University of Sydney scientists working with an international team using the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, have made an important step towards the discovery of the Higgs boson - a theoretical particle that physicists predict will explain why matter has mass.
Two University of Sydney scientists have won Australian Innovation Challenge awards for their research - Professor Marcela Bilek, from the School of Physics, and team have won the Health award and Professor Rick Shine, from the School of Biological Sciences, has won the Environment award.
What will our Sun look like in five billion years? It will have a fast spinning core and slow spinning surface, according to an international team of scientists, including University of Sydney astronomers Professor Tim Bedding and Dr Dennis Stello. The team has discovered that old stars called 'red giants' have slowed down on the outside, while their cores spin at least ten times faster than their outer layers.
Professor Rick Shine, from the School of Biological Sciences, and Dr Mat Todd, from the School of Chemistry, have won NSW Science and Engineering Awards, announced at a ceremony at Government House on 23 November 2011.
Sustainable ways to produce plastics, foams, paints and other everyday materials could be the outcome of a $10 million, four-year project about to commence at the University of Sydney.
Carl Recsei, a PhD student in the School of Chemistry supervised by Dr Chris McErlean, has won the Australia-Israel Scientific Exchange Foundation Postgraduate Fellow award, which will allow him to spend six months at the Technion in Israel in 2012.
In the remote waters of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth, scientists have just discovered two sunken islands, almost the size of Tasmania, which were once part of the supercontinent Gondwana.
Lindsay Soutar, a geography tutor in the School of Geosciences, former Australian Mekong Resource Centre staff member, and previous Geography Honours student, has won the 2011 Environment Minister's Young Environmentalist of the Year Award.
High school students from the Macarthur District will probe plants, pets and pests as they take part in a range of science-based activities at the University of Sydney's Camden Open Day on Friday 18 November 2011.
There are three rules that govern social interactions: attraction, repulsion and the actions of one close neighbour. Or at least that's the case for the social interactions of animals in large groups, allowing them to move in synchronised formations, as found by James Herbert-Read, Dr Tim Schaerf and Associate Professor Ashley Ward, from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Sydney.
Four University of Sydney scientists have won Young Tall Poppy Science Awards from the Australian Institute of Policy and Science, announced at an awards ceremony on 3 November 2011.
Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, the Julius Sumner Miller Fellow in the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney, is the face of the YouTube Space Lab competition for the Asia Pacific region.
Come on a culinary adventure of foams, froths and frozen treats when Professor Hervé This, one of the two fathers of molecular gastronomy, presents at the Sydney Science Forum: 'An explosive night of molecular gastronomy' on 25 October 2011.
One of the best tricks of making a horror movie is not to show too much, allowing the imagination to create the monster. We can't see molecules, which is what makes them scary. We fill this vacuum with fairy stories about what molecules are. We stereotype them as toxic, or dangerous.
Including enough protein in our diets, rather than simply cutting calories, is the key to curbing appetites and preventing excessive consumption of fats and carbohydrates, a new study led by Dr Alison Gosby, from the School of Biological Sciences, has found.
Researchers in the Faculty of Science have been successful in securing National Health and Medical Research Council funding for more than $4.41 million in NHMRC Project Grants, plus an NHMRC - European Union Collaborative Research Grant worth $887 250, a Research Fellowship worth $794 860 and an Early Career Fellowship worth $313 788 to start in 2012.
Associate Professor Min Chen, from the School of Biological Sciences, has won the Science Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year, part of the prestigious Prime Minister's Prizes for Science.
A pit of writhing snakes - that's what the first picture of turbulent gas in our Milky Way looks like. Professor Bryan Gaensler, from the School of Physics, and his team used a CSIRO radio telescope in eastern Australia to make the groundbreaking image, published in Nature.
The University of Sydney has been ranked first in Australia, first in the Oceania region, and 53rd in the world in the SCImago Institutions Rankings World Report 2011, which measures international rankings of scientific output.
