Research & development

Sea sponges suggest we have surpassed 1.5°C of warming

06 February, 2024 by Lauren Davis

Global mean surface temperatures may have already passed 1.5°C of warming, according to ocean temperature records preserved in sclerosponge skeletons from the Caribbean.


Glowing COVID test produces results in 1 min

23 January, 2024

What if, instead of taking 15 minutes or more, a COVID-19 test could quite literally light up with a result in just one minute?


Astronomers detect the oldest black hole ever found

19 January, 2024

The black hole is surprisingly massive, with its existence so early in the universe challenging our assumptions about how black holes form and grow.


2023 confirmed as the hottest year on record

15 January, 2024

2023 was the warmest calendar year in global temperature data records going back to 1850, thanks to unprecedented global temperatures from June onwards.


An AI-assisted diagnostic test for COVID and other diseases

12 January, 2024

The AI model has been trained to read the results of tests identifying infectious diseases, including COVID-19, and removes user error while improving accuracy.


L'Oréal and Great Barrier Reef Foundation partner on reef restoration

22 December, 2023

The new partnership will support critical reef interventions including the targeted deployment of two million heat-tolerant corals on the Great Barrier Reef by 2030.


Microplastics found in clouds could affect the weather

07 December, 2023

Scientists are not only detecting microplastics in the atmosphere but also investigating how they may play a role in cloud formation.


New tumour marker identifies early-stage gastric cancer

05 December, 2023

The new tumour marker has a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 99%, far exceeding the sensitivity of conventional tumour markers in identifying cancer patients.


Scientists deep-freeze native plants at risk of extinction

15 November, 2023

A process similar to that used to store human embryos is being used by scientists to save native Australian plants under threat from invasive myrtle rust.


Novel catalyst enables greener pharmaceutical manufacturing

06 November, 2023

Researchers have developed a new class of so-called heterogeneous geminal-atom catalysts for more environmentally friendly pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.


Climate scientists sound the alarm; those with lung conditions at risk

30 October, 2023

Scientists say that Earth's vital signs have worsened beyond anything we have seen — and people with lung conditions are particularly at risk.


Over 40% of Antarctica's ice shelves have shrunk in 25 years

26 October, 2023

Scientists found that 71 of the 162 ice shelves surrounding Antarctica have reduced in volume over 25 years from 1997 to 2021, with a net release of 7.5 trillion tonnes of meltwater into the oceans.


Distant fast radio burst offers path to weigh the universe

23 October, 2023

Scientists have found the most ancient and distant blast of cosmic radio waves to date, located so far away that its light took eight billion years to reach Earth.


Starch discovery reaps benefits for industry

16 October, 2023

UK researchers have brought clarity to the longstanding question of how starch granules form in the seeds of Triticeae crops — wheat, barley and rye.


Bennu asteroid sample found to contain carbon and water

12 October, 2023

Initial studies of a sample of the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu show evidence of high carbon content and water, which together indicate that the building blocks of life on Earth may be found in the rock.


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