~cosmos-magazine | Bookmarks (557)

Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to remove once they’ve moved in – and they’re getting more difficult, thanks to their evolving resistance to insecticides. A team of researchers has mapped the genomes of bed bug strains, aiming to find out why a “superstrain” has become 20,000 times more resistant to treatment. The study is published […]

Spending your spare time watching lorikeets or rosellas? Here are some fascinating things we learned about parrots in 2024. Parrots squawk with accents A study has found that, like people, parrots have different dialects – and they’re shifting as their environment changes. Read more Kākāpō changed colour to escape largest ever eagles Genetic analysis has revealed […]

A mineral found in abundance in outback South Australia is being researched as part of the process which might help humans colonise other planets. Named for the English town of Epsom, epsomite is found where lakes or volcanic activity have occurred. It’s common name is familiar – Epsom salts.  Epsomite forms fibrous, needle-like crystals that are […]

Running a race is often seen as one of the purest forms of sport. It’s just you, body and mind, against the world. Not that it’s ever been that low-tech. When Roger Bannister ran his sub-4:00 mile, he wore custom-made shoes of the thinnest possible leather and used a grindstone to shave precious grams from […]

Artificial light is altering the behaviour of coral reef communities by waking up sleeping fish and attracting predators. A study by scientists from the UK, France, French Polynesia and Chile investigated how light pollution from humans affects the nightlife of coral reefs. They published their paper in Global Change Biology, “The night usually brings a […]

The Genetic Book of the Dead is the latest from best-selling author and eminent evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins. The book is woven with beautiful metaphors and rich descriptive language. Not so much conversational as poetic, settle in for an elaborate exploration of evolution. Dawkins argues that the body, behaviour and genes of living creatures can […]

Every day, thousands of cattle pass through the yards at the Casino Food Co-op in northern NSW providing an ideal opportunity to monitor animal behaviour. Ensuring the well-being of these animals is not just good business, it is required by law. Currently, staff and vets monitor animal health and welfare.  However, watching every animal, in every pen, […]

Thomas Wernberg is a Professor of Marine Botany in the University of Western Australia’s Oceans Institute. He aims to transform our understanding of Australia’s Great Southern Reef. Australians know their Great Barrier Reef, but fewer are aware of the Great Southern Reef. Yet 70 percent of our population lives within 50km of this vast, magnificent […]

With the rising trend in tattooing among the population, concerns about the potential medical complications associated with these procedures have increased. A 2-part series of papers in The Lancet Microbe has now explored reports of problems in the medical literature which detailed the incidence, patterns and causes of microbial infections linked to tattoos. “Despite increased […]

Science is often an exercise in wonder: finding things that are dazzling, surprising, and counterintuitive. But sometimes, scientists go looking for something – and find exactly what they were expecting. Here are 6 extremely unsurprising things that scientists discovered in 2024. Bin chickens love bins We confirmed it: ibis like to live near rubbish. A […]

There was no shortage of mind-bending new science about black holes this year, these are just 5 of our favourites. Blast “Supermassive Black Hole” by English rock band Muse and enjoy! Scientists take even crisper images of supermassive black holes The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration made the highest resolution black hole observations ever from […]

Had enough of the test matches? First of all: that’s impossible. Turn the cricket back on. Second of all, if it’s tea time, here are 5 of our favourite sport science stories from 2024 for you to recall. Cricket physics: why was Malinga’s slinging successful? Physicists have studied a cricket ball in a wind tunnel […]

A new study out of the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand has called into question traditional perceptions of mating.   “In most species, males compete to attract females. But with pipefish, the males carry and protect the embryos,” says PhD student Nicole Tosto, who led the research. “Pipefish are unique because they don’t follow […]

Ana Bugnot remembers the very day she set her heart on a career in science which would ultimatey lead her to becoming a marine ecologist. She was only eight years old – and watching Jurassic Park at the cinema.    “There was the biologist there with the dinosaurs. I remember saying ‘I want to do that, […]

Here are ten reasons why our boat* is the GOAT. (*Technically, it’s a ship but that doesn’t rhyme.)  112 voyages from ice to equator We might be mixing our farm animals, but this vessel is a workhorse for marine science. On average, RV Investigator delivers 11 voyages a year including research, charter, transit and sea trials. The vessel travels the length and […]

Engineering, maths and chemistry inspired some of the most popular science activities for school students reading the Australian children’s science newsletter, Double Helix Extra (DHE). DHE is a sister publication to Cosmos magazine and has been published by the CSIRO – Australia’s national science agency – for over 12 years. The most popular science activities […]

“What does the future hold?” The more we know, the better our decision-making. For 2025, science is forecasting a quantum leap, a revolution in artificial intelligence and intensified climate concerns. Time to gaze into the crystal ball. Here are just a handful of predictions for the year ahead, as featured in Cosmos Magazine. The quantum […]

Science is just better with video. And often that video makes it easier to believe the new discoveries and inventions coming out of labs. Here are our top videos making science tangible in 2024. First, look on in horror as a leech leaps! Scientists used the video to settle a centuries-old debate on leech locomotion. […]

As the world transitions to more sustainable technologies, there is a growing need to find the metals that help make those technologies. Critical minerals, such as rare earth elements (REE)are vital for numerous high-tech applications, including electronics, magnets and batteries. Lithium (Li), another critical mineral, is lightweight and energy dense. This makes it ideal for […]

Space travel has never been easy. If it were, “It’s not rocket science” would never have become a cliché for things that aren’t rocket science. But this year, NASA seems to have produced more drama than usual. Stranded astronautsThe 5 June launch of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test was the first attempt to use Boeing’s […]

The beloved honeybee has become something of a symbol of environmental protection. The threat of declining populations in the 2000s drew out amateur beekeepers and blooming backyards, hoping to keep the bees healthy. But honeybees are not the only form of bee. And scrupulous efforts to save them in the northern hemisphere may not be […]

The James Webb Space Telescope has added huge energy to the hunt for exoplanets. And we’re learning that they are very much NOT like Earth. So, what are the most bizarre planets we found in 2024? New exoplanet’s cotton candy-density can’t be explained Astronomers continue to be puzzled about the formation of the so-called cotton […]

More than 60 per cent of Australia’s known insect fleet are unnamed and a mystery to science. Of an estimated 500,000 Australian species, roughly half are insects, but many aren’t categorised. A group of sharp-eyed school students from Queensland are changing that. With the guidance of their dedicated teachers and enthusiastic experts, they’ve helped lift the […]

With every year that goes by, various revolutionary technologies in the worlds of quantum mechanics and nuclear fusion appear a step closer to reality. 2024 was no different. Several projects around the world which might change computing, energy, telecommunications and electronics made significant breakthroughs this year. Let’s review some highlights. Quantum simulator for next-gen electronics […]