Suzie Ferrie, a PhD student in the School of Molecular Bioscience, has won the University of Sydney's Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, where she had to explain her research in three minutes to a non-science audience.
What is Australia's biggest drug problem? How do people become addicted to drugs? Are party drugs like Ecstasy and Miaow-Miaow really dangerous? Join Professor Iain McGregor, from the University of Sydney's School of Psychology, on an intriguing journey as he answers these questions and introduces you to psychopharmacology - the study of how drugs affect behaviour - in his free Sydney Science Forum talk on 14 September.
All of the University of Sydney finalists at last night's Eureka Prizes took out the top prize in their category, from a physicist leading research into faster and more energy efficient communications technologies, to a team of veterinary scientists exposing questionable ethics in the racing industry.
A generous gift of $5 million from one of Australia's leading businessmen will enable the University of Sydney to make major advances in the exciting new field of nanoscience.
How can you avoid people who are fakers? We're one step closer with a new book by Dr Carolyn MacCann, from the University of Sydney's School of Psychology, along with Dr Richard D. Roberts from the Educational Testing Service, USA, and Professor Matthias Ziegler from Humboldt University, Germany, called 'New perspectives on faking in personality assessments'.
The science world is abuzz with news of a new platform technology developed by physicists at the University of Sydney - technology that can be used in areas as diverse as disease detection through to biofuel production.
Eight scientists from the University of Sydney's Division of Natural Sciences have been named as finalists in the prestigious Eureka Prizes, announced on 12 August 2011.
Sydneysiders sometimes feel swept up in the rat race, but there's a real rat race coming to bushland around Sydney Harbour, when University of Sydney ecologists introduce populations of native bush rats, called Boguls, to bushland locations on 11 August 2011. The new Bogul populations will not only reinstate a native species to these areas, but also potentially reduce the populations of pest black rats as the Boguls compete for territory and resources.
Imagine if we could make cells that would help us tackle today's challenges - cells that could clean up oil spills, produce fuel, break down waste and even improve our health. Find out how Synthetic Biology is allowing scientists to reprogramme life from manufactured genomes, at Dr Jim Haseloff's free Sydney Science Forum talk at the University of Sydney on Wednesday 10 August 2011.
Come hear Tara Diversi, from the Discipline of Nutrition and Metabolism in the School of Molecular Bioscience, talk on the topic of 'From Trakkies to Bikinis' on Tuesday 2 August as part of the Xchange series of talks run at The Ivy.
Soil is not just a mysterious underworld, but a critical part of the system that fosters human life. Find out how human health is intrinsically linked to soil health, and how we are in danger if we don't effectively manage soil, at Professor John Crawford's free Sydney Science Forum talk at the University of Sydney on Wednesday 3 August 2011.
Meeting the monsters beneath our feet, making super conductors float mid-air, learning about great chemical disasters and meeting Dr Karl are just some of the exciting experiences school students attending Science in the City in August 2011 will enjoy.
John Moraes, a PhD student working with Associate Professor Sébastien Perrier and Professor Thomas Maschmeyer in the School of Chemistry, has won Tech on Tap - a science communication competition giving PhD students and researchers the opportunity to explain their research, and how it will benefit society, in 2.5 minutes.
Professor Jennie Brand-Miller, from the School of Molecular Bioscience, has been made a Member of the Order of Australia, announced in the Queen's Birthday Honours on 13 June 2011.
Sydneysiders sometimes feel swept up in the rat race, but there's a real rat race coming to bushland around Sydney Harbour, when University of Sydney ecologists introduce populations of native bush rats, called Boguls, to bushland locations in July. The new Bogul populations will not only reinstate a native species to these areas, but also potentially reduce the populations of pest black rats as the Boguls compete for territory and resources.
Professor Bryan Gaensler, from the School of Physics at the University of Sydney, and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO), was invited to present as a guest speaker at TEDxSydney on Saturday 28 May 2011. TEDxSydney is a local version of the US-based TED enterprise which brings together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment and Design.
