From a Vietnamese refugee huddled with more than 400 frightened others as a flimsy craft took them across the South China Sea, to a potential Nobel Prize laureate for Chemistry,…
Why people deny the obvious?
“Despite the fact that we live in an ‘information age’, and are finding out more and more about the universe, some people seem determined to reject knowledge. For example, in…
One step closer: the Lima climate change agreement
Late last year in Lima, the world community successfully negotiated an agreement to conclude the 20th conference of the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Admittedly, these negotiations…
Household pollutants detected around Antarctic stations
Australian Antarctic stations are rethinking their operational practices after the discovery that common household pollutants are dispersing from Casey station into the local Antarctic environment. Research published in Environmental Science and…
What do major sporting events leave behind?
Event legacy – the positive things left behind after a major sporting event – has become an important part of the competition to host events and winning bids are now…
Listening to the Thames
What do you discover when you listen to one of the most iconic rivers in the world? A unique project between a scientist, an artisit and a musician plunges into…
Ancient DNA sheds light on the origin of Europeans
Much of the evidence of where the first Europeans came from was originally derived from comparisons of skulls but our work looking at ancient DNA is revealing new insight, with…
How to find the knowns and unknowns in any research
UNDERSTANDING RESEARCH: What do we actually mean by research and how does it help inform our understanding of things? With so much research already published it can be a daunting…
Creating models for a better world
In ancient times, our ancestors looked to the natural world for signs as to when to undertake certain activities. Today expert provide the information we need. A weather forecaster may…
The Return of Light Rail to Australian Cities
“The light rail scheme is such a great natural experiment,” ponders Dr Matthew Burke a senior planning and transport researcher within Urban Research Program. “Can contemporary light rail really change…