Flinders University

In a new study, scientists from China, Europe and Australia have examined how rapid urbanization has affected an often overlooked area of biodiversity, soil biodiversity, and how it has impacted human health.

A trial has tested whether introducing small quantities of boiled peanuts to a child's diet can treat allergies. After the year-long treatment, 80% of children could tolerate peanuts but the researchers caution the therapy is still experimental.

A preliminary human study has shown promising results from an experimental nasal spray developed to treat sleep apnea. The early findings suggest a quick nasal spray before sleep could effectively keep a person's airways open throughout the night.

Construction is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Flinders University researchers have now developed a polymer made out of industrial waste that can be formed into building bricks that bond together without needing any mortar.

Presently, in order to check if someone has chronic kidney disease, a urine sample has to be sent off to a well-equipped lab for testing. A new portable device, however, could allow such testing to be performed onsite in remote communities.

Autism and ADHD are becoming better understood, but clinicians can still find the two conditions difficult to tell apart. Now, South Australian researchers say they've produced evidence that the two conditions could be diagnosed using an eye test.

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.

Industrial piping has a hard life, as it's constantly exposed to liquids that can damage its inner surface over time. A new polymer coating could help protect such pipes, while removing toxic metals from the liquids as it does so.

The hoverfly has an extraordinary ability to see and track moving objects in very low light, and Australian researchers have replicated its signal-to-noise-boosting vision systems to process sound data, detecting and tracking drones up to 4 km away.

A touch-sensitive protein normally located in the skin has now been found in the gut. It senses the presence of food and triggers contractions to push it along, while reduced levels of this protein may be implicated in conditions like constipation.

Along with eating fish and seals, killer whales (aka orcas) are also known to hunt some types of whales. For the first time ever, however, there has now been a documented case of them killing the largest animal in the world – an adult blue whale.

Back in 2019, we heard how scientists at Australia's Flinders University were developing a lightweight material that might someday be used in shark-bite-resistant wetsuits. Well, that day has arrived, and such a suit is now on Kickstarter.