Science

A team of physicists from the Australian National University (ANU) has unveiled a novel device that could transform the future of high-precision rotation measurements and open new frontiers in the search for exotic physics, including dark matter.

The Great Barrier Reef has been struck by its sixth mass coral bleaching event since 2016, Australian marine authorities confirmed on Wednesday, sounding the alarm on the escalating toll of climate change on the world's largest coral reef system.

For decades, planetary scientists have puzzled over a major Martian mystery: why are the strongest traces of Mars’ ancient magnetic field found almost exclusively in the planet’s southern hemisphere? A new study may finally have the answer—and it lies at the heart of the Red Planet.

A two-year scientific investigation into one of Australia’s most elusive and diverse spider groups has yielded remarkable results: 55 species of wishbone spiders, all previously unknown to science, have been formally described by researchers from Queensland Museum, the Western Australian Museum, and the University of Western Australia.

A powerful new discovery from Queensland researchers may offer a breakthrough in the battle against parasitic worms plaguing Australia’s livestock industry. A toxin extracted from the skin of the notoriously venomous stonefish has shown promising results in killing intestinal parasites without harming mammal cells.

Deep below the towering peaks of the Himalayas, one of the most significant geological events in recent history is unfolding. A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that the Indian tectonic plate—the slab of Earth’s crust that supports the Indian subcontinent—is undergoing a rare and dramatic transformation. This event, known as delamination, is literally tearing the plate apart from below, with potential consequences that could reshape the region’s landscape and seismic future.

In a groundbreaking study published in the prestigious journal Science, researchers from the HUN-REN Center of Ecological Research (HUN-REN CER) in Hungary have joined an international team to unravel a remarkable mystery about the origins of bacterial life on Earth. Their findings suggest that some forms of bacteria developed the ability to utilize oxygen nearly a billion years before the Earth’s atmosphere became rich in it, fundamentally altering long-held beliefs about microbial evolution and the Great Oxidation Event.

What was once assumed to be the rough hide of deer or boar used in medieval bookbinding has now been revealed to be something much more surprising — sealskin. Researchers analyzing 12th- and 13th-century manuscripts from French monasteries have identified that the covers of dozens of these manuscripts were made from various types of seal, including harbour seals, harp seals, and bearded seals.