The Faculty of Science has been successful in securing funding from the Australian Research Council for six Linkage Projects worth $2.438 million in total, to start in July 2011. ARC Linkage Projects link researchers in higher education with partner organisations outside of the higher education sector to conduct collaborative research in any discipline.
Come hear Dr Ian Johnston, from the School of Psychology, talk on the topic of 'The Science of Sex Appeal' on Tuesday 7 June as part of the Xchange series of talks run at The Ivy.
Research into the most sensitive measurement of force yet recorded has earned Dr Michael Biercuk, from the School of Physics, the National Measurement Institute Prize for excellence in measurement techniques by a scientist under 35.
Having a 'broken' or a 'heavy' heart is a description often used by people who are feeling down or depressed. It turns out they're not that far off the mark.
Groundbreaking research in quantum light source, led by the University of Sydney, will result in information speeds many times faster and data that is almost impossible to hack.
Robots are revolutionising how we explore our oceans. Find out what this new era of ocean exploration means when Professor Tony Haymet, Director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, USA, presents his free public talk 'The Blue Future: The robotic exploration of the oceans' as part of the Sydney Science Forum on Wednesday 20 April 2011.
CUDOS - the Centre for Ultrahigh bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems - was officially launched on 6 April 2011 by Senator Kim Carr, the federal Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, at an event held in the MacLaurin Hall at the University of Sydney.
When should we listen to scientists? And why should we consider what they say with any more authority than other voices in debates? Find out at a free public event on 8 April 2011 or the whole Authority of Science Conference from 8 to 10 April 2011.
In an exciting experiment with major implications for food production under climate change, Dr Nathan Lo, from the School of Biological Sciences, with colleagues at CSIRO, have found that allowing ants and termites to flourish increased a wheat crop's yield by more than one third.
We can't always believe our eyes - we've all experienced visual illusions where our brains create visions of objects that aren't actually there. Why this happens is often explained in terms of our brains filling in the gaps logically: we see what is most likely to be there. However, Professor Bart Anderson, from the School of Psychology at the University of Sydney, has discovered new forms of visual illusions which cause the brain to create highly improbable shapes that aren't there.
Three scientists from the Faculty of Science have been honoured by being elected as Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science. Professor Trevor Hambley, Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Thomas Maschmeyer, from the School of Chemistry, and Professor Ross McPhedran, from the School of Physics, were named as new Fellows on 23 March 2011.
Professor Edward Holmes, an internationally renowned infectious diseases expert, has won a five-year, $4 million National Health and Medical Research Council Australia Fellowship to conduct research jointly at the School of Biological Sciences and Sydney Institute for Emerging and Infectious Diseases.
Come hear Tim Jarvis, environmental scientist and renowned explorer, recount his recent unassisted expeditions to both polar regions and share his intriguing environmental findings, when he presents his Sydney Science Forum public talk 'Life and Death in Antarctica' on 16 March 2011.
Come along to the free science lectures in this year's Sydney Science Forum for the latest in scientific research, ideas, possibilities and innovations.
Turns out social networking is not just a fun way to fill time - it can also be life saving. New research led by Associate Professor Ashley Ward, in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Sydney, shows for the first time that larger social groups make faster and more accurate decisions. This crucial benefit may have been important in promoting the evolution of sociality, a strategy used by a huge variety of animals from ants to humans.
Dr Anthony Henderson, from the School of Mathematics and Statistics, has won the 2011 Christopher Heyde Medal from the Australian Academy of Science - the first time the medal and $10 000 prize has been awarded.
Professor Ruth Hall, from the School of Molecular Bioscience, has won the prestigious 2012 Macfarlane Burnet Medal and Lecture from the Australian Academy of Science.
The results from an online survey will enable groundbreaking research into internet gambling, one of the fastest growing forms of gambling in Australia.
