Stories of Australian Science

The devastating bushfires in Victoria, Australia on 7 February 2009 resulted in the loss of 173 lives and caused major property and asset damage. The fires are considered to be Australia’s worst peacetime disaster. The questions and issues that quickly emerged will be the subject of [...]

Nanotube coatings on windows could deliver green energy to homes and offices in a few years. Silicon, which is used extensively in solar cells, can conduct electricity and, after some processing, can convert light energy directly into electrical energy. However, this processing is very energy intensive [...]

When you use a Wi-Fi network—at home, in the office or at the airport—you are using patented technology born of Australian astronomy. Australia’s CSIRO created a technology that made the wireless LAN fast and robust. And their solution grew out of 50 years of radio astronomy [...]

DNA barcodes could help farmers and conservationists identify wanted and unwanted grasses. Identifying grasses is difficult especially when they’re not flowering. But identification is important. Australia’s agriculture and ecology are threatened by invading grasses, such as Chilean needle grass (Nassella neesiana) and serrated tussock (N. trichotoma). [...]