SCIENCE

Virgin Australia owner Richard Branson revealed on Friday that his space tourism program, Virgin Galactic, will lift off as planned in the last quarter of 2013, with him and his family as among the first passengers.

South Korea earned praises this time as it hinted the likelihood of backing down from its earlier announced plan of resuming whale hunting in pursuit of scientific research.

Planning to quit smoking? Be advised that there may be subsequent gain in weight in the process, according to results by a comprehensive study conducted by British and French experts.

On the second week of the implementation of the carbon tax, Treasurer Wayne Swan said the $23 per tonne carbon price is now a reality which Australians would have to judge its impact on their lives.

An unidentified flying object remains a mystery, according to an Australian UFO investigator. A curious flying object was spotted over Batemans Bay on the early hours of June 21. A man from Eurobodalla filmed the object for over eight minutes, saying he was “amazed” by the peculiar brightness of the orb-like object.

Despite the threat of a $1.1 million fine from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), some Aussie entities continue to gouge residents by blaming the two-week-old carbon tax for large increase in prices.

Marine scientists from different parts of the world meeting in Cairns this week are urging the Gillard government to step up protection of the Great Barrier Reef.

There is apparent wisdom in the practice among many western parents to kick out of their homes their children once the kids turn 18. A study released Friday confirmed that it is stressful for parents to share their home with their adult children.

The first week of the implementation of the controversial carbon tax ended with an announcement by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that it investigated and sanctioned two solar panel producers.

While the Opposition, the New South Wales government and some businesses such as bakery chain Brumby's are blaming the carbon tax for rise in prices, Australia's retail industry is rejoicing because the carbon compensation caused the sector's growth rate to hit a two-year high.

In spite of promises by Coalition leader Tony Abbott to repeal the carbon tax if the Opposition wins in the 2013 election, big polluters in Australia believe otherwise.

CERN is making this year’s 4th of July extra historical with a Higgs particle announcement. It seems the Higgs boson has been found. The Higgs particle, named after the physicist Peter Higgs, has become a hot trending topic on the internet. But what is basically going on with the Higgs boson spotlighting, in plain and simple English?

Australian bakery chain Brumby's apologised on Wednesday after being caught by regulators attempting to make more dough by blaming the carbon tax for price increases. Brumby's parent company, Retail Food Group Limited, apologised for the unacceptable error of judgment.

The carbon tax, despite the support by some large Australian businesses, continues to be the favourite whipping boy of the Opposition and even some state governments.

This morning, several days after the first shocking reports of a young graduate student being attacked and seriously injured by chimpanzees at a sanctuary in South Africa, the story remains at the top of the news around the world. This morning I counted 1,321 stories from just the last 24 hours.

The New Zealand earthquake Tuesday night was the biggest hit the northern part of the country “in a long time,” but the impact had been limited due to depth and distance offshore.

Scientists who are studying the Higgs boson hinted that they are getting closer to discovering the last piece of Higgs boson. The Higgs boson discovery would mean that they are closing in to one of the most important scientific discoveries of the last century.

On the second day of the implementation of the controversial carbon tax, the Labor-led government of Australia scored three points against the Opposition after three major Aussie companies aired their support for the measure.

The sunset off the WA coast looked extra spectacular Friday as an object believed to be a meteor made a stunning view. A long yellow orange fiery trail is seen over the horizon over Cottlesloe, and photos of the sight immediately spread on Twitter.

It was a repeat of the Millennium Bug, also known as the Y2K scare, which caused the delay of 400 Qantas planes on Sunday. Virgin Australia was similarly affected after the manual check-in and dispatch of flight that use the Amadeus system collapsed.

Like what it has done to the Australian Parliament, the carbon tax has also divided Aussies as groups both opposed and favoured the $23 per tonne carbon price which started to be collected Sunday, July 1.

Divers and explorers of the UFO Baltic Sea claims that all of their electric equipments were disabled whenever they try to approach the UFO Baltic sea location. Most of their electric equipments were not working when they try to get a closer look of the said object.

A question if due process was followed was the basis in the Western Australian government's halt of the release of the Environmental Protection Authority's (EPA) approval of the $40-billion James Price Point gas project.

ACT health officials said on Thursday that influenza cases in the capital have reached the same level as last year, confirming at the same time that swine flu or H1N1 is still very much around in Canberra.

As the D day for the carbon tax fast approaches with less than one week to its implementation, the debate between pro- and anti-carbon tax groups as well as strategies to back or oppose the measure are becoming more intense.

Long after the extinction of dinosaurs, a giant toothed bird soared across the Australian skies, according to scientists.

What are the proper limits of religious freedom? Marianne Thieme, leader of the Party for the Animals in the Netherlands, offers this answer: "Religious freedom stops where human or animal suffering begins.

BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) is making Western Australian history by moving headquarters to Brookfield Place Tower. With 3,000 BHP employees, the relocation is the state's largest office transfer in its history.

A global economy that supports healthier environment will be the wave of the future, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said on Friday, which in turn would eradicate poverty and generate more employment opportunities at the same time.