Converting the science beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheets into future sea level projections
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Hundreds of kilometres beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet lie vast and dynamic subglacial water systems comprised of large lakes, drainage networks and channelised flow paths that fill and drain over a wide range of timescales, from days to decades, and possibly longer. Despite their surrounding below-freezing conditions, these waters remain in liquid form, due to... Read More »
Spotlight on better sleep for families of children living with neurodisability
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
When Jasneek Chawla commenced her PhD evaluating the impact of sleep interventions on children with Down syndrome, she didn’t realise just how deeply many families of children with disability were struggling. “Each time I did a clinic I could see families struggling. Struggling with all aspects of life. Time and time again these families were... Read More »
A climate on thin ice? Scientists study Antarctic sea ice loss, threats to climate, ecosystems and beyond
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Antarctica and its extraordinary icy landscapes may not be on our minds daily. Yet, this icy continent is changing rapidly, and these transformations are influencing everything from sea levels to ecosystems. On most maps, Antarctica is shown as a thin strip at the bottom of the world. For oceanographers, however, Antarctica lies at the centre... Read More »
AIPS refreshed brand
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
We’ve refreshed our look & reaffirmed our purpose! At the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS), we champion science where it matters most – across communities, classrooms, and policy. Our refreshed brand reflects a future where curiosity is celebrated, science is part of everyday life, and every learner is empowered to ask bold questions... Read More »
NSW’s 2025 Young Tall Poppy Science Awards
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
On Friday 5th September, the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS) proudly hosted the 2025 Young Tall Poppy Science Awards in New South Wales —an evening that brought together some of the state’s most inspiring early-career researchers, each making waves in their fields and transforming the way science connects with society. From decoding the... Read More »
The science of traumatic brain injury, rewired
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
The science of traumatic brain injury, rewired Over 300,000 traumatic brain injuries are reported each year, though actual numbers are potentially tens of thousands more as data reflects cases presented to hospitals only. They range from people with concussions (classed as ‘mild’ brain injury) to people who spend days, or weeks in a coma and... Read More »
Getting to the root cause of gastroparesis
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Nausea. Vomiting. Abdominal pain. Feeling full quickly after eating. These are some of the symptoms of gastroparesis, or ‘delayed gastric emptying’ – and there is no known cure. Gastroenterologist Dr Vincent Ho, clinical project director of Western Sydney University’s GI Motility Disorders Unit together with other gastroenterology motility specialists is developing new diagnostics and treatment... Read More »
Young Tall Poppy - SA winners
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Introducing our 2025 Young Tall Poppy Science Award winners – South Australia! • A/Prof Courtney Ryder • Dr Sarah Scholten • Dr Georgina Falster • Dr Sarah Boyle • Dr Ben Singh • Dr Amy Hutchinson • Dr Nina Wootton • Dr Ashokkumar Manohara These brilliant researchers are leading the way in discovery and making... Read More »
Tackling communication challenges that are hard to talk about
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Every 19 minutes, someone in Australia will have a stroke. One-third of those stroke survivors will have aphasia, a condition affecting their ability to communicate – to speak, understand, read, write, use numbers and gestures. More than 140,000 Australians are living with aphasia – and without timely intervention, aphasia can lead to concerning psychosocial outcomes,... Read More »
Cracking the myths of osteoarthritis treatment
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Cracking the myths of osteoarthritis treatment: Why exercise, not surgery, should be the first step Some 2.2 million Australians, or 1 in 4 people over 55 live with knee or hip osteoarthritis. Within 15 years, this figure will reach 3.1 million. Osteoarthritis is the 14th highest cause of disability and rising, costing $4.3 billion annually in... Read More »
COME SKY WITH ME
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Shooting across the sky at 15km per second, its bright green and blue flashes were visible for a phenomenal nine seconds. The Mother’s Day Meteorite’s entry into the earth’s atmosphere was observed from inner city Perth, and all the way out past Kalgoorlie, to Leonora, two hours north of Kalgoorlie, more than 600km to the... Read More »
From camp to clinic: how movement is reshaping mental health care approaches
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
On a visit to the Rohingya refugee settlement in Bangladesh, a scene that stayed with Simon Rosenbaum, Professor of Psychiatry and Mental Health at UNSW, was seeing children playing soccer. The match was led by a local coach who knew every name and each story. “Sometimes you’d see hundreds of people gathered for a single... Read More »
Rethinking skin science to improve wound healing
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
No parent wants to face the moment when a surgeon needs to cut burned tissue from their child’s body. But for many families, it’s a painful reality, particularly as children under five represent the highest hospitalisation rate for burns in Australia. For clinicians, one of the biggest challenges is knowing how a child’s burn is... Read More »
Coral Nutrition: the key to help corals survive and thrive
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
It looked like a little underwater rave. Neon pink, vibrant yellow, and bold blue coral formations lit up the ocean floor off Ko Tao Island, Thailand. For Jennifer Matthews, fresh from an undergraduate degree in biology, the experience was love at first dive. “When I surfaced, the dive instructor explained that those colours were stress... Read More »
Can Australian innovation turn the tide on soft plastic waste?
