Latest Research News

Latest Research News

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University of Adelaide Ranked in the Top 100 World-wide

The University of Adelaide has leapt 23 places in the Times Higher Education University Rankings for 2023, landing in the top 100 universities worldwide.

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Wildlife trade threatening unprotected animals

Have you ever wanted a two-toed sloth for a pet? How about a Chinese water dragon? Well, if you live in the United States you might just have a chance of snagging one of these exotic species. New research from the University of Adelaide’s Invasion Science and Wildlife Ecology Group shows that three times as many of these unregulated species are being imported into the US compared to regulated species.

Read more about Wildlife trade threatening unprotected animals

Bike tech powers world record win

Humpback whales might not be the first creature that springs to mind when you think of aerodynamics – nevertheless, their incredible ability to make tight turns and spectacular leaps has inspired cutting-edge cycling technology that powered Olympic cycling champion Filippo Ganna hour world record win.

Read more about Bike tech powers world record win

Jailing is Failing: Rehabilitation in the Australian Prison System

The women entering Australia’s prison system are invariably accompanied by significant histories of trauma and abuse. Some have had children forcibly removed, and many women are experiencing levels of self-harm and suicidal ideation that would be completely unacceptable if identified in the outside world.

Read more about Rehabilitation in the Australian Prison System

Bots Manipulate Public Opinion Russia - Ukraine in Conflict

New research from the University of Adelaide has shown that social media bot accounts have been used in malicious campaigns to influence online discussion during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

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Agriculture, food and wine

Stories

New Weapons in the Battle Against Herbicide-Resistant Weeds

The Soares da Costa team from the University of Adelaide’s Waite Research Institute has developed new herbicidal compounds that will stop resistant weeds in their tracks.

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Assembling haplotypes faster than ever with HaploMaker

A team from the Biometry Hub at the University of Adelaide has developed an improved algorithm for haplotype assembly that could help researchers more accurately track plant genetic variation.

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Stress less! Targeting the plant cargo hub to help them deal with environmental stress

Just like an international port in a big city, every individual plant cell contains its own cargo hub that responds to their import and export needs.

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Insects put to the taste test

University of Adelaide researchers are creating a new tool that will help people understand what it’s like to eat one of the most sustainable and protein-rich food sources on the planet: edible insects.

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Microscopic camera is helping us see new opportunities for the meat industry

Australia’s position as the world’s largest exporter of lamb and mutton is under threat from other international suppliers –  China has three times our production capacity and our neighbours in New Zealand have high-quality produce, threatening our current position.

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Cleaning up the farm

The Discovery Pod | Season 2, Episode 4
Australia’s farmers are increasingly turning to transient migrant labour to keep their properties running. 

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Creativity and culture

Stories

University of Adelaide Ranked in the Top 100 World-wide

The University of Adelaide has leapt 23 places in the Times Higher Education University Rankings for 2023, landing in the top 100 universities worldwide.

Read more about University of Adelaide Ranked in the Top 100 World-wide

Breathing life back into performing arts

COVID-19 has decimated the performing arts sector and many people are wondering what post-pandemic live performances will look like.

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The solution to staying safe could lie in the virtual world

Whilst many of us escape into virtual worlds as a fun diversion, Researchers believe the secret to teaching people to behave safely and act decisively in the real world can also be found amongst online realms.

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Reading the history of indigenous South American peoples in ancient DNA

Ancient human DNA dating back almost 9,000 years has provided significant genetic insights for an international large-scale study in South America.

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The people behind the cars

History will not forget the people and places that made Holden cars an icon of Australia.

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City nightlife takes on a new dimension

The growth of small venues has changed the face of Adelaide’s social scene, adding life and livelihood.

