Termites and ants are stockpiling gold in their mounds, new CSIRO research has found.
Australia’s smallest and most numerous mining prospectors can show us where new gold deposits are.
Nobel laureate presents school science project
Posted on behalf of the University of New South Wales
It’s not every day that school students get to present their science project to a major scientific conference, and rarer still to receive a prize for it from a Nobel Laureate.
That’s the happy experience today for a team of four Year 11 students from Gosford High School, who have won a national competition conducted by UNSW and the Australian Institute of Physics.
[Read more…] about Nobel laureate presents school science project
Goodbye twinkle, hello stars – physics in Sydney
Australian researchers are taking the twinkle out of stars for the world’s biggest light telescope, the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile.
And a new optical fibre – which can only be made in Australia – could detect corrosion in the metal of aircraft bodies, ships and bridges.
Hear about these stories and more at the national physics and optics congress in Sydney – AIP/ACOFT 2012, at the University of New South Wales, Kensington this week.
[Read more…] about Goodbye twinkle, hello stars – physics in Sydney
Accurate time with light and designing the NBN
A new, cheaper way to deliver accurate time across Australia: instead of using hydrogen maser clocks costing hundreds of thousands of dollars we can bounce signals through the national’s optical fibre network according to physics leaders speaking today and tomorrow.
Also today at the national physics congress in Sydney, meet the man whose job it is to figure out how to build the NBN.
And hear about the magic of thermal plasmas, from safer arc welding to saving the ozone layer.
[Read more…] about Accurate time with light and designing the NBN
How close is a quantum computer?
Quantum computers promise ultra-powerful, high speed number crunching. They’ll help us to search vast databases and model biological molecules at an atomic level.
Unlimited clean power; sophisticated, target treatment for cancer and more – national physics congress in Sydney
- Unlimited clean power
- Sophisticated, targeted treatment for cancer;
- Measuring schools – is the new PISA test a wrong turn
- Overcoming the energy challenge with science.
These and more at the national physics congress starting today in Sydney. [Read more…] about Unlimited clean power; sophisticated, target treatment for cancer and more – national physics congress in Sydney
Farm methane is bigger than Arctic permafrost, and we can do something about it
Our biggest hopes of keeping global methane levels down may be chewing the cud in a paddock near you. [Read more…] about Farm methane is bigger than Arctic permafrost, and we can do something about it
From cancer to cars, scholars boost Menzies’ contribution to society
From the development of a mouse with a human immune system to help design cancer drugs to improving the efficiency of vehicles running on renewable fuels, Menzies Foundation scholars are making a significant contribution to Australian life. [Read more…] about From cancer to cars, scholars boost Menzies’ contribution to society
Even sceptical farmers are adapting as the weather gets weirder
Climate change will affect how we farm, but we’re not at the point of ‘adapt or die’. Right now the meme is ‘adapt and profit’.
Today’s stories from the agriculture and climate change conference range from farmers sharing practical, on-the-ground experiences, to CSIRO’s take on how ready the industry as a whole is looking. Also: a story about changing fisheries and it’s not good news for the Christmas lobster; prizes announced; and methane – agriculture versus permafrost. [Read more…] about Even sceptical farmers are adapting as the weather gets weirder
Carbon farming: river of gold, or flood of words?
Wednesday 29 November at the CCRSPI conference on agriculture and climate change
- Can our farmers really help Australia meet its emissions targets using ‘soil carbon’?
- What will happen to the nation’s agriculture and industry if a future Government withdraws from carbon pricing and trading?
- And why is nearly 40 per cent of Australia’s capacity to soak up carbon—the wetlands and estuaries—not included in carbon legislation?
These are crucial questions, given that politicians of all persuasions are relying heavily on Australia’s farmers and the land they cultivate to slow the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Both sides of politics have pinned their hopes on farmers. Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s ‘clean energy future’ package includes a carbon farming scheme, and Opposition Leader Tony Abbot’s ‘direct action’ plan places much of its hope in soil carbon. Is this reliance on the land sector justified? [Read more…] about Carbon farming: river of gold, or flood of words?