Wominjeka! ABC science reporter Jacinta Bowler diving into your inbox for another week.
 

Fifty years ago, the first episode of The Science Show went to air on August 30, 1975.
 

There were some well-known names, important stories and a very young Robyn Williams.
 

Some of the stories from that first episode hit even harder today.
 

For example, Lord Ritchie Calder, head of energy policy at the House of Lords in the British Parliament gave startling figures on greenhouse gas being emitted from fossil fuels.
 

And he spoke about the likely disastrous effect on world climate emissions would have: "We've been saying this at the UN and elsewhere since 1963 and here we are in 1975 and people still have not acted!"
 

The Science Show's 50th anniversary episode will go to air this Saturday at 12pm, so get ready for plenty of famous faces and historical highlights.
 

Congrats Robyn on 50 years in the hot seat!
 

Another long-running event happening this week has delighted Australians since 1987.
 

Racing down the Stuart Highway, with hopes of making it all the way from Darwin to Adelaide, are dozens of solar-powered vehicles that look more like spaceships than cars.
 

Called the World Solar Challenge, university groups from around the world build these weird and wonderful cars, which run exclusively on solar power (and a small battery).
 

Their mission? Make it the full 3,000km distance streaking down the middle of the country.
 

I have a HUGE soft spot for this race. The cars are amazing, the environment is tough and somehow the event still surprises me year after year.
 

Because it's not just the cars these eager beavers have to worry about.
 

According to one of the competitors, Aaron Sharma: "We're sharing the roads with 63-metre-long road trains while navigating cattle grids, roadkill, emus jumping out [in] the road, fires, heavy winds."
 

"The Australian highway really does teach you some lessons."
 

I cannot recommend checking out the whole story about this year's competition (and the incredible photos of the designs) enough.
 

While the World Solar Challenge might be mostly for fun and clout, another story this week shows why alternatives to diesel and petrol cars are sorely needed.
 

Technology reporter James Purtill looked into a study that found traffic pollution contributes to more premature deaths per year than the road toll.
 

And, as another article by James pointed out this week, we're struggling to ditch petrol completely when buying a new car.
 

If you have feedback, fun science photos or something else you want to tell us about, send us an email.
 

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Vehicle emissions may contribute to more than 1,800 premature deaths in Australia each year, according to the nation's first assessment of the health impact of traffic-related pollution.

A supernova blast 2.2 billion light-years from Earth has given astronomers a deeper view into a star's centre than ever before.

A worldwide study of more than 4 million birdcalls has found that birds are singing for nearly an hour longer each day because of light pollution.

Plug-in hybrids now account for a quarter of electric vehicle sales, as Australians reluctant to entirely drop the fuel tank opt for a compromise.

Scientists say there is emerging evidence of abrupt and potentially unstoppable changes in the Antarctic environment, heightening the risk of significant sea level rise and the extinction of species.