Modelling shows big galaxies get bigger by merging with smaller ones
Distribution of dark matter density overlayed with the gas density. This image cleanly shows the gas channels connecting the central galaxy with its neighbours. Credit: Gupta et al/ASTRO 3D/ IllustrisTNG collaboration.
Galaxies
grow large by eating their smaller neighbours, new research reveals.
Exactly
how massive galaxies attain their size is poorly understood, not least because
they swell over billions of years. But now a combination of observation and
modelling from researchers led by Dr Anshu Gupta from Australia’s ARC Centre of
Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) has provided a
vital clue.
Two square metres of solar window will do the same job as a standard rooftop solar panel, Australian researchers say.
A semi-transparent perovskite solar cell with contrasting levels of light transparency. Credits: Dr Jae Choul Yu
Semi-transparent solar cells that can be incorporated into window glass are a “game-changer” that could transform architecture, urban planning and electricity generation, Australian scientists say in a paper in Nano Energy.
The researchers – led by Professor Jacek Jasieniak from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science (Exciton Science) and Monash University – have succeeded in producing next-gen perovskite solar cells that generate electricity while allowing light to pass through. They are now investigating how the new technology could be built into commercial products with Viridian Glass, Australia’s largest glass manufacturer.
A proof-of-concept published today in Nature promises warmer, cheaper and more robust quantum computing. And it can be manufactured using conventional silicon chip foundries.
Dr Henry Yang and Professor Andrew Dzurak: “hot qubits” are a game-changer for quantum computing development. Credit: Paul Henderson-Kelly
Most quantum computers being developed around the world will
only work at fractions of a degree above absolute zero. That requires
multi-million-dollar refrigeration and as soon as you plug them into
conventional electronic circuits they’ll instantly overheat.
But now researchers led by Professor Andrew Dzurak at UNSW
Sydney have addressed this problem.
Researchers have been able to pick a water leak within 1 percent of its location within seconds.
Artificial intelligence combined with pressure waves has been used to find faults in major water pipelines faster and more cheaply than existing methods.
The radioactive legacy of the arms race solves a mystery about the world’s largest fish.
AIMS researcher Mark Meekan swimming with a whale shark. (Horizontal) Credit: Wayne Osborn
Atomic bomb tests conducted during the
Cold War have helped scientists for the first time correctly determine the age
of whale sharks.
The
discovery, published
in the journalFrontiers
in Marine Science, will help ensure the survival of the species – the
largest fish in the world – which is classified as endangered.
Using a face mask, Adelaide researchers have a new way to detect a major hidden equine health issue.
Surita du Preez, The University of Adelaide
Up to 80 percent of horses – including racehorses and showjumpers – suffer from a form of asthma that affects their performance and wellbeing.
Researchers led by veterinarian Surita Du Preez from the University of Adelaide are designing a way to detect the condition – which often produces no obvious symptoms – without adding further stress to the affected animals.
“Currently the methods that are available to diagnose the mild to moderate form of horse asthma are invasive,” says Surita.
After 90 years, scientists reveal the structure of benzene.
Professor Timothy Schmidt, unravelling the mystery of benzene. Credit Exciton Science
One of the fundamental
mysteries of chemistry has been solved by Australian scientists – and the
result may have implications for future designs of solar cells, organic
light-emitting diodes and other next gen technologies.
Ever since the 1930s debate has raged inside chemistry
circles concerning the fundamental structure of benzene. It is a debate that in
recent years has taken on added urgency, because benzene – which comprises six
carbon atoms matched with six hydrogen atoms – is the smallest molecule that
can be used in the production of opto-electronic materials, which are
revolutionising renewable energy and telecommunications tech.
A new type of concrete that is
made out of waste materials and can bend under load has been developed by
researchers from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia.
Behzad Nematollahi, Swinburne University
This material, which
incorporates industrial waste products such as fly ash produced by coal-fired
power stations, is especially suited for construction in earthquake zones – in
which the brittle nature of conventional concrete often leads to disastrous
building collapses.
Using zircon crystals, researchers have discovered the route of a massive ancient river that could help find new reservoirs of fossil fuels and suggest how modern rivers might change over time.
Sara Morón, The University of Sydney
More than two thirds of the worlds’ major cities are located in coastal deltas. How they change over time can impact communities that live around them.
Nanotech technique could revolutionise neurological treatments.
Blanca del Rosal Rabes, Swinburn University of Technology
Light could replace invasive techniques to measure brain temperature– eliminating the need to place a thermometer in the brain when treating a range of neurological disorders.
Researchers from Victoria’ Swinburne University have teamed up with Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in Spain and Stanford University in the US to develop a technique for measuring sub-degree brain temperature changes using near-infrared light.
