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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a wombat

Take a close look at two different types of wombats in this short clip. Don Spencer introduces a Common Wombat called Winifred, then shows us a Hairy-nosed Wombat foraging in the desert.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing an echidna

Join Don Spencer as he looks closely at an echidna. Observe the body parts and covering of this unique Australian mammal. Find out what the echidna eats. Watch it move around in its natural habitat.

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Can We Help?: Can seahorse dads really have babies?

Peter Rowsthorn visits Melbourne Aquarium to answer the question 'Do male seahorses give birth to their young?' Discover the answer as a marine expert describes Syngnathids, a unique family of fish. Learn what makes the seahorse and the sea dragon so unusual in the marine animal world.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a kookaburra

Watch a wild kookaburra being fed by hand. Don Spencer handles an injured kookaburra that is being nursed to health. It will be set free once it is well again. See where kookaburras make their homes. Listen to their laughing call.

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Can We Help?: Efficient speech: the process of language change

Wassup, bro?Well 'pparently I ain't speakin' right.Will thou ha' the truth on't?We often think that only young people speak in abbreviated forms, but the truth is people have been doing this since Anglo-Saxon times! In this clip discover with Professor Kate Burridge some words that belong to the 'zero plurals' group, why ...

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about platypus

Watch as a platypus emerges from its burrow on the bank of a billabong (small lake). As you watch, listen to Don Spencer's song as he describes seeing a platypus and explores its unusual looks.

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Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: Red cabbage pH experiment

It might sound 'un-sciencey', and have a bad smell, but red cabbage is actually very useful for testing the pH of liquids. Added to well-known liquids like lemonade or vinegar, red cabbage juice changes to 'pretty colours'. In this clip, Surfing Scientist Ruben Meerman explains the colour changes and how red cabbage juice ...

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a shark

Don Spencer shows us one of the world's most fearsome creatures, the white pointer shark. Take a close look at the shark's teeth and jaws. Discover how the shark moves so quickly underwater.

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Can We Help?: Golly gosh, what do those sayings mean?

Have you ever wondered where sayings like 'golly gosh', 'by gum' or 'drat' come from? In this video, Professor Kate Burridge explains the origins and meaning of these and other sayings. She also explains the history of the pronoun 'you'.

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Can We Help?: New meanings: the processes of language change

Have you ever engaged in a bit of argle-bargle? It's the original form of a colloquialism you might be more familiar with: argy-bargy. But where does this phrase come from? Etymology is the study of the history and evolution of words. In this clip Professor Kate Burridge explains the origins of this curious phrase and other words.

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Heywire: Sussing out the similes in a footy game

If you've ever tried to describe an experience to a friend and said, 'It was just like', you were using a simile. Similes and their close pals metaphors are figures of speech that writers of all sorts of texts use. As you listen to this Heywire audio story, explore Taylor Smith's use of them in his recount of a Saturday ...

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What are microbes?

What are microbes? What are the four major groups that most microbes belong to? Listen as Dr Taghrid Istivan explains where microbes are found. What is the name of the group of microbes she describes as beneficial to our health? Can you explain what happens when people get food poisoning?

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about black swans

Discover a graceful Australian bird, the black swan. Watch the images (pictures) and listen to the lyrics (words) of the song by Don Spencer as he sings about the black swan.

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For the Juniors: Breathing under the water

What would it be like to breathe under water? See the equipment humans use to help them swim under water. Find out about the special features fish have that help them 'breathe' under water.

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Testing the 5-second rule

When it comes to dropping food, have you heard of the 5-second rule? Or the 3-second rule? Watch this video to learn what really happens when you drop food. In order to cause disease, what must bacteria do? What circumstances allow bacteria and viruses to contaminate food more successfully?

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For the Juniors: How do mangrove trees survive?

Imagine a plant that lives in mud and is soaked in sea water twice a day. Find out how mangroves thrive in conditions that would kill other plants. View the amazing adaptations that make mangroves such special plants.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a goanna

Take a close look at the largest of Australia's lizards, the goanna. It is also called a monitor lizard. Observe (look carefully at) these scaly reptiles as Don Spencer describes their features.

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Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: Friction between paper experiment

Are you strong enough to pull two sheets of paper apart? What about two books with the pages intertwined? Watch this experiment performed by Ruben Meerman, the Surfing Scientist, and find out how he tests the presence of friction between pieces of paper.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a swan

Join Don Spencer as he observes (looks carefully at) a black swan. Discover a surprise under this bird's black outer feathers. Watch how differently the swan moves on land and in water.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a kangaroo

Take a look at Australia's most famous animal, the kangaroo. Don Spencer feeds a female kangaroo that has a young joey in her pouch. Observe (look carefully at) how kangaroos stay alert in case of danger.