Archived News for Research Sector Professionals - November, 2013
Two articles published in the same journal have shown the importance of caring for global water resources from two separate perspectives.
Robot revolution digs on snails and clams for help
Engineers have - as they often do - taken more cues from the designs nature developed millions of years ago.
3D-printed body parts brought closer by long-life liver
A company in the United States has created a small section of human liver, which was alive and able to filter toxins and retain nutrients for 40 days.
Cheap trick yields new world of power supply
Researchers and engineers in the United States have designed a new method for generating electricity, which gathers power from lost energy sources such as microwave signals, sounds or even Wi-Fi.
Green lights in DNA-driven train track trial
Scientists have developed a remarkable new system for chemical transport within the body, using nano-scale motors controlled by DNA.
Law centre to gauge QLD gas concerns and invoke innovations
A new centre for mining law research will focus on fair negotiations between land-owners and CSG companies.
Miner buys supercomputer for new age of exploration
One of Australia’s major energy companies has put up half a million dollars for its own supercomputer to crunch data from oil and gas explorations.
Sounds like efficiency; solar cells' musical taste decoded
Recent research has found that high frequency sounds can improve solar cell efficiency, suggesting photo-voltaics enjoy guitar solos as much as the rest of us.
Giant platypus adds to skinny family tree
There are few creatures in the catalogue of nature more peculiar or rare than the platypus, but new research has found it had an ancient, enormous cousin over five million years ago.
Golden house to feed algae their favourite waves
A new technique has been developed by a team of Australian scientists that will speed production of microalgae – used in everything from biofuels to medical compounds and even soap.
Hot times in dry climes to tax soil health
Increasingly parched conditions caused by global warming will make the world’s drylands less productive, by reducing the balance of nutrients in the soil.
Million dollar boost for broad health research
A researcher from the University of Queensland has been awarded over a million dollars to find the genetic secrets behind thousands of diseases.
Online link for Victorian research chain
An online booking system has created a greater level of access to Victoria’s large range of world-class research infrastructure.
Safety tips given to robot helpers
In a new development that some may find disconcerting, researchers in the US have made a knife-wielding robot smarter and capable of making its own decisions.
Single-cells seen to take unknown genetic initiative
Life thrives in the world’s harshest climates, and a recent report has shown a previously-unknown method some creatures use to reproduce in extreme situations.
State government scores rare fish film from river study
In a rare moment of uninhibited expressiveness, the Murray Cod has shown off some of its daily routine for the benefit of science.
Study plots nitrogen web that feeds the world
European scientists have made progress on efforts to better understand the relationship between the ocean, certain microbes and nitrogen that feeds much of the planet.
Wave height and path spied from space
A new study from the Australian National University will improve the models and maps of ocean currents, wave heights and tides, plotting the incredibly long process that ends with waves crashing on the shore.
Grant gives wings to electric aircraft plan
A Victorian Government grant has allowed engineering students at Swinburne to look skyward for a sustainable method of air travel.
Mosquitoes scoring against anti-malarial wall
There are concerns that thousands of lives may be at risk from the ailing efficacy of a key malaria drug.
New chip learns from humans' approach to thinking
The world’s greatest supercomputers still look like crude counting tools compared to the human brain, but a new chip has pinched a human technique for improving the efficiency of computation.