Research & development

New international carbon dating standard

17 August, 2020

Radiocarbon dating is set to become more accurate after an international team of scientists recalculated the technique for assessing the age of historical events and objects.


Non-fasting blood test can screen youth for prediabetes

12 August, 2020

The HbA1c test measures the degree to which sugar molecules have linked irreversibly to molecules in red blood cells in the previous few months.


Glacier melt linked to human greenhouse gas emissions: study

06 August, 2020

Australian and New Zealand scientists have shown a strong link between human greenhouse gas emissions and the increased melting of glaciers.


Tau protein could be key to an Alzheimer's blood test

03 August, 2020 by Lauren Davis

Blood tests based on the tau protein phospho-tau217 (p-tau217) may be able to detect changes in the brain 20 years before dementia symptoms occur.


Radiation sickness detected in a drop of blood

28 July, 2020

The new test uses a single drop of blood — collected from a simple finger prick — and results are ready in a few hours.


Slow warming of the deep ocean not good news

07 July, 2020 | Supplied by: The University of Queensland

The world's deep oceans are warming at a slower rate than the surface, but it's still not good news for deep-sea creatures.


Mysterious object found in black hole collision

30 June, 2020

The LIGO and Virgo observatories have detected gravitational waves caused by the collision of a black hole, accompanied by a mysterious astrophysical object.


New liquid biopsy method detects early kidney cancer

29 June, 2020

The method has been found to detect kidney cancers with high accuracy, including small, localised tumours for which no early detection method currently exists.


Australian fossil reveals ancient plant species

19 June, 2020

Fresh examination of an Australian fossil has revealed evidence of a newly discovered plant species that existed more than 359 million years ago.


New test improves early detection of prostate cancer

17 June, 2020

A groundbreaking new test can improve the early detection of prostate cancer compared with the existing prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test.


Probiotics found to boost coral survival

16 June, 2020

Feeding coral a dose of good bacteria increases their overall health and tolerance to stresses related to climate change, such as rising water temperatures.


Carbon dioxide capture and water filtration enabled by MOFs

15 June, 2020 | Supplied by: Monash University

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) — technology that resembles a sponge filled with tiny magnets — are being used to help deliver cleaner air and water.


Saliva tests for COVID-19 could replace nasal swabs

04 June, 2020 | Supplied by: The University of Queensland

Saliva can be used to diagnose the presence and transmission of COVID-19, and to monitor immunity to SARS-Cov-2.


Pulsar observed 'powering up'

03 June, 2020

Astronomers have observed the full process of material spiralling into a distant neutron star, triggering an X-ray outburst thousands of times brighter than our Sun.


Rubber polymer enables greener construction materials

26 May, 2020 | Supplied by: Flinders University

Bricks and construction materials could be made from recycled PVC, waste plant fibres or sand with the help of a new kind of rubber polymer.


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