Expand all
University of Sydney scientists working with an international team using the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, have made an important step towards the discovery of the Higgs boson - a theoretical particle that physicists predict will explain why matter has mass.
Two University of Sydney scientists have won Australian Innovation Challenge awards for their research - Professor Marcela Bilek, from the School of Physics, and team have won the Health award and Professor Rick Shine, from the School of Biological Sciences, has won the Environment award. 
What will our Sun look like in five billion years? It will have a fast spinning core and slow spinning surface, according to an international team of scientists, including University of Sydney astronomers Professor Tim Bedding and Dr Dennis Stello. The team has discovered that old stars called 'red giants' have slowed down on the outside, while their cores spin at least ten times faster than their outer layers.
Professor Rick Shine, from the School of Biological Sciences, and Dr Mat Todd, from the School of Chemistry, have won NSW Science and Engineering Awards, announced at a ceremony at Government House on 23 November 2011.
Sustainable ways to produce plastics, foams, paints and other everyday materials could be the outcome of a $10 million, four-year project about to commence at the University of Sydney.
Carl Recsei, a PhD student in the School of Chemistry supervised by Dr Chris McErlean, has won the Australia-Israel Scientific Exchange Foundation Postgraduate Fellow award, which will allow him to spend six months at the Technion in Israel in 2012.
In the remote waters of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth, scientists have just discovered two sunken islands, almost the size of Tasmania, which were once part of the supercontinent Gondwana.
Lindsay Soutar, a geography tutor in the School of Geosciences, former Australian Mekong Resource Centre staff member, and previous Geography Honours student, has won the 2011 Environment Minister's Young Environmentalist of the Year Award. 
High school students from the Macarthur District will probe plants, pets and pests as they take part in a range of science-based activities at the University of Sydney's Camden Open Day on Friday 18 November 2011.
There are three rules that govern social interactions: attraction, repulsion and the actions of one close neighbour. Or at least that's the case for the social interactions of animals in large groups, allowing them to move in synchronised formations, as found by James Herbert-Read, Dr Tim Schaerf and Associate Professor Ashley Ward, from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Sydney.
Four University of Sydney scientists have won Young Tall Poppy Science Awards from the Australian Institute of Policy and Science, announced at an awards ceremony on 3 November 2011.
Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, the Julius Sumner Miller Fellow in the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney, is the face of the YouTube Space Lab competition for the Asia Pacific region. 
Come on a culinary adventure of foams, froths and frozen treats when Professor Hervé This, one of the two fathers of molecular gastronomy, presents at the Sydney Science Forum: 'An explosive night of molecular gastronomy' on 25 October 2011. 
One of the best tricks of making a horror movie is not to show too much, allowing the imagination to create the monster. We can't see molecules, which is what makes them scary. We fill this vacuum with fairy stories about what molecules are. We stereotype them as toxic, or dangerous.
Including enough protein in our diets, rather than simply cutting calories, is the key to curbing appetites and preventing excessive consumption of fats and carbohydrates, a new study led by Dr Alison Gosby, from the School of Biological Sciences, has found.
Researchers in the Faculty of Science have been successful in securing National Health and Medical Research Council funding for more than $4.41 million in NHMRC Project Grants, plus an NHMRC - European Union Collaborative Research Grant worth $887 250, a Research Fellowship worth $794 860 and an Early Career Fellowship worth $313 788 to start in 2012.
Associate Professor Min Chen, from the School of Biological Sciences, has won the Science Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year, part of the prestigious Prime Minister's Prizes for Science. 
A pit of writhing snakes - that's what the first picture of turbulent gas in our Milky Way looks like. Professor Bryan Gaensler, from the School of Physics, and his team used a CSIRO radio telescope in eastern Australia to make the groundbreaking image, published in Nature.
The University of Sydney has been ranked first in Australia, first in the Oceania region, and 53rd in the world in the SCImago Institutions Rankings World Report 2011, which measures international rankings of scientific output.
