr Rangi Te Kanawa is a textile conservator at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. She uses her knowledge of traditional dyeing practices, science ...

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Rutherfordium

Article

Rutherfordium

Rutherfordium is a synthetic chemical element. Its official chemical symbol is Rf, and its atomic number is 104, which means that a rutherfordium atom has 104 ...

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Zinc

Article

Zinc

Zinc is a chemical element. Its official symbol is Zn, and its atomic number is 30, which means each zinc atom has 30 protons in its ...

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Sulfur

Article

Sulfur

Sulfur is a chemical element. Its official symbol is S and its atomic number is 16, which means that each sulfur atom has 16 protons in ...

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A Oxygen molecule.

Article

Oxygen

Oxygen is a chemical element – a substance that contains only one type of atom. Its official chemical symbol is O, and its atomic number is ...

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Low-flammability garden saves home

Article

Low-flammability garden saves home

Scientists Tim Curran (Lincoln University), Sarah Wyse (University of Auckland) and George Perry (University of Auckland) assessed the flammability of a variety of exotic and native ...

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Invasive weeds and wildfires

Article

Invasive weeds and wildfires

Scientists Tim Curran (Lincoln University), Sarah Wyse (University of Auckland) and George Perry (University of Auckland) looked at the impacts of exotic plant species on fires. ...

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Nanoscience – question bank

Article

Nanoscience – question bank

An inquiry approach is a method often used in science education. The question bank provides an initial list of questions about nanoscience and places where their ...

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Nanoscience – introduction

Article

Nanoscience – introduction

Nanoscience involves the study of chemical and physical changes that happen at the nanoscale. Researchers and scientists are interested in the nanoscale, because when many materials ...

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Digestion chemistry — key terms

Article

Digestion chemistry — key terms

Food’s macronutrients undergo chemical breakdown as they move through the digestive system. Learn more about the digestion process and its hormonal control with these explanations of ...

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The ocean in action – key terms

Article

The ocean in action – key terms

Find out about the physical and chemical properties of the ocean and explore the ocean’s role in transporting heat, water, salt and carbon around the Earth. ...

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Restoring mauri after the <i>Rena</i> disaster

Article

Restoring mauri after the Rena disaster

In October 2011, the Greek container ship MV Rena ran aground on Ōtāiti, also known as the Astrolabe Reef, off the coast of Tauranga. Explore what ...

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