University of New South Wales

A study of 15,000 adults suffering from acute lower back pain found that not only is the effectiveness of the medicines uncertain, but that the scientific evidence base used to inform good healthcare decisions is shockingly "fragile and incomplete."

The potential for 3D bioprinting has been further expanded thanks to the work of engineers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), who have developed a soft robotic arm that can print directly onto organs and tissues inside the human body.

An engineering team in Australia working at the cutting edge of electric vehicle design have laid claim to a new world record, using the Sunswift 7 solar-powered car to cover 1,000 km (621 miles) on a single charge in less than 12 hours.

Studies continue to illuminate the wide-ranging benefits of physical activity when it comes to brain health, and new research has shown how that might include treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

UNSW researchers have prototyped and tested a retrofit system that converts diesel engines to run on 90% hydrogen, radically reducing both carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions while boosting efficiency by an impressive 26% in the process.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales have demonstrated how a microfluidic device that mimics the embryonic heart can produce blood stem cell precursors, which could let blood stem cells be manufactured on demand.

The global oil industry wastefully burns off about as much natural gas as is used by all of Central and South America – but a new methane binding agent offers a potential way for this greenhouse gas to be converted economically into liquid fuels.

Engineers have demonstrated a quantum integrated circuit made of just a few atoms. By precisely controlling the quantum states of the atoms, the processor can simulate the structure and properties of molecules, which could unlock new materials.

In a world first, a team at the University of New South Wales has demonstrated measurable power generation from "the inverse of a conventional solar cell." It could eventually produce around one tenth as much power as a solar panel – but at night.

Australian company Strategic Elements says it's made a step-change breakthrough in self-charging battery technology that harvests electrical energy from humidity in the air to directly power devices without ever needing to plug them in.

Three teams of scientists have achieved a major milestone in quantum computing. All three groups demonstrated better than 99 percent accuracy in silicon-based quantum devices, paving the way for practical, scalable, error-free quantum computers.

There may be new hope for people with certain types of blindness, as an experimental sight-restoring device has been deemed safe for implantation. It still has to be tested on humans, though, and it will likely provide a rudimentary form of vision.