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New South Wales researchers have been commissioned to design a medical drone. The specialised drone is to be equipped with a “medical capsule” to deliver cargo to remote regions. It will be able to transport pathology specimens, blood products, anti-venom, medications, medical supplies and other equipment. The drone will complement local primary health networks, telehealth […]

Reanalysis of the largest ever salmon, which lived several million years ago, shows that it sported tusk-like teeth which might have been used for fighting. Oncorhynchus rastrosus was first described in the 1970s. It’s the largest species of salmon, reaching up to 2.7 metres in length and weighing between 200 and 400kg, roughly the size […]

Astronomers have witnessed a rare giant flare from a magnetar about 12 million light-years away. Such events release huge amounts of energy in the form of gamma rays and are therefore known as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). These GRBs usually last less than a second and originate from neutron stars – the dense remains of a […]

Warming ocean temperatures caused by climate change could have a direct effect on octopus’ sight according to new research from South Australia and California. Marine biologist Dr Qiaz Hua and a team at The University of Adelaide Environment Institute and University of California Davis, tested embryos of the Southern Keeled Octopus (Octopus berrima) in water […]

Double-glazed windows are often seen as a useful, if expensive, measure to insulate Australian homes and shave quarterly power bills, now materials scientists are hopeful they’ve cracked a way to introduce similar properties to bricks. The researchers in Melbourne engineered clay bricks containing 15% reclaimed glass dust, which would have otherwise been unrecyclable, as part […]

Researchers have linked 4 genes to birds’ innate rhythmic ability in song, according to a new study in Nature Communications. Rhythm, which involves song elements being regularly distributed in time, is an essential component of communication that mediates key social behaviours, such as recognition of different individuals and mate selection. Of the genes identified, 2 […]

Researchers have recovered a 3.7-billion-year-old record of Earth’s magnetic field from Greenland, providing the oldest estimate of its strength derived from whole rock samples. “This is a really important step forward as we try and determine the role of the ancient magnetic field when life on Earth was first emerging,” says lead researcher Claire Nichols. […]

Scientists have pushed the earliest appearance of bioluminescence among animals back by nearly 300 million years. Bioluminescence is when an organism produces its own light, through chemical reactions in the creature’s body. It occurs in some fungi, bacteria and insects such as fireflies. But it is particularly common among marine vertebrates and invertebrates. Evidence suggests […]

One of Australia’s leading science academies is calling for an overhaul of the Murray Darling Basin’s governance system as part of a 50-year vision for Australia’s largest water region. The basin, which extends over a million square kilometres and crosses five sub-national borders, is governed by a series of water laws and 11 government bodies. […]

A new paper argues that the search for life outside our planet could be aided by looking in an unexpected place: the extremely hot, toxic planet Venus. Venus is uninhabitable. It’s like our planet’s evil twin, with a diameter only 5% smaller than Earth’s. But the average surface temperature on Venus is 464°C – high […]

New statistical analysis in the journal Geophysical Research Letters predicts the combined influences of rising global temperatures and El Niño could lead to extreme humid heat stress throughout tropical latitudes this summer.  The researchers concluded that the “strong‐to‐very‐strong El Niño” at the end of 2023 suggests an annual average maximum wet bulb temperature of 26.2°C, […]

“I nearly fell out of my chair,” says Danish archaeologist Freerk Oldenburger referring to the moment he realised he was looking at a small bronze portrait of Alexander the Great found in Denmark. Oldenburger added in his comments to Live Science that the piece “has the typical attributes of Alexander the Great, such as his […]

A leading Australian oceanographer says Australia’s coastal cities, including Sydney, are “not viable” under high-end projections of future sea level rise from global warming. Professor Matthew England from the Centre for Marine Science & Innovation at the University of NSW, (UNSW) and Deputy Director of the ARC Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, says nobody […]

An attempt to optimise optical fibre capabilities has led a team including a Silicon Valley start-up and scientists from Adelaide University to undertake some space manufacturing – with immediate success. Fibre optic communication converts an electrical signal into a pulse of light sent through a cable – usually a thin silica or glass tube.  Converting […]

Dozens of Chinese scientists have raised a red flag using a detailed satellite data analysis to plot land movement across China, writing that a third of the country’s urban residents could find themselves living in a ‘sinking city’. Led by Zurui Ao, Xiaomei Hu and Xie Hu from South China Normal University and Peking University, […]

Stargazers who miss out on catching a glimpse of the ‘Devil Comet’ 12P/Pons-Brooks on the western horizon have a chance of seeing other regular night sky activity in April and May. While the comet will be visible, it may only be a blurry, fleeting glimpse over the western horizon for those living in the southern […]

