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Science Goes Viral
Science Goes Viral
How fungi and theatrical performance can tackle the problem of PFAS contamination
When scientists first discovered the chemistry of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, PFAS, in the 1930s, they didn’t know we’d be struggling to remove them from the environment and human bodies nearly a century later.
Science Goes Viral
COVID-19 pandemic has cut life expectancy globally
COVID-19 reversed earlier trends toward longer life expectancies. During the pandemic, life expectancies globally dropped by 1.6 years according to a new study published in the Lancet medical journal.
Science Goes Viral
CSIRO voyage gets up close to Antarctica’s climate challenges
The rapidly changing nature of Antarctica has been witnessed first-hand by Australia’s leading research ship on a record-breaking investigation of the icy continent.
Science Goes Viral
Most migratory fish on the brink says global analysis
At least 2 in 5 migratory animal species prioritised for conservation are in decline and almost all significant migratory fish are threatened with extinction, says a new report.
Science Goes Viral
What parents just don’t get about video games
New research reveals a generational disconnect over online games, with 94% of young people expressing positive feelings about the activity, yet only 15% of parents identifying benefits for their child.
Science Goes Viral
First ever image of wild baby great white shark emerges!
A biologist and filmmaker have captured what might be the first images of a newborn great white shark in the wild.
Science Goes Viral
Helper immune cells become killers to control melanoma
New Australian research has revealed a type on immune cell called CD4+ T cells traditionally thought to only assist other immune cells are effective in controlling melanoma.
Science Goes Viral
How hydrogen trucks could make power cleaner and cheaper
Hydrogen-powered trucks could help to lower emissions and yield cheaper power on aging electricity grids, according to a team of Canadian researchers.
Science Goes Viral
Searching for the secret to save the Great Barrier Reef
Researchers in north Queensland are breeding heat tolerant coral, hoping it might be one of the solutions needed to prevent disaster when the next marine heatwave hits the Great Barrier Reef.
Science Goes Viral
Housemates’ lockdown project uncovers 1000+ species in their suburban backyard
A mathematician, an ecologist and a taxonomist go into lockdown in Brisbane suburbia… it might sound like the start of a joke, but it’s a lockdown project which became an academic research paper.
Science Goes Viral
Could some fungi be an alternative to pesticides and fertilisers?
For the first time a large scale trial has shown that mycorrhizal fungi might provide an alternative to mineral fertilisers and pesticides on farms.
Science Goes Viral
‘Unpromising’ archaeological site rewrites Roman history
What started as an unpromising archaeological site in central Italy could change our understanding of the fall of the Roman Empire.
A 13-year archaeological investigation...
Science Goes Viral
Abuse and falsehoods erode the public square of science
As the world faces existential problems such as pandemics and climate change, Australian scientists are facing a dilemma about the best way to connect with the wider public.
Science Goes Viral
The secret love life of the echidna
How do echidnas make love? Carefully… of course!
Science Goes Viral
Mission possible! How hummingbirds squeeze through tight spots
Lots of birds can fly through small gaps by simply folding in their wings closer to their bodies. But not hummingbirds! They’ve lost the ability to bend their wings at the wrists and elbows.
Being Vegan
Pets on a vegan diet can help save the world!
When my six-month-old puppy was diagnosed with a congenital liver shunt, the vet placed him on a diet featuring predominantly dairy and plant-based protein.
Science Goes Viral
Dino killer asteroid darkened Earth for 620 days, scientists say
Scientists continue to piece together the events surrounding the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Science Goes Viral
One Pacific island’s plan to produce more scientists
It’s a wet Friday morning at Solomon Islands’ National University (SINU), and none of Dr John Fasi’s students have turned up to class.
Science Goes Viral
How will El Niño change in the future?
Current evidence suggests both El Niño and La Niña could change significantly over the next 70 years, which will have consequences for how they affect us.
Science Goes Viral
‘We have never seen a year like this’
Antarctica’s sea ice has reached its annual maximum – a record low – and has started to recede as temperatures warm during spring.
Science Goes Viral
Pre-Incan mummies found in Peru by gas workers
The mummified bodies of eight individuals have been found by city workers who were digging a natural gas line in the Carabayllo district on the outskirts of Lima, capital of Peru.
