University of Wollongong News - SciTechDaily

Scientists Sound the Alarm: Record Ocean Heat Puts the Great Barrier Reef in Danger

University of Wollongong — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:09:16 +0000

The Great Barrier Reef is experiencing devastating coral bleaching due to the highest sea temperatures in 400 years, driven by human-induced climate change, with scientists calling for urgent global action. New research indicates the Great Barrier Reef is under critical pressure, with warming sea temperatures and mass coral bleaching events threatening to destroy the remarkable [...]

Super-Recognizers – Scientists Reveal the Mechanism Behind Their Fascinating Superpower

Association for Psychological Science — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 12:54:11 +0000

According to a new study, super-recognizers spread their gaze more evenly than average observers. A face is never forgotten by super-recognizers. They can see their childhood acquaintance in the rearview mirror and immediately recognize them. They help police departments and security organizations in identifying suspects. They are also effective as both private and unofficial investigators. But [...]

Ground-Breaking Research: The Earth Beneath Us May Be Shifting – Not Static

University of Wollongong — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 16:21:25 +0000

Article in Nature ‘sets the deep Earth free.’ Ground-breaking research into the hot structures deep in the Earth suggests they could be much more fluid than once supposed. An article published recently by the prestigious journal, Nature, shows that the deep structure beneath Africa could be just 60 million years old – a fraction of [...]

Examining Infection Fatality Rates: COVID-19 Is Dangerous for Middle-Aged Adults, Not Just the Elderly

Dartmouth College — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 00:43:37 +0000

COVID-19 has been spreading rapidly over the past several months, and the U.S. death toll has now reached 400,000. As evident from the age distribution of those fatalities, COVID-19 is dangerous not only for the elderly but for middle-aged adults, according to a Dartmouth-led study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology. “For a person [...]

Beyond Binary: Multi-State Data Storage Leaving Binary Behind

ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 05:49:15 +0000

Stepping ‘beyond binary’ to store data in more than just 0s and 1s. Electronic data is being produced at a breathtaking rate. The total amount of data stored in data centers around the globe is of the order of ten zettabytes (a zettabyte is a trillion gigabytes), and we estimate that amount doubles every couple [...]

Supercharged Bacterial “Clones” Spark Scarlet Fever’s Global Re-emergence

University of Queensland — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 09:00:13 +0000

A University of Queensland-led team of international researchers says supercharged “clones” of the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes are to blame for the resurgence of the disease, which has caused high death rates for centuries. UQ’s Dr. Stephan Brouwer said health authorities globally were surprised when an epidemic was detected in Asian countries in 2011. “The disease had mostly dissipated by [...]

A Dream Come True: Relief for People With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Who Struggle With CPAP Masks

Flinders University — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 15:00:57 +0000

A trial of a simple yet effective surgery has led Australian experts to promote it as an option to specialists around the world for managing difficult obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) cases. After rigorous evaluation of the surgery, excellent outcomes were shown in sleep apnea patients who had been unable to use continuous positive pressure airway [...]

Mangroves – Valuable Coastal Ecosystems – Won’t Survive Sea-Level Rise by 2050 if Emissions Aren’t Cut

Rutgers University — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 23:11:06 +0000

Mangrove trees – valuable coastal ecosystems found in Florida and other warm climates – won’t survive sea-level rise by 2050 if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t reduced, according to a Rutgers co-authored study in the journal Science. Mangrove forests store large amounts of carbon, help protect coastlines and provide habitat for fish and other species. Using [...]

Study Shows Modern Humans Thrived Through Ancient Toba Supervolcano Eruption

Julie Russ, Arizona State University — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 16:36:51 +0000

Imagine a year in Africa where summer never arrives. The sky takes on a gray hue during the day and glows red at night. Flowers do not bloom. Trees die in the winter. Large mammals like antelope become thin, starve and provide little fat to the predators (carnivores and human hunters) that depend on them. [...]