Natural hazards research comes to RMIT
Australia’s centre for disaster and natural hazards research is teaming up with RMIT on research and educational initiatives aimed at saving lives and protecting communities from natural disasters.
Organ storage a step closer with cryopreservation discovery
Australian scientists have taken the first step towards improved storage of human cells, which may lead to the safe storage of organs such as hearts and lungs.
New hub to make diamond-based quantum computers
A joint research and development hub will harness the strength of synthetic diamonds to build a new generation of quantum computers.
Eating plastic makes for smaller mussels
Microplastics are stunting the growth of mussels in Victoria’s Port Phillip Bay, according to a study by RMIT marine ecologists.
Bacteria-shredding insect wings inspire new antibacterial packaging
Inspired by the bacteria-killing wings of insects like cicadas, scientists have developed a natural antibacterial texture for use on food packaging to improve shelf life and reduce waste.
Sonic advance: How sound waves could help regrow bones
Researchers have used sound waves to turn stem cells into bone cells, in a tissue engineering advance that could one day help patients regrow bone lost to cancer or degenerative disease.
Major investment charges Victoria’s electric vehicle transition
The first electric vehicle research facility of its kind in the southern hemisphere will be established at RMIT University in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD.
Lotus effect: Self-cleaning bioplastics repel liquid and dirt
Inspired by the always immaculate lotus leaf, researchers have developed a self-cleaning bioplastic that is sturdy, sustainable and compostable.
Hearts, cells and mud: how biology helps humans re-imagine our cities in vexed times
Biological metaphors for the city abound in daily use. You may live close to an “arterial” road or in the “heart” of a metropolis. You may work in one of the city’s “nerve centres” or exercise in a park described as the city’s “lungs”.
We asked hundreds of Aussies whether they’d eat insects, and most said yes – so what’s holding people back?
Insects are sustainable, nutritious and delicious. They’re eaten by more than two billion people worldwide, mostly in the tropics, and have been a staple in Indigenous Australians’ diets for tens of thousands of years.
Fossil discovery offers new insights into global evolution of land plants
A 400-million-year-old fossil discovered in Victoria and described by RMIT researchers sheds new light on the early evolution of land plants.
How to make roads with recycled waste, and pave the way to a circular economy
Government procurement policies are the key to reducing Australia’s mountain of construction waste.
