Science
Vaccines will handle ‘all viral flavours’, early evidence suggests
Preliminary evidence suggests vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna will provide slightly-weaker-but-effective coverage against new variants of COVID-19.
- by Liam Mannix
Latest
Explainer
Sharks
What do sharks want – and why do they bite?
Last year was the deadliest for shark attacks since 1929. Why? And what do we really know about the secret lives of sharks?
- by Sherryn Groch
How spitting cobra venom evolved to be a ‘defensive chemical weapon’
New research has found the venom from spitting cobras is supercharged to cause as much pain as possible.
- by Stuart Layt
Ancient food scraps prove northern Australia is now the driest it’s ever been
UQ researchers have analysed 65,000 years of food scraps at a site in Kakadu national park which shows the area is the driest it has even been in human history.
- by Stuart Layt
Dust and snowflakes add up to gongs for standout scientists
Two brilliant minds have been honoured for exploring the hidden beauty of mathematics and making a string of crucial contributions to the space race.
- by Liam Mannix
Trial begins to solve complicated treatment problem for child cancer
A trial is now under way that researchers hope will prove the effectiveness of a new method to remove serious side-effects from a cancer treatment for children.
- by Stuart Layt
As more countries impose COVID-19 curfews, scientists ask: Do they work?
While curfews make intuitive sense, it’s very hard to discern their precise effects on viral transmission. Scientists wonder if they might even increase the spread of the coronavirus.
- by Gina Kolata
Exclusive
Coronavirus pandemic
National stockpile masks deemed 'defective' by medical watchdog
Safety experts have called for an overhaul of Australia’s 'trust-based' mask regulations after hundreds of masks had their registration pulled following a government review.
- by Liam Mannix
Is Novavax the dark horse of Australia's COVID-19 vaccines?
Manufacturing and trial delays have meant Australia’s third vaccine has slipped off the radar – but early trial data raises hopes it could offer strong protection against and even halt the virus' spread.
- by Liam Mannix and Emma Koehn
How pandemic proved the 'bin chicken' doesn't need humans for a feed
Ibises did not suffer during pandemic lockdowns because they never relied on humans for their main source of food, an expert says.
- by Stuart Layt
Egypt unveils 3000-year old coffins in latest archaeological discovery
The find, 3000 to 4000 years old, includes coffins and mummies, the funerary temple of Queen Nearit and a four-metre long papyrus that contains texts of the Book of the Dead.