OmniSci Magazine

OmniSci Magazine The Home of Student Science Communication at UniMelb! A science magazine: by students, for students.

Welcome to OmniSci Magazine - the home of science communication here at the University of Melbourne. Whether you're interested in writing, editing, graphic design, web development or just want to hang out with a community of students passionate about science and creativity, this is the place for you!

Me, myself and my brain - Ingrid traverses the neural paths that comprise the conscious experience. Illustrated by Heath...
16/12/2025

Me, myself and my brain - Ingrid traverses the neural paths that comprise the conscious experience. Illustrated by Heather Sutherland. Edited by Steph Liang. 🤔

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"The mind. The brain. You. Are they one and the same; entwined?

What do you think? Again, assuming it is you thinking. Assuming you feel certain enough to agree with this. Really, with what certainty can we say anything?

You may be wondering who “I” am. I am but you, of course! I kid, but not entirely. Think of me as the brain; your brain if you wish. An excellent name I gave myself, if you ask me (...)

I apologise that I have not come bearing the answers to our existence, that I have not yet unpicked these questions of “who?”, “how?”, “why?”. I come offering an alternative. I wish to present to you these entangled threads of consciousness: of what we currently know, of what we hope to know and of where we can proceed from here."

Read the full article and the rest of Issue 9: Entwined using the link in our bio.

𓆧 Uncover life behind and between the concrete jungle, as Ciara talks all things urban ecology with Dr Kylie Soanes. 🌳--...
19/11/2025

𓆧 Uncover life behind and between the concrete jungle, as Ciara talks all things urban ecology with Dr Kylie Soanes. 🌳

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“Cities are a bustling weave of people and places, but where does nature belong in all of that chaos?”

Some of Soanes’ favourite work is not just about protecting nature in cities, but putting it back. She speaks about creating new habitats in urban spaces, such as floating wetlands that transform bleak industrial wastelands into thriving ecosystems, or even rooftop gardens that reclaim space for nature.

One of the most exciting areas of urban ecology includes restoring locally extinct species. Soanes cites the example of the endangered Key’s Matchstick Grasshopper, which was reintroduced to Royal Park in 2022 to restore the local population and support a healthy ecosystem.

Read the full article and the rest of Issue 9: Entwined using the link in our bio.

Delicately grown, globally consumed: Kara evaluates the intersection of matcha's deep-rooted social importance with phys...
13/11/2025

Delicately grown, globally consumed: Kara evaluates the intersection of matcha's deep-rooted social importance with physical health and current trends. Illustrated by Ingrid Sefton. Edited by Isaac Tian. 🍃🇯🇵🍵

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"I have become a cultural symbol of Japan, while also gaining status as a ‘health food’ and a marker of social prestige – representing the so-called ‘clean lifestyle’, or even the ideals of the ‘performative male’.

Anthropologists describe this phenomenon as cultural food colonialism: the commodification of a food or drink by another society, often without a full appreciation of its historical and cultural roots. I am now enjoyed throughout the world, yet my true value and original purpose are sometimes forgotten, consumed more as a passing trend than with the intention of mindful presence. Sometimes I am added to products by companies eager to capitalise on a fad."

Read the full article and the rest of Issue 9: Entwined using the link in our bio.

⏳ Spend a moment with Furqan considering how our perception of time strings us together, yet fundamentally pulls us apar...
11/11/2025

⏳ Spend a moment with Furqan considering how our perception of time strings us together, yet fundamentally pulls us apart. ⏱︎

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Take a moment to clap your hands together. Do you hear the sound of the clap right as your hands come into contact? This does appear to occur at the same time. Yet the sound of the clap travels much slower than the light from your hands, and your brain differs in the time taken to process sound and light. So how does the clap appear to be in sync?...
..The clap of your hands, in the truest sense, is a collection of particles. But by interweaving the myriad streams of brain activity and sensory stimuli, the mind places this clap within a moment. Just as we, as a species, place ourselves within a moment.

You can read the full article at omniscimag.com or through the link in our bio.

Taking us to Tonga, Andrew tells a tale of a musician swimming between the worlds of communication, marine science and a...
07/11/2025

Taking us to Tonga, Andrew tells a tale of a musician swimming between the worlds of communication, marine science and a future for Pacific Islands. Illustrated by Aisyah Mohammad Sulhanuddin. Edited by Kara Miwa-Dale.🐋🥽👩🏽‍🎤

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"This culmination of years of applied research into whale behaviour and increasingly documented language structure led them back to Tonga, where Tofa now floated, suspended ten meters below the surface of the ocean off the coast of ‘Eua.

The soft, deep wail through their headphones had presaged the arrival of Bomp, the Humpback whale she’d become acquainted with over successive years in the water. Moments later, the call of Bomp’s companion, Wahaloo, followed, and Tofa was overjoyed.

The audio was coming through as clear as they could have hoped. "

Read the full article and the rest of Issue 9: Entwined using the link in our bio.

