Mauritius incident was world's first major spill of very low sulfur fuel oil

A year after bulk carrier MV Wakashio ran aground in an environmentally sensitive area off Mauritius, Curtin University-led research has identified the incident as the first known spillage involving a new type of marine fuel oil.

Indigenous technology is often misunderstood, but it can be part of everyday life

The COVID pandemic has highlighted our need for connection and forced billions of people to adapt to a changed world. Much of this adaptation is heavily reliant on technology, and in particular information technology, which is being used to keep many people connected.

Hot pack or cold pack: Which one to reach for when you're injured or in pain

When you injure yourself, you may reach for a hot or a cold pack. Which option is better depends on the nature of your pain, what caused it and how long you've had it.

Helping semiconductors find a cooler way to relax

Bandgap engineering can improve the performance of optoelectronic devices that aim to harness the energy of "hot" electrons, research from KAUST shows.

Urgent need for new approach to combat global grassland degradation

Global grasslands are a source of biodiversity and provide a host of benefits to humans, including food production, water supply, and carbon storage. But their future looks bleak without action to halt their degradation and promote their restoration, according to the authors of a new paper published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.

Efficiency of flexible CIGS solar cells measured at record 21.4%

A group of scientists at Empa has pushed the efficiency of flexible solar cells to a new limit. Independent measurements revealed an efficiency of 21.4 percent when these types of solar cells convert light into electricity. For comparison: the best efficiency of a non-flexible solar cell made of crystalline silicon is reported at 26.7 percent.

When will I need my COVID vaccine booster shot? And can I switch to a different brand?

Australia's vaccine rollout is really starting to gain pace, especially in New South Wales and Victoria.

Multiple sclerosis linked to infection in adolescence

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is most often diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50. Certain genes put a person at greater risk of getting this disease of the central nervous system, but scientists are still trying to understand the triggers. My colleagues and I have been studying these triggers for many years. Our earlier research found that pneumonia in adolescence is associated with a raised risk of MS, so we decided to investigate whether other types of infection are associated with the condition.

Creating a non-radiating source of electromagnetism

An international team of researchers has developed a way to create non-radiating sources of electromagnetism. In their paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters, the group describes their technique and how well it worked when they tested a model based on their ideas.

Possible evidence of paternal care in bigfin reef squid

A trio of researchers, two from Universidade de Lisboa, the other from the American Museum of Natural History, has found possible evidence of paternal care in a cephalopod. In their paper published in the journal Ecology, Eduardo Sampaio, Samantha Cheng and Rui Rosa describe recording bigfin reef squid mating behavior in two vastly different areas.

Scientists discover two new species and a new genus of freshwater mussels in Borneo

Research led by the University of Nottingham has discovered two new species and a new genus of freshwater mussel in Borneo for the first time in almost 100 years.

Chemical signals discovered in starfish that stop feeding behavior

Starfish feed in a bizarre way—turning their stomachs out of their mouth when they come across a tasty meal like a mussel or oyster—and then digesting their chosen prey outside of their body.

High fat diets break the body clock in rats, and this might be the underlying cause of obesity

When rats are fed a high fat diet, this disturbs the body clock in their brain that normally controls satiety, leading to over-eating and obesity. That's according to new research published in The Journal of Physiology.

Lung function appears to be unaffected after COVID-19 infection in young adults

COVID-19 infection does not appear to affect the lung function of young adults, according to new research presented at the 'virtual' European Respiratory Society International Congress today.

Electronic nose can sniff out when a lung transplant is failing

An electronic "nose" is capable of detecting with 86% accuracy when a lung transplant is beginning to fail, according to research presented at the 'virtual' European Respiratory Society International Congress today.

Rescue and recovery workers and volunteers who arrived early at the WTC site face higher risk of developing COPD

Twenty years on from the September 11 attacks, rescue and recovery workers and volunteers who attended the World Trade Center site are beginning to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often following a previous diagnosis of asthma, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress.

Young children with cancer face an especially high risk of hearing loss from chemotherapy drug

The chemotherapy drug cisplatin is an effective cancer treatment for many children with cancer, but unfortunately it can cause permanent hearing loss. Results from a new study show that the hearing of very young children is impacted early during treatment and is affected to a greater extent than that of older children. The findings are published by Wiley early online in Cancer.

Extinct Tasmanian tiger brought to life in colour footage

Century-old footage of the last known Tasmanian tiger in captivity has been brought to life by colourisation, offering a tantalising glimpse of the now-extinct creature.

Funding needed to tackle life-shortening air pollution: report

Even as air pollution shaves years off life expectancy, fossil fuel projects get more funding than clean air initiatives, a global report said Tuesday.

Climate crisis could double frequency of extreme regional summer droughts in Europe

The ongoing climate crisis has already had drastic global impacts. For example, droughts have become critical high-impact hydro-meteorological hazards worldwide. In Europe, the consequences of the climate crisis have been severe, with droughts having caused considerable social, economic, and environmental costs already, especially in the years 2003, 2010, and 2018.