Fresh Science

RMIT researcher calls for reducing ‘microplastics’ in bathroom products Mussels in Port Phillip Bay near Melbourne are ingesting microscopic pieces of plastic used in cosmetics. And it’s affecting their ability to grow and reproduce, an RMIT University eco-toxicologist has found. The microplastics travel from our bathroom sinks to the ocean, where they are easily confused…

RMIT researchers call on Melburnians to plant the right plants and create the right homes for native pollinators.They say we’ll get better tomato crops, more flowers and boost urban biodiversity. As Melbourne’s gardens burst into life after a wet spring, native insects are out looking for flowers and pollen. City gardeners rely on bees, butterflies…

Researchers use sound to deliver drugs A technique adapted from telecommunications promises more effective cancer treatments. Drugs can be delivered into individual cells by using soundwaves, Melbourne researchers have discovered. Adapting a technique used in the telecommunications industry for decades, Dr Shwathy Ramesan from RMIT, and colleagues, used the mechanical force of sound to push…

Marco Capelli – RMIT University Scientists still don’t fully understand how the brain works, and that means they don’t fully understand why it sometimes doesn’t work. A new technique uses tiny diamonds to shed light on the communication between neurons in the brain. Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are related to a loss in…