Latest CSIRO Stories

A new insight into global photosynthesis, the chemical process governing how ocean and land plants absorb and release carbon dioxide, has been revealed in research that will assist scientists to more accurately assess future climate change. In a paper published today in Nature, a team of US, Dutch and Australian scientists have estimated that the global rate of photosynthesis, the chemical process governing the way ocean and land plants absorb and release CO2, occurs 25% faster than...

An experimental procedure using a blood test to screen people for early signs of Alzheimer's was able to accurately detect the proteins, which begin to build up in the brain a decade or more before they cause memory and thinking problems.The blood test developed by scientists at Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, is the first to be validated against brain scans and other accepted diagnostic tests with good accuracy, according to results reported at the Alzheimer's Association...

Decreasing autumn and winter rainfall over southern Australia has been attributed to a 50-year decrease in the average intensity of storms in the region "“ a trend which is forecast to continue for another 50 years.In an address today to the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics conference in Melbourne, CSIRO climate scientist, Dr Jorgen Frederiksen, said these changes are due to reductions in the strength of the mid-latitude jet stream and changes in atmospheric temperatures. The...

Venice "“ the City of Dreams "“ may have one less nightmare to deal with following a finding that the frequency of extreme storm surge events generated by Adriatic Sea tempests could fall by about 30 percent by 2100.A team of international scientists led by CSIRO's Dr Alberto Troccoli studied atmospheric circulation in the Mediterranean region to assess climate impacts through changes in storm surge frequency in Venice "“ a World Heritage-listed city built on 117 small islands and...

Recently released genetic research from CSIRO and New Mexico State University in the US is helping scientists better understand how Australian birds evolved.The researchers found that the tiger-parrots of New Guinea"˜s rainforests "“ named for their striped or barred plumage - are not, as has been widely accepted, closely related either to a group of rosella-like parrots found in Australia and Oceania, nor a similar group found in Asia and Africa.In the latest edition of Molecular...

Marine scientists from five research agencies have pooled their skills and resources to compile a directory of life on Australia's continental shelf.They examined the shelf seascape during a three-year program of the Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities (CERF) Marine Biodiversity Hub.Hub director, Professor Nic Bax of CSIRO and the University of Tasmania, says the program developed and applied a consistent, national approach to biodiversity mapping."The program compiled existing...

Ants and termites have a significant positive impact on crop yields in dryland agriculture, according to a paper published today in the journal 'Nature Communications' by scientists at CSIRO and the University of Sydney. "Ants and termites perform the same ecosystem service functions in dryland agriculture that earthworms perform in cooler and wetter areas, but the potential for ants and termites to provide these benefits has received little attention until now," said CSIRO's Dr...

Scientists are reporting significant changes in the distribution of coastal fish species in south-east Australia which they say are partly due to climate change.CSIRO's Climate Adaptation and Wealth from Oceans Flagships have identified 43 species, representing about 30 per cent of the inshore fish families occurring in the region, that exhibited shifts thought to be climate-related.These include warm temperate surf-zone species such as Silver Drummer and Rock Blackfish that are breeding and...

After 10 years of careful breeding and research, scientists have developed what could be the world's most perfect prawn.CSIRO scientists and the prawn industry have bred an improved Black Tiger prawn which is producing record yields in aquaculture farms and winning awards.So good are these prawns that they have won five gold medals at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in the past two years, including "˜Champion of Show', the highest award possible.The scientists from CSIRO's Food Futures Flagship...

Nine new species of handfish have been described by CSIRO in research that highlights an urgent need to better understand and protect the diversity of life in Australia's oceans.The new species are described in a review of the handfish family by Hobart-based fish taxonomists from the CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship, Daniel Gledhill and Peter Last.Supported by funding from the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, the review of the handfishes brings the family to 14...