3D printed prototype “finger” with rigid bones and flexible flesh Engineers designing soft robotics or wearable devices often turn to elastomers – synthetic polymers that can be manufactured with a range of mechanical properties. But making elastomers that can be shaped into complex 3D structures that go from rigid to rubbery has been unfeasible until […]

They’re not just tall woody things, say plant scientists, who want the planet’s trees to be recast as far more expansive and complex organisms, amid the challenges of climate change. Environmental scientists have long forecast that living organisms will be tested by global warming and the ecological shifts that result from it, and trees are […]

By Rudra Prasad Pradhan and Kalyani Yeola India’s Kerala state is famous for its languid beauty, laidback lifestyle and stunning beaches. But it’s what lies beneath that has the country’s nuclear industry excited. Kerala — ‘God’s Own Country’ — is also home to a massive amount of thorium. Indeed, India has the largest thorium deposits […]

Farmers have been urged to get involved in discussions about their industry to “safeguard their futures.” The CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, has published the Ag2050 Scenarios Report, to try to identify what Australian farming will look like in 2050, with perhaps the most interesting development being the consolidation of what it describes as “…regional […]

The 2023 film The Creator uses old footage of robots from the 1950s, and viewers probably don’t even notice. The film is directed by Gareth Edwards, the creator of Monsters, who claims his influences for film-making are George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino. The Creator is a film about “humanity v AI.” It includes a newsreel depicting an […]

The largest and most diverse study of PTSD genetics has identified 43 genes that appear to have a role in causing the disorder. The analysis of genetic data from more than 1.2 million people also pinpointed 95 locations on the genome associated with the risk of developing PTSD. This includes 80 locations that had not […]

Marine scientists using tracking devices have been able to shine a spotlight on the behaviour of great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) with the publication of 2 new studies this week. Australian-led research in the journal Ecosphere revealed that great whites along the US California coast adapt their routines to suit the specific habitat they are […]

Dutch medical scientists are warning about the risk of viruses mutating over long periods in infected immunocompromised people. Forthcoming research from the group relates to a previously reported case of a 72-year-old Dutch man who was infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus for a record 613 days before dieing from a blood disorder. The research, which […]

Mark Wong, The University of Western Australia and Raphael Didham, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific literature. We searched for meaningful comparisons of insect activity by day and […]

Move over, graphene. Your blinged-up cousin, goldene, has entered the scene. Researchers have accidentally created a single-atom layer of gold. The new material has been dubbed “goldene” because it replicates the two-dimensionality of the carbon-based graphene. Graphene was discovered in 2004 after being theoretically suggested as far back as 1985. In the 20 years since […]

Water on other planets and moons may be a crucial clue to finding extraterrestrial life. But finding water, even within our own solar system, is proving to be very difficult. It’s a problem which NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) is hoping to resolve with the JUICE [JUpiter ICy moons Explorer] mission launched a […]

The ‘Devil Comet’ is now visible in the night sky and without the aid of binoculars or a telescope, but keen comet-watchers will need to wait a few more weeks for the best view. Officially designated as 12P/Pons-Brooks, the  Halley-type comet is making a brief visit to our neck of the Solar system – it […]

It’s been a big week for Australia when it comes to environmental protection, but while observers are hailing an environmental victory, they’re also concerned by delays to reforming the nation’s top biodiversity law. Federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek this week made a series of major announcements, chief among them the adoption of the commonwealth’s first […]

New fossils suggest that one of the world’s largest ever snakes slithered around India 47 million years ago. Vasuki indicus would have been between 11 and 15 metres according to a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports which describes the ancient creature for the first time. The fossils were found in a brown coal […]

Despite all appearances, the space between stars, known as the interstellar medium, is anything but empty. Atoms, ions, and molecules reside in this freezing, low-pressure environment. Scientists across disciplines are working to determine the types of chemical reactions that occur in this unique environment, and which produce more than 200 unique molecules known to form […]

Antarctica’s cold, dry soils are teeming with microbial life, but we know remarkably little about how its microorganisms are affected by climate change. New Australian research has begun to fill in these gaps, focussing on a specific type of microbe – chemotrophs. These use trace gases in the atmosphere – such as hydrogen, methane, and […]

A major archaeological investigation has, for the first time, excavated a lava tube in Saudi Arabia that was inhabited by humans up to 10,000 years ago. The site at Umm Jirsan shows evidence of human activity spanning several thousand years from the Neolithic period to the Bronze Age. Supported by Saudi authorities, it continues decades […]

