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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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