Australia

Australia has a lot of sun and desert space, positioning the country well to continue being an energy exporter in the net zero era. But the renewable assets it'll need to build to get there are absolutely epic in scale, according to a new report.

Soft tissues don’t fossilize well, so scientists have to infer organ anatomy from bones. But an unexpected treasure trove of new information has been discovered in Australia, with a 380-million-year-old fish fossil preserving the oldest heart ever found.

The first dark matter detector in the Southern Hemisphere has been officially opened. The Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) is built in a disused gold mine in Australia, giving it a unique position on the globe for detecting dark matter.

Australian firm Kennon has revealed plans for an ambitious new project in Melbourne. Named 550 Spencer, the eight-story office building will produce more electricity than it requires using a cutting-edge solar facade made up of 1,182 solar panels.

Brearley Architects and Urbanists and Grant Amon Architects recently completed Australia's first purpose-built LGBTQI+ center. It's envisioned as a series of interconnected tubes and incorporates sustainability features including solar power.

Wave Swell Energy's remarkable UniWave 200 is a sea platform that uses an artificial blowhole formation to create air pressure changes that drive a turbine and feed energy back to shore. After a year of testing, the company reports excellent results.

A quantum processor, developed by German-Australian start-up Quantum Brilliance, runs at room temperature, and will now work in tandem with classical supercomputers at the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre.

Researchers have discovered the largest plant in the world – a meadow of seagrass off the coast of Western Australia that covers a total of 200 sq km (77 sq miles). The entire expanse has grown from just one seedling, spreading by cloning itself.

Rare coral bleaching brought on by abnormal sea temperatures is rapidly becoming the norm on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, which has just experienced its fourth such event in six years, and the first to ever occur in a La Niña year.

Astronomers have discovered what may be the brightest pulsar in the sky. Despite its intense light the pulsar has long evaded detection, and was only revealed thanks to a telescope equipped with some cosmic “sunglasses.”

The world's tallest hybrid timber tower – that is, primarily made from wood but with concrete reinforcement – is slated for South Perth, Australia. Assuming it goes ahead as planned, the building will rise to an impressive height of 183 m.

The most discerning of dinosaur-obsessed kids always knew that Triceratops was the coolest. And now, the coolest specimen of this coolest dinosaur has just gone on public display for the first time – Horridus, the world's most complete Triceratops.