Hidden feather patterns tell the story of birds
Ordinary grey bird feathers placed under X-ray fluorescence reveal beautiful patterns of elements like zinc, telling a story of feather growth and the environments the birds have experienced.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is one of Australia’s largest public research organisations and custodian of much of our country’s landmark science infrastructure, including the OPAL nuclear research reactor, the Australian Synchrotron, accelerators, cyclotrons and neutron beam instruments.
More than 500 scientists, engineers and technicians work at ANSTO to answer the most important questions society faces today; whether in the area of health, environment or solutions for industry.
ANSTO’s international collaborations, including partnerships with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Shanghai Institute for Applied Physics, ensure Australian scientists are connected to a global network of experts and research projects.
As part of enabling a strong national collaborative network, ANSTO is connected with all Australian and New Zealand universities through the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE), providing researchers access to Australia’s nuclear science, technology and engineering expertise and infrastructure.
On average, ANSTO also accommodates over 1800 visiting researchers from other Australian and international research organisations each year.
Links
Displaying 1 - 20 of 55 articles
Inspiring to speak out - two physicists who changed the world
2017 is to be the year advocacy. In January, millions took to the streets in the worldwide women’s marches. The new US president’s executive order which brought about a visa ban for citizens of a number…
There’s no ‘Mars curse’ – it’s just very hard to land there
Recent high-profile disappointments make it tempting to this our efforts to explore Mars are cursed. But landing anywhere in space is hard – not least on the Red Planet.
Juno is about to peer under the clouds of Jupiter
You’ve all heard the Planets Suite, right? Seven classical pieces that Gustav Holst used to ‘describe’ each of the known planets. I’ve always found the Jupiter piece a bit odd – the beginning is a little…
Discovering the bath scum on Titan
It’s not everyday that you get to discover something new. But when you do it is a rather strange and quite brilliant feeling. You don’t really cry out ‘Eureka’ (there’s usually about a million things going…
When is Ski season on Pluto?
Just think, this time last year we knew next to nothing about Pluto. It was a fuzzy blob, with even the Hubble Space Telescope struggling to make it out. Fast forward to earlier today where in a press…
Scientists on their favourite science fiction
Have you ever wondered what real scientists think of science fiction? Here's a selection of top pics from those in the know.
Frozen cones on Pluto – the first discovery of ice volcanoes?
Ice volcanoes have shaped my life, and until today I didn’t even know if they actually existed. Now, thanks to NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, there’s a good chance we’ve found a frozen volcanic cone on…
The Martian review: science fiction that respects science fact
The Martian is a rare film that seeks to use science to enhance the plot, and gives a sense of the splendour of the Red Planet.
Can you grow potatoes on Mars?
This is not as odd a question as it sounds, and by next week I reckon a good lot of you will be pondering it. Why? Well the 30th September sees the opening of The Martian in Australia, director Ridley…
What flows on Pluto?
It’s now been over a month since the New Horizons spacecraft flew by one of the last unknown outposts of our solar system and although we’ve only just seen a trickle of the data it collected, it has all…
Europa: attempt no landing here, but a fly-by is fine!
NASA has now formally started to pack its bags for the next big discovery mission, this time heading to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. Last month NASA announced the instruments that will fly on this trip and…
The volcanoes of Venus, have we finally seen one erupt?
As our attention is drawn to the far distant parts of our planetary neighbourhood, it is worth reminding ourselves that there’s still much to learn in our local area of the solar system. Although most…
The lost ocean of Mars
I’ve probably lost count of the number of ‘Water On Mars’ and related headlines I’ve read over the years, but this one is worth paying attention to.
Giant methane storms on Uranus
Most of the times we have looked at Uranus, it has seemed to be a relatively calm place. Well, yes its atmosphere is the coldest place in the solar system. But, when we picture the seventh planet in our…
Going a long way to do a quick data collection
Like many a scientist before me, I have spent this week trying to grow a crystal. I wasn’t fussy, it didn’t have to be a single crystal – a smush of something would have done – just as long as it had a…
Why I’m proud to be a crystallographer
This year I have learnt more that it is probably healthy to know about crystal structures. I’ve learnt how you can turn a rabbit green with a protein, read up on French military history and marvelled at…
US plans to answer the lure of Europa
To planetary scientists Jupiter’s icy moon Europa is a Siren, calling out to them across the solar system. With its youthful surface, abundance of water and the tantalising evidence of a moon-wide ocean…
Who are the two new arrivals at Mars?
As I write this, a team of engineers and scientists will be nervously watching the clock (in fact they are probably in their beds not sleeping). They are waiting for the time when the Mars Orbiter Mission…
So now all the Lego scientists are women, how is reality building up?
So who went and bought some of the new Lego mini figures? Aren’t they super? The set, which is part of the new Lego “Research Institute”, features a female chemist, paleobiologist and astronomer. It has…
