Top 10 news stories of 2011
We’ve taken a look back at a big year and put together our top news stories of 2011:
1. Silkworms made to spin coloured silk
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By feeding them mixtures containing dyes, researchers have helped silkworms spin fluorescent, coloured silk.
2. World’s hottest chilli grown by Aussies
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Some brave Australians have created a scorching chilli that’s too hot to handle without protective gear.
3. Birds of a feather talk together
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Pet parrots, such as cockatoos, that are let loose in the wild are teaching native birds to talk.
4. Great white sharks attracted by AC/DC hits
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A shark cage tour operator has found that great white sharks are attracted to music by Aussie band AC/DC.
5. Drunken parrot season begins in Darwin
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The season for drunken lorikeets has begun in the Northern Territory, but no-one knows what causes it.
6. Dinosaur tracks found in Victoria
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Palaeontologists have discovered the most extensive cache of dinosaur footprints in southern Australia.
7. Free-floating planets found unbound to stars
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Ten planets the size of Jupiter have been found which do not appear to orbit any star.
8. Boil water to charge your mobile
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In the wake of the earthquake and tsunami, a Japanese company has invented a simple way to charge mobiles.
9. Brisbane floods: did the dams work?
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As Brisbane cleans up its murky waters, the community wonders how well the dams worked.
10. Amazon tribe has no language for time
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A tribe of people in the Amazon live their lives by events rather than time and have no word for ‘week’ or ‘year’.
