Accidental breakthrough on the puzzle of atmospheric acids
17 August, 2012In a classic example of an accidental scientific breakthrough, a University of Sydney research team may have solved the mystery of why there is more non-industrial acid in air than anyone can explain.
Botany student proves ‘New England Banksia’ a distinct species
17 August, 2012Research by Margaret Stimpson, a postgraduate student of botany at the University of New England, has given the New England region its very own species of banksia: Banksia neoanglica.
Novel nanostructures to realise hydrogen’s energy potential
16 August, 2012For the first time, engineers at the University of New South Wales have demonstrated that hydrogen can be released and reabsorbed from a promising storage material, overcoming a major hurdle to its use as an alternative fuel source.
Scientists can now block heroin, morphine addiction
15 August, 2012In a major breakthrough, an international team of scientists has proved that addiction to morphine and heroin can be blocked, while at the same time increasing pain relief.
Major breakthrough in hepatitis C vaccine development
14 August, 2012Researchers at the Burnet Institute have solved a hepatitis C vaccine mystery which, once developed, could be the first ever preventative vaccine for the virus.
Olympic lab leaves life sciences legacy
14 August, 2012The London 2012 anti-doping facilities, operated by King’s College London, will be developed after the Olympic and Paralympic Games into a world-class resource that could help revolutionise healthcare.
UNCOVER: unlocking Australia’s hidden mineral wealth
13 August, 2012The Australian Academy of Science has welcomed the launch of UNCOVER: Searching the deep earth, a visionary new project to unlock Australia’s enormous potential mineral wealth.
Busselton people help type 2 diabetes world research
13 August, 2012Busselton residents and researchers from The University of Western Australia have contributed to a worldwide scientific collaboration that has identified new genetic links in the quest to map the biological pathways that cause diabetes.
Rice study could save farmers billions
09 August, 2012Breeding rice plants that retain more phosphorus in the straw, which is returned to the soil after harvest, could reduce the use of phosphorus fertiliser and save farmers billions of dollars, according to Southern Cross University researcher Dr Terry Rose.
New bat virus could hold key to Hendra virus
08 August, 2012Australian scientists have discovered a new virus in bats that could help shed light on how Hendra and Nipah viruses cause disease and death in animals and humans.
New research could increase blood supplies for transfusions
06 August, 2012A team of scientists from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, has developed methods to increase the production of red blood cells from stem cells - a discovery that could dramatically boost the blood supply available for transfusions.
Lifting malaria’s deadly veil: mystery solved in quest for vaccine
02 August, 2012Researchers at the Burnet Institute have made a major breakthrough in the quest for a vaccine against malaria, which causes up to one million deaths each year.
Masters of disguise: the crypsis behaviour
02 August, 2012 by Amy Smart and Jacob MoriartyCrypsis, the act of disguising oneself as one’s background or another unimportant object, is used in the insect world largely for survival - usually in order to avoid being eaten. PhD student James O’Hanlon of Macquarie University is researching how crypsis and mimicry are used as a signalling strategy, one by which an individual attracts the attention of other animals.
Technology partnership to tackle society’s big challenges
27 July, 2012The University of Western Australia has teamed up with measurement technology company Agilent Technologies, committing to a five-year collaboration that will enable the development of groundbreaking applications in life sciences.
Tracing the ‘great, great grandmothers’ of the chicken world
26 July, 2012Dr Alice Storey, an archaeologist at the University of New England, is tracing the global migration routes of domestic chickens back through thousands of years towards their origins in the jungles of South-East Asia.