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5 January 2021

Keeping it clever in 2020

In 2020, countless Australian university researchers turned their focus to battling the COVID-19 global pandemic, alongside the groundbreaking research they conduct every day. Universities Australia, through the Keep It Clever campaign has been telling the stories of some of that huge research effort.

From software to speed up COVID-19 diagnosis to understanding how possums cope with Australia’s scorching summers, here are some of the best-performing stories on our Keep It Clever campaign’s social media channels in 2020.

Australian university researchers sniff out a new technique for mass COVID-19 detection

Dogs are being taught new tricks so they can point to people infected with COVID-19. The University of Adelaide researchers say virus-sniffing dogs could be deployed in crowded places within months to help find infected people, so we can get back to normal sooner.

Click here to read the full article.

Work it, mama! Exercise doesn’t need a pregnant pause

Science is taking away every last excuse for skipping the gym, with a new study from Australian Catholic University showing even women in their third trimester of pregnancy can safely work up a sweat.

Click here to read the full article.

Rare birds don’t forget the Aerogard thanks to research

One of Australia’s rarest bird species is being saved by a very simple, breakthrough technique developed by researchers at The Australian National University. The little feathered friends are being fumigated – and saved from deadly parasites – by helping them to not forget the Aerogard.

Click here to read the full article.

Visionary research to combat blindness

Eye-opening research promises to restore sight for those with macular degeneration. Bond University scientists can grow new cells to replace diseased ones from the retina.

Click here to read the full article.

Boomers not ok with partisan news

Does it matter if the news isn’t impartial? University of Canberra survey suggests your answer might depend on your age.

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A green revolution for treating patients with COVID-19

A green revolution in COVID-19 is being studied, offering new hope for hospital patients with a serious case of the disease. CQUniversity Australia says particles derived from the chemical that makes plants green could be used for deep-lung therapy to stop the virus from reproducing.

Click here to read the full article.

Insect aside

You can’t miss the crocs but not all the Northern Territory’s wildlife is so easy to spot. One researcher from Charles Darwin University recently discovered hundreds of species completely unknown to science – and they’re all insects.

Click here to read the full article.

Possum magic: how this marsupial copes when the mercury rises

Ringtail possums raise their body temperature to save water and survive Australia’s scorching summers, a new study from Charles Sturt University has found.

Click here to read the full article.

History of the Earth 2.0

How did the Earth’s first continents actually form more than three billion years ago? Curtin University says we thought we knew, but now we’re not so sure.

Click here to read the full article.

Happiness hinges on your personality

Your happiness could be written into your DNA. A Deakin University study finds the big three personality traits that will have the greatest impact on your well-being.

Click here to read the full article.

Breakfast, crunch and dinner

Apples, berries, tea and certain vegetables all help protect against cancer and heart disease, especially for smokers and drinkers. Researchers from Edith Cowan University confirms the benefits of flavonoids but they’re no substitute for a healthy lifestyle.

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Kids with disabilities mobilise play power

Kids with disabilities mobilise the power of play. Researchers at Federation University Australia say classroom play is much more than fun and games.

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“I” before “we”, except during COVID-19

Children are using more collective language during the pandemic, according to analysis from Flinders University. The stories they’re writing are focusing less on themselves and more on family, friends and togetherness.

Click here to read the full article.

Rash converters

Usually it causes only a mild rash on children’s hands, feet or mouths but severe cases can lead to meningitis, encephalitis, polio-like paralysis, and even death. Thankfully researchers from Griffith University may have found a solution to hand foot and mouth disease.

Click here to read the full article.

A shot in the arm for a TB vaccine

New hope has been injected into the search for a vaccine for tuberculosis. Researchers at James Cook University, Australia have stopped TB developing in adult diabetic mice.

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Software fast track takes COVID diagnosis to a new dimension

Doctors will soon have the chance to get a 360 degree look at the lungs of COVID-19 patients, with a new tech breakthrough from La Trobe University that turns 2D medical imaging into a 3D virtual reality.

Click here to read the full article.

COLD ROCK: Antarctica researchers on solid ground

Geologists have found common ground between Antarctica and the Nullarbor desert. Research in one of the last geological frontiers has delivered a major breakthrough for Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and Macquarie University.

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Ice cores and stalagmites reveal secrets of the last ice age

Ice cores and stalagmites reveal the secrets of the last ice age. Researchers at The University of Melbourne have discovered that what happened in the Arctic, didn’t stay in the Arctic.

