LIVING LANDSCAPES: EXPLORING FIRST NATIONS’ ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING
e c spa
Is this the telescope that will finally detect dark matt er?
h c t a W s
th i
ISSUE 103 THE SCIENCE OF EVERYTHING
YT
ES
G B on N i P I rm T Y a at O L I ng n D wo A isi ng F R E it ni O he g t l Di ow CE g a S N in nd N dr O I E ack c a TI r SC p d s PO fo Un o o S’ p bl N e A de s C E g ug O vin dr Di ew n
522008
AU $17.00 NZ $19.00
9 771832
103
CONTENTS 58 40
FEATURES
09
30
Dispatches from the world of science 10 Speed-checking neutron star jets 13 First Nations pottery find 16 Focus: Ancient animals 17 Guess the object 18 How fast can a wombat really run? 22 Webb Watch
Drew Rooke delves beneath the surface to explore the history and future of medical breakthroughs found in the ocean’s depths.
DIGEST
26
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
Head back into Tasmania’s tall eucalypt forests to get the news on the Grove of Giants. Lauren Fuge reports.
28
NEXT BIG THING
For the past decades it’s been all about lithium, but what about sodium? Maria Forsyth builds the battery of the future.
DEEP DIVING FOR DRUGS
40
INDIGENOUS INNOVATIONS
Oral history meets science in WA, where Cat Williams joins the students and Elders documenting Noongar knowledge.
48
OUR DARK MATERIALS
Could a new telescope solve the universe’s biggest mystery? Martin White gives us a sneak peek at the team searching for dark matter – using gamma rays.
58
WORM-POWERED ATHLETES
You’ve heard about the scandals, but do you know the science? Matthew Ward Agius explains blood doping.
4 COSMOS MAGAZINE
FROM TOP: GREG BARTON / MIDJOURNEY. STEVE HOPPPER.
REGULARS
COSMOS 103 WINTER 2024
S
48 66
WILDLIFE WONDERS
Take a look inside the lives of all creatures great and small in this issue’s gallery.
74
MIRROR WORLDS
Can an entire nation be digitised before it disappears? Prianka Srinivasan explores the ways digital-twin technology can help us respond to the climate crisis.
30
84
CONDENSED MATTERS
We’re living in the golden age of a field of physics you may never have heard of, according to Evrim Yazgin, who takes us to the heart of the matter.
90
FROM TOP: MATTHEW BUGEJA. NASA SCIENTIFIC VISUALIZATION STUDIO. QI (KEVIN) GE / SUTD.
ENRICHING BUSH FOODS
David Hancock heads to the Kimberley to find the researchers improving biodiversity and restoring food sovereignity for First Nations communities.
ZEITGEIST
98
98
NEXT-GEN PRINTING
Denise Cullen meets the materials scientists fabricating 4D devices that can change shape, size and even properties.
102
SECRETS OF SATELLITES
What does it mean to be a moon? Imma Perfetto examines moon myths and mysteries in our Solar System and beyond.
106
MINDGAMES
Fiendishly fun puzzles.
cosmosmagazine.com 5
ISSUE 103
Editor Lauren Fuge Art Director Kate Timms Graphic Designer Greg Barton Science Journalists Matthew Agius, Imma Perfetto, Evrim Yazgin Editor-at-Large Elizabeth Finkel cosmosmagazine.com CONTRIBUTORS Denise Cullen, David Hancock, Drew Rooke, Prianka Srinivasan, Martin White, Cat Williams Mind Games Tess Brady / Snodger Puzzles
From the Editor WE LIVE IN A TIME DEFINED BY CHANGE, when things very rarely turn out in the way we expect. The world is full of variables, and often directions switch, paths diverge and even the limits of what is possible – and what is normal – shift. This issue – my one and only issue as editor – is packed with stories that address these questions of uncertain ground, of transformation and of possibility. Pacific correspondent Prianka Srinivasan takes us to the rapidly submerging island nation of Tuvalu to explore their plan to move the entire country online. It’s an ambitious response to an unjust global crisis, but as Srinivasan discovers, it relies on the emerging technology of digital twins – which may help us respond to climate change in more ways than one. Meanwhile, Drew Rooke dives even further underwater to find out why the humble sea sponge has provided us with such an extraordinary number of life-saving medicines, and to ask us to shift our thinking about the ocean – this subsurface world that comprises 99% of all living space on the planet. Turning our gaze outwards from our pale blue dot, the ever-delightful Martin White spins the tale of an international team tackling the dark matter problem from a different angle, using the most advanced gamma-ray telescope in the world. Elsewhere in the physics realm, Evrim Yazgin meets researchers