Researchers have found that waste eggshells can be processed into a fine powder and used to replace part of the cement in mortar without reducing its compressive strength. A study tested calcined eggshell powder at replacement levels ranging from 2.5% to 12.5%. The strongest result came at 10%, where the mortar reached a compressive strength…

Egg-laying Skink (Oligosoma suteri) in New Zealand. Image Credit: Wikipedia A conservation effort in New Zealand took a surprising turn when 30 egg-laying skinks were moved from Green Island to Korapuki Island in 1992. The group consisted of 10 males and 20 gravid females (already carrying eggs). Years later, researchers compared the skinks on both…

Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) at Alibel Tortoise Park, Mahe, Seychelles (2025). Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons Madagascar began rebuilding a giant tortoise population in 2018 with only 12 founder animals at the Anjajavy Reserve in the north-west of the country. The small group faced an important challenge because a population started from so few animals…

Planck in 1918, the year he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on quantum theory (Image: B Lagrelius & Westphal/ The American Institute of Physics ) Long before quantum mechanics became a household term, Max Planck was already thinking carefully about what it actually means to do science. In this quote,…