ScienceAlert - Latest Features

Encryption for a cloudy day

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Tim Wetherell reports on how new quantum technology will ensure absolute data security – anywhere, anytime.

The language and art of maths

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:00:00 GMT

With its own rules and grammar, maths is a very precise language that one mathematician has turned into an art form. Nerissa Hannink reports.

Outsmarting cane toads: lessons from a small marsupial

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Jonathan Webb describes how northern quolls can be trained to avoid cane toads.

‘State of the World’: farming key to less poverty, stable climate

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:00:00 GMT

A new report from Worldwatch Institute lists how agriculture innovation can prevent food waste and provide a stable climate.

Tourist boats interrupt dolphins’ daily life

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Dolphin watching activities can adversely affect the animals, such as disrupting resting or feeding, Andre Steckenreuter reports.

Urban estuaries 100-fold weaker as ‘Blue Carbon’ sinks

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:00:00 GMT

An increase of microalgae indicates that estuaries are less able to isolate carbon dioxide and alleviate the effects of climate change.

Acid oceans may harm fish young

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Very young fish is threatened by death and organ damage from high carbon dioxide levels, new research shows.

Online clinic offers helping hand

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:00:00 GMT

A new eTherapy Centre is helping people with anxiety disorders to regain control through online support, Karin Derkley reports.

New light shines on dark mystery

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Researchers have measured the cosmological distances to 200,000 galaxies, confirming that a force stronger than gravity is at work.

Science takes on the global food challenge

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Scientists have published a blueprint on tackling food security issues in the world.

Are Australian fish in hot water?

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:00:00 GMT

The ongoing effects of climate change on fish and fisheries have to be countered with the latest science, John Koehn writes.

Carbon credits to help conserve Top End’s biodiversity?

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Income from carbon trading can contribute to more sustainable land management practices, Lucinda Douglass reports.

Dating Our Ancestors – Measuring the Age of Australopithecus sediba

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Dyani Lewis explores the science behind determining the age of the Malapa skeletons.

Increasing the resilience of seabirds in a changing climate

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Scientists have developed ways to help seabirds, including little penguins, to cope with a warming climate, the authors report.

Australian Alps in urgent need of protection

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:00:00 GMT

A new report shows the decline of most Alps catchments from climate change and stresses their need for protection.

Pollen up close – and a microscope called Anthony

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:00:00 GMT

A newly developed microscope to spot for pollen can help capture images and classify the pollen into species.

Heavy metal

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Scientists discover a radically new form of aluminium.

10-year bird status update reports major declines but some hope

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:00:00 GMT

A new report lists the status of various Australian birds and ways to conserve threatened species.

Head banging to bird song

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 06:17:26 GMT

A biologist is studying how birds gather information by ‘eavesdropping’ on their neighbouring species’ chitchat

Urban agriculture: it’s a veggie-roots movement

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Peter Kearney illustrates his efforts in encouraging children and their families to engage in urban food growing.

Mimicking the brain

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Scientists are embarking on research to making sense of High Temperature Plasma Confinement Data.

A star is born

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Newly discovered red dwarf may yield clues to planet formation.

Dolphins value good friends and relatives

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Bill Sherwin discusses how the study on dolphins led to the finding that 'good friends’ are crucial to successful calving for females.

Conserving Thailand’s whales, dolphins and porpoises

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Researchers have set out to study whales, dolphins and porpoises along the Gulf of Thailand.

Tracking of quantum sensors in living cells pave the way for advances in drug discovery and nanomedicine

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Using nanodiamonds as sensors and compasses in living human cells is leading to a better day in drug testing and development.

Switch from coal to natural gas may not slow climate change

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 14:00:00 GMT

While using natural gas in place of coal can reduce carbon dioxide emission, the shift will not slow down climate change.

Orange roughy and other deep-sea fisheries ‘unsustainable’

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Commercial fishing in the dead sea should be halted to give fishes a chance to repopulate, international leading marine scientists say.

Plant data helps map potential ‘bio-cultural diversity’ hotspots

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Plants used in Aboriginal traditional medicine can now be found using a new map that highlights the ‘hotspots’ for the species.

Climatic tolerances: an Australian story

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:23:52 GMT

Studies or ways to help Australian native species survive should be based on the nation’s unique climate, Tim Lowe writes.

The sustainability cost myth

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Sustainable goods and services may cost more now, but can bring long term financial benefits for businesses, Nick Fleming argues.