Please Explain
Everything you ever wanted to know
but didn't know who to ask.
Please Explain
Everything you ever wanted to know
but didn't know who to ask.
01 Aug 2022
Please explain: Can you get sick from being cold? Our mothers have always told us to rug up or we’ll catch cold. But will we, really? Dr Heather Knox from MQ Health GP Clinic busts some winter myths.
13 Jul 2022
Please explain: What's so scary about the honeybee Varroa mite? Australia is undergoing an intensive biosecurity response since discovering an outbreak of the honeybee parasite, Varroa mite, in hives near Newcastle Port in mid-June – why are we so concerned?
04 Jul 2022
Please explain: What is a mondegreen? Mishearing or misunderstanding a word, whether in a song or everyday speech, can cause great amusement but it can also change a language, says Emeritus Professor of Linguistics, Pam Peters.
31 May 2022
Defamation explained: Could Depp v Heard happen here? Truth is a defence in both Australia and the US, but payouts have limits in Australia - and a case here would never be livestreamed to the world, explains Julian Dight, a legal academic at Macquarie Law School.
18 May 2022
Please explain: Will a hung parliament cause 'chaos and instability'? A minority federal government won’t necessarily weaken parliament, says Associate Professor Ian Tregenza of Macquarie’s School of Social Sciences.
10 May 2022
Please explain: Why are we forced to vote? Australia has one of the highest voter turnouts in the world. But should voting be compulsory? Associate Professor Ian Tregenza, who teaches Politics at Macquarie School of Social Sciences, examines tensions between individual freedoms and electoral mandates.
17 Feb 2022
Please explain: Why do sharks attack humans? In the wake of NSW's latest shark attack fatality, Macquarie University’s Head of Biological Sciences, Professor Nathan Hart, explains why sharks don’t naturally hunt humans and how their poor eyesight could be to blame.
15 Feb 2022
Please explain: Why is the sky blue? Rainbows, chemistry and humidity all play a role in the colour of the sky, explains Dr Stuart Ryder of Macquarie University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy.
08 Dec 2021
Please explain: What is La Nina and does it affect me? As NSW records its wettest and coldest November in over a century, eastern Australia is in the midst of a five-month long La Nina weather event, that will cause heavy rainfall, increased flooding and cyclone risk, Adjunct Fellow Andrew Gissing explains.
30 Nov 2021
Please explain: How does hydrogen power work? VIDEO: Almost all the hydrogen fuel that the world uses is created from fossil fuels. Researchers are now racing to produce it from renewable sources, explains Dr Tony Jerkovic from the Department of Molecular Sciences.
30 Nov 2021
Please explain: What is ASMR? Autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, has taken YouTube and TikTok by storm. But what is it and what other uses could it have? Dr Natalie Roberts from the Australian Institute of Health Innovation at Macquarie University explains.
18 Nov 2021
Please explain: What is a flower moon? Come November 19, look in the right place at the right time and you’ll see the micro Beaver or Flower Moon. Professor Richard de Grijs, of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, explains just what you'll be seeing.