RV Investigator welcomed to port
17 December, 2014 by Lauren DavisThe research vessel Investigator was officially commissioned into service on Friday by Minister for Industry Ian Macfarlane. At a welcome-to-port ceremony, held on the CSIRO Wharf at Battery Point, Hobart, the vessel was handed over from CSIRO to the Marine National Facility for operation.
Canola research is flowering
26 August, 2014Two separate studies into the oilseed crop canola are providing vital information that will help improve crop yields. An international genome study has shed light on the historical origins of canola, while researchers have also discovered the key to understanding what makes Australian canola flower earlier than its Canadian and European counterparts.
Oceanographic research instrument arrives in Hobart
26 August, 2014An oceanographic research instrument, which will be part of the onboard equipment on the research vessel Investigator, has arrived at CSIRO in Hobart.
Priorities for Antarctic research outlined
08 August, 2014The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) has convened 75 scientists and policymakers from 22 countries to agree on the priorities for Antarctic research for the next 20 years and beyond.
Weather Detective seeking citizen scientists
04 August, 2014Weather Detective, an online citizen science project, is seeking assistance to help uncover important weather records hidden in the log books of ships that sailed the seas around Australia in the 1890s and 1900s.
How algae evolved into land plants
30 May, 2014Japanese researchers have analysed the genome of a terrestrial alga, revealing the presence of genes that enable plants to cope with the extremes of life on land.
Carbon dating becomes more accurate
23 May, 2014Scientists from ANSTO and Thailand’s Naresuan University have helped to make carbon dating a more accurate chronological tool.
The dangers of degrading plastic
30 April, 2014Australian researchers are using the tracer principle to confirm the presence of plastics and chemicals in the food chain. The research began when Professor Richard Banati and Dr Jennifer Laver found elements in the feathers of seabirds which were similar to those found in plastics in its gut.
Researchers on the storm
16 April, 2014 by Lauren DavisWhen it comes to studying thunderstorms, the best lab is the site of the storm itself. That's where Joshua Soderholm, a PhD student at the University of Queensland, has been conducting his research project into the collisions between thunderstorms and sea breezes.
Fighting cancer with tobacco?
10 April, 2014Researchers from La Trobe University have found that the natural defence mechanisms of a tobacco plant could be harnessed to kill cancer cells in the human body.
Computer models reveal the impact of continental collisions
25 March, 2014An international research project has uncovered new evidence about the formation of Earth. The study is the result of more than 10 years' work by scientists from Monash University, The University of Melbourne, the University of Southern California and the Geological Survey of Victoria.
Millennium-old frozen moss comes back to life
21 March, 2014Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Reading have demonstrated for the first time that after over 1500 years frozen in Antarctic ice, moss can come back to life and continue to grow.
Genomic technique identifies origin of plant material
05 March, 2014Scientists at the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, have adapted innovative genomic techniques that allow the accurate identification of the exact origin of plant material.
What paused evolution?
21 February, 2014The first life on Earth developed in the ancient oceans around 3.6 billion years ago but remained as little more than a layer of slime for a billion years. An international team of researchers has now revealed the ancient conditions that caused these events to occur.
Not proof of life on Mars or even Elvis sending messages via doughnuts
17 February, 2014The source of the magically appearing rock on Mars has been revealed.
