Covid rules ‘destined for the dustbin’
A chief public health adviser has backed the rollback of all Covid-19 restrictions, saying we are likely to follow Israel in treating the virus in a similar manner to influenza.
Science
Far-flung planet ‘suitable for life’
Astronomers have discovered a rocky planet that could sustain life as part of a search for ‘temperate terrestrial worlds’.
Missing foot kicks surgery back thousands of years
The skeleton discovered in a remote corner of Borneo rewrites the history of ancient medicine and amputation surgery.
Fossil fuel dwarfs aid for clean air
Foreign governments are spending 30 times more on fossil fuel projects in Africa than on initiatives to lessen the impacts of the continent’s second-biggest killer, air pollution, research shows.
The truth is down there, says alien hunter
An American astronomer believes an object which exploded over the Pacific Ocean in 2014 may have been a probe created by an alien civilisation.
Locals plead for sympathy for the devil
An environmental tragedy is unfolding in Tasmania’s northwest, with 158 endangered Tasmanian devils from a vital population killed on a 25km stretch of road in just 18 months.
Get ready for robot cockroaches
The cyber-roaches are coming. Engineers have implanted electronics into a cockroach to enable them to control it remotely.
NASA postpones rocket launch to Moon
Millions around the globe, and the mannequins on board the historic flight, have been put in a holding pattern.
League star putting his brain on the line
Head Noise is a groundbreaking investigative six-part podcast series by James Graham and The Australian’s Jessica Halloran. It looks at the long-term consequences of concussion and the risks, rewards and responsibilities involved in playing contact sports.
Africa’s oldest dinosaur found
Scientists in Zimbabwe have discovered the remains of Africa’s oldest dinosaur, which roamed the earth around 230 million years ago.
Mars-made oxygen could support human mission
The Nasa experiment known as Moxie has shown oxygen can be generated from the atmosphere, a result with ‘historic’ implications for future exploration.
Ideology over fact in annals of science
Scientific publications are now boasting of their censorship to protect the public from ‘harmful’ information.
Australia, US ‘most divided over climate change’
The gap between the share of right and left leaning voters, who said climate change was a ‘major threat’ is highest in the US, followed by Australia.
Galaxy’s secrets unearthed
The James Webb space telescope has revealed dazzling new detail of a previously known slice of the cosmos 32 million light-years away.
Immortal jellyfish’s secret revealed
Scientists have unlocked the genetic code of the immortal jellyfish, which they hope could provide clues to understanding human ageing.
Critical minerals offer us a new kind of mining boom
This is an opportunity to create new jobs and skills in regional Australia, and revitalise communities.
Approval for first Omicron vaccine
The first vaccine that targets the Omicron variant of Covid-19 has been approved by the TGA.
Eight easy health hacks to do today
If you’re confused by too much advice on how to stay fit and healthy, start with these tips – and a slice of Jarlsberg.
Too late to stop ice melt lifting sea levels by 27cm
The findings paint a bleaker picture than that predicted by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
‘Get ready for two pandemics a year’
Australia must prepare for the emergence of up to two pandemic threats a year, the CSIRO warns in a benchmark report detailing new thinking on the next disease crisis.
Brisbane biotech’s $100m plan using placentas to heal wounds
The ancients knew of their healing powers. Now a Brisbane biotech wants to create a $100m business using placentas to help save the lives of victims of potentially deadly wounds.
‘Take the politics out of research’
‘Delays and political interference damage our international reputation.’’ Why Jason Clare wants to reform the Australian Research Council.
Music helps to keep ageing brains in tune
Parents wincing at the screech of their children’s violin strings can take comfort from suggestions that music lessons have long-term health benefits.
Dummy run to shoot for the Moon, but not just yet …
Fifty years after the last Apollo mission, Artemis was set to get under way on Monday but an engine problem intervened.
Early language spread by the word, not sword
The original European and Indian speakers seem to have spread it to much more powerful neighbours before dying out themselves.
Scientists develop tiny tech to tackle heart attacks
Most vulnerable could benefit from new technology that will dissolve the plaques that lead to blocked blood vessels.
‘Body of a eunuch’: doctor faces his own mortality
When doctors fall ill, there comes a tipping point. Diagnosed with prostate cancer, surgeon Henry Marsh suddenly realised he’d ‘joined the underclass of patients’.
Rule changes that could save men from an exceptionally cruel fate
An urgent push is on to update testing guidelines for the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer: “If your doctor is not doing this test, then they’re taking away your right to know — and potentially live.’
Men get the zing back in their lives
Aggressive prostate cancer has been said to leave men with an impossible choice: treat it and cease to be men, or don’t – and cease to be.
Plan to move out ‘problem crocs’
Large crocodiles capable of killing people will be removed from waterways along the populated Queensland east coast under a policy change trial being introduced by the government.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/science/page/26