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Standing under a dark night sky, looking up at the stars and the bright band of the Milky Way, it’s impossible not to feel small. The universe is more vast than our minds can comprehend – yet it all started with a single Big Bang. As far as we can tell, that explosion is still making the universe expand thanks to an invisible, mysterious force called “dark energy”.
How will it all end?
Well, we don’t know. But researchers working to better understand dark energy have now discovered this force might be changing over time. This flies in the face of current cosmology theories and it means the universe might end with a Big Rip. Or maybe even a Big Crunch.
This week, we’ve also continued the rollout of our series looking at scientific misconduct – what it is, and how peer review, the rise of AI, and for-profit scientific publishing all play a role. Next up: what we can do about it.
P.S. This is the 100th issue of our science newsletter! Thanks so much for subscribing. If you’d like to spread the word, we’d love you to forward this email to a friend.
Until next week,
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Signe Dean
Science + Technology Editor
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Rossana Ruggeri, Queensland University of Technology
A project to map galaxies across the universe may have spied cracks in the foundation of our understanding of the cosmos.
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Rebecca Kaiser, University of Tasmania; Hanne E F Nielsen, University of Tasmania
Recent allegations of violence at the SANAE IV Antarctic research base highlight the urgent need to improve safety in remote and extreme places.
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Tim Brodribb, University of Tasmania
Plants shape Earth’s atmosphere by moving carbon and water vapour. New research sheds light on how they learned to do it – and how it may change in future climates.
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William Alexander Donald, UNSW Sydney; Deborah Yates, UNSW Sydney; Merryn Baker, UNSW Sydney
Silicosis is preventable but difficult to detect early. A promising new breath test could change this.
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Aaron Camens, Flinders University; Amy Tschirn, Flinders University; Peter Bishop, Harvard Kennedy School
Musky rat-kangaroos look a bit like a potoroo – but they have a unique trait not shared with any other roos.
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Our most-read science articles this week
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Kamil Zuber, University of South Australia
It’s a first-world problem, but it sure is annoying.
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Stefan B. Williams, University of Sydney
The search will involve a new fleet of underwater robots that can operate independently at depths of up to 6,000 metres for up to 100 hours at a time.
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Hassan Vally, Deakin University
Is our lifespan primarily dictated by our genetics, or do our behaviour and environment play the more important role?
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Ipek Kurtböke, University of the Sunshine Coast
Sea foam is a health hazard. These bacterial smoothies can contain more harmful pathogens than a sewage treatment plant – and you wouldn’t go swimming in sewage.
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Scientific misconduct series
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Lucy Montgomery, Curtin University; Emilia C. Bell, Curtin University; Karl Huang, Curtin University
Some academic publishers have been accused by scientists of being “too greedy” and prioritising profit over research integrity.
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Gail Wilson, Southern Cross University
The peer review process is central to science – but it can be easily manipulated. Improving it is vital to uphold research integrity.
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Jon Whittle, CSIRO; Stefan Harrer, CSIRO
How can the science community minimise the risks but maximise the benefits of AI?
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Nham Tran, University of Technology Sydney
In 2023, more than 10,000 research papers were retracted because of scientific misconduct. But it’s not always deliberate.
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More of this week's coverage
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Nathan Kilah, University of Tasmania
You can’t easily swap one for the other – like chemistry, baking is a precise science.
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Yuhao Dai, Australian National University
Foraminifera have lived almost everywhere in the ocean for millions of years. Their fossilised remains hold a record of Earth’s past.
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Carolyn Nickson, University of Sydney; Bruce Mann, The University of Melbourne; Karen Canfell, University of Sydney
A fundamental shake-up of how we screen women for breast cancer could save more lives from the disease. Here are some options of how this could look.
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Zoe Porter, Monash University; Laurence Orlando, Monash University
Kmart recently pulled a ‘hyaluronic acid cleansing balm’ from its shelves after a teenager was hospitalised with eye pain. But hyaluronic acid itself is usually safe.
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Yucong Wang, University of Newcastle; Bin Li, University of Newcastle
Private companies are now major players in space. How can they be held accountable if they damage the property of others or trash the Moon?
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Rob Nicholls, University of Sydney
Big Tech and Big Pharma are complaining about Australian laws – and it could lead to more tariffs.
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Massey University
New Zealand
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