The secret to koalas’ distinctive low-pitched vocalisations has been found, according to a [study published today](http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(13%2901344-4) in the journal Current…
A new species of wild cat in central and north-eastern Brazil has been confirmed, according to a study published today in the journal Current Biology. This recognition formally separates the two known…
Accurate copies of fossilised bones can now be made from the combined use of computed tomography (CT) scans and 3D printers, according to a paper published today in the journal Radiology. The technique…
Three studies have revealed details of the meteor that exploded above Russian city, Chelyabinsk, in February this year. Their findings, published today in a pair of papers in Nature and one in Science…
Australian mathematician and statistician Terry Speed has been awarded the 2013 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science for giving biologists the statistical tools needed to fight cancer, and for a lifetime…
Dr Matthew Todd – leader of the Open Source Malaria consortium in Sydney, senior lecturer at the University of Sydney and Conversation author – was awarded one of three Accelerating Science Awards in Washington…
Rainbowfish embryos, as young as only four days after fertilisation, are able to smell potential predatory threats, a new study by Australian researchers has found. Published today, the findings show these…
James Whitmore, The Conversation and Belinda Smith, The Conversation
A method for restoring feeling and action to amputees and others who have lost their sense of touch has been established through research published in Proceedings of National Academy of Science (PNAS…
The exact pressure that permanently changes copper crystals has been pinpointed, according to a study released today. The findings, published in the journal Science, show that when copper is compressed…
In an article published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the University of Texas developed a microscopic 3D printing strategy to study communication between…
Explosive eruptions from “supervolcanoes” may have changed the climate on ancient Mars, according to a study by the Planetary Science Institute (PSI). The study, published in the journal Nature, found…
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Nick Reid, The Conversation
Only a small minority of Australia’s critical urban water pipes are currently inspected due to the high costs involved, and it can be hard for authorities to know which pipes to prioritise for costly check…
A team of students from Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) yesterday beat 15 other student teams from around Australia and New Zealand to win this year’s annual National Instruments Autonomous Robotics…
Scientists have used a hand-held 3D laser scanner to map the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies of Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa, documenting vital information needed to repair the iconic building if it…
It’s no secret that many children and teenagers see themselves as immune to the risk of accidents and injury. Now, new research suggests that pointing out the positive aspects of avoiding risky behaviour…
One of The Conversation’s most popular writers and columnists, evolutionary biologist Professor Rob Brooks, has won a 2013 Eureka Prize for his work on science communication. The annual Australian Museum…
Ever been woken in the wee hours by the bip-bip-bip of a smoke alarm that wants its batteries changed? App developer Marcus Schappi had, and he saw a way to use broadband technology to fix it. “When smoke…
Researchers have discovered the earliest evidence yet of humans living in the Bolivian Amazon, putting the first known human habitation of the region at about 8000 years earlier than was previously thought…
Australia will be the first country in the world to display publicly specimens of Guanlong wucaii, a relative of Tyrannosaurus rex that helped confirm the link between dinosaurs and birds. The specimens…
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Merran Reed, The Conversation
The amount of solar radiation passing through Earth’s atmosphere and reaching the ground globally peaked in the 1930s, substantially decreased from the 1940s to the 1970s, and changed little after that…
The Antarctic warming that signalled the beginning of the last ice age melt may have actually started between between two and four millennia earlier than previously thought, a new study has found. Previously…
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Kosta Pandos, The Conversation
Climate change sparked the political and economic turmoil that hastened the collapse of formerly prosperous civilisations in regions such as Greece and Syria towards the end of the 13th century BC, a new…
Two peak bodies for science researchers today welcomed the release of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s Science Strategy 2013-2018, a document that aims to ensure government policy…
Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression share common genetic variations, a new study has found, with researchers saying they can now calculate how much of the risk for developing such disorders…
CSIRO researchers are trialling an app that aims to allow elderly people to live at home safely for longer by subtly collecting data on their movements around the house. Australia’s ageing population is…