News: Research
New national research centre to fight food waste
![Food waste in garbage can image](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/2018-11/news-food-waste.jpg?h=29e5c46f&itok=n3boltSt)
Waite campus will be home to a new multimillion dollar national research centre to help fight the $20 billion cost of Australia’s food waste.
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Emu DNA uncovers size secrets of our native bird
![Emu image](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/2018-11/news-emu.jpg?h=80f8ec70&itok=wVcpkPAE)
Genetics researchers from the Faculty of Sciences have discovered that the size of emus correlated to the size of the islands they inhabited.
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Evolutionary biologist named Young Achiever Award finalist
![Evolutionary biologist Jenna Crowe-Riddell](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/2018-11/news-young-achiever-jenna-crowe-riddell-2.jpg?h=e8ab918a&itok=lShFxj9O)
Jenna Crowe-Riddell and her passion for sea snakes has been rewarded. The evolutionary biologist has been shortlisted as one of three finalists in the Channel 9 Young Achiever Awards’ ‘University of Adelaide - STEM Award’ category.
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Graphene promotes more efficient fertilisers
![Graphene promotes more efficient fertilisers](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/2018-11/news-graphene-fertiliser.jpg?h=036f3151&itok=KCAM09uM)
In a world-first, the use of the new advanced material 'graphene' as a fertiliser carrier means Faculty of Sciences’ researchers are creating fertilisers with lower environmental impacts and reduced costs for farmers.
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Grapes suffer internal oxygen shortage during ripening
![Shiraz probe image](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/2018-11/news-grape-oxygen-shiraz-probe.jpg?h=036f3151&itok=rIj2YWid)
Scientists have used a miniature oxygen measuring probe (pictured) for the first time in grapes, to discover how they ‘breathe’ and learn that shortage of oxygen leads to cell death in the grape.
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DNA mapping confirms there are three species of modern elephant
![elephant image](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/2018-11/news-elephant-dna1.jpg?h=036f3151&itok=5NlQbVBd)
A team of international scientists involving the University of Adelaide have published the first map of the elephant family’s genomic history.
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Giant handaxes suggest that different groups of early humans coexisted in ancient Europe
![Stone axeheads](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/2018-11/news-stone-tools.jpg?h=5dabf909&itok=wPyOqjdS)
Even our earliest human ancestors made and used technology - something we can look back on thanks to the lasting nature of stone tools.
#EpicDuckChallenge shows we can count on drones
![Lead author Jarrod Hodgson, University of Adelaide, standing in one of the replica colonies of seabirds constructed for the #EpicDuckChallenge.](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/2018-11/news-duck-drone.jpg?h=036f3151&itok=q1CxjTBQ)
A few thousand rubber ducks, a group of experienced wildlife spotters and a drone have proven the usefulness and accuracy of drones for wildlife monitoring.
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Middle Earth preserved in giant bird dung
![Image caption: Moa skull. Image courtesy Patrick Bürgler/Flickr.](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/2018-11/news-moa-skull-2.jpg?h=d91acf9f&itok=1EDDgPQm)
While the giant birds that once dominated New Zealand are all extinct, a study of their preserved dung has revealed many aspects of their ancient ecosystem, with important insights for ongoing conservation efforts.
Online relinquishment of pets now the norm
![Dog image](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/2018-11/news-doggo.jpg?h=29e5c46f&itok=QPWREWZP)
Online advertising of unwanted pets now makes up a large proportion of pet relinquishments across Australia, a recent University of Adelaide study has confirmed.
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