A tool is being trialled at Adelaide and Melbourne zoos to help keepers decode reptile body language and measure their welfare. Research from the University of Adelaide has come up with a list of health-based and behavioural clues which could help rewrite welfare policies for reptiles in zoos and homes. The tool is now being…
Researchers harness the conjuror’s art of deception to make fake needles seem real. Placebos are fake treatments that are crucial in clinical trials to test if a treatment actually works or whether benefits are merely due to receiving an apparently credible treatment from a trusted clinician. But placebos only work if the patient and clinician…
A University of Adelaide study shows industry players are open to measures to reduce plastics in seafood – but first they have to understand the problem. More than 35 percent of fish caught in the waters off southern Australia contain microplastics, and the problem is most acute in South Australia, with plastic found in 49…
Emotional reptiles, realistic fake needles and insect-wing shapes – 2021’s Fresh Scientists revealed their discoveries using rhyme, reason and the odd firework. On the night of 27 October a crowd of science enthusiasts gathered to hear these leading early-career scientists share the stories and their science at the Austral. Congratulations to Dhani Dharmaprani the winner…
Fresh Science is on hold for 2022. We will be back in 2023.
Let us know if you want to receive updates about the program.
Fresh Science is a national competition and training program helping early-career researchers find and share their stories of discovery.
We take young researchers with no media experience and help them become media spokespeople for their science, and reach stakeholders in government and industry.
Fresh Science gives finalists a taste of life in the limelight, with a day of media training, a day of training in stakeholder engagement, and a public event in their home state.
Alumni of the program include Professor Allan Duffy and Dr Niraj Lal.
Read some of the fresh science we discovered in 2021 here.
