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For decades, physicists have tried to unify gravity with the other fundamental forces of nature. This “holy grail” of theoretical physics may finally be within reach thanks to new research. There are 4 fundamental forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetism, the weak nuclear force (responsible for radioactive decay) and the strong nuclear force (responsible for holding […]

In a “major step forward in pain care”, a new approach to treat people living with chronic pain has been shown to reduce pain intensity in a randomised controlled trial of 89 people. The team behind the approach told journalists at a briefing yesterday that it has received funding from the Medical Research Future Fund […]

The saola is a rare antelope-like mammal endemic to the forests of Vietnam and Laos. It hasn’t been seen in the wild since 2013, leading to it being nicknamed the “Asian unicorn” for its elusiveness. But scientists still think it can be saved from extinction. Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) are in the same group as buffalo, […]

“Porpoises chased moonlight on silvered tides, as dragons summoned storm-clouds loom in sight,” wrote Qianlong, prolific poet and emperor of the Qing Dynasty, on a trip down the Yangtze River around 1745. He was referencing a sighting of the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis). But little did Qianlong know that more than 300 years later, […]

As the world moves toward cleaner energy sources, a major challenge remains: how do we store renewable energy for when we need it most? Current battery energy storage technologies are relatively expensive to build and have traditionally struggled to store enough energy to meet the demand when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t […]

Wildlife ecologists and IT experts at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy have put their heads together to develop cutting-edge technology that may allow native animals to come and go from fenced reserves as they please, while keeping feral predators at bay. The first tests of “SmartGate” were done on woylies, or brush-tailed bettongs. Tamar wallabies weren’t […]

A snorkeller has been attacked by a ray while conducting a marine survey, which biologists say might be linked to oceanic algal blooms. The incident occurred on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, west of the capital city, Adelaide. The snorkeller was conducting a marine survey when the ray pierced her arm and left a […]

A study in mice has found that warm temperatures in the reproductive tract trigger a “switch” that sends sperm into a hyperactive mode. This changes their motions from the smooth swimming necessary for navigation to the thrashing, twisting motions necessary to make it through the tough outer layer of the egg. “That hyperactive state in […]

If you or someone you love finds it difficult to stand up from the toilet without using your hands, it might seem like a small issue. But in health and ageing, this movement – known as the “sit-to-stand” – can be a red flag. It’s one of the strongest indicators of frailty, a condition that […]

The issue of how much chemicals used in plastics contribute to heart disease has risen again after a new research paper claimed that a type of phthalate is associated with hundreds of thousands of deaths. The latest study estimates that a chemical additive in plastic contributed to more than 356,000 cardiovascular disease deaths among men […]

The famous cubist artist Pablo Picasso never painted snails, but if he had, they might have looked something like a newly discovered species from Thailand. The 3mm microsnail has rectangularly angled whorls which, according to the scientists who found it, look “like a cubist interpretation” of regular snails’ rounded whorls. Not surprisingly they named the […]

Humans have adapted to extreme conditions to live in nearly every environment on Earth. The Haenyeo, a group of all-female divers from the Korean island of Jeju, dive without breathing equipment in frigid waters year-round. New analysis has uncovered the behavioural and genetic changes that help these women survive the intense physiological stresses of free […]

Conservation efforts for the critically-endangered Southern Corroboree Frog — of which only a handful survive and none are breeding in the wild — have received a major boost, with the long-awaited release of a complete genome.   “If you call to a Southern Corroborree Frog, it will answer back,” says lead author of a paper […]

Analysis spanning the last 22,000 years shows that extreme changes in India’s summer monsoon due to climate change could see dramatic declines in Bay of Bengal marine life – a crucial regional food source. The Bay of Bengal covers less than 1% of the global ocean but supplies nearly 8% of fishery production. Monsoons are […]

The billions of doses of antibiotics administered to farm animals are accelerating the rise of drug-resistant superbugs and undermining our most vital medicines. International researchers warn that, without significant changes, global antibiotic use in livestock could surge by 29.5% over the next 15 years, driven by growing demand for animal products and an expanding human […]

New geological evidence from Scotland rewrites history books and suggests that meteorite impacts could have helped some ancient life to colonise land. A massive meteorite hit what is today northwestern Scotland 990 million years ago (mya) – about 200 million years later than previously thought – according to research published in the journal Geology. The […]

Tim Friede has a superpower – he is immune to snake bite.  A self-taught herpetologist (reptile nerd) and venomous snake collector, he began injecting himself with diluted venom from his collection in case he ever got bitten accidentally. Over the last twenty years he has taken on more than 700 doses of snake venom, each […]

A team of archaeologists, biologists, chemists and historians has put to rest the suggestion that a tomb found in 1977 belonged to Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great. The Great Tumulus of Vergina – a cluster of tombs, some dating to more than 3,000 years ago – are about 300km northwest of […]

Researchers from the Republic of Korea have identified genes that make herding dogs sensitive, smart and focussed.  Herding dogs are not fluffballs.  The predation drive inherited from their wolf ancestors may have been put on a leash since humans started breeding dogs about 2,000 years ago, but stalking, strategic chasing and focus are still very […]

Where do gold and other rare, precious elements come from? Astrophysics research suggests a new source of gold, platinum and other heavy elements – the flares unleashed by highly magnetised stars called magnetars. Light elements are those that have a smaller number of protons in the atomic nucleus. The lightest of these – hydrogen, helium, […]

Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to evolve active flight, soaring through the skies until their untimely demise 66 million years ago. But new analysis of fossilised footprints shows that some of these winged reptiles were just as comfortable legging it on the ground. Palaeobiologists analysed pterosaur tracks using 3-dimensional modelling, and compared their characteristics – […]

Climate change could contribute to an increase in deaths from antibiotic-resistant bacteria by 2050, according to a new study in Nature Medicine. Led by researchers from Sun Yat-sen University and Peking University in China, the study shows that rising temperatures, air pollution and extreme weather are likely to make the problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) […]

Shark’s are being unfairly maligned, which has resulted in the generally wrong view that they are apex predators always ready to take a bite out of humans, say researchers in French Polynesia. Blanket classification of shark bites as ‘attacks’ is misleading and sensationalist, says a team from French Polynesia’s Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire […]

NASA’s Juno mission has peered below the surface to help scientists better understand Jupiter’s storms and its moon Io’s subsurface temperature. Juno was launched in 2011 and has been in orbit around Jupiter since 2016. Its mission has been extended a beyond its original 5 years. It is now due to finish in September this […]