New Atlas

Wearables Audio available

Smart ear tag may save ranchers time and money

Ben Coxworth November 20, 2018

Australian cattle stations (aka ranches) can be huge, so checking on all the cows is a big task. With that in mind, the CSIRO national science agency has teamed up with agtech startup Ceres Tag to develop an ear tag that not only tracks the animals' whereabouts, but also detects unusual activity.

Plans call for the Ceres Tag to be made smaller and lighter, and to also incorporate ...

Space

20 new deep-space radio signals detected by Outback telescopes

Michael Irving October 14, 2018

A huge radio telescope array spread across the Australian Outback is helping identify the mysterious fast radio bursts. Astronomers have now announced the discovery of 20 new FRBs in a bit over a year, including the brightest and closest events yet seen.

An artist's rendition of fast radio bursts, being detected by the ASKAP telescope in Western Australia

Energy

Ammonia-derived hydrogen fuel road-tested in a world's first

Matt Kennedy August 8, 2018

Hydrogen may be the zero-emission fuel of the future, but transport and storage has always been a head-scratcher. Highly flammable and difficult to ship due to its low density, the logistical issues have always stood in the way of progress, until now.

A Toyota Mirai fuel cell vehicle, ready to be fueled with CSIRO-produced hydrogen

Environment

Landmark Australian trial wipes out 80 per cent of disease-spreading mosquitoes

Rich Haridy July 11, 2018

An impressive Australian trial releasing millions of sterilized male mosquitoes has resulted in a more than 80 percent drop in the population of this disease-spreading insect.

The mobile mosquito dispatch van used in the Australian trial

Pets

Pot for your pooch: Optimizing medical cannabis for pets

Rich Haridy July 4, 2018

Pet pharmaceutical company CannPal is working with the CSIRO to develop better ways to safely administer medicinal cannabis to a variety of pets. The research is developing microencapsulation techniques to make sure the cannabis oils can be delivered to each different animal precisely and safely.

New research is setting out to find the safest way to dose and administer medical cannabis ...

Biology

Ancient gene discovered that plays critical role in immune system regulation

Rich Haridy July 1, 2018

Researchers have identified a new gene that plays a fundamental role in regulating the production of pro-inflammatory proteins. It's hoped the discovery of this previously unknown genetic mechanism will offer scientists exciting new pathways to treat a variety of diseases, from cancer to diabetes.

The newly discovered C6orf106, or "C6", gene

Health & Wellbeing

Australian scientists brew up broccoli latte

Michael Irving June 5, 2018

Getting your daily dose of vegetables can be tricky. But now it may be a bit easier to hide broccoli in other foods, as Australian scientists have developed a nutritious broccoli powder that can be sprinkled through meals or, if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, used to make a broccoli latte.

Australian scientists have developed a nutritious broccoli powder, which could be used to brew up a ...

Biology

How platypus milk could help battle the global superbug threat

Rich Haridy March 14, 2018

The platypus has long fascinated scientists, with its weird assortment of features making it one of the most unusual animals on the planet. Now a team of researchers found that platypus milk contains novel antimicrobial properties that could help scientists battle the global superbug threat.

Scientists have found a completely novel protein in platypus milk that could hold unique antimicrobial properties

Materials

Graphene filter makes even Sydney Harbour water drinkable

Michael Irving February 15, 2018

Water filtration may be one of graphene's most directly beneficial capabilities. Now scientists have demonstrated how effective a specially-designed form of graphene can be at purifying water with a pretty challenging test: the filter made water from Sydney Harbour safe to drink in one step.

Dong Han Seo, of the CSIRO, holds a flask of water taken from Sydney Harbour, which ...

Materials

New desalination membrane produces both drinking water and lithium

Michael Irving February 11, 2018

Seawater is a complex cocktail of useful minerals, but it’s hard to separate the ones we need. Now a team of scientists from Australia and the US has developed a new water desalination technique that can not only make seawater fresh enough to drink, but recover lithium ions for use in batteries.

A scanning electron microscope image of metal-organic frameworks, crystals that can separate lithium from seawater