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Defence, cyber and space

Stories

Bots Manipulate Public Opinion Russia - Ukraine in Conflict

New research from the University of Adelaide has shown that social media bot accounts have been used in malicious campaigns to influence online discussion during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Read more about Bots Manipulate Public Opinion Russia - Ukraine in Conflict

Autonomous rovers for moon exploration

When it comes to studying the surface of moons and planets, robot explorers called “rovers” are the gold standard. They can travel into space far more easily than a human astronaut, traverse new terrains quickly, and collect mountains of useful data.

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Giving REDSPICE bite: Why strengthening Australia’s cyber capability demands unprecedented ASD-university collaboration

The Australian Government’s REDSPICE blueprint, released with last week’s 2022-23 budget, will significantly increase the Australian Signals Directorate’s (ASD) cyber and intelligence capabilities.

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Standing firm

The Discovery Pod | Season 2, Episode 9
Our societies are more connected than ever, with countless governmental processes now taking place online, making it worryingly easy for foreign actors to sow the seeds of domestic division and unrest.

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Moon boot

The Discovery Pod | Season 2, Episode 8
Powering up human settlement on the Moon is widely considered the ideal first step towards long-term crewed planetary exploration—and it could feasibly happen as soon as this decade. 

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Cyber security

The Discovery Pod | Season 1, Episode 9 
Cybercrime and Digital Warfare – how do we get tech savvy to secure our lives online?

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Energy, mining and resources

Stories

Growing the graphene industry

With the goal of developing a sustainable graphene-based industry in Australia and world-wide, the team at the University of Adelaide’s ARC Graphene Research Hub has made several significant breakthroughs in graphene manufacturing and utilisation.

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Renewable energy

The Discovery Pod | Season 1, Episode 6 
Cracking the code – finding new ways to power our nation and drive the manufacturing economy.

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Professorial Lecture Series: Assoc. Prof. Carl Spandler

Unearthing rare earths: Why mining critical metals is vital to our future, and why Australia is well placed to profit.

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Harnessing low cost, sustainable, activated carbon from waste

In what is believed to be a world-first, an Adelaide-based start-up has developed a new, low cost, sustainable method of producing activated carbon.

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What's really going on during fracking

How do fluids such as water, gas and petroleum move in the earth?

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Solar thermal for mineral processing

It is a fact that in a country like Australia, dominated by the primary production of commodities such as iron ore, copper and alumina, the industrial processes that produce these for export account for around half of our energy consumption.

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Environment, sustainability and climate change

Stories

Bringing oyster reefs back from extinction

Oyster reefs carpeted thousands of kilometers of Australian coastline 200 years ago, but were dredged to near extinction within a century of colonial settlement. An ambitious nationwide restoration program now seeks to bring them back. In South Australia, the largest reef restoration in the Southern Hemisphere, Windara Reef, was constructed in 2017 to restore the ecosystem of the native mud oyster, Ostrea angasi, off the Yorke Peninsula.

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Bushfire and the challenge to respond to new levels of environmental risk

There have been terrible bushfires this summer across southern Australia – and they are still going. Part of the reason for this disaster is the unprecedented climatic conditions that the country has been facing, including record hot and dry conditions.

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Wildlife trade threatening unprotected animals

Have you ever wanted a two-toed sloth for a pet? How about a Chinese water dragon? Well, if you live in the United States you might just have a chance of snagging one of these exotic species. New research from the University of Adelaide’s Invasion Science and Wildlife Ecology Group shows that three times as many of these unregulated species are being imported into the US compared to regulated species.

Read more about Wildlife trade threatening unprotected animals

Ocean Warming Threatens Richest Marine Biodiversity

Creatures that make their homes in tropical waters have enjoyed mostly unchanged temperatures for the past twenty thousand years. Now, new research from the University of Adelaide suggests that these extremely biodiverse areas will be hit the hardest by climate change-induced oceanic warming – and the wildlife is not ready to adapt.

Read more about Ocean Warming Threatens Richest Marine Biodiversity

Stress less! Targeting the plant cargo hub to help them deal with environmental stress

Just like an international port in a big city, every individual plant cell contains its own cargo hub that responds to their import and export needs.