Untangle the knot theory with Ryan to reveal the role of this mathematical marvel in our everyday life. 🧶 🪢___౨ৎ___౨ৎ___...
05/11/2025

Untangle the knot theory with Ryan to reveal the role of this mathematical marvel in our everyday life. 🧶 🪢

___౨ৎ___౨ৎ____

“I had never imagined that mathematics could be used to describe something so abstract as knot theory, but to me the appeal was its tangibility. No matter who you are, there really is something in mathematics for you.”

In contrast to our world’s best mathematicians, topoisomerase is incredibly efficient in where it cuts. We have yet to understand what mechanism allows for such accurate cuts, but practical research into topoisomerase could potentially help knot theorists solve the immensely inscrutable question of the minimum number of crossing switches to simplify any knot.

Read the full article and the rest of Issue 9: Entwined using the link in our bio.

In case you missed it, Issue 9 ENTWINED has just been released!Get ready to dive into a web of incredible and interconne...
04/11/2025

In case you missed it, Issue 9 ENTWINED has just been released!

Get ready to dive into a web of incredible and interconnected science! From an introspective chat with the brain to a journey along the production line that creates our much-loved daily cup of matcha - this issue is packed with thought-provoking reads!✨

Read more from our Editors-in-Chief, Ingrid and Aisyah, and Cover Issue Illustrator, Anabelle, in our full editorial at the link in our bio. Keep an eye out - we'll be spotlighting the remaining articles in the issues to come!

Dive into the history, habitat, and hardships of your favourite frilly friends with Danny. Axolotls are so much more tha...
30/10/2025

Dive into the history, habitat, and hardships of your favourite frilly friends with Danny. Axolotls are so much more than a cute face, and time may be running out to save them. 🌊

꒰(˶• ᴗ •˶)꒱

"When the fifth sun was created, it did not move. The god of the wind carved a destructive path through the realm, slaying all other gods to induce the Sun into movement. Xolotl, guide for the dead, escaped his sacrifice by transforming into an invulnerable salamander. Eventually, even he was captured. Upon his sacrifice, the Sun began its course. Thus began the time of man...
..The fate of the axolotl is yet to be determined, but it is certain that the loss of another species will continue to set a dangerous precedent for the conservation of our ecosystems."

Read the full article and the rest of Issue 9: Entwined using the link in our bio.

Issue 9: Entwined - Launch Night✨A huge thank you to everyone who came along to celebrate our biggest launch yet! We’re ...
30/10/2025

Issue 9: Entwined - Launch Night✨

A huge thank you to everyone who came along to celebrate our biggest launch yet! We’re so proud of the effort that went into crafting this issue and were amazed at the creative ways our contributors brought the theme to life!🥳

Don’t forget to share the issue with your friends and help us to spread the word! Read the full issue at the link in our bio. 🙌

Embrace the physiology, psychology and cultural complexities of hugs, as Elise opens us up to their undeniable benefits....
29/10/2025

Embrace the physiology, psychology and cultural complexities of hugs, as Elise opens us up to their undeniable benefits. Illustrated by Elise Volpato. Edited by Steph Liang. 🫲🤗🫱

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"Ranging from Will’s heartbreaking collapse in Sean’s arms (Good Will Hunting), to Sheeta and Pazu’s cheerful embrace (Castle in the Sky), to Love Actually’s opening scene, hugs are everywhere.

In cinema, songs, poems or artworks, they embody strong emotional connections. As we observe and experience affectionate physical touch in various contexts, let us not forget about the importance of emotional connections in our own lives. Sharing a hug with your lover(s), your friends, your family, your pets; it seems to be an ordinary action… for extraordinary benefits. When hugging, we can all feel pleasant emotions such as serenity, joy, love. But what is the science behind being entwined to someone?"

Read the full article and the rest of Issue 9: Entwined using the link in our bio.

28/10/2025

🎉ISSUE 9: ENTWINED IS OUT NOW!!✨

The nineth issue of OmniSci Magazine has officially been unraveled! 🪢

A massive thank you to our brilliant authors, editors and illustrators for bringing this issue to life! Entwined by our love of science, we've drawn the strings together from several threads of science to tie a bow on this beautiful issue. From the knots that tie all of us back to our cosmic origin to knot theory itself, there's something for every curious mind!👀

Check out the link in our bio, or read now at: omniscimag.com

Aiming for immortality, landing at gunpowder? Isaac explores how a quest for life is fundamentally entangled in the alch...
27/10/2025

Aiming for immortality, landing at gunpowder? Isaac explores how a quest for life is fundamentally entangled in the alchemy of gunpowder. 💥 🧪

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It’s 210 BC, and you are an alchemist standing before Emperor Qin Shi Huang in his court. You hand him an elixir supposed to grant him immortality and eternal reign.

The ingenuity of the alchemists spoke to them: it told them to mix in a few other ingredients to the saltpetre. With the trio of saltpetre, sulfur and charcoal, gunpowder was henceforth born into this world.

The alchemists must have been in for a surprise when their “potion of immortality” sparked and exploded before them. So how does gunpowder explode? Why don’t other flammable items like match tips and dry wood explode when we set them alight?

Read the full article and the rest of Issue 9: Entwined using the link in our bio.

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