New Atlas

Materials Audio available

Polymer rebar may find use in much more durable concrete structures

Ben Coxworth July 2, 2019

While many of us might think that concrete structures such as bridges simply stand unaided for decades at a time, the fact is that they require maintenance as often as once every five years. An experimental new type of rebar, however, could drastically change that.

Deakin's Dr. Kazem Ghabraie, Austeng Engineering's Ross George and Deakin's Dr. Mahbube Subhani, with samples of ...

Energy Audio available

Seagull-inspired blades could give small-scale wind turbines a power boost

Ben Coxworth June 24, 2019

While we've already seen that large-scale wind turbine blades which are shaped like humpback whale fins can be more efficient, what works for big turbines doesn't necessarily work for little ones. In fact, a new study suggests that for small-scale units, copying seagull wings may be the way to go.

Blades shaped like seagull wings may significantly increase the power output of small-scale wind turbines

Environment Audio available

Cotton waste finds new life as eco-friendly plastic

Ben Coxworth June 14, 2019

When a cotton gin is used to separate cotton fibers from their seeds, a lot of lint is produced as a waste product. Currently, much of that cotton lint is just burned or put in landfills. Thanks to recent research out of Australia, however, it may soon be converted into biodegradable plastic.

PhD candidate Abu Naser Md Ahsanul Haque (left), Dr. Maryam Naebe and associate research fellow Dr. ...

Environment Audio available

Old glass may find use in new, better concrete

Ben Coxworth June 11, 2019

Although glass is thought of as being eco-friendly because it's recyclable, the fact is that a lot of it doesn't get recycled. Now, however, scientists are suggesting that glass waste could be used to make concrete that's stronger and cheaper.

The scientists utilized types of glass that were unsuitable for traditional recycling

Good Thinking

Device offers hope for workers who aren't comfy in their cubicles

Ben Coxworth April 11, 2019

If you work in an office cubicle, then you likely don't have much control over the factors that determine your comfort level. Well, a new device could at least let the powers-that-be know if things need improvement, by monitoring the environment in your cubby hole.

Office cubicles aren't always ideal workplaces

Science Audio available

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

Michael Irving March 15, 2019

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.

A bold new study suggests that Aboriginal Australians have lived on the southern continent for as ...

Science Audio available

Double denim: How old jeans might gain a new life as artificial bone cartilage

Nick Lavars August 9, 2018

Scientists have developed a method that reduces discarded denim to the building blocks for artificial cartilage, something that, with further development, could become an advanced tool for performing joint reconstructions in humans.

New research from Deakin University could see denim repurposed as artificial cartilage

Health & Wellbeing

Study finds "baby brain" to be a real and measurable phenomenon

Nick Lavars January 14, 2018

A new study is throwing further weight behind the phenomenon known as "baby brain," where pregnant women report an absent-mindedness and decline in memory. The study is claimed to confirm once and for all that baby brain is indeed a genuine ailment.

Scientists say further study is needed to better understand what causes baby brain

Health & Wellbeing

The "taste" of carbs may be making us fat

Ben Coxworth October 27, 2017

When it comes to the taste of foods, most of us assume that everything we eat is either sweet, sour, bitter, salty or umami. According to a new study, however, carbohydrates have their own unique taste. What's more, people who are particularly able to sense it are more likely to put on weight.

If you're good at detecting the taste of carbohydrates, you may be more likely to pack ...

Medical

Robotic surgery tech provides users with a sense of touch

Chris Wood September 30, 2016

A new system called HeroSurg, developed by researchers at Deakin and Harvard Universities, is set to increase what surgeons can achieve via robotic surgery, using a haptic feedback system to provide a sense of touch.

The headline feature of HeroSurg is its haptic feedback system