New research highlights the unique dilemma faced by Sydney's koala population. Populations in south-western Sydney are among the very few in New South Wales still free of chlamydia, a highly contagious disease causing infertility that has severely diminished populations elsewhere in the continent's eastern states. However, analysis of these koalas shows how vulnerable they are to environmental threats and outbreaks of disease. Highly inbred and with low genetic diversity, they are less likely to adapt to the disease should it arrive on their doorstep.

Perovskite solar cells could last ten times longer thanks to new research, which suggests alumina nanoparticles significantly enhance the lifespan and stability of these high-efficiency energy devices.

A team has shown that artificial photosynthesis is feasible using organic materials. Using the technique, they successfully synthesized useful organic compounds, including pharmaceutical materials, and 'green' hydrogen, which is a next-generation renewable energy source, from waste organic materials using sunlight and water. Their findings are expected to contribute to the production of medicinal and agricultural chemicals as well as sustainable energy initiatives.

The balance between two types of molecules -- reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) -- plays a crucial role in tackling drug-resistant bacteria, according to a new study.

Researchers observed a rise in adult central nervous system (CNS) infections, primarily aseptic meningitis caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), post-2019. The researchers highlighted the potential of zoster vaccination to reduce CNS infections. Meanwhile, CNS infection by herpesviruses, including VZV, may contribute to the progression of dementia. Furthermore, the potential effect of zoster vaccines in preventing dementia progression by reducing VZV reactivation has also been highlighted.

Climate change poses a particular risk to pine trees growing in dry areas, a new study conducted in an urban recreational forest in Helsinki shows.

Researchers use a unique barcoding system to track K. pneumoniae bacteria as it moved throughout the body.

As in larger brains, mouse visual cortex neurons with the same function cluster in columns.

Astronauts often experience immune dysfunction, skin rashes, and other inflammatory conditions while traveling in space. A new study suggests that these issues could be due to the excessively sterile nature of spacecraft. The study showed that the International Space Station (ISS) has a much lower diversity of microbes compared to human-built environments on Earth, and the microbes that are present are mostly species carried by humans onto the ISS, suggesting that the presence of more microbes from nature could help improve human health in the space station.

Researchers examined dozens of bird species in museum collections looking for differences in the feathers and bodies between birds that can fly and birds that can't. They found that when birds evolve from a flying ancestor to a new flightless form, the birds' bodies, including the ratio of their wings and tails, change before the feathers do. Insights from this research could help scientists trying to determine whether a fossil bird, or a feathered dinosaur that isn't part of the bird family, was able to fly.

A new study has identified a genetic circuit in plants that controls individual leaf growth and allows the plants to adapt to their environment. The findings could help the development of more drought-resistant crops.

Conservation strategies are turning back the doomsday clock in threatened Florida-Scrub Jays -- but not without caveats, a new study shows.