Suzie Ferrie, a PhD student in the School of Molecular Bioscience, has won the University of Sydney's Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, where she had to explain her research in three minutes to a non-science audience. 
What is Australia's biggest drug problem? How do people become addicted to drugs? Are party drugs like Ecstasy and Miaow-Miaow really dangerous? Join Professor Iain McGregor, from the University of Sydney's School of Psychology, on an intriguing journey as he answers these questions and introduces you to psychopharmacology - the study of how drugs affect behaviour - in his free Sydney Science Forum talk on 14 September.
The sky is no longer the limit, with CAASTRO - the new ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics - launched on 12 September 2011.
All of the University of Sydney finalists at last night's Eureka Prizes took out the top prize in their category, from a physicist leading research into faster and more energy efficient communications technologies, to a team of veterinary scientists exposing questionable ethics in the racing industry.
A generous gift of $5 million from one of Australia's leading businessmen will enable the University of Sydney to make major advances in the exciting new field of nanoscience.
How can you avoid people who are fakers? We're one step closer with a new book by Dr Carolyn MacCann, from the University of Sydney's School of Psychology, along with Dr Richard D. Roberts from the Educational Testing Service, USA, and Professor Matthias Ziegler from Humboldt University, Germany, called 'New perspectives on faking in personality assessments'.
The science world is abuzz with news of a new platform technology developed by physicists at the University of Sydney - technology that can be used in areas as diverse as disease detection through to biofuel production.
Eight scientists from the University of Sydney's Division of Natural Sciences have been named as finalists in the prestigious Eureka Prizes, announced on 12 August 2011. 
Sydneysiders sometimes feel swept up in the rat race, but there's a real rat race coming to bushland around Sydney Harbour, when University of Sydney ecologists introduce populations of native bush rats, called Boguls, to bushland locations on 11 August 2011. The new Bogul populations will not only reinstate a native species to these areas, but also potentially reduce the populations of pest black rats as the Boguls compete for territory and resources. 
Imagine if we could make cells that would help us tackle today's challenges - cells that could clean up oil spills, produce fuel, break down waste and even improve our health. Find out how Synthetic Biology is allowing scientists to reprogramme life from manufactured genomes, at Dr Jim Haseloff's free Sydney Science Forum talk at the University of Sydney on Wednesday 10 August 2011.
Come hear Tara Diversi, from the Discipline of Nutrition and Metabolism in the School of Molecular Bioscience, talk on the topic of 'From Trakkies to Bikinis' on Tuesday 2 August as part of the Xchange series of talks run at The Ivy.
Soil is not just a mysterious underworld, but a critical part of the system that fosters human life. Find out how human health is intrinsically linked to soil health, and how we are in danger if we don't effectively manage soil, at Professor John Crawford's free Sydney Science Forum talk at the University of Sydney on Wednesday 3 August 2011. 
Meeting the monsters beneath our feet, making super conductors float mid-air, learning about great chemical disasters and meeting Dr Karl are just some of the exciting experiences school students attending Science in the City in August 2011 will enjoy.
John Moraes, a PhD student working with Associate Professor Sébastien Perrier and Professor Thomas Maschmeyer in the School of Chemistry, has won Tech on Tap - a science communication competition giving PhD students and researchers the opportunity to explain their research, and how it will benefit society, in 2.5 minutes.
Professor Jennie Brand-Miller, from the School of Molecular Bioscience, has been made a Member of the Order of Australia, announced in the Queen's Birthday Honours on 13 June 2011.
Professor Bryan Gaensler, from the School of Physics at the University of Sydney, and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO), was invited to present as a guest speaker at TEDxSydney on Saturday 28 May 2011. TEDxSydney is a local version of the US-based TED enterprise which brings together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment and Design.
