Skip to main content

Academic Research

How three Brisbane housemates discovered their backyard was a biodiversity hotspot

In 2020, at the height of COVID lockdown, three housemates decided to see how many animals lived in their house and backyard. What they found surprised them.
Three young men standing outside holding binoculars and a camera

China opens Antarctic research station due south of Australia, begins operations for the first time

China opens its fifth Antarctic research station, starting operations in an outpost due south of Australia and New Zealand for the first time.
workers in orange protective gear construct a steel building frame overlooking the sea in Antarctica.

Rare dolphin, only photographed six times, believed spotted in Australian waters

Researchers believe they have recorded one of the world's most unusually coloured dolphins for the first time in Australian waters.
Updated
A speckled dolphin.

Life returns to scorched national park after bushfire burns almost 3,500 square kilometres

A researcher who had cameras stationed throughout a central Queensland national park has captured the devastation of a months-long bushfire and the green shoots of returning life.
Burnt bushland next to a picture of the bushland covered in greenery

Scientists race against tides to discover why 90,000-year-old footprints were made

Scientists believe footprints that were accidentally found on a Moroccan beach were made by five modern humans 90,000 years ago. 
Photos of a dozen fossiled footprints in brown sandy, rock

With just two northern white rhinos left, this IVF pregnancy could save them from extinction

Scientists have carried out the first successful embryo transfer in a southern white rhino using a method that could pave the way to saving its critically endangered northern cousin from extinction.
ABC News Current

Scientists previously thought this corner of Antarctica was 'immune' from climate change — but now it's losing ice

In a whitewashed corner of one of the world's coldest continents, Australian scientists are living in tents and undertaking some of the most ambitious research in 20 years.
A man in winter gear walks through a blizzard toward three yellow tents.

Life at one of the world's most remote research stations

Professor Nerilie Abram explains the significance and challenges of working at the Edgeworth David Base Camp in Antarctica's Bunger Hills.
Updated
ABC News Current
Duration: 6 minutes 6 seconds

What's so special about Retro the cloned rhesus monkey? Five quick questions answered

Scientists report cloning a monkey using a technique that most famously gave us Dolly the sheep in 1996. So what's new about this study, and what does it mean for humans?
Updated
Rhesus monkey in cage

These baby turtles are tracked at faster speeds than they can swim, and researchers think they know why

Researchers are trying to figure out what is causing the deaths of the Mary River turtles they have spent years trying to save.
Updated
A tiny baby turtle being held up on a hand.

Antarctic adventure inspires women to 'focus on hope' in their quests to help solve humanity's biggest threats

Normally, you'll find Elizabeth Znidersic in north-east Victoria's wetlands, microphone in hand, eavesdropping on birds. But the scientist has recently returned from a much colder expedition.
a woman in a black beanie sits in a dinghy. a grey hood pulled over her head, large black sunglasses and an orange life jacket

Laser-sensor technology reveals ancient cities in Ecuador's Amazon rainforest

The settlements were occupied around 500 BC and 300 to 600 AD — a period roughly contemporaneous with the Roman Empire in Europe.
Multiple green and blue jaggered lines with blocks of grey in between them.

The story of 'Giganto', the world's largest ape, and why it disappeared forever

For two million years, Gigantopithecus blacki roamed the forests of what is now southern China. A new study claims to discover when — and why — it went extinct.
ABC News Current

White shark numbers are increasing but breeding mystery puzzles scientists

It is the elusive "holy grail" for shark documentary filmmakers, but to date nobody has seen great whites mating, nor do researchers know where they give birth.
Updated
A great white shark in the deep blue sea.

Twenty year longitudinal study provides fresh insight into lives of Aus. children

The research project took place in conjunction with ABC documentary 'Life At' and the insights discovered are informing the way Australian governments approach policy across a number of areas.
ABC News Current
Duration: 2 minutes 11 seconds

Raquel lives 'off the grid'. She's part of a growing trend finding meaning in new age spiritual practices

New age spiritualism is not new, but it morphed during the COVID pandemic and appears more popular than ever. The first detailed Australian study examines what happens when spirituality and wellness intersect with conspiracy theories.
Updated
A woman with brown hair stares soulfully at the camera.

Now that's a crab! Hopes research will lead to Indigenous-owned fishery for giant Kimberley mud crabs

With the first detailed research underway near Derby, there are hopes the region's local community could play a role in the developing commercial fishery.
Brown mud crab sits on carton of beer.

Reindeer are famous for pulling Santa's sleigh, but it's their vision that has scientists interested

Researchers are working to understand why reindeer can see light in the ultraviolet spectrum and if the underlying mechanism can have any benefits for humans. 
A close up shot of a reindeer's face and eyes, with a red harness around its nose

Giant squid, anaesthesia and pet slime: Podcasts for fans of science and nature

Does a serving of science or some fascinating facts get your synapses firing? Are you feeling some serious holiday podcast bingeing coming on? Well, look no further.
Hipster woman listens to earphones on busy street

Are Christmas beetles disappearing? We need your help to find out

In eastern Australia, the arrival of the summer holidays has traditionally been heralded by big iridescent beetles known as Christmas beetles. How many are there this year?
close up on metallic beetle's head

Could these tiny ants swollen with honey hold the key to new medical treatments?

Aboriginal people have used honeypot ants to treat everything from cuts to colds for generations. Now modern science is catching up, finding the ants could hold the key to new medical treatments.
Updated
a ant fat with honey hanging from a finger

UNSW to face review over research misconduct processes that have taken more than two years

UNSW has been conducting a "preliminary" investigation into research misconduct for more than two years. Now the university itself will be investigated.
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) library is seen against a bright, cloudy sky

What air quality data can tell you about where you live

University of Technology Sydney students went street by street with air quality monitors and found big differences over short distances. 
Updated
A bus departs from a stop outside shops on Burwood Road.

Skipped your morning coffee? This is why you might be feeling off

If you're a regular coffee drinker, you may have experienced the dreaded caffeine withdrawal headache. It's a painful reminder that caffeine is a drug that changes your brain.
Updated
Cup of coffee

Guttural, breathy mating calls of male koalas trigger new tracking devices

The distinctive call of male koalas looking for a mate has been programmed into sensors that are speeding up research into where the threatened animals live.
Updated
Koala looking at camera while holding onto tree branch