The Japanese flag is an immediately recognizable emblem of the island nation, a brilliant red circle stamped on a pure white background. It's simplicity belies it's cultural importance to the Japanese and although you may think of the flag as a mainstay of Japan dating back at least 100 years, until 1999, the flag - known as the Nisshōki or Hi no maru - was designed completely differently.

Okay, maybe not completely differently.

In Australia, we have to deal with a vast array of animals that can kill us - snakes, spiders, angry roos and cassowaries. We've learnt to live with this. But are we prepared for the fact that Australian birds are using fire to catch and eat their prey? I don't think we are.

Entomology student Dalton Ludwick asked science Twitter: If you could have the entire world know something about your field of study, what would it be? The hashtag #MyOneScienceTweet was born, and it is glorious.

When you hear stats and facts with extremely large numbers, it can be hard to wrap your head around what that number really represents. If you want to get a grasp on large numbers, you need to start changing perspectives and converting them into more understandable numbers.

Presenting someone with facts is never guaranteed to change someone's mind. In fact, contrary evidence can actually make people more convinced of their viewpoint. In that case, appeal to their worldview, rather than just fight on the facts.

News based on bad science is everywhere, but you don't have time to verify every single claim about wine's weird properties or a new, suspicious way to lose weight. To quickly filter the garbage, ask how obvious the test's conclusions are.