Science Goes Viral
Scientists measure how much weed Australians put in their joints
How much weed is in that joint? A team of Australian researchers has found that it is quite varied, which could have implications for public health policy.
Science Goes Viral
NASA shows how human life can be supported on Mars
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has generated oxygen on Mars for the 16th and final time with the agency saying it exceeded expectations.
Science Goes Viral
Is an Earth-like planet hiding on the edge of the solar system?
Far past the reaches of Neptune there could be a planet hiding in our Solar System, according to two scientists.
Science Goes Viral
Forecast for sea off south-east Australia spells danger for marine life
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a patch of the Tasman Sea to reach temperatures at least 2.5°C above average from September to February.
Science Goes Viral
Music lessons improve brain auditory development
Musical training is shown to boost brain development, according to a 12-year international study which compared the neural progress of 66 musicians and 46 non-musicians.
Science Goes Viral
Small ancient whale discovered in Egypt named after King Tut
Fossilised remains of a small prehistoric whale found in Egypt is the smallest species of basilosaurid – an extinct family of aquatic whales.
Science Goes Viral
Are wild winter temperatures a warning for southern summers?
Paul Bibby - 12
It’s winter in the southern hemisphere, but try telling that to folks living in Chile...
Science Goes Viral
Little forest bats: Earth’s tiniest heroes
These tiny bats punch above their weight when it comes to pest control, eating hundreds of insects every night, catching prey in mid-air, and using their tail to scoop insects into their mouth while flying!
Science Goes Viral
Australian fur seal: cheeky, chunky, boof-head of the sea
The Australian fur seal is the largest of all fur seals in the world: the big boof heads of the sea.
Science Goes Viral
Honey possum: tiny nectar-lovers with enormous testes and giant sperm
Honey possums are extremely specialised Australian mammals that are so different from other species that they are classified into a family of their own.
Science Goes Viral
A new frontier in fundamental physics as quantum phase created by frustrating electrons
A new phase of quantum matter, called a “chiral bose-liquid state” has been discovered by experimental physicists. The discovery may open new avenues of research into the most fundamental questions about the physical world.
Science Goes Viral
Frog microbiomes respond well to vaccine for deadly chytrid fungus
Deadly chytrid fungus is killing frogs in huge numbers around the world, and researchers are racing to find solutions.
Science Goes Viral
We’ve already breached most of the Earth’s limits. A safer, fairer future means treading lightly
People once believed the planet could always accommodate us. That the resilience of the Earth system meant nature would always provide. But we now know this is not necessarily the case. As big as the world is, our impact is bigger.
Science Goes Viral
Planet will likely clear 1.5°C barrier for the first time before 2027
Brought to you by Cosmos Magazine and The Echo
The prospect of a strong El Niño event and increased greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere has prompted the...
Science Goes Viral
Trial begins to test koala-ty of chlamydia vaccine
Brought to you by Cosmos Magazine and The Echo
Scientists have begun an ambitious field trial in New South Wales, vaccinating wild koalas against chlamydia.
Many of us have...
Science Goes Viral
Queensland and Papua New Guinea among regions most at risk from record-breaking heatwaves
Every region in the world needs to be prepared for extreme heatwaves, according to a new paper in Nature Communications – but Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, and Central America are particularly at risk.
Byron Echo
Pam’s chemical-free farming passion
Third-generation farmer Pam Morrow has been growing her own organic food for over 20 years. Her passion for farming without the use of chemicals...
National News
Many rental homes barely habitable due to heat
Rental homes had an average indoor temperature of 25°C and experienced two hours a day over 30°C according to a new report, 'Cruel Summers', from tenant advocacy organisation Better Renting.
Byron Echo
Stone and Wood’s new NRB beer
Stone and Wood have launched a new beer: Northern Rivers Beer (NRB). At a warm, and pretty laidback, night at the Billinudgel Hotel earlier...
Byron Echo
The Drongo: even more of them around these days
The team at Spangled Drongo Brewing officially fired up their brewhouse in June last year, but you may have heard their name prior to...