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By collecting air at pristine Cape Grim since 1978, scientists have been able to track the concentration of ozone depleting substances. AAP/Bureau of Meteorology

What are ozone depleting substances?

Paul Fraser, CSIRO; Nada Derek, CSIRO; Paul Krummel, CSIRO, and Paul Steele, CSIRO

SAVING THE OZONE: Part four in our series exploring the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer – dubbed “the world’s most successful environmental agreement” – looks at the substances…
By 2050, 22% of the world’s population - more than 2 billion people - will be over 60 years old. Flickr/außerirdische sind gesund

Megatrends: preparing for a ripe old age

Stefan Hajkowicz, CSIRO

Welcome to The Conversation’s series on megatrends. What are the compelling economic, social, environmental, political and technological changes Australia must grapple with over the coming decades? In…
An experienced lab technician is one of the most readily employable people in the R&D-intensive industries. fungiman_MD

Beware: research technicians need more than just a pulse

Paul Savage, CSIRO

Earlier this year the American journalist David Plotz wrote in Slate that: America needs a lot more good engineers and scientists, more competent scientists, even more mediocre scientists. I agree that…
By 2030, China is projected to be at the centre of the world’s economic activity. Just how Australia positions itself will be crucial. Syzmon Kochanski/Flikr

Megatrends: the Silk Highway and the ‘Switzerland’ of Asia

Stefan Hajkowicz, CSIRO

Welcome to The Conversation’s series on megatrends. What are the compelling economic, social, environmental, political and technological changes Australia must grapple with over the coming decades? In…
While the number and extent of protected areas has increased, the impact on biodiversity isn’t yet known. Flickr/Tony Rodd

Megatrends: biodiversity - going, going … gone?

Stefan Hajkowicz, CSIRO

Welcome to The Conversation’s series on megatrends, exploring the compelling economic, social, environmental, political and technological issues facing Australia, as part of the CSIRO’s new report, Our…
The United Nations estimates the world must increase food production by 75% by 2050 to cope with a projected population of 10 billion people. p3anut/Flickr

Megatrends: do we really need more from less?

Stefan Hajkowicz, CSIRO

Welcome to The Conversation’s series on megatrends. What are the compelling economic, social, environmental, political and technological changes Australia must grapple with over the coming decades? In…
Native or not? Red cabbage palms found in Palm Valley in the Northern Territory were introduced by Aboriginal people thousands of years ago. Jurriaan Persyn

What is a native and why should we care?

Melinda Trudgen, CSIRO and Bruce Webber, CSIRO

New molecular techniques show that an iconic palm only grows in central Australia because humans moved it there thousands of years ago. It poses the question: should we still regard this as a native species…
What are the compelling economic, social, environmental, political and technological changes Australia must grapple with over the coming decades? Flickr/Tim Donnelly

What are the future megatrends all Australians need to know about?

Megan Clark, CSIRO

If hindsight is such a wonderful thing, surely foresight would be better. What if we could see what was coming at us and could position ourselves, our organisations and society to make the most of it…
More than 99.5% of the genome is identical between two humans, but that still leaves 15m positions to search through. fdecomite

Personal genomics: where science fiction meets reality

Emma Huang, CSIRO

Imagine a future where doctors take a strand of your hair or a drop of your blood and tell you your DNA predicts a 78% risk of developing heart disease. On the plus side, it also predicts exactly which…
Scientists have suggested using shade cloth to protect corals from the heat stress that leads to coral bleaching. AAP

Shade cloth over reefs? Scientists call for ‘last resort’ measures

Charis Palmer, The Conversation

Unconventional tactics, including using shade cloth to protect corals from heat stress, must form part of future ocean management and conservation plans, argues a scientist from the University of Queensland…
Little penguins are among a number of species that are threatened by climate change. AAP/Rick Stevens

Ocean winners and losers revealed in Marine Report Card

Alistair Hobday, CSIRO

Fish are on the move in Australia’s waters. In southern Australia, scientists, commercial and recreational fishers, divers and beach-goers are reporting the presence of new species. The movement of species…
Australia’s unique manufacturing DNA - comprised of tens of thousands of small-to-medium enterprises - means that we must forge our own path to innovation. DNA Art Online

Finding a unique path for Australia’s manufacturing future

Swee Mak, CSIRO

As the manufacturing landscape shifts in response to new economic and social pressures, Australia is looking for an answer to the question: What does the future look like for Australian manufacturing…
The new Cedar virus is similar to Hendra and Nipah viruses but it does not cause illness in humans or animals. AAP

New virus could offer insight into Hendra and Nipah

Fron Jackson-Webb, The Conversation

Scientists have identified a new virus in Australian fruit bats. The Cedar virus – named after the suburb in the Gold Coast hinterland where it was first discovered – is part of the henipavirus family…
When Curiosity lands on Mars next Monday, expect the social media buzz to be out of this world. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Houston, we have check-in: Space 2.0 and the Curiosity landing

Vanessa Hill, CSIRO

Social media is the new frontier for space exploration, shaping an age of innovative public participation in space missions. While online communities are a-Twitter about NBC’s poor Olympic coverage, there’s…
Carbon is channelled deep into the sea through a funnel-like mechanism. tbdevries

Clue to carbon storage in the Southern Ocean

Fron Jackson-Webb, The Conversation

Carbon emissions are drawn deep into the Southern Ocean by plunging currents, scientists have found, challenging the idea that carbon is locked away from the atmosphere by being absorbed across vast areas…
“Most people just get used to the concept and get on with their lives.” Roger McLassus

Explainer: what is wave-particle duality

Tim Davis, CSIRO

Our notion of reality is built on everyday experiences. But wave-particle duality is so strange that we are forced to re-examine our common conceptions. Wave-particle duality refers to the fundamental…
Physics puts a limit on how far you can throw a javelin. Airman Magazine

Yes, there is a limit to athletic ability – physics

Paul Savage, CSIRO

In a recent thought-provoking article in The Conversation, Kate Murphy posed the question: “Is there a limit to athletic performance?”. The answer, mathematically speaking, is yes. Kate considered the…
Extinct: the Christmas Island Pipistrelle. Lindy Lumsden

Threat of extinction demands fast and decisive action

Tara Martin, CSIRO

When it comes to mammal extinctions, Australia’s track record over the last 200 years has been abysmal. Since European settlement, nearly half of the world’s mammalian extinctions have occurred in Australia…
A simulated Black Hole of ten solar masses as seen from a distance of 600km with the Milky Way in the background. Ute Kraus/Wikimedia

Explainer: black holes

Robert Braun, CSIRO

The concept of a “black hole” is one of the most curious in astrophysics. It’s the answer to the question: “What happens if the density of matter in a region becomes so high that not even light can escape…

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