Home-brewed yoghurt on International Space Station may be just a small leap for a group of budding scientistsGet our free news app; get our morning email briefingFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesAustralian high school students …
‘Psychedelics renaissance’: new wave of research puts hallucinogenics forward to treat mental health
In what’s been described as a ‘paradigm shifter’ for psychiatry, clinical trials are exploring the therapeutic use for illegal substancesIt was out of desperation that Michael Raymond found himself sitting in a remote retreat in the Peruvian Andes, sip…
Doctor ‘bias’ behind women getting worse treatment for heart attacks, Australian study finds
Researchers say care for a common type of heart attack differs between men and women ‘every step of the way’Get our free news app; get our morning email briefingWomen receive worse medical treatment than men for common heart attacks, according to new r…
Australian bushfire smoke caused massive phytoplankton bloom in Southern Ocean
Scientist compares bloom caused by iron particles in smoke aerosols to ‘the entire Sahara desert turning into a productive grassland’Get our free news app; get our morning email briefingSmoke from the 2019-20 bushfires in Australia caused a bloom of ph…
‘You bloody fool’: Australian talking duck proves birds can imitate speech
The first documented instance of ducks being able to mimic sounds has researchers reviewing the evolution of vocal language learning in birdsAustralian musk ducks can imitate sounds including human speech, with one bird recorded repeatedly saying “you …
Taronga zoo lyrebird perfectly mimics the ear-splitting wail of a crying baby
A superb lyrebird named Echo has also mastered a rendition of the Sydney zoo’s fire alarm, complete with the ‘evacuate now’ announcement Australian bird of the year 2021: nominate your favourite for the shortlistFrom car horns to jackhammers to chainsa…
‘Genetic fossil’: intact DNA from woman who lived 7,200 years ago discovered in Indonesia
Skeleton of hunter-gatherer found in Leang Panninge cave sheds light on ancient human migrationArchaeologists have discovered ancient DNA in the remains of a woman who died 7,200 years ago in Indonesia, a find that challenges what was previously known …
Australian mathematician discovers applied geometry engraved on 3,700-year-old tablet
Old Babylonian tablet likely used for surveying uses Pythagorean triples at least 1,000 years before PythagorasAn Australian mathematician has discovered what may be the oldest known example of applied geometry, on a 3,700-year-old Babylonian clay tabl…
From wild herbs to feral pigs: should we manage invasive species by eating them?
It’s been called ‘invasivorism’. Is it an environmentally friendly diet or a feel-good distraction?For three decades, Phil Mather has harvested olives from feral trees around South Australia. Mather, a landscape gardener, began hand-picking the fruit a…