The fourth recorded global coral bleaching event has been declared by US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in a timely reminder of the threats posed by climate change. Warnings about the likelihood of serious mass bleaching have persistently sounded since an El Niño weather phenomenon began in mid-2023. That event is noteworthy for its […]

UK fossils dating to the Late Triassic (also known as the Rhaetian; 237–201 million years ago) period could be from the largest marine reptile ever. Ichthyotitan severnensis was discovered on the coast of southwest England. A new ancient jawbone was discovered about 10 km from where the same team discovered a similar jawbone. They believe […]

Beavers can chew on huge trees but their teeth don’t break, while humans eat lollies and have to head for the dentist. Now researchers say we can learn from that. Human teeth are coated in enamel – a complex crystalline substance  which acts as a protective barrier but can become susceptible to degradation from acids […]

Interspecies competition in ancient humans saw an evolutionary trend that is the complete opposite of almost all other vertebrates, according to a new study. For years, scientists assumed the main driver of the rise and fall of hominin species (which includes humans and our direct ancestors) was climate change. It is known, however, that interspecies […]

A study which claimed Tasmanian devil facial tumour transmission was slowing has been called into question by new research. Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) wiped out about 70% of the iconic devils between 1996 and 2021, before reports began to emerge that its spread was slowing. DFTD is spread through the transfer of living cancer […]

I was born in Atlanta, Georgia. I loved doing a lot of things that kids do, playing outside with friends, riding bikes. I had a strange propensity for doing mathematics on foggy car windows. I enjoyed doing scientific experiments with chemicals in my closet, which probably nearly killed me. I was part of a program […]

Scientists have identified the fourth time that a rare, but crucial, biological process has occurred in nature – the formation of a tiny organelle in a eukaryotic cell. Known as ‘primary endosymbiosis,’ this process has been foundational for complex organisms (like humans). It describes how a single-celled organism is engulfed by a larger, more complex […]

The largest stellar black hole in the Milky Way galaxy has been found by the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission. And it is extraordinarily close to Earth. Named as Gaia BH3, it is 33 times the mass of our Sun, more than 50% bigger than the next biggest stellar black hole Cygnus X-1 which is […]

In a world increasingly awash with radio frequency technology and electromagnetic radio waves it may come as a surprise to learn that there have been relatively few long-term studies to discover if it is accumulating, and impacting on human health. Society is adopting ever evolving broadcast and mobile telecommunication technologies worldwide, and Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields […]

From Flinders University media Frogs are amphibians – the most endangered group of species on the planet. Two out of every five amphibian species are currently threatened with extinction, and this figure is rising.In a bid to help save a threatened Australian frog species – and potentially other amphibian species – scientists led by Flinders […]

A scientist from James Cook University says unusual ocean upwelling events could be putting some marine animals at risk of mass die-off. Climate change is likely pushing shifts in pressure systems and ocean currents that cause such events.   But rather than being a cause of animal deaths due to the general phenomenon of warming […]

A new study of the remote Scott Reef, located between northwest Western Australia and Indonesia, has revealed a genus of coral with an inherent ability to recover from repeated cycles of collapse. The catch? They need enough time to pass between disturbances to recover. The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)-led research analysed data collected […]

Physicists have made a measurement at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) which could expand our understanding beyond the Standard Model of Particle Physics. Since the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, questions have remained open in fundamental physics about what lies beyond the Standard Model’s framework which describes all of the particles and forces […]

Astrophysicists have used data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to determine the source of the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) of all time. But their results have opened a new mystery. Dubbed BOAT (“brightest of all time”), GRB 221009A was observed in October 2022. Now, it has been shown that the BOAT was generated […]

In 2029 the asteroid once considered the most probable to strike the Earth will fly uncomfortably close to the planet’s surface. Spanning 335-375m, asteroid 99942 – dubbed ‘Apophis’ after the Egyptian god of chaos – was discovered in 2004 by astronomers from the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson, Arizona. Initially, it was assessed as […]

Palaeontologists have described 3 new species of extinct megafauna kangaroos which lived from about 5 million to 40,000 years ago. The megafaunal macropodids in the genus Protemnodon would have looked something like a grey kangaroo but were generally squatter and more muscular. One new species named as part of the study, Protemnodon viator, weighed up […]

Discussions in Australia are heating up around the need for “sovereign artificial intelligence (AI).” According to a report by the CSIRO, the country lags behind others in AI research and development. And this, experts warn, is putting us at the back of the pack in using AI to boost productivity and bolster the economy. Australia’s […]