New technique can dramatically improve laser linewidth

Publicly released: Tue 15 Jul 2025 at 0300 AEST, 0500 NZST

APL Photonics

Macquarie University researchers have demonstrated a technique to dramatically narrow the linewidth of a laser beam by a factor of over ten thousand – a discovery that could revolutionise quantum computing, atomic clocks and gravitational wave... Read more about New technique can dramatically improve laser linewidth

Scientists can tell what you'll buy by scanning your friends' brains

Publicly released: Tue 15 Jul 2025 at 0300 AEST, 0500 NZST

JNeurosci

Close friendships can lead to friends' brain activity and even their shopping habits becoming similar, according to Chinese scientists. They ran a series of experiments in which 175 participants of varying degrees of friendship were asked to... Read more about Scientists can tell what you'll buy by scanning your friends' brains

Whether you can enjoy healthy ageing depends on where you live

Publicly released: Tue 15 Jul 2025 at 0100 AEST, 0300 NZST

Nature Medicine

International scientists analysed healthy ageing in 40 countries across four continents, including a total of more than 160,000 people, and found big differences between them. Whether we age healthily is affected by a lot of different factors... Read more about Whether you can enjoy healthy ageing depends on where you live

Scientists unlock ancient cellular wisdom of brain stem cells, offering hope for brain cancer and degenerative disease

Publicly released: Tue 15 Jul 2025 at 0001 AEST, 0201 NZST

Science Advances

Researchers from QIMR Berghofer in collaborat ion with the Francis Crick Institute, have unlocked the secrets of how brain stem cells enter and exit a resting state called ‘quiescence’ - a process with roots stretching back to the dawn of life.... Read more about Scientists unlock ancient cellular wisdom of brain stem cells, offering hope for brain cancer and degenerative disease

Almost 4 in 10 Australians living with multiple chronic health conditions

Publicly released: Tue 15 Jul 2025 at 0001 AEST, 0201 NZST

Almost 4 in 10 Australians, or 9. 7 million people, were estimated to be living with two or more chronic health conditions in 2022, according to a new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The report found that having multiple chronic... Read more about Almost 4 in 10 Australians living with multiple chronic health conditions

If you think its a jungle out there you might admire an aggressive leader

Publicly released: Mon 14 Jul 2025 at 2300 AEST, Tue 15 Jul 25 at 0100 NZST

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Attitudes and Social Cognition

People who view the world as a savage social jungle are more likely to admire antagonistic, aggressive leaders, according to US research. The researchers found that people who saw the world as more competitive were more likely to rate antagonistic... Read more about If you think its a jungle out there you might admire an aggressive leader

Tracking muscle damage in racehorses: New test to optimise recovery and performance

Publicly released: Mon 14 Jul 2025 at 1331 AEST, 1531 NZST

Veterinary Medicine and Science

Proteomics International’s subsidiary OxiDx Pty Ltd, in collaboration with the University of Western Australia, has published results showing its OxiDx blood test can identify and assess recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage in Australian... Read more about Tracking muscle damage in racehorses: New test to optimise recovery and performance

Bowel cancer survivors at higher risk of subsequent cancers

Publicly released: Mon 14 Jul 2025 at 1311 AEST, 1511 NZST

Cancer Medicine

A Flinders University study shows that bowel cancer survivors face an elevated risk of developing multiple primary cancers (MPCs) – for prostate, lung, breast and blood cancer. In a new article in Cancer Medicine, the South Australian bowel cancer... Read more about Bowel cancer survivors at higher risk of subsequent cancers

Revealing the hepatitis B risks for First Nations people in the Northern Territory

Publicly released: Mon 14 Jul 2025 at 1028 AEST, 1228 NZST

BMC Infectious Diseases

Menzies School of Health Research has led the largest-ever study of people living with a unique strain of chronic hepatitis B (C4 hepatitis B) – which predominately affects First Nations Australians in the Northern Territory (NT) – uncovering... Read more about Revealing the hepatitis B risks for First Nations people in the Northern Territory

Learning music helps young people flourish

Publicly released: Mon 14 Jul 2025 at 0900 AEST, 1100 NZST

Research Studies in Music Education

A new study from Edith Cowan University’s School of Education has found that learning music plays a critical yet often overlooked role in enhancing the wellbeing of children and adolescents, calling for a stronger focus on music education in... Read more about Learning music helps young people flourish

