Scientists have invented new stick-on ‘tattoos’ that track human heart, brain wave and muscle activity and could one day replace cumbersome medical monitors. Known as an epidermal electronic system (EES…
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Methane has been floating into the atmosphere at a slower rate over the last three decades but two new papers published in the journal Nature put forward very different theories as to why it’s happening…
Fees charged by academic publishers to access research journals have caused no small amount of consternation among readers of scholarly research and fuelled the rise of the Open Access movement. As part…
A new method of predicting the chances an embryo will survive has shown promise in tests on mice and could one day be used on humans to boost IVF success rates, UK scientists have said. Many couples undergoing…
Dieting can cause brain cells to eat themselves, a new study has found. In a paper published by the journal Cell Metabolism, US researchers report that tests on mice revealed that hunger triggers a process…
Experts in epidemiology have described as weak a study that found high levels of exposure to magnetic fields during pregnancy may triple the risk the child will develop asthma. The California study, published…
Scientists have invented a new pliable implant that can be injected in liquid form, massaged into shape and hardened up through exposure to light. Fillers are used to make patients look younger, reconstruct…
Around 20 minutes of tiny electric shocks to the scalp may improve brain function in schizophrenia patients, a study has found. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) involves passing a mild, painless…
People hospitalised for abuse of methamphetamines like crystal meth or ice have a 76% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared to those with no drug addiction, a study has found. Parkinson’s…
In a world first, a dog has tested positive to the lethal Hendra virus, prompting the CSIRO to call for fresh research into the risk it could spread from canines to humans. Hendra virus, which is usually…
High-tech fingerprint scanners may stop most thieves accessing a restricted area, but they have one fatal flaw: scanners can’t tell the difference between a finger that’s living or dead. Or undead. Cases…
Global average sea levels continue to rise but readings vary greatly depending on when and where they are taken, a leading expert on coastal impacts of climate change has said, warning that selective sea…
More than 18,000 journal articles have been posted on an illegal file-sharing website to protest the arrest of an online activist accused of stealing more than four million documents from a Massachusetts…
At approximately 8pm last night (AEST), the Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down at the Kennedy Space Centre for the final time. The 14-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) was the 135th…
Women orgasm more readily during sex with a handsome partner, a study of heterosexual couples has found, with researchers concluding the female orgasm may be linked to an evolutionary urge to produce ‘quality…
Humans instinctively copy their opponents while playing rock, paper, scissors, suggesting the urge to imitate others is deeply etched in the subconscious, a study has found. In an experiment conducted…
An attack by computer hacker group LulzSec has shut down over 1000 websites owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News International, after the group posted a fake story on the website of Murdoch tabloid The Sun declaring…
The ability of land ecosystems like crops and soils to slow down climate change may have been overestimated because some of these ‘carbon sinks’ actually emit more greenhouse gases than first thought…
Scientists today said they were appalled and disappointed by Greenpeace protesters who whippersnippered a genetically modified wheat crop being grown as part of a CSIRO trial. The trial crop was part of…
Scientists have discovered similarities in the brain activity patterns of autistic teens and their non-autistic siblings, hinting at a new ‘biomarker’ for autism risk within families. In a paper published…
A survey of 145 economists released today found that 60% believe the Gillard government’s carbon tax is good economic policy. The carbon tax package, announced on Sunday, penalises 500 heavy polluters…
Scientists have unlocked the complex genetic code of the potato, paving the way for new techniques to breed a tougher, more disease-resistant tuber. Potatoes are crucial to global food security but are…
NASA has released photographs and audio of a powerful lightning storm on the planet Saturn that is eight times the surface area of Earth. The storm is so long it encircles the giant planet and its head…
Human embryo stem cell research should be allowed to continue in accordance with existing rules, a legislative review committee has recommended, drawing praise from Australia’s science community. Since…
Somali pirates roaming the seas in the Gulf of Aden have claimed another victim: climate research. Climate scientists hoping to collect data on monsoonal wind patterns off the Somali coast have been thwarted…