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A European-Australian research team has stumbled upon an unexpected accumulation of the rare radioactive isotope Beryllium-10 at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Dating to around 10 million years ago, this anomaly may serve as a global ‘time marker’ that will improve geological dating methods into the deep past. But the mystery remains as to […]

It is common for engineers to be inspired by nature. Now, researchers say we might be in for a revolution in palaeo-biomimetics – using the designs of ancient creatures to inform how we can design and build structures today. It’s not surprising to imagine that flying machines might take inspiration from animals that have taken […]

In a welcome spot of good news, researchers at Arid Recovery in South Australia have discovered that their small population of endangered kowaris has almost quadrupled in size. This is a promising sign for kowari conservation, and it gives researchers the opportunity to pinpoint why this unique Australian marsupial is declining in the wild. Molly […]

A team of geophysicists using seismic data from more than three decades of earthquakes have found evidence that the Earth’s inner core isn’t completely solid. The new research sheds light on a hotly debated question in geology by showing that the surface of the inner core can change, and can do so on annual timescales. […]

A 183-million-year-old plesiosaur fossil found in Germany has preserved soft tissue which reveals that the ancient marine reptiles had turtle-like scales. The new research helps bring these prehistoric creatures to life in a way that hasn’t been possible despite 200 years of research. Plesiosaurs are often mistaken for dinosaurs. While they lived at the same […]

Scientists have been able to use satellite imagery to find the warrens of wombats and rabbits in the remote Australian desert. They argue the test shows that satellite imagery could be a viable alternative to long and arduous ground-based surveys, particularly in harsh desert environments. The research is published in Australian Mammalogy, the peer-reviewed journal […]

A serendipitous image taken by the European Space Agency’s Euclid telescope allowed astronomers to spot a stunning new example of an Einstein ring. This extremely rare phenomenon occurs when a large space object acts like a lens and magnifies light from another object directly behind it. This was first predicted by Einstein’s general theory of […]

How do you look for something that doesn’t absorb, reflect, or emit light? A team of researchers has developed a new way to use atomic clocks aboard GPS satellites and a network of ultra-stable lasers to search for dark matter. “Despite many theories and experiments scientists are yet to find dark matter, which we think […]

A previously unknown phenomenon discovered deep inside the ice streaming from the Greenland ice sheet will change the way scientists model ice melt and rising sea levels. The ice streams of Antarctica and Greenland are major contributors to sea level rise, carrying ice from inland ice sheets to the sea. So, accurately predicting their behaviour […]

What can we expect from Monday’s Super Bowl? Emeritus Professor David Rowe, from Western Sydney University’s Institute for Culture and Society, weighs in on everything from the game itself, Trump’s attendance, the Aussie who’s after the title and of course, Taylor Swift, ahead of Monday’s Super Bowl. “The annual Super Bowl is, for many people […]

Astronomers have discovered a massive galaxy, LEDA 1313424, with the most rings ever seen. The ring galaxy, which is 2.5 times larger than the Milky Way, has been nicknamed “the Bullseye”. A relatively tiny blue dwarf galaxy punched straight through its centre about 50 million years ago and, like a stone dropped into a pond, […]

Mantis shrimps dole out a punch powerful enough to break mollusc shells and even crack aquarium glass, while somehow avoiding injuring itself in the process. These carnivorous marine crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda come in 2 flavours – “spearers” and “smashers”. Spearers impale prey on their toothed claws, while smashers clobber theirs. There are more […]

The mere mention of Leonardo da Vinci evokes genius. We know him as a polymath whose interests spanned astronomy, geology, hydrology, engineering and physics. As a painter, his Mona Lisa and Last Supper are considered works of mastery. Yet one great achievement that frequently goes unrecognised is his studies of human anatomy. More than 500 […]

Scientists have closed the data gap that will transform the cultivation of Asparagopsis, a seaweed set to revolutionise methane reduction in livestock. Asparagopsis armata is a red seaweed being used as an emerging solution to reduce livestock methane production. The seaweed is endemic to southern Australia and New Zealand and occurs on shallow coastal reefs around […]

Scientists from France and Spain have applied the maths of fluid dynamics to human crowds, creating better predictions for crowd behaviour and a protocol for improved safety. Dense crowds create some of the most dangerous environments in modern society with dangers to individuals including suffocation, stampedes, and getting pressed against walls. Published in the prestigious […]

Early humans underwent adaptive genetic changes in their blood groups after leaving Africa, according to new ancient DNA analysis. Researchers analysed the blood groups of 22 Homo sapiens (modern human), 14 Neanderthals and one offspring of a Neanderthal and a Denisovan – another archaic human species. The individuals lived between 120,000 and 20,000 years ago. […]

In recent months, Americans looking for eggs have faced empty shelves in their grocery stores. The escalating threat of avian flu has forced farmers to kill millions of chickens to prevent its spread. Nearly 70 years ago, Maurice Hilleman, an expert in influenza, also worried about finding eggs. Hilleman, however, needed eggs not for his […]

In an analysis of a century’s worth of data on botanical gardens and arboreta, researchers reveal that global living plant collections have reached capacity, impacting their ability to meet scientific and conservation goals. The researchers argue for a global “meta-collection” in which the estimated 3,500 botanic gardens and arboreta worldwide work more closely to conserve […]

A new review has outlined the potentially deadly consequences of extreme heat if global warming reaches 2°C above the preindustrial average. Climate change is increasing the frequency and magnitude of heat extremes worldwide, with cascading effects on human life – from crops, to infrastructure, and health. According to the new research, the areas of the […]

Hundreds of 52-million-year-old eucalyptus leaf fossils show the tell-tale signs that they were munched on by leaf-eating insects. The trail marks left on the leaves are identical to those found on eucalypts today in Australia. But these fossils were found in Argentina. Today, there are more than 700 species of eucalyptus. These flowering plants – […]

Australia’s sea surface temperatures were the warmest on record last year, according to a snapshot of the nation’s climate which underscores the perilous state of the world’s oceans. The Bureau of Meteorology on Thursday released its annual climate statement for 2024 – the official record of temperature, rainfall, water resources, oceans, atmosphere and notable weather. […]

A new climate modeling study published in the journal Science Advances by researchers from the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea presents a new scenario of how climate and life on our planet would change in response to a potential future strike of a medium-sized (~500 m) asteroid. […]

SUMMER READ: John Read – Australian ecologist and author whose conservation research has featured in more than 120 scientific articles – became obsessed with animals as a child and his journey since – around the world and back again to his home in outback South Australia – has brought exhilaration and despair. An unexpected encounter […]

The nearly complete fossilised skull of an ancient extinct bird might lay to rest controversial debate amongst palaeontologists about the first avians. The extinct species, Vegavis iaai, lived in what is now Antarctica about 69 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous Period. The newly described fossil places the earliest known modern bird firmly as […]