News: Research
Snails, slugs and stick insects - investigating the dynamics of Australia’s terrestrial invertebrate trade
![Spiny Leaf Insect by Mario Madrona via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-08/spiny-leaf-insect-Mario-Madrona.jpg?h=2f83cd36&itok=UhXydt8h)
For some people, the idea of having tarantulas and scorpions living in their house is a nightmare; for others, keeping insects is a hobby and a passion, writes Charlotte Lassaline.
How do we detect the impact of rising sea levels?
![Soil sulfur isotopes Emily Leyden](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-07/news-emily-sulfur-soil-9004.jpg?h=c4dd2c7b&itok=B2P49xNg)
Scientists have come up with a simple new test to analyse sulfur isotopes which can be used to help investigate chemical changes in water.
[Read more about How do we detect the impact of rising sea levels?]
Scientists find opposite rice proteins work together to promote plant fertility
![Rice field image by Nattapon Jaroenchai from Pixabay](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-07/news-rice-field.jpg?h=6eb229a4&itok=oH0Zb5Lm)
Researchers have discovered new information on how hybrid rice plants maintain male fertility under different day lengths.
[Read more about Scientists find opposite rice proteins work together to promote plant fertility]
Scientists find greener way to extract health-promoting molecules from food waste
![Apples](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-07/news-freshly-picked-apples.jpg?h=6eb229a4&itok=OLA5g0dy)
Scientists show greener process for extracting health-promoting molecules from food waste to use in skincare and pharmaceutical products.
[Read more about Scientists find greener way to extract health-promoting molecules from food waste]
New research centre to accelerate future crop development
![Stuart Roy researcher photo](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2020-10/researcher-photo-stuart-roy.jpg?h=350ff607&itok=a0nADcRo)
University of Adelaide experts are part of a new research centre that will train the next generation of scientists to develop more resilient crops.
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Engineering a virus: What is gain of function research?
![Genetics lab](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-07/genetics-lab-22873_UoA.jpg?h=2f83cd36&itok=KxOBDkmv)
Interview with researcher A/Prof Michael Beard about gain-of-function research, a technique used in virology and genetics to alter the function of a virus.
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Experts refute River Murray estuary claims
![River Murray, Waikerie, South Australia by John Morton (CC by 2.0)](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-07/river-murray-morton-cc2.jpg?h=72a4289f&itok=naytEReA)
Scientists confirm that the lower River Murray was not an estuary more than 7,000 years ago – reinforcing scientific evidence likely to influence important river management policy decisions.
[Read more about Experts refute River Murray estuary claims]
Time to wake up to the illegal trade of sleepy lizards
![Smugglers attempt to disguise shingleback lizards as other freight to the detriment of the animals health and wellbeing.](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-07/news-lizard-shingleback-1183-wa.jpg?h=2f83cd36&itok=EmRx2DZt)
Australian reptiles face serious conservation threats from illegal poaching fuelled by international demand and the exotic pet trade.
[Read more about Time to wake up to the illegal trade of sleepy lizards]
Scientists unearth secrets about the evolution of soil-burrowing cockroaches
![A giant burrowing cockroach (Macropanesthia rhinoceros), a species commonly bought as a pet that can reach up to eight centimetres long and weigh 30 grams. Image by Yi-Kai Tea](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-07/soil-burrowing-cockroach-Macropanesthia_rhinoceros.jpg?h=26ecbb49&itok=dnaAw6FJ)
Evolutionary biologists have assessed the phenomenon of parallelism in soil-burrowing cockroaches for the first time.
[Read more about Scientists unearth secrets about the evolution of soil-burrowing cockroaches ]
Improving vaccine allergy tests
![Allergy test - Credit: MajaMitrovic/Getty Images](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-07/allergy-test-getty.jpg?h=c4dd2c7b&itok=A3p6cLF9)
South Australian researchers have been studying ways to improve tests for allergies to vaccine ingredients.