Australian

Artist's concept of a laser weapon in action

Military

Australia is building a tank-destroying laser weapon

Australia has joined the race to field a practical high-energy laser weapon. QinetiQ Australia has been awarded AU$$12.9 million (US$8.74 million) to develop a prototype with a twist – the goal is to build a laser that can take out main battle tanks.

Energy

Entire state of South Australia powered solely by solar in a world first

The state of South Australia met significant but short-lived milestone for renewable energy on Sunday October 11, when solar power provided all of its energy needs between midday and 1 pm – a first for a jurisdiction of its size.

Fecal transplants are helping expand koala microbiomes, allowing the marsupials to eat a wider range of eucalypts and possibly survive habitat loss

Environment

Fecal transplants may save Australia’s koala population

A new study led by University of Queensland researchers is suggesting fecal transplants may help koalas in Australia adapt to new habitats.

The Ace Cargo is designed as a simple, practical electric delivery vehicle

Automotive

South Australia's Ace EV rolls out its first electric cargo van

Compact and humble, the first of Australia's Ace EVs rolled out to meet the media this morning in South Australia.

A bold new study suggests that Aboriginal Australians have lived on the southern continent for as long as 120,000 years – almost twice as long as previously thought

Science

Bold study claims humans may have arrived in Australia 120,000 years ago

It’s currently believed that Aboriginal ancestors made their way to Australia as long as 65,000 years ago, but new evidence may push the timeline back much further. If the Moyjil site does turn out to be human-made, it suggests that people have been living in Australia for as long as 120,000 years.

The Crest-tailed Mulgara is a species of marsupial that was recently rediscovered living in an area where it had been presumed extinct for about 100 years

Environment

Marsupial long thought extinct rediscovered living in the Australian desert

Once widespread across the deserts of inland Australia, the Crest-tailed Mulgara was largely wiped out by invasive rabbits, cats and foxes. The marsupial hasn’t been seen in NSW for a century, but environment scientists from Sydney have recently rediscovered the creature in the area, alive and well.

The Interloop sculpture, at Wynyard Station in Sydney

Architecture

5 tons of vintage wooden escalator warped into spectacular subway sculpture

Although showing some signs of wear after eight decades of use, the wooden escalators of Sydney's Wynyard Station aren't done just yet. Repurposed as a twisting installation by local artist Chris Fox, the heritage timber structures now hang from the ceiling as spectacular heritage-inspired artwork.

The Carbonix Volanti takes off like a multirotor and cruises like a fixed-wing aircraft

Drones

Hybrid VTOL fixed-wing drone flies for 2+ hours

The Volanti from Sydney-based Carbonix is a carbon composite drone with a 2.7-m (9-ft) wingspan that uses a multirotor system for VTOL, then transitions to horizontal flight as a push-prop fixed-wing once in the air. It flies for over two hours on electric power or seven with a gas pusher.