working in a field that many have never heard of and yet it’s vital to our lives, while Imma Perfetto looks sky high to answer the question we may have all wondered before: what, exactly, is a moon? Coming back down to Earth, we’re delighted to have two stories of two very different First Nations’ science projects coming out of Western Australia. On Merningar and Goreng Country south of Perth, Cat Williams investigates a series of collaborations between ecology postgraduate students and Noongar knowledge-holders, which document Noongar innovations by bringing oral history and Western science together. Further north up in the Kimberley, David Hancock reports on efforts to revegetate and enrich native species, which could help revitalise the bush-food industry and address food sovereignity in Indigenous communities. Plus 4D printing, the science behind performance-enhancing drugs, giant trees, puzzles and much more – all waiting for you over the page. It’s been a great joy to put together this issue for you. I hope it’s a joy to read. LAUREN FUGE contribute@cosmosmagazine.com
6 COSMOS MAGAZINE
THE ROYAL INSTITUTION OF AUSTRALIA Executive Director Will Berryman Corporate Services Manager Sarah Brennen RiAus Editor-in-Chief Ian Mannix Engagement Manager Gavin Stone Education Manager Michelle McLeod Engagement Officer Jess Wallace Office Assistant Leif Gerhardy Digital Developer Andrew Greirson QUESTIONS? Have a question about your subscription or a change of address? Email us at info@cosmosmagazine.com +61 8 7120 8600 PO Box 3652, Rundle Mall SA 5000 Australia Published by The Royal Institution of Australia Inc. ABN 98638459658
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Cosmos is produced on unceded Kaurna land, and we pay our respects to elders past and present. First Nations people are this country’s first scientists and we celebrate their connection to this place’s deep past and their critical role in its future.
riaus.org.au cosmosmagazine.com education.riaus.org.au scinema.org.au
COSMOS RETAIL ENQUIRIES Ovato Retail Distribution Australia — 1300 650 666 New Zealand — +61 9 979 3018 Cosmos – The Science of Everything™ is published by The Royal Institution of Australia Inc. Copyright © 2024 The Royal Institution of Australia. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner or form without written permission. The views expressed in Cosmos are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers. Cosmos is protected by trademarks in Australia and the USA. Printed in Australia by Finsbury Green.
Support our mission
ORDER FORM I WA N T TO S U B S C R I B E TO C O S M O S 8 issues (print & digital mag) for $90 SAVE $46 + MyCosmos membership
New to Cosmos?
4 issues (print & digital mag) for $50 SAVE $18 + MyCosmos membership Yes, I would like my subscription to renew automatically at the end of each term.*
YOU R D ETAILS :
We can deliver Cosmos to your door every quarter for only $50 a year. This is a saving of $18.
First Name
Last Name
Address
State
City
Sign up using the QR code below or post the form back to us.
Postcode
Email Phone number
A N D/O R P L E A S E S E N D A G I F T S U B S C R I P T I O N TO : 8 issues (print & digital mag) for $90 SAVE $46 + MyCosmos membership 4 issues (print & digital mag) for $50 SAVE $18 + MyCosmos membership I would like my gift subscription to renew automatically at the end of each term.*
G IF T R EC IP IE N T D E TAILS : First Name
Last Name
Address State
City
Postcode
PAY M E N T
Mastercard
Visa
Amex
Name on card Card number Expiry
MM
YY
CVV
Signature
Existing subscribers We will email you when it is time to renew your subscription. We are grateful for your support so don’t delay and renew today. TERMS & CONDITIONS:
Please contact us on (08) 7120 8600 if you wish to discuss your subscription.
No refunds on subscriptions. See cosmosmagazine.com for international subscription rates. Subscriptions start with the next available issue. *Your credit card will be charged automatically at the end of the subscription term. Cancel anytime online. [ ] Tick if you do not want to receive special offers from The Royal Institution of Australia and trusted partners. MyCosmos membership allows online readers to take a closer look at science. There are daily short-form stories available, plus five premium long-form stories published weekly for members. For full subscription terms and conditions and privacy policy visit cosmosmagazine.com ABN 98 638 459 658