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
The plastics industry is growing, and it’s a growing problem. Greater Sydney will run out of landfill capacity by 2030 unless major action is taken. Soft plastics — highly susceptible to fire as they are made from crude oil — are stockpiled in warehouses across Victoria following the demise of RedCycle and they have now... Read More »
Hearing voices within: Inner speech and schizophrenia
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Many of us talk to ourselves in our minds–rehearsing conversations, reflecting on our day, or even just narrating life as it unfolds. This internal monologue is known as inner speech, and it’s a normal part of human thought. But in schizophrenia, something is different. For some people, this internal monologue can take on a life... Read More »
Grassroots science fuels two decades of turtle conservation
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Almost half of Australia’s freshwater turtles are now listed as vulnerable, or worse. But in south-east Queensland’s Mary River, the endangered Mary River turtle is being given a fighting chance — thanks to an extraordinary 22-year collaboration between the local community (landholders, Landcare, volunteers) and researchers. Sixteen years ago, the then-PhD student Mariana Campbell (and... Read More »
Why older people are at risk of severe flu infections
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Fewer killer T cells, which are also less efficient and weaker reinforcements: During World Immunisation Week, we look at revelations about how the body responds to influenza over time – and new research reveals why older people are at higher risk of severe influenza infection. KEY FINDINGS: > Older people are at higher risk of... Read More »
VR ‘trainer’ transforms workplace aggression and violence training
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Exposure to workplace aggression and violence (WAV) in healthcare settings is stressful for staff, and a big burden on budgets. A virtual reality (VR) enhanced training tool pioneered by researchers at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia could soon be set to change things. The Simulation & Immersive Digital Technology Group (SIDTG) operating out of... Read More »
60 years of science + AI drives Australia-first groundwater recharge tool
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Fresh water quenches our thirst, is used to grow our food, and sustains our rivers, springs, and wetlands, as well as the ecosystems they support. You may not think about it, but most of the world’s fresh water, 98% in fact, is stored out of sight, and out of mind. That is, most of the... Read More »
Dr Matt Baker and the bacterial flagellar motor
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Matt Baker, Scientia Associate Professor in the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science at UNSW Sydney shares his passion for nature’s oldest motor, the bacterial flagellar motor. Q. Tell us about your passion for the bacterial flagellar motor. Where did this desire to unlock its origin come from, and what fascinates you about it? One... Read More »
Shift workers’ sleep disorders often left untreated for long periods
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Sleep disorders — left unmanaged — have safety implications for our workplaces and on our roads. Drivers with sleep disorders are more than twice as likely to be involved in road traffic accidents. Sleep disorders pose a risk for poor mental health and declining physical health, too. The Australian Raine Study found that by middle... Read More »
Could advances in neuroscience help turn negative thinkers into better thinkers?
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Could it one day be possible to ‘read’ people’s innermost thoughts? Could advances in neuroscience help turn negative thinkers into better thinkers? “Imagine a future where, just by measuring brain activity, we could understand thought patterns — helping people with anxiety or depression shift their negative self-talk toward a healthier inner dialogue.” Dr Bradley Jack,... Read More »
Is there an association between untreated hearing loss and dementia?
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
On World Hearing Day, we look at the association between untreated hearing loss and dementia. In 2025, an estimated 433,300 Australians are living with dementia. Without a medical breakthrough, these numbers are predicted to double by 2058*. Nearly half (45%) of dementia cases are associated with several potentially modifiable risk factors. Among these, hearing loss... Read More »
Include seagrasses in carbon credits to rally finance and drive ecosystem protection!
By Bree on October 10th, 2025 in AIPS News
Professor Peter Macreadie, Director of the RMIT Centre for Nature Positive Solutions and the Blue Carbon Lab, along with a consortium of scientists at are calling for greater collaboration across science, policy and industry to help establish seagrass carbon credits and – ultimately – achieve real-world impact. “Policy is key – it is the ‘stick’... Read More »