Food taxes and subsidies could transform Australians' diets

Publicly released: Mon 14 Jul 2025 at 0830 AEST, 1030 NZST

Nature Food

Food taxes and subsidies that make healthy foods cheaper and ultra-processed foods more expensive could significantly improve Australian diets and help reduce chronic disease, according to a new study by The George Institute for Global Health and... Read more about Food taxes and subsidies could transform Australians' diets

Long term obesity from childhood could make you age faster

Publicly released: Sat 12 Jul 2025 at 0100 AEST, 0300 NZST

JAMA Network Open

Having a high body mass index (BMI) from early childhood or adolescence has been linked to faster 'biological ageing', with a Chilean study showing that kids with long term obesity showed biological signs of ageing that suggested they were 2. 23... Read more about Long term obesity from childhood could make you age faster

'Molecular shield' in the nose could one day treat common hayfever trigger, mouse study suggests

Publicly released: Fri 11 Jul 2025 at 1400 AEST, 1600 NZST

Frontiers in Immunology

A 'molecular shield' that could neutralise the pollen particles that cause hay fever has been developed by international researchers in a proof-of-concept study in mice. The team developed an antibody that specifically targets mugwort pollen – an... Read more about 'Molecular shield' in the nose could one day treat common hayfever trigger, mouse study suggests

Artificial sweeteners leave bitter aftertaste for the environment

Publicly released: Fri 11 Jul 2025 at 1305 AEST, 1505 NZST

Journal of Hazardous Material

New research has found increasing levels of artificial sweeteners in wastewater treatment plants, with downstream impacts on the environment. Artificial sweeteners, widely used in soft drinks, processed foods and sugar-free products such as... Read more about Artificial sweeteners leave bitter aftertaste for the environment

We dammed so much water it moved Earth's poles

Publicly released: Fri 11 Jul 2025 at 1158 AEST, 1358 NZST

Geophysical Research Letters

Over the past two centuries, humans have locked up enough water in dams to shift Earth’s poles slightly away from the planet’s axis of rotation, according to new research. The construction of nearly 7,000 dams from 1835 to 2011 shifted the poles... Read more about We dammed so much water it moved Earth's poles

Untapped potential of semen for men’s health

Publicly released: Fri 11 Jul 2025 at 1153 AEST, 1353 NZST

Nature Reviews Urology

Semen analysis is traditionally used as part of male fertility assessments, but researchers from the University of Adelaide believe it has the potential to promote healthier lifestyles. Semen analysis is traditionally used as part of male fertility... Read more about Untapped potential of semen for men’s health

Are sports playing the role of religion in modern life?

Publicly released: Fri 11 Jul 2025 at 1043 AEST, 1243 NZST

The connection sports fans have to their teams is strikingly similar to religious faith, according to a new book by an Australian expert in sports management. The book discusses the neurological and psychological parallels between people of faith... Read more about Are sports playing the role of religion in modern life?

Using First Nations calendars for solar power forecasting

Publicly released: Fri 11 Jul 2025 at 1019 AEST, 1219 NZST

IEEE Open Journal of the Computer Society

The in-depth observations of First Nations seasonal calendars could be key to improving solar power forecasting, according to a world-first study by Charles Darwin University. The in-depth observations of First Nations seasonal calendars could be... Read more about Using First Nations calendars for solar power forecasting

High-tech dive into 'mighty bite' of ancient lungfish

Publicly released: Fri 11 Jul 2025 at 1000 AEST, 1200 NZST

iScience.

Predatory fish that evolved into the first terrestrial animals on Earth are still revealing insights into the origins of mammals – including new research into the eating habits of lobe-finned fish which inhabited an ancient reef in northern... Read more about High-tech dive into 'mighty bite' of ancient lungfish

Staying physically active cuts risk of early death by 40%

Publicly released: Fri 11 Jul 2025 at 0830 AEST, 1030 NZST

British Journal of Sports Medicine

Adults who stay consistently active throughout their life can lower their risk of early death by up to 40%, a global study led by The University of Queensland has found. Researchers summarised data of 85 studies from more than 8 million people,... Read more about Staying physically active cuts risk of early death by 40%