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New clot inhibitor offers tantalising hope to COVID-19 patients

Tantalising prospect that a new clot inhibitor might help COVID-19 patients. Australian researchers at Monash University say the drug could also prevent heart attack and stroke.

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Your genes might be making you look fat

Could your genes be making you look fat? Murdoch University says people have a unique response to the same diet and excrete different amounts of calories.

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Chip of the old croc

Opal hunters discovered a small lump of whiteish rock at Lightning Ridge in the early 2000s but nobody knew what it was until researchers from University of New England, matched it with a much earlier find, revealing an early ancestor of our most cunning land predator.

Click here to read the full article.

COVID-19 pneumonia health warning to young Australians

Youth is no defence against the worst of coronavirus. UNSW‘s Professor Christine Jenkins says COVID-19 pneumonia can strike even the young.

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When locked and loaded leaves you tanked

When locked and loaded leaves you tanked. Researchers at The University of Newcastle have found that pre-loading increases your chance of alcohol-related injuries.

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Golfing helps beat physical handicaps

Older golfers who get into the swing of strength training can go a fair way to improving their health, as well as their golf. The University of Notre Dame Australia researchers say the results can be “amazing.”

Click here to read the full article.

The macadamia tree that sprouted a global industry

You wooden believe it! A single macadamia tree in Gympie spawned a $3 billion global industry. Southern Cross University and The University of Queensland say Hawaiian macadamias don’t fall far from the Australian genetic tree.

Click here to read the full article.

Splendour of the grass

Seagrass is an important part of many coastal ecosystems, providing shelter, oxygen and food for fish and threatened species like dugongs and green turtles. Work at Queensland University of Technology will help keep it that way.

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Superbug solution, waiting in the wings

Could a solution to superbugs be waiting in the wings? Researchers at RMIT University discover how cicada and dragonfly wings kill off bacteria.

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Rogue protein that makes breast cancer spread

Aggressive breast cancers seem to have one thing in common, a protein. University of South Australia researchers say when the molecule is blocked, the cancer is far less aggressive.

Click here to read the full article.

Nature’s secret bush rangers

What’s the one thing everyone knows about koalas? They don’t move much, right? Wrong. Scientists thought most lived out their lives within 3km of their birthplace but research from Southern Cross University has revealed some surprising new facts about our furry friends.

Click here to read the full article.

Lose weight on the daily grind

Those coffee grounds might be better for you than the brew itself. University of Southern Queensland says it’s possible that coffee waste changes gut bacteria to reduce fat and improve blood pressure.

Click here to read the full article.

Is COVID-19 driving motorists to drink?

Would you risk drink driving if you knew that random breath testing was suspended? University of the Sunshine Coast says early stats from Queensland study suggest an increase in risky driver behaviour.

Click here to read the full article.

COVID-stress sparks eating disorder relapses

Nearly two-thirds of people with a history of eating disorders have reported an increase in food restriction during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Swinburne University of Technology study into mental health during the outbreak shows the need for greater psychological support during the crisis.

Click here to read the full article.

All bets are off in lockdown

All bets are off in lockdown. The University of Sydney study finds gambling took a nose-dive during Australia’s first shutdown.

Click here to read the full article.

Singing the coronavirus blues away

Singing away the coronavirus blues? You’re not alone. A University of Tasmania study finds most people have turned to creativity and culture to survive lockdown.

Click here to read the full article.

Hair of the dog is man’s best friend for oil spill clean-up

Companies using synthetic materials to clean up oil spills on land have been barking up the wrong tree. University of Technology Sydney scientists have found dog fur is much more effective at cleaning up crude oil.

Click here to read the full article.

Working from home will reshape our cities

Australian cities will be reshaped in the wake of COVID-19. Victoria University says, about a third of us may permanently work from home, worsening urban sprawl, and making city and country economic disparities even worse.

Click here to read the full article.

Unbuttoning the power of rogue genes

What’s it take to solve the mystery of rare diseases? The University of Western Australia researchers have cracked the code and identified 95 rogue genes.

Click here to read the full article.

Birds of a feather save energy together

A world-first study from Western Sydney University has found superb fairy-wrens have a power-saving mode.

Click here to read the full article.

Ol’ man river’s million-year meander

A million years to get from the mountains to the sea. A University of Wollongong study documents sediment’s long journey as it takes its secrets with it.

Click here to read the full article.

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