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Physicists have taken the first images of individual atoms interacting with each other, helping to prove theoretical correlations that had never been directly observed. The findings are published in the Physical Review Letters. Images of individual atoms have been taken before – but only ever in the context of a crystal-like structure or in strong […]

Despite covering 66% of the Earth’s surface, the deep ocean remains one of Earth’s great mysteries, and a new report has brought to light just how little we know about these vast regions. For example, it’s been determined that only 0.001% of the deep seafloor has been visually observed by humans. The estimated area, 2130km2, […]

Today’s children will endure exposure to more climate extremes in their lifetime than any generation before them, a new study published in Nature has projected. Climate extremes, including heatwaves, crop failures, river floods, tropical cyclones, wildfires and droughts, will increase in frequency and intensity with continued atmospheric warming. Global average temperatures are rising at unprecedented rates […]

A study of the 28 most populous cities in the US shows that all are sinking. The most common cause is groundwater extraction. But the authors present possible solutions. The fastest-sinking city is Houston, with more than 40% of it descending more than 5mm a year, and 12% sinking twice as quickly. Some localised spots […]

Spruce trees in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains may respond to solar eclipses say an international team of researchers. Much work has been done on connections between plants, especially over the last twenty years. Reams of papers and many books and documentaries have been produced on the subject, focussing particularly on the ‘Wood Wide Web’. We are […]

New research reveals that Neanderthal stone tool makers had to be extremely precise about the angle at which they would strike to produce hand tools hundreds of thousands of years ago. The study, published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, challenges the previously held belief that the angle of hammer strike was dependent on […]

Like long-term friendships between humans, African superb starlings become besties with individuals they are not related to and help each other repeatedly over time. These are the findings of a study which analysed more than 20 years of behavioural observations of starlings in east African savannahs. The starlings demonstrated “reciprocity” – helping each other with […]

Tyrannosaurus rex dominated North America just before the mass extinction 66 million years ago which spelled the end of the “Age of Dinosaurs”. But its ancestors came from Asia according to new research. T. rex is iconic. It is sometimes referred to as the “king of the dinosaurs” due to its massive size. It was […]

During the height of the Cold War in the 1960s and 1970s, the USSR launched 29 spacecraft towards Venus, the planet scientists call Earth’s “twin sister”. Three flew past Venus, and went into orbit around the Sun. Sixteen orbited or landed on Venus, where they experienced a climate often described as “hellish”. Ten got stuck […]

Among a suite of technological features on board Scenic Eclipse, the vessel’s GPS Dynamic Positioning (DP) system stands out as a skilful – and incredibly valuable, from an ocean conservation viewpoint – bit of kit. As the London-based Nautical Institute – an international representative body for maritime professionals that control sea-going ships – describes it, […]

AI is a rapidly developing technology, especially in the world of medicine. Its ability to take over time consuming processes, such as documentation, can allow healthcare workers to focus their attention towards the treatment of their patient to benefit patients and healthcare workers. Health experts say when AI is used to its full potential, it […]

Excited maritime archaeologists have confirmed the location of a long-lost shipwreck in South Australia. The Koning Willem de Tweede was found in relatively shallow waters 400m offshore of the main beach in Robe, in the south east of the state. Project lead and Acting Manager of Maritime Archaeology at the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM), […]

For decades, physicists have tried to unify gravity with the other fundamental forces of nature. This “holy grail” of theoretical physics may finally be within reach thanks to new research. There are 4 fundamental forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetism, the weak nuclear force (responsible for radioactive decay) and the strong nuclear force (responsible for holding […]

In a “major step forward in pain care”, a new approach to treat people living with chronic pain has been shown to reduce pain intensity in a randomised controlled trial of 89 people. The team behind the approach told journalists at a briefing yesterday that it has received funding from the Medical Research Future Fund […]

The saola is a rare antelope-like mammal endemic to the forests of Vietnam and Laos. It hasn’t been seen in the wild since 2013, leading to it being nicknamed the “Asian unicorn” for its elusiveness. But scientists still think it can be saved from extinction. Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) are in the same group as buffalo, […]

“Porpoises chased moonlight on silvered tides, as dragons summoned storm-clouds loom in sight,” wrote Qianlong, prolific poet and emperor of the Qing Dynasty, on a trip down the Yangtze River around 1745. He was referencing a sighting of the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis). But little did Qianlong know that more than 300 years later, […]

As the world moves toward cleaner energy sources, a major challenge remains: how do we store renewable energy for when we need it most? Current battery energy storage technologies are relatively expensive to build and have traditionally struggled to store enough energy to meet the demand when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t […]

Wildlife ecologists and IT experts at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy have put their heads together to develop cutting-edge technology that may allow native animals to come and go from fenced reserves as they please, while keeping feral predators at bay. The first tests of “SmartGate” were done on woylies, or brush-tailed bettongs. Tamar wallabies weren’t […]

A snorkeller has been attacked by a ray while conducting a marine survey, which biologists say might be linked to oceanic algal blooms. The incident occurred on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, west of the capital city, Adelaide. The snorkeller was conducting a marine survey when the ray pierced her arm and left a […]

A study in mice has found that warm temperatures in the reproductive tract trigger a “switch” that sends sperm into a hyperactive mode. This changes their motions from the smooth swimming necessary for navigation to the thrashing, twisting motions necessary to make it through the tough outer layer of the egg. “That hyperactive state in […]

If you or someone you love finds it difficult to stand up from the toilet without using your hands, it might seem like a small issue. But in health and ageing, this movement – known as the “sit-to-stand” – can be a red flag. It’s one of the strongest indicators of frailty, a condition that […]

The issue of how much chemicals used in plastics contribute to heart disease has risen again after a new research paper claimed that a type of phthalate is associated with hundreds of thousands of deaths. The latest study estimates that a chemical additive in plastic contributed to more than 356,000 cardiovascular disease deaths among men […]

The famous cubist artist Pablo Picasso never painted snails, but if he had, they might have looked something like a newly discovered species from Thailand. The 3mm microsnail has rectangularly angled whorls which, according to the scientists who found it, look “like a cubist interpretation” of regular snails’ rounded whorls. Not surprisingly they named the […]

Humans have adapted to extreme conditions to live in nearly every environment on Earth. The Haenyeo, a group of all-female divers from the Korean island of Jeju, dive without breathing equipment in frigid waters year-round. New analysis has uncovered the behavioural and genetic changes that help these women survive the intense physiological stresses of free […]