Read more about Stress less! Targeting the plant cargo hub to help them deal with environmental stress

Citizen scientists recruited to EchidnaCSI

Echidnas are one of Australia’s most iconic mammals, but although the prickly critters have made their homes in hundreds of different habitats across the country, some populations are sadly in decline.

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Health and biotech

Stories

Bike tech powers world record win

Humpback whales might not be the first creature that springs to mind when you think of aerodynamics – nevertheless, their incredible ability to make tight turns and spectacular leaps has inspired cutting-edge cycling technology that powered Olympic cycling champion Filippo Ganna hour world record win.

Read more about Bike tech powers world record win

Breakthrough 3D-printed micro device will streamline IVF procedure

A revolutionary new 3D-printed device created by University of Adelaide researchers will make the only treatment for men with low sperm counts faster, cheaper, and more accessible.

Read more about Breakthrough 3D-printed micro device will streamline IVF procedure

EndoZone: A brand new digital platform for people with endometriosis

For someone encountering the symptoms of endometriosis for the first time, the experience can be incredibly isolating. EndoZone is a brand new online resource that busts myths, shares stories, and summarises cutting-edge research to help make the endometriosis experience easier.

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Research looking at blocking the action of damaged genes

Sometimes all it takes to cause a severe neurological disorder is one tiny defect in a single gene. Unfortunately, there are thousands of these genetic, childhood-onset conditions, and while they are rare, the symptoms can be devastating.

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Tracking the early-life triggers of type 1 diabetes

Researchers at the University of Adelaide are leading a national collaboration that has been collecting tens of thousands of biological samples from pregnant mothers and their babies in an attempt to discover how genetics and early-life environmental exposures contribute to the development of type 1 diabetes.

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We’re creating a faster, less invasive way to diagnose endometriosis through machine learning

Endometriosis is a debilitating disease with serious impacts on a person’s quality of life far beyond the extreme pain it causes. It can affect them financially, cause disruption to their work, social lives and relationships.

Read more about We’re creating a faster, less invasive way to diagnose endometriosis through machine learning

Societal wellbeing

Stories

Jailing is Failing: Rehabilitation in the Australian Prison System

The women entering Australia’s prison system are invariably accompanied by significant histories of trauma and abuse. Some have had children forcibly removed, and many women are experiencing levels of self-harm and suicidal ideation that would be completely unacceptable if identified in the outside world.

Read more about Rehabilitation in the Australian Prison System

Research unpacking student scholarships for work experience

Financial support for students undertaking work integrated learning is essential for improving the accessibility of internships and work placements. Research from the University of Adelaide Law School has identified key gaps in these programs and generated recommendations for maximising their accessibility.

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As the Aussie home ownership dream fades, it’s time to lift our game for renters

The number of people renting in Australia is growing at twice the rate of home ownership, and a new dataset generated by University of Adelaide researchers will help inform future policy that supports renters and guides infrastructure spending.

Read more about As the Aussie home ownership dream fades, it’s time to lift our game for renters

A cool change is coming to city streets

Our cities are heating up and we need to find innovative ways to lower urban temperatures, or life will become increasingly harder for residents. In Adelaide, the number of days when outdoor temperatures soared above 40°C increased from only two days per year in 2000 to six days per year in 2020.

Read more about A cool change is coming to city streets

The solution to staying safe could lie in the virtual world

Whilst many of us escape into virtual worlds as a fun diversion, Researchers believe the secret to teaching people to behave safely and act decisively in the real world can also be found amongst online realms.

Read more about The solution to staying safe could lie in the virtual world

Battling the complexities of diagnosing Parkinson’s Disease

New research is hoping to create more accurate diagnostic tests to allow earlier intervention.

Read more about Battling the complexities of diagnosing Parkinson’s Disease