The Faculty of Science has been successful in securing funding from the Australian Research Council for six Linkage Projects worth $2.438 million in total, to start in July 2011. ARC Linkage Projects link researchers in higher education with partner organisations outside of the higher education sector to conduct collaborative research in any discipline.
Come hear Dr Ian Johnston, from the School of Psychology, talk on the topic of 'The Science of Sex Appeal' on Tuesday 7 June as part of the Xchange series of talks run at The Ivy. 
Research into the most sensitive measurement of force yet recorded has earned Dr Michael Biercuk, from the School of Physics, the National Measurement Institute Prize for excellence in measurement techniques by a scientist under 35.
Having a 'broken' or a 'heavy' heart is a description often used by people who are feeling down or depressed. It turns out they're not that far off the mark.
Groundbreaking research in quantum light source, led by the University of Sydney, will result in information speeds many times faster and data that is almost impossible to hack.
A Faculty of Science astronomy team has developed a way of finding the truly massive stars in our Milky Way.
Robots are revolutionising how we explore our oceans. Find out what this new era of ocean exploration means when Professor Tony Haymet, Director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, USA, presents his free public talk 'The Blue Future: The robotic exploration of the oceans' as part of the Sydney Science Forum on Wednesday 20 April 2011.
CUDOS - the Centre for Ultrahigh bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems - was officially launched on 6 April 2011 by Senator Kim Carr, the federal Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, at an event held in the MacLaurin Hall at the University of Sydney.
On Wednesday 6 April, join David Malouf and Barry Jones in this Royal Society of NSW lecture.
When should we listen to scientists? And why should we consider what they say with any more authority than other voices in debates? Find out at a free public event on 8 April 2011 or the whole Authority of Science Conference from 8 to 10 April 2011. 
In an exciting experiment with major implications for food production under climate change, Dr Nathan Lo, from the School of Biological Sciences, with colleagues at CSIRO, have found that allowing ants and termites to flourish increased a wheat crop's yield by more than one third.
We can't always believe our eyes - we've all experienced visual illusions where our brains create visions of objects that aren't actually there. Why this happens is often explained in terms of our brains filling in the gaps logically: we see what is most likely to be there. However, Professor Bart Anderson, from the School of Psychology at the University of Sydney, has discovered new forms of visual illusions which cause the brain to create highly improbable shapes that aren't there. 
Three scientists from the Faculty of Science have been honoured by being elected as Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science. Professor Trevor Hambley, Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Thomas Maschmeyer, from the School of Chemistry, and Professor Ross McPhedran, from the School of Physics, were named as new Fellows on 23 March 2011.
Professor Edward Holmes, an internationally renowned infectious diseases expert, has won a five-year, $4 million National Health and Medical Research Council Australia Fellowship to conduct research jointly at the School of Biological Sciences and Sydney Institute for Emerging and Infectious Diseases.
Come hear Tim Jarvis, environmental scientist and renowned explorer, recount his recent unassisted expeditions to both polar regions and share his intriguing environmental findings, when he presents his Sydney Science Forum public talk 'Life and Death in Antarctica' on 16 March 2011.
Come along to the free science lectures in this year's Sydney Science Forum for the latest in scientific research, ideas, possibilities and innovations.
Turns out social networking is not just a fun way to fill time - it can also be life saving. New research led by Associate Professor Ashley Ward, in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Sydney, shows for the first time that larger social groups make faster and more accurate decisions. This crucial benefit may have been important in promoting the evolution of sociality, a strategy used by a huge variety of animals from ants to humans.
Dr Anthony Henderson, from the School of Mathematics and Statistics, has won the 2011 Christopher Heyde Medal from the Australian Academy of Science - the first time the medal and $10 000 prize has been awarded.
Professor Ruth Hall, from the School of Molecular Bioscience, has won the prestigious 2012 Macfarlane Burnet Medal and Lecture from the Australian Academy of Science. 
The results from an online survey will enable groundbreaking research into internet gambling, one of the fastest growing forms of gambling in Australia.