News: Research
Physics: Uni of Adelaide ranked best in Australasia
![Peter Veitch gravitational waves PM’s Science Prize](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2020-10/peter-veitch-3615.jpg?h=2f83cd36&itok=oySRi06K)
The University of Adelaide is the best university for physics across Australia and New Zealand according to new rankings of the best global universities.
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Plant-based food the flavour of new research facility
![Pulses, including lentils, chickpeas and beans.](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-11/pulses.jpg?h=6eb229a4&itok=rm-tDtG1)
A new international food flavour facility will launch at Waite campus to improve the taste of sustainable, healthy, plant-based food and ingredients.
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Too late for 2050 climate change emissions target
![Professor Tom Wigley](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-10/tom-wigley.jpg?h=a1123756&itok=WqAlBttK)
New research from the University of Adelaide says the 2050 target to reduce climate change emissions is too little and too late.
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Blasting the zombie out of water-saving tech
![A 'zombie idea' is one that persists no matter how much evidence is thrown against it. Photo from iStock.](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-10/zombie-image-istock-photo-by-leolintang-web.jpeg?h=6eb229a4&itok=xfy1_1Wx)
A team of scientists, including experts from the University of Adelaide, suggest that reliance on modern irrigation technologies as a water-use efficiency strategy is a ‘zombie idea’ – one that persists no matter how much evidence is thrown against it.
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Student-led STEM research and technology on show
![Faculty of Sciences Communication Award winners, from left, Mistrel Fetzer Boegheim (1st), Vinuri Silva and Sophie Dolling (2nd), equal third Chris Keneally and Julia Pilowsky.](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-10/ingenuity-sciences-award-winners.jpg?h=2f83cd36&itok=G3LhxpCw)
Emerging scientists showcase their research at Ingenuity, University of Adelaide’s annual interactive expo of STEM projects.
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The illegal wildlife trade has bigger ramifications than you might think
![A vendor display featuring a sulcata tortoise, one of the largest tortoise species in the world, at a reptile trade convention in Florida, USA](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-10/wildlife-trade-tortoise.jpg?h=6eb229a4&itok=mv400uPD)
Scientists have highlighted that the illegal and unsustainable global wildlife trade has bigger ramifications on our everyday lives than you might think.
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Examining Earth’s oldest complex fossils using AI
![Sedimentary layers in Mars photographed by Curiosity rover (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS).](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-10/mars-sedminetary-layers.jpg?h=e8406e0c&itok=AT5gHbtW)
University of Adelaide scientists will develop computer vision and machine-learning techniques to examine the fossil evidence of the Ediacara Biota – the earliest evidence of complex life.
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Can we extract ancient DNA from dinosaurs?
![Tarbosaurus dinosaur by 5350755 from Pixabay](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-10/tarbosaurus-5350755-pb.jpg?h=c4dd2c7b&itok=qMiCSv7T)
Delve into the science behind ancient DNA – what exactly is it, and how easy is it to extract from remains?
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Pollen home delivery sweet for honey bees
![Honey bee visits potted polliniser plant on the back of a slow moving vehicle](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-10/honey-bee-ute-apple-orchard.jpg?h=6eb229a4&itok=esLHd-U3)
Scientists have teamed up with Adelaide Hills growers to improve cross-pollination in netted apple orchards.
Extinction risk of native bee populations increased by bushfires
![The golden-green carpenter bee (Xylocopa (Lestis) aeratus Female)-Xylocopa, is a species especially vulnerable to fire, with much of its habitat burnt during the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires. Image credit James Dorey.](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-10/james-dorey-the-golden-green-carpenter-bee-xylocopa-lestis-aeratus-female-xylocopa-sp.-f-52p-mpe-3x.jpg?h=6eb229a4&itok=mplGVtL1)
The number of threatened Australian native bee species is expected to increase by nearly five-fold after the devastating Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20, according to new research.
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