Menu Close

Science + Tech – Research and News

Displaying 101 - 125 of 394 articles

The pitch of male koalas’ mating calls is about 20 times lower than it should be. wazuluwazu

Grunt work: unique vocal folds give koalas their low-pitched voice

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…
Leopardus tigrinus can be found in Eastern Amazonia or the dry semi-arid Caatinga. Project Wild Cats of Brazil

One becomes two: genes show Brazilian wild cat is two species

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…
A scan of a 380million-year-old tooth from a fossil shark found at Gogo, Western Australia, showing internal canals and other features. Tim Senden

Resurrecting dinosaurs with medical scanners and 3D printers

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…
The main mass of the Chelyabinsk meteorite is kept at the Chelyabinsk State Museum of Local History. The asteroid caused the largest airburst on the planet since the famed 1908 Tunguska event, which also occurred in Russia. Andrey Yarantsev

Chelyabinsk meteor explosion a ‘wake-up call’, scientists warn

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…
Professor Terence Paul Speed wins the coveted Prime Minister’s Prize for Science at age 70. Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science/Bearcage

Maths whiz wins PM’s Science Prize for fight against cancer

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…
Matthew Todd was honoured for his work on the Open Source Malaria project. ASAP Awards

Open Source Malaria project head wins Accelerating Science Award

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 – at only four days old – can smell predators such as goldfish. Benson Kua

The nose knows: rainbowfish embryos ‘sniff out’ predators

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…
New research could restore feeling to prosthetic limbs. Flickr/barnabywasson

Artificial nerves in prosthetic limbs to restore touch: study

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…
A copper strip bending to the forces of pressure: knowing how and why will help build better materials. knitsteel

Elastic to plastic: high-energy lasers warp copper – permanently

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…
Bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, communicate via chemical signals – and can now be studied in three dimensions. NIAID

3D printed structures reveal bacterial ‘chit-chat

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…
Oxus Patera, a supervolcano on Mars. Nature

New class of volcanoes found from ancient craters on Mars

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…
A split pipe underground. Only a small minority of critical urban pipes are currently inspected, due to the high costs involved. Sydney Water

New research helps ID weak water mains before they burst

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…
The RoboSoc team from UTS took out the prize for ‘Best Robot Design’ in this year’s National Instruments Autonomous Robotics Competition. UTS

Victoria University of Wellington crowned 2013 autonomous robot champions

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…
A display of the final Zebedee 3D map of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. CSIRO

Lean on me: Australian inventors help map Pisa tower

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…
Younger people are worse at adjusting their perception of risk after warnings than older people, the study showed. amandasause

Youngsters learn more from good news than dire warnings

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…
Fatherhood by Richard Wylie, winner of the 2013 New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography. © Richard Wylie, 2013 New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography winner

Eureka! Australian scientists celebrated at awards night

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…
What good is a smoke alarm if it goes off when you’re not home? Jenn Durfey

The smoke alarm in your pocket and other winning apps

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…
Detailed excavations of a Bolivian large mound known locally as Isla del Tesoro (Treasure Island) have revealed evidence of humans living in the region much earlier than first thought. Lombardo U, Szabo K, Capriles JM, May J-H, Amelung W, et al. (2013)

Hidden in middens: new clues of earliest known Bolivian Amazon humans

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…
The new paper shows that surface incident solar radiation (Rs) over land globally peaked in the 1930s, substantially decreased from the 1940s to the 1970s, and changed little after that. Jong Soo(Peter) Lee

Study offers clues on 20th century global warming wobbles

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…
Antarctic warming began at least two, and perhaps four, millennia earlier than previously thought, the study found. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Last Antarctic ice age melt began earlier than first thought

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…
Climate change may have led to drought and famine-induced conflict in ancient Eastern Mediterranean civilisations, the study found. Verity Cridland

Climate change hastened ancient civilisations’ collapse: study

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…
Science should help inform policy aimed at tackling issues that extend beyond electoral cycles, peak bodies for researchers said today. NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory

Government department commits to science-based policy

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…
The project aims to harness technology to allow elderly people to live safely at home for longer. Louisa Billeter

Is Grandma OK? There’s an app for that

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…