Research finds current models underestimate the impact of hurricanes and typhoons on coral reef communities Full paper and images available. Details below. 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)…
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 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….
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. Semi-transparent solar cells that can be incorporated into window glass are a “game-changer” that could transform architecture, urban planning and electricity…
Hot qubits made in Sydney break one of the biggest constraints to practical quantum computers Independent expert for comment Images Video Full paper Background information on hot qubits and a timeline of Professor Dzurak’s work. A proof-of-concept published today in Nature promises warmer, cheaper and more robust quantum computing. And it can be manufactured using…
A proof-of-concept published in Nature promises warmer, cheaper and more robust quantum computing. And it can be manufactured using conventional silicon chip foundries. Full media kit here. Most quantum computers being developed around the world will only work at fractions of a degree above absolute zero. That requires multi-million-dollar refrigeration and as soon as you…
Remotely operated vehicles used by the oil and gas sector can be enhanced to gather more scientific data, researchers say. Underwater robots are regularly used by the oil and gas industry to inspect and maintain offshore structures. The same machines could be adapted to gather extra scientific information, thus boosting environmental and resource management capabilities,…
Full paper available here, read on for media release, photos, captions and background information. Researchers find a simple way to detect tiny imperfections that affect performance. A literal “trick of the light” can detect imperfections in next-gen solar cells, boosting their efficiency to match that of existing silicon-based versions, researchers have found. The discovery opens a…
Scarring and major lacerations due to vessel collisions becoming more common, study finds. Almost one-fifth of the whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) in Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef Marine Park show major scarring or fin amputations, with the number of injured animals increasing in recent years, new research reveals. Distinctive scar patterns strongly suggest many of the…
Lisa Kewley has transformed our understanding of the early years of the Universe, the development of galaxies, and what happens when they collide. For her pioneering investigations across theory, modelling and observation, she will receive the US National Academy of Science’s biennial James Craig Watson Medal in Washington DC. “At school I thought physics…
Scientists urge priority action on hundreds of surviving reefs. The majority of 2500 reefs surveyed in a major international exercise retain the coral species that give them their distinctive structure. More than 80 marine scientists, including several from Australia, contributed to the study, which is published in the journal, Nature Ecology and Evolution.