In September, we are daring to put Brisbane under the microscope as part of our partnership with the Brisbane Festival. We asked questions around the intersection of art and science culminating in a Sip and Science event that explored these topics. Here are the results of our third weekly poll.
Would you rather go on a journey to Mars or through your own body?
Just as the James Webb telescope produces stunning image of far-away galaxies, so do our researchers produce beautiful and intriguing images taken of cells and other structures from within the body.
We asked Brisbane which scientific frontier they would rather explore with 48 per cent opting for their own body; 30 per cent choosing Mars, while 22 per cent left their sense of adventure at home, saying "Neither".
Which daring activity of the following would you prefer to do?
Given a choice between skydiving, going into space, giving a public performance and milking a spider, Brisbane's least preferred option was clear. Only 6 per cent of respondents to our poll chose milking a spider.
Despite the aversion of Brisbane in general to eight-legged creepy crawlies, there's one group of residents who get up close and personal with spiders: our researchers. They are milking the venom of funnel webs and other spiders to develop new treatments for heart attack, stroke, pain and more.
Despite the preference for journeying through your own body in preference to going to Mars, travelling to space was the most popular option for this question, with 40 per cent of respondents. 29 per cent chose skydiving, while 24 per cent opted for giving a public performance.
Is science creative?
An overwhelming 94 per cent of respondents agreed that science is creative. While the two disciplines may seem very different at first glance, as our Executive Director says, both involve looking at things people have seen before, but seeing them differently - and both disciplines produce some amazing images.