01 Breakthrough

Platypus help fight (antimicrobial) resistance

Superbugs are bacteria and viruses that were once responsive to treatments, but that build up a resistance and then pass it on to their next generation. They're plucky and hard to fight, and according to the World Health Organisation pose an increasingly serious threat to global health. Thankfully, our scientists have discovered a novel new tool to help combat them: a unique protein fold found in platypus milk. Its antibacterial properties help protect young platypus against bacterial contamination and could provide an alternative to current antimicrobial treatments. So how do you milk a platypus?

02 Research

New submarine tech breath of fresh air

It probably doesn’t bear thinking about if you’re claustrophobic, but on a submarine the only thing in shorter supply than space is oxygen. Submarines are never more vulnerable than when they’re on the surface and exposed, so navies around the world are focused on improving the underwater endurance of their subs. From the moment a sub closes its hatches and dives deep it's full of people emitting carbon dioxide. To help them, we’re testing a new way of removing carbon dioxide from a sub’s atmosphere while it's submerged.

PFAS and groundwater risks

Complex organic compounds known as PFAS were created in the 1940s and became well-known for use in firefighting foam. However, PFAS have more recently come under scrutiny for their contaminant properties and risk to people and the environment. We've completed an audit of peer-reviewed research on the behaviour of PFAS in soils and how they leach into groundwater. Current research indicates that PFAS behave differently in different soils, and some soils are more conducive to leaching than others.

03 Discoveries

04 People

Chillin' out on the job

Paper cuts and faulty standing desks can be annoying, but imagine if your job involved working in minus degree temperatures, being trapped by pack ice and wearing uniforms of protective clothing and survival equipment that can weigh 12 kilos. Such is the daily reality of work in Antarctica. We spoke to some of our scientists who have just returned from the world's driest continent to find out what life is like there. For one, it's very beautiful.

JOBS

Can you manage?

We are looking for State Managers across Australia with CSIRO Business and Infrastructure Services. The SM liaise with both internal and external stakeholders in support of CBIS Property Strategy. With responsibility for optimising the use of our assets, you will ensure quality provision of CBIS services consistent with advice from your Regional Manager.

All that’s fit to print

If you have good experience in STM publishing you may be the person we are looking for to join our Journals Publishing Team within CSIRO Publishing. We have a global reputation for quality products and services, including scholarly journals, all with academic editors leading the peer review process. The Journal Publisher will oversee a portfolio of peer-reviewed journals that serve research communities both nationally and around the globe.

05 Participate

Protecting privacy on social

With the recent revelation that Facebook’s third-party application settings once allowed for large-scale transfer of user’s (and friends-of-user’s) profile data, and one particular instance of that data being passed to now-infamous political marketing firm Cambridge Analytica, it's fair to say the core of our relationship with social media feels different and conflicted. But should you be deleting Facebook? Our Data61 cybersecurity expert, Dr Dali Kafaar, explains what the recent news means for your own social media use.

Damn that's delicious: low-carb cook ups

Two-thirds of Australians are overweight or obese and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is rising at an alarming rate. We undertook one of the largest and most complex diet and lifestyle intervention studies in Australia, and in 2017 used the data to create the CSIRO Low-Carb Diet to help Aussies battling this disease. We've updated our low-carb diet book with more recipes and updated science. We’ve even got a little taste test that you can try out right now.

Watch Our insect collection goes digital