Editor's note

Just before lunchtime yesterday, Darwin was jolted by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake, prompting offices in the CBD to be evacuated. The epicentre was some 700 away to the north in the Banda Sea off Indonesia. But despite the distance, the quake rocked Darwin hard, because it occurred within the same tectonic plate, rather than directly at the boundary between two neighbouring plates. As Brendan Duffy and Mark Quigley explain (with the help of an excellent metaphor involving sliced cheese), the tectonic plate in this zone is literally tearing itself apart.

Many of us have now had our flu shots for this year. People often say they feel unwell in the days after getting the jab – they’ll even tell you the vaccine has given them the flu. But that’s not how it works. As Allen Cheng and Katherine Kedzierska explain, the vaccine introduces a small, inactive dose of the flu strain, thereby stimulating a response from our immune system. That way, if we’re exposed to the flu virus for real, our immune systems will be better prepared to fight it. This “practise” immune response is one reason we can feel a bit off after the flu shot. But any symptoms will be milder than the real thing, and won’t last as long.

We are nearing the end of the financial year, and we need just 359 more people to donate to hit the magic number of 10,000 donors. A big thanks to everyone who has been so kind and generous in supporting our work so far. And if you’re thinking you’d like to jump onboard, there is no time like right now. Please donate here.

Michael Hopkin

Environment + Energy Editor

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The quake prompted several buildings to be evacuated in central Darwin. Shutterstock.com/sljones

‘Like tearing a piece of cheese’: here’s why Darwin was rocked so hard by a distant quake

Brendan Duffy, University of Melbourne; Mark Quigley, University of Melbourne

Because it happened within the Australian Plate rather than at a plate boundary, shockwaves from the quake travelled more efficiently to Darwin than to cities closer to the epicentre.

You might feel a bit off after your flu shot but this doesn’t last long. Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

You can’t get influenza from a flu shot – here’s how it works

Allen Cheng, Monash University; Katherine Kedzierska, University of Melbourne

The flu vaccine takes about two weeks to start working and only protects against influenza, so you can still get sick from other viruses after your flu shot.

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