Deep fake videos, imploding watermelons, and sautéed spiders: a taste of National Science Week

2020 program goes virtual, DIY and well-spaced, accessible across the country

15 to 23 August – start scheduling stories now!

Workshops on conserving endangered honeyeaters, lessons in making sourdough bread, insights into Indigenous astronomy – the range of events in this year’s National Science Week is vast.

And because most of them are online, anyone can take part, no matter where they live. Broome residents can see the sea-dragons of the Great Southern Reef, Territorian students can join the Sydney-based challenge to eradicate malaria, and science fans in Penrith can test their ability to spot deep fake videos with a neuropsychologist in Melbourne.

There are stories here not just for science rounds, but also health, environment, kids, sport, tourism and the arts.

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VIC: Possible Impossibles

Media release from Victoria’s National Science Week coordinating committee

The boundary between the probable and improbable blurs when National Science Week Victoria 2020 unleashes Possible Impossibles from August 15-23 – an online series of events and activities exploring the frontiers of possibility, and asking ‘What’s next for the human species?’.

Humans are a species of creative thinkers, problem solvers and ambitious dreamers. Together we have achieved the seemingly impossible, from curing diseases, extending the average lifespan, inventing air flight, harnessing the power of the Earth’s resources to connect people all over the world, to sending people into space. What does the future hold? Will we resurrect extinct species, figure out the hard problem of consciousness, and thrive on lab grown meat? Are time travel, invisibility, telepathy and suspended animation ultimately possible? Will climate change, ageing, waste, and food insecurity be oh-so 21st century?

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Can you see the stars?

Who has the darkest skies?

Tell us what you can see on the longest night, help us map Australia’s light pollution, and set a world record

Stunning video overlay and photos, spokespeople in all States and Territories

Stargazing at Siding Spring Observatory, near Coonabarabran, NSW.
Credit: Angel Lopez-Sanchez

Background information
Images and captions
Video footage

Scientists are asking all Australians to step outside on the longest night of the year to help them measure light pollution around the country.

“We’re expecting thousands of people to join us on Australia’s longest night, Sunday 21 June, to help researchers create a map of Australia’s darkest skies, and learn about light pollution and its effect on people, animals, and astronomy,” says Marnie Ogg, CEO and founder of the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance.

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Cyclones can damage even distant reefs

Research finds current models underestimate the impact of hurricanes and typhoons on coral reef communities

Full paper and images available. Details below.

The same area of Scott Reef photographed in 2010, and again in 2012 after Cyclone Lua. Credit: James Gilmour/AIMS

Big and strong cyclones can harm coral reefs as far as 1000 kilometres away from their paths, new research shows.

A study led by Dr Marji Puotinen from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) sounds a warning about the way strong cyclone winds build extreme seas that affect coral reefs in Australia and around the world.

Conventional modelling used to predict how a cyclone, hurricane or typhoon might impact corals assumes that wave damage occurs primarily within 100 kilometres of its track.

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Astronomers see ‘cosmic ring of fire’, 11 billion years ago

Unusual galaxy set to prompt rethink on how structures in the Universe form

Full paper, Full video, and images available. Details below.

Astronomers have captured an image of a super-rare type of galaxy – described as a “cosmic ring of fire” – as it existed 11 billion years ago.

The galaxy, which has roughly the mass of the Milky Way, is circular with a hole in the middle, rather like a titanic doughnut. Its discovery, announced in the journal Nature Astronomy, is set to shake up theories about the earliest formation of galactic structures and how they evolve.

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For knee injuries, surgery may not be the best option

Research finds rehab-only treatment yields better long-term results

Image credit: Jack Moreh / Stockvault.net

Knee reconstructions may lead to more problems later in life than non-surgical rehabilitation, researchers have found.

A team led by Dr Adam Culvenor from La Trobe University looked at health outcomes for athletes with damaged anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) – a devastating injury, particularly common among footballers.

ACL injuries require lengthy rehabilitation and up to 12 months on the sidelines. However, many athletes also opt for surgery to reconstruct the torn ligament in the hope that this will get them back to sport sooner and prevent the development of knee arthritis.

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3D-printed system speeds up solar cell testing from hours to minutes

Australian scientists flag dramatic improvement to next-gen perovskite R&D

Full paper and images available. Details below.

A detail from the new 16-channel parallel characterisation system.
Credit: Adam Surmiak, Xiongfeng Lin

Tests on new designs for next-gen solar cells can now be done in hours instead of days thanks to a new system built by scientists at Australia’s Monash University, incorporating 3D-printed key components.

The machine can analyse 16 sample perovskite-based solar cells simultaneously, in parallel, dramatically speeding up the process.

The invention means that the performance and commercial potential of new compounds can be very rapidly evaluated, significantly speeding up the development process.

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Fish faeces reveals which species eat crown-of-thorns

Great Barrier Reef research finds the destructive starfish is eaten more often than thought.

Full paper, video, gifs and still images available. Details below.

Dr Frederieke Kroon looking at a crown-of-thorns starfish on the Great Barrier Reef. Credit: D.Westcott/CSIRO

Crown-of-thorns starfish are on the menu for many more fish species than previously suspected, an investigation using fish poo and gut goo reveals.

The finding suggests that some fish, including popular eating and aquarium species, might have a role to play in keeping the destructive pest population under control.

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Hungry galaxies grow fat on the flesh of their neighbours

Full paper available here, read on for media release, photos, captions and background information.

Modelling shows big galaxies get bigger by merging with smaller ones

Distribution of dark matter density overlayed with the gas density. This image cleanly shows the gas channels connecting the central galaxy with its neighbours. Credit: Gupta et al/ASTRO 3D/ IllustrisTNG collaboration.

Galaxies grow large by eating their smaller neighbours, new research reveals.

Exactly how massive galaxies attain their size is poorly understood, not least because they swell over billions of years. But now a combination of observation and modelling from researchers led by Dr Anshu Gupta from Australia’s ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) has provided a vital clue.

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Windows will soon generate electricity, following solar cell breakthrough

Full paper available here, read on for media release, photos, captions and background information.

Two square metres of solar window will do the same job as a standard rooftop solar panel, Australian researchers say.

A semi-transparent perovskite solar cell with contrasting levels of light transparency.
Credits: Dr Jae Choul Yu

Semi-transparent solar cells that can be incorporated into window glass are a “game-changer” that could transform architecture, urban planning and electricity generation, Australian scientists say in a paper in Nano Energy.

The researchers – led by Professor Jacek Jasieniak from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science (Exciton Science) and Monash University – have succeeded in producing next-gen perovskite solar cells that generate electricity while allowing light to pass through. They are now investigating how the new technology could be built into commercial products with Viridian Glass, Australia’s largest glass manufacturer.

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Operations

2020 program goes virtual, DIY and well-spaced, accessible across the country

Who has the darkest skies?

Research finds current models underestimate the impact of hurricanes and typhoons on coral reef communities

Unusual galaxy set to prompt rethink on how structures in the Universe form

Research finds rehab-only treatment yields better long-term results

Australian scientists flag dramatic improvement to next-gen perovskite R&D

Great Barrier Reef research finds the destructive starfish is eaten more often than thought.

Modelling shows big galaxies get bigger by merging with smaller ones

Two square metres of solar window will do the same job as a standard rooftop solar panel, Australian researchers say.

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