Academic Research

Australian National University researchers discover a black hole whose mass is roughly 17 billion times that of our Sun, and exists within the brightest currently known thing being continually powered in the universe.

Researchers uncover new information about the coldest times in the continent's history by studying a system of caves on South Australia's Limestone Coast.

Smokers are stereotypically thought to be those who are uneducated, unemployed and generally suffering from mental illness. But while smoking rates are higher among these groups, most daily smokers are actually employed, educated and in good mental health.

When China opened its fifth research station in Antarctica this month, analysts sounded alarm bells about potential security threats on Australia's southern doorstep.

A team of conservationists and volunteers successfully relocate 40 trapdoor spiders across WA's Great Southern.

Managing menstruation in public can be challenging at the best of times, but imagine being eight years old and having to deal with your period at school. Here's how teachers can make it easier.

In 2020, at the height of COVID lockdown, three housemates decided to see how many animals lived in their house and backyard. What they found surprised them.

China opens its fifth Antarctic research station, starting operations in an outpost due south of Australia and New Zealand for the first time.

Researchers believe they have recorded one of the world's most unusually coloured dolphins for the first time in Australian waters.

A researcher who had cameras stationed throughout a central Queensland national park has captured the devastation of a months-long bushfire and the green shoots of returning life.

Scientists believe footprints that were accidentally found on a Moroccan beach were made by five modern humans 90,000 years ago. 

Scientists have carried out the first successful embryo transfer in a southern white rhino using a method that could pave the way to saving its critically endangered northern cousin from extinction.

In a whitewashed corner of one of the world's coldest continents, Australian scientists are living in tents and undertaking some of the most ambitious research in 20 years.

Professor Nerilie Abram explains the significance and challenges of working at the Edgeworth David Base Camp in Antarctica's Bunger Hills.

Scientists report cloning a monkey using a technique that most famously gave us Dolly the sheep in 1996. So what's new about this study, and what does it mean for humans?

Researchers are trying to figure out what is causing the deaths of the Mary River turtles they have spent years trying to save.

Normally, you'll find Elizabeth Znidersic in north-east Victoria's wetlands, microphone in hand, eavesdropping on birds. But the scientist has recently returned from a much colder expedition.

The settlements were occupied around 500 BC and 300 to 600 AD — a period roughly contemporaneous with the Roman Empire in Europe.

For two million years, Gigantopithecus blacki roamed the forests of what is now southern China. A new study claims to discover when — and why — it went extinct.

It is the elusive "holy grail" for shark documentary filmmakers, but to date nobody has seen great whites mating, nor do researchers know where they give birth.

The research project took place in conjunction with ABC documentary 'Life At' and the insights discovered are informing the way Australian governments approach policy across a number of areas.

New age spiritualism is not new, but it morphed during the COVID pandemic and appears more popular than ever. The first detailed Australian study examines what happens when spirituality and wellness intersect with conspiracy theories.

With the first detailed research underway near Derby, there are hopes the region's local community could play a role in the developing commercial fishery.

Researchers are working to understand why reindeer can see light in the ultraviolet spectrum and if the underlying mechanism can have any benefits for humans. 

Does a serving of science or some fascinating facts get your synapses firing? Are you feeling some serious holiday podcast bingeing coming on? Well, look no further.