Research Impact
Breakthrough research for a better world.
Agriculture, food & wine Creativity & culture Defence, cyber & space Energy, mining & resources Environment, sustainability & climate change Health & biotech Societal wellbeing
Featured stories
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.
Read more about A brand new digital platform for people with endometriosisAutonomous 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.
Read more about Autonomous rovers for moon explorationResearch 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.
Read more about Research unpacking student scholarships for work experienceGrowing 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.
Read more about Growing the graphene industryStress 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 stressAgriculture, food and wine
Stories
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 stressInsects 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.
Read more about Insects put to the taste testMicroscopic 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.
Read more about Microscopic camera is helping us see new opportunities for the meat industryCleaning 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.
What people’s beef is with gene editing?
Gene editing in the beef industry could provide significant new strategies for producing far superior livestock. It could be used to produce cattle that are heathier, more environmentally resilient and allow for higher levels of animal welfare by eliminating the need for painful common procedures.
Read more about What people’s beef is with gene editing?Genetically modified foods
The Discovery Pod | Season 1, Episode 10
Unnatural, Harmful and Unsafe? Does genetic modification really have a role to play in our food futures?
Creativity and culture
Stories
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.
Read more about Breathing life back into performing artsThe 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 worldReading 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.
Read more about Reading the history of indigenous South American peoples in ancient DNAThe people behind the cars
History will not forget the people and places that made Holden cars an icon of Australia.
Read more about The people behind the carsCity nightlife takes on a new dimension
The growth of small venues has changed the face of Adelaide’s social scene, adding life and livelihood.
Read more about City nightlife takes on a new dimensionMacau shown in three dimensions
An immersive multimedia experience has brought to life the diverse cultural history of a former colonial enclave.
Read more about Macau shown in three dimensionsDefence, cyber and space
Stories
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.
Read more about Autonomous rovers for moon explorationGiving 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.
Read more about Why strengthening Australia’s cyber capability demands unprecedented ASD-university collaborationStanding 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.
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.
Youth online safety and cybercrime prevention
Knowing how young people operate in the digital world is the key to keeping them safe.
Read more about Youth online safety and cybercrime preventionMany countries join The US, Russia and China in creating space agencies
Civilian and Military use of space has been dramatically increasing in recent years thus leading many States, including Australia, to create National Space Agencies.
Read more about Many countries join The US, Russia and China in creating space agenciesEnergy, 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.
Read more about Growing the graphene industryRenewable energy
The Discovery Pod | Season 1, Episode 6
Cracking the code – finding new ways to power our nation and drive the manufacturing economy.
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.
Read more about Assoc. Prof. Carl SpandlerHarnessing 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.
Read more about Harnessing low cost, sustainable, activated carbon from wasteWhat's really going on during fracking
How do fluids such as water, gas and petroleum move in the earth?
Read more about What's really going on during frackingSolar 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.
Read more about Solar thermal for mineral processingEnvironment, sustainability and climate change
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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.
Read more about Bringing oyster reefs back from extinctionBushfire 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.
Read more about Bushfire and the challenge to respond to new levels of environmental riskStress 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 stressCitizen 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.
Read more about Citizen scientists recruited to EchidnaCSIThe foundation for cereal crops that beat the heat
A project conducted by University of Adelaide and Macquarie University researchers has revealed insights into how an Australian ‘wild rice’ thrives in extreme heat, opening the door for the breeding of new cereal crops that can withstand high temperatures.
Read more about The foundation for cereal crops that beat the heatStopping the illegal trade in timber from a server farm in Adelaide
Most people appreciate the enormous cost and suffering caused by the illegal global smuggling of people, drugs and arms. But illegal logging rivals those in monetary value and impact.
Read more about Stopping the illegal trade in timber from a server farm in AdelaideHealth and biotech
Stories
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.
Read more about A brand new digital platform for people with endometriosisResearch 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.
Read more about Research looking at blocking the action of damaged genesTracking 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.
Read more about Tracking the early-life triggers of type 1 diabetesWe’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 learningTiny tech goes to the heart of disease
As our leading single cause of disease and death, it would be rare for any Australian not to have been touched by coronary heart disease amongst family or friends.
Read more about Tiny tech goes to the heart of diseaseMicroscopic 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.
Read more about Microscopic camera is helping us see new opportunities for the meat industrySocietal wellbeing
Stories
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.
Read more about Research unpacking student scholarships for work experienceAs 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 rentersA 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 streetsThe 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 worldBattling 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 DiseaseWhat people’s beef is with gene editing?
Gene editing in the beef industry could provide significant new strategies for producing far superior livestock. It could be used to produce cattle that are heathier, more environmentally resilient and allow for higher levels of animal welfare by eliminating the need for painful common procedures.
Read more about What people’s beef is with gene editing?