Media

Scientists involved in CSIRO's Minerals Down Under Flagship are transferring technologies developed for space exploration and mining on the Moon and Mars, into new applications for the Australian mining industry.

A 'fibre maturity' testing device designed to improve the quality of fibre produced by Australian cotton growers and yarn quality in overseas spinning mills has been licensed to new-start Australian company, Cottonscope Pty Ltd.

In recently unravelling the genome of the pea aphid, an international consortium of researchers has taken a major step towards understanding how to better control that bane of farmers and gardeners around the world.

One of the world’s most prestigious awards for scientific research into the challenges facing the world’s oceans – a Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation – has been won by a senior ecosystem modeller with CSIRO’s Wealth from Oceans Flagship, Dr Beth Fulton.

An historic milestone was reached recently in Australia's bid to host the Square Kilometre Array telescope – a future international radio telescope that will be the world's largest and most sensitive.

Australian agriculture needs to adapt now to climate change according to a CSIRO book launched today entitled: Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change: Preparing Australian Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for the Future.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of CSIRO's partnership with NASA in solar system exploration. From man taking his first steps on the moon to missions to the edge of the solar system, CSIRO and NASA have been working at the forefront of space science.

A renowned researcher into the development of technologies designed to prevent blindness, Dr Kanagasingam Yogesan, has been appointed Research Director of the Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC).

Conservation managers need to take a long-term view when assessing the value of marine protected areas, according to a paper in today’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

After working with botanical researchers in Canberra for the past seven weeks, 10 students from around Australia will graduate this week from the Student’s Volunteer Botanical Internship Program.

CSIRO will launch a new collaborative research cluster in Melbourne today focused on establishing a ‘biobank’ of blood samples to be used in advancing research into the prediction and early diagnosis of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Miniature sensors being developed by CSIRO promise to provide the answers to questions which seem to arise regularly in modern office workplaces like: “Where’s my pen?” and; “Who nicked my stapler?”

CSIRO scientist Dr Tara Sutherland and her team have achieved another important milestone in the international quest to artificially produce insect silk.

Researchers are hard at work developing a raft of technologies to help Australia's minerals industry remain globally competitive.

Predicting climate change effects on wheat, understanding grapevine diseases and studying plant-water relationships are some of the topics 22 top university students are investigating this summer as part of the CSIRO Summer Student Program.

Coastal anglers are being encouraged to help ensure the long-term sustainability of Australia’s newest ‘recreational only’ species, the longtail tuna, by reporting catches using a new online system.

Factors that influence extra-tropical rainfall depressions near Australia’s east coast need to be given more attention in modelling of both seasonal climate variability and long-term climate to improve rainfall predictions.

CSIRO researchers are encouraging parents not to forget to provide their children with healthy lunches and breakfasts in the back-to-school rush.

CSIRO today will brief His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales KG on its contribution to international research into climate change, marine biodiversity, and fisheries.

Following an extensive search and selection process, a senior researcher and university executive, Dr Philip Diamond, has been appointed Chief of CSIRO’s Astronomy and Space Science Division.

A major conference to be held in Melbourne in 2011 will focus the world’s attention on the broad issues of a sustainable planet.

1973 was the year that Pink Floyd released Dark Side of the Moon and Are You Being Served? made its television debut. It was long before the words “climate change” became headline news. It was also the year that CSIRO’s Sustainable Energy Advisor, Dr John Wright – who is retiring next week – joined the organisation as a research scientist in the Sydney laboratories of the then Division of Mineral Chemistry.

By using technology to detect guilty expressions, of course.

CSIRO is using automated expression recognition technology to tell whether someone is in pain and, according to computer scientist, CSIRO’s Dr Simon Lucey, there’s no reason why Santa couldn’t train the system to find out who’s been naughty or nice.

According to a case study of Australia’s Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF) there is a large gap between theory and practice when it comes to achieving the major goal of many of the world’s leading commercial fisheries – maximum economic yield (MEY).

Atmospheric scientists believe air contained in disused dive tanks can potentially extend what is already the longest record of greenhouse gases in the Southern Hemisphere.