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Researchers at Google Quantum AI have managed a new milestone in quantum computing, with chips that can correct errors below a “critical threshold”. The team has published a description of the error-correcting chips in Nature. “It’s fair to say that this is the most significant demonstration to date of quantum error correction,” says Professor Stephen […]

Electric vehicle (EV) batteries may last longer in the real world than manufacturing lab tests predict, according to a new study. The researchers “surprisingly” found that charging and discharging based on driver data led to battery lifetimes 38% longer on average, compared to typical lab tests. Their study is published in Nature Energy. “We’ve not […]

Independent energy experts largely – although not universally – agree with an economic analysis that finds renewable energy, with storage, to be the cheapest energy option for Australia’s future. A draft of the 2024-2025 GenCost report, which is published each year by CSIRO and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), was released today. The draft […]

A study funded by the National Institutes of Health in the US has found the H5N1 bird flu virus could be just one mutation away from being able to spread amongst humans. Although the authors say the virus needs to overcome multiple other barriers to become an effective disease of humans, and there are no […]

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Australia’s forest ecosystems, renowned for their extraordinary diversity of rare plants and animals, also play a vital role in mitigating climate change by absorbing and storing carbon. However, fossils from these ancient forests are reshaping the understanding of modern forest management practices. According to Peter Wilf, professor of geosciences at Penn State, […]

Over the course of her career Susan Scott has explored the fundamental question of how gravity relates to and shapes the universe. And, importantly, how we can formulate and discuss that force mathematically. Today, the Australian National University Distinguished Professor has been presented with the Australian Mathematical Society’s George Szekeres Medal in recognition of these […]

A UK study confirms that secondary students lack diverse role models for computer science, likely compounding the industry’s known challenges surrounding diversity and inclusion. “We know from existing data and research that girls are underrepresented in computer science qualifications,” lead author Billy Wong of the University of Reading tells Cosmos. “So we looked at the […]

Renewables look likely to be the cheapest energy source in Australia again next year, according to a draft of the new Gencost report from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and the CSIRO. The report has been issued as political debate around the costs of nuclear energy heats up. The draft 2024-25 GenCost report finds […]

Weather scientists have used 3D scans to delve deep into the inner anatomy of hailstones, providing them with information that could help mitigate future hailstone damage. In a study published in Frontiers in Environmental Science, researchers in Catalonia have used computed tomography (CT) scans to investigate the cores of hailstones. “It is the first time […]

Bali is cleaning up its ocean of plastics. It was recently reported locally that the rise of convenience stores with shelves of plastic products to the replacement of the traditional banana leaf with the plastic bag, “Bali has embraced a version of modernity synonymous with waste.” Bali has a unique opportunity to address plastic waste by integrating […]

Hummingbirds, among the smallest birds on the planet, flap their wings at as much as 80 beats a second. And scientists have been studying how they get enough nectar to satisfy that energy demand. New research shows they use a combination of behaviours to extract nectar from flowers: “lapping” with specialised tongues and “sucking” by […]

Slowly repeating bursts of intense radio waves from space have puzzled astronomers since they were discovered in 2022. In new research, we have for the first time tracked one of these pulsating signals back to its source: a common kind of lightweight star called a red dwarf, likely in a binary orbit with a white […]

Engineering plants to thrive in warmer and drier conditions associated with climate change is an exploding field of scientific study, as researchers all over the world work to stave off the threat of food insecurity. Two new studies have shown how enzymes contribute to plant resilience, with one showing great value in potato crops. Potatoes […]

Heat-related deaths – on the rise from climate change – are generally thought to threaten older adults the most. But a study of Mexican data challenges that view, finding that over the past 20 years, people under 35 have accounted for a disproportionately high number of deaths. The study, published in Science Advances, finds that […]

Researchers at the University of New South Wales have made progress in developing their proton battery, which they believe will be cheaper than lithium-ion and safer for the environment. The research, led by PhD candidate Sicheng Wu and Professor Chuan Zhao from the School of Chemistry, focuses on developing materials capable of effectively storing protons […]

Ever had your plans thrown off by something happening 2 hours earlier than you thought it would? Confused 12- and 24-hour clocks, perhaps? When it happened to a team of astronomers, they discovered a new planet. The exoplanet – some 2,556 light-years away from Earth – was spotted because another planet in the same star […]

Scientists have created temporary tattoos that can be sprayed onto the scalp as a non-intrusive method to measure brain activity. A study published in Cell Biomaterials has shown how liquid ink printed onto a patient’s scalp could monitor high-quality brain activity. The invention, known as EEG e-tattoos, may also have the potential to improve devices […]

Palaeontologists – including a citizen scientist – have uncovered fossil evidence for a community of meat-eating dinosaurs in southeast England dating to 135 million years ago. The discovery marks the first time tyrannosaurs have been found in rocks of this age and location. In addition to Tyrannosaurus rex relatives, the University of Southampton researchers identified […]

NASA’s crewed missions to the Moon have been delayed another year, with the next Artemis mission now due for 2026 – and the first landing aimed at 2027. The Artemis II mission – the first to put humans into lunar orbit since 1972 – was supposed to launch in September 2025, but will now be […]

During the First World War, British and US ships were painted in high contrast “dazzle” patterns, which were believed to confuse submariners aiming torpedoes at them by distorting the perception of the vessel’s heading . But new research suggests the strategy may have only provided protection for fast moving, distant ships. It appears this week […]

Scientists confounded by the rapid onset of extreme temperatures last year believe they have identified a previously unidentified driver. One expert says the problem suggests the planet may exceed the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target sooner than forecast. In 2023 the global average temperature soared to almost 1.5°C above the preindustrial level, setting several new records. […]

The possibility that there might be a large, unknown planet lurking in the outer Solar System far beyond Pluto has long been a staple of science fiction. But for the past decade, astronomers have been finding it increasingly likely that something big – often called Planet X – might actually be out there. And a […]

CHICAGO, USA—Given the chance, a substantial number of women will opt for artificial intelligence (AI) enhanced mammograms, even if they have to pay for them on their own, a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America finds. And the use of AI appears to be worth the extra […]

Middle school students working alongside a team of biomedical researchers have discovered a never-before-seen compound from an unlikely source – goose poo. The researchers who analysed the substance, which has been named orfamide N, found it inhibited the growth of human melanoma and ovarian cancer cells in culture tests. They believe further studies might reveal other […]