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The long-term outcomes for people undergoing face transplants seem optimistic, according to an evaluation of the first 50 operations undertaken globally since 2005. Face transplants have been used as a major reconstructive option for complex and extensive facial disfigurements since 2005. For the first time, researchers have now evaluated their long-term outcomes. The results, they […]

As the UN General Assembly prepares to hold its second high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance this month, a new study highlights the urgent need for decisive, global action to combat the growing threat. A new report has revealed more than 39 million deaths are estimated to directly result from antibiotic-resistant (AMR) infections between now and […]

Despite a slump caused by a large volcanic eruption, the ozone layer is still improving in the long term, according to an annual global report. The United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has published its Ozone and UV Bulletin, finding that the ozone layer remains on track to recover fully between the 2040s and the […]

Researchers have found a type of lizard – referred to as the chicken nugget of the forest – that can hide underwater thanks to a special bubble they produce around their nostrils. Details of the scuba-diving lizards are published in Biology Letters. For animals that have adapted to live on land, air-based breathing limits the […]

Rural Australia is rich in diversity and warrants nuanced understanding about suicide within and across rural areas. Suicide rates in Australia are consistently higher in rural areas compared to major cities. Over the past 20 years, suicide rates in major cities and very remote regions are trending down, outer regional is relatively stable, yet inner […]

Scientists have peered at Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night painting and discovered it displays a startling resemblance to real atmospheric turbulence. To see stars, one needs clear skies. But just because we can’t see it, doesn’t mean there aren’t intricate patterns of air movement above us on a clear night. A paper published in […]

Marine biologists have shown that a migratory shrimp species relies on smell – chemical signatures – to pinpoint their home cave. Some of the chemicals they respond to appear to be sensitive to climate change. Animals that can navigate back to an original location, such as a breeding spot or nesting site, are said to […]

It’s referred to as “contrail avoidance” and it has nothing to do with debunked conspiracy theories about secret chemicals added to airplane exhausts. But it’s likely to reduce the environmental impact of the aviation industry, according to a new study. The aviation industry causes climate change in several different ways. Planes typically emit CO2 by […]

Engineering historians have solved a riddle that’s long puzzled people about the Crystal Palace in London. The Crystal Palace was more than 560m long with a roof supported by 3,300 cast iron columns at the time of its construction in 1851, and many people have wondered how such a giant building could be erected in […]

Militaries have always been reliant on newer technology to stay ahead of their opponents – but how do you bridge the gap between the open culture of science, and the secrets necessary in a defence force? According to Professor Tanya Monro, Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist and head of the government’s Defence Science and Technology Group, […]

Researchers training tomorrow’s medical and allied-health professionals are bridging the gap between anatomy textbooks and cadavers by creating photorealistic, 3D-printed replicas of dissected body parts. The 3D printing program in the Centre for Human Anatomy Education at Melbourne’s Monash University has been working on practical applications of 3D imaging and printing in anatomical education for more […]

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has identified a black hole that confirms the theory that some supermassive black holes can starve their host galaxies of the fuel needed to make new stars. GS-10578, nicknamed “Pablo’s Galaxy”, is roughly the size of the Milky Way. It is nearly 12 billion light-years away, meaning the light that […]

After 9 years of work, researchers in Adelaide, Australia have discovered a new type of cell within the wall of the body’s largest artery, the aorta. They believe the finding has the potential to enhance future treatments in wound healing; growing blood vessels in ischemic tissues; and in chronic inflammatory disease atherosclerosis. The research was […]

An asteroid is approaching, but it won’t crash into Earth. Instead, it’ll be our planet’s little companion for 2 months before continuing on its merry way. 2024 PT5 is about 11m wide. The asteroid was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in South Africa on 7 August. In a study published in […]

Australia’s ability to develop and produce solid rocket motors on shore and at scale is being explored to bolster sovereign aerospace and defence capabilities. Solid rockets are powered by solid fuel and oxidiser, which makes them safer to store and transport than liquid rockets. This week, Lockheed Martin Australia and Thales Australia signed a Teaming […]

Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, has been hailed as the new magic pill for weight loss. But is it safe and what are the real risks beyond loose skin and “Ozempic face” – the gaunt ageing effect of drastic weight loss? What is semaglutide and how does it work? Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 […]

A team of Chinese researchers have made a lithium-sulphur battery that can provide power even after being folded or cut in half. The researchers, who have published their findings in ACS Energy Letters, say their battery demonstrates the potential for safer, cheaper lithium batteries. Lithium-sulphur batteries could be more energy-dense and cheaper than lithium-ion, but […]

German researchers have farmed yeast rich in protein and vitamin B9 (folate) by feeding them hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. Protein levels in the harvested dried yeast is similar to that of beef, pork, fish, and lentils, and just 6 grams, or 0.4 tablespoon, provides the recommended daily folate requirement.  The proof-of-concept system, which runs […]

Researchers at Melbourne’s La Trobe University have found ways to have more consistent seed growth across a season, providing bigger crop harvests. The study, published in Nature Plants, uses the latest technology to look at what individual cells are doing as the seeds germinate. “This will show us which cells we can manipulate to ensure […]

Software developed by Australian researchers accurately models the way sound, water or light waves are scattered by particles in complex formations. This will speed up the time it takes to design metamaterials – artificial materials used to amplify, block and detect waves. Metamaterials are comprised of at least 2 different materials. They were first developed […]

Oxycodone use in Australia nearly halved after a policy change, according to a new study. The study, published in Addiction, uses wastewater monitoring data to find that use dropped 45% after a series of regulations around prescribing were introduced. The data comes from the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program, which samples sewage at treatment plants […]

An exceptionally well-preserved skull from a fish which lived 384–382 million years ago helps explain how plate tectonics played a key role in the evolution of ancient bony fish which eventually led to humans. The skull was found in a remote region of northern Western Australia. It lay in the Gogo Formation – a deposit […]

Researchers have used a massive telescope to observe a pair of galaxies merging 12.8 billion years away, creating one of the brightest objects in the universe. The research, published in the Astrophysical Journal, was led by Associate Professor Yoshiki Matsuoka from Ehime University and Professor John Silverman of from the Kavli Institute for the Physics […]

New members have been added to the family tree of the now extinct thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus). Fossils of the new species were found in northwestern Queensland Riversleigh World Heritage Site. The site is more than 2,500 km from the southern island of Tasmania where the last Tasmanian tigers lived […]