News
all News articles
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Spotlight on air pollution in Europe
Study identifies the European cities with highest mortality rates.
Think of air pollution these days and you probably think of China. In 2017 alone air pollution is estimated to have c...
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Silicon memory?
Metamaterial can be reprogrammed with different properties.
If you need a material that can literally be changed to suit you over time, look no further. Metamaterials – meani...
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The origins of money
Standardised Bronze Age objects may have acted as ancient currency.
From cowrie shells to native resources and animals, currency in some shape or form has long been a part of human hist...
Learning the Star Knowledge of First Australians
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people use their understanding of the night sky for a range...
By Peter Reeve and Duane Hamacher. What comes to mind when you think of an “astronomer”? Perhaps a scientist peeri...
Five things you didn’t know about lithium
Lithium has unexpected origins and uses.
Our next regular Cosmos Briefing asks the question: Is Lithium the Answer? We are drilling down on lithium and the...
Features
all Features articles
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Conversation
75% of Australia's marine protected areas have 'partial' protection
Not all marine protected areas are created equal. Here’s why that’s a problem.
By John Turnbull, Emma Johnston, Graeme Clark from UNSW, Carly Cook from Monash University and Kelsey Roberts from St...
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Research
Useless evolution
Some evolutionary changes have no particular reason or benefit.
It’s easy to focus on the big picture when one thinks of evolution: how organisms adapt and change over the march of ...
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Background
Rewind: Six of the best from 2020
Another look at great work and fascinating people from Australian science.
Did you know the Royal Institution of Australia has other platforms? We'd like to introduce you to some of the conten...
Space
all Space articles
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“Puffed-up” planet unlike any other
Gas giants may form more easily than suspected, say astronomers.
New observations of the exoplanet WASP-107b suggest that existing models of how gas giant planets form may not be qui...
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To orbit… and beyond?
South Australia to be first Australian state to send a satellite into space.
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall today announced a $6.5 million partnership with the growing South Australian...
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Focus
Learning the Star Knowledge of First Australians
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people use their understanding of the night sky for a range...
By Peter Reeve and Duane Hamacher. What comes to mind when you think of an “astronomer”? Perhaps a scientist peeri...
Technology
all Technology articles
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Silicon memory?
Metamaterial can be reprogrammed with different properties.
If you need a material that can literally be changed to suit you over time, look no further. Metamaterials – meani...
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Fold here for success
DNA origami might be the answer for making superconducting nanomaterials.
DNA is a clever molecule that folds easily, so it can be used to act as scaffolds for nanomaterials. This involves lo...
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Nature
all Nature articles
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Butterfly turn-off, flower turn-on
Chemical scent plays a remarkably different role for insects and plants.
Seems that some smelly butterflies don’t get a lot of action, thanks to an anti-aphrodisiac. A new study, led by C...
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Deadly weapon: frog peptide
Skin secretion of Australian toadlet combats bacterial infections
An unassuming Australian amphibian may inspire novel synthetic drugs to combat bacterial infections, according to Eur...
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Research
Useless evolution
Some evolutionary changes have no particular reason or benefit.
It’s easy to focus on the big picture when one thinks of evolution: how organisms adapt and change over the march of ...
Earth
all Earth articles
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Spotlight on air pollution in Europe
Study identifies the European cities with highest mortality rates.
Think of air pollution these days and you probably think of China. In 2017 alone air pollution is estimated to have c...
-
Conversation
75% of Australia's marine protected areas have 'partial' protection
Not all marine protected areas are created equal. Here’s why that’s a problem.
By John Turnbull, Emma Johnston, Graeme Clark from UNSW, Carly Cook from Monash University and Kelsey Roberts from St...
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Lessons from the past
Could Indigenous wisdom help us create a “good Anthropocene”?
The Anthropocene marks relentless and increasingly grave environmental degradation as the Earth faces tipping points ...
History
all History articles
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The origins of money
Standardised Bronze Age objects may have acted as ancient currency.
From cowrie shells to native resources and animals, currency in some shape or form has long been a part of human hist...
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Lessons from the past
Could Indigenous wisdom help us create a “good Anthropocene”?
The Anthropocene marks relentless and increasingly grave environmental degradation as the Earth faces tipping points ...
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Conversation
Oldest cave painting of animals found in Indonesia
Painting of Sulawesi warty pig dates back at least 45,500 years.
By Adam Brumm, Adhi Oktaviana, Basran Burhan and Maxime Aubert from Griffith University The dating of an exception...
People
all People articles
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Raising the dead
Planning a séance? Read this first.
Research into spiritualism – a belief system based on the idea that human souls endure beyond death and communicate w...
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Lessons from the past
Could Indigenous wisdom help us create a “good Anthropocene”?
The Anthropocene marks relentless and increasingly grave environmental degradation as the Earth faces tipping points ...
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Health
all Health articles
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COVID inequality explained
Higher expression of ACE2 protein is found in the elderly and men.
As COVID-19 vaccine rollouts begin, a large focus has been on vaccinating target groups, including the elderly. Choos...
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Norse concern
Norway reports deaths among elderly people who have received the Pfizer BioNTech COVID vaccine.
On Sunday, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) announced that in recent days it had received reports “...
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COVID Booster: Gut bugs and vaccines
The five new things science learned about COVID-19 this week.
1. Gut bugs could influence the severity of COVID COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory illness, but the gut may als...
Core Sciences
all Core Sciences articles
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Egghead concussion
Yolk study sheds light on traumatic brain injuries.
Scientists say they have identified for the first time what type of impact most likely causes concussion – a serious ...
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Diamonds put the heat on cells
Tiny gems help scientists shed light on thermal conductivity.
Using tiny diamonds, or nanodiamonds, scientists have worked out how to measure heat transfer inside living cells – s...
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History
Jevons learns to economise
Englishman helped usher in the marginal revolution, which transformed economics.
According to The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle’s word for politics is ...