Earth science | News at Curtin

Scientists uncover the secret behind perfectly 3D preserved ‘sea reptile’ fossils

Laura Thomas — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 02:23:10 +0000

Scientists at �鶹ֱ�� have solved a long-standing mystery about how some of the world’s […]

New geoscience hub to play critical role in cleaner minerals future

Lucien Wilkinson — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 02:20:22 +0000

A new �鶹ֱ�� institute will connect government and industry with leading geoscience expertise to help […]

Curtin takes cutting-edge science inside WA prisons

Yasmine Phillips — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 01:26:32 +0000

A “super microscope” capable of magnifying the tiniest of objects and usually only found in research labs has been taken inside an Australian prison for the first time, giving people in custody rare access to cutting-edge science.

‘Cosmic clock’ reveals Australian landscapes’ history and potential future

Samuel Jeremic — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 01:44:19 +0000

�鶹ֱ�� researchers have demonstrated a new way to uncover the ancient history of Australia’s […]

Curtin powers global push to find life on Mars and advance autonomy

Lucien Wilkinson — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 02:27:42 +0000

�鶹ֱ�� is helping unlock the secrets of life on Mars and advance next-generation robotics […]

Cosmic glass found only in Australia reveals ancient asteroid impact

Lucien Wilkinson — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 01:48:52 +0000

Curtin researchers have helped uncover evidence of a mysterious giant asteroid impact, hidden not in […]

Earth’s history written in the stars: zircon crystals reveal galactic influence

Lucien Wilkinson — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 02:15:56 +0000

New �鶹ֱ�� research has uncovered a striking link between the structure of our galaxy […]

Ancient rocks reveal continent-breaking forces and critical mineral origins

Lucien Wilkinson — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 01:43:56 +0000

Rare rocks buried deep beneath central Australia have revealed the origins of one of the […]

What Judy ate: unveiling a sauropod dinosaur’s last meal for the first time

Lauren Sydoruk — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A Curtin-led research team has found the world’s first reported stomach contents of a sauropod […]

Lava flow jigsaw puzzle reveals the secrets of shifting continents

Lucien Wilkinson — Thu, 01 May 2025 02:43:50 +0000

Analysing lava flows that solidified and then broke apart over a massive crack in the […]

Billion-year-old impact in Scotland sparks questions about life on land

Lucien Wilkinson — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 23:01:00 +0000

New �鶹ֱ�� research has revealed that a massive meteorite struck northwestern Scotland about 200 […]

Giant ice bulldozers: how ancient glaciers helped life evolve

Lucien Wilkinson — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 23:00:00 +0000

New �鶹ֱ�� research has revealed how massive ancient glaciers acted like giant bulldozers, reshaping […]

Moving ‘hotspot’ created world’s longest straight underwater mountain belt

294101E — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 02:36:24 +0000

New �鶹ֱ�� research has revealed that the Ninetyeast Ridge — the Earth’s longest straight […]

‘Drowning continent’: Study confirms Perth coastline’s complex history

Samuel Jeremic — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 02:04:49 +0000

A new �鶹ֱ�� study investigating the complex evolution of two iconic Western Australian landmarks, […]

Iron nuggets in the Pinnacles unlock secrets of ancient and future climates

Lucien Wilkinson — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 02:03:12 +0000

Small iron-rich formations found within Western Australia’s Pinnacles, which are part of the world’s largest […]

Great Scott! Stonehenge’s Altar Stone origins reveal advanced ancient Britain

Lucien Wilkinson — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 15:00:16 +0000

New research led by �鶹ֱ�� has revealed Stonehenge’s monumental six-tonne Altar Stone, long believed […]

Ore-some: New date for Earth’s largest iron deposits offers clues for future exploration

Lucien Wilkinson — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 02:24:01 +0000

Research led by �鶹ֱ�� reveals that Earth’s largest iron ore deposits – in the […]

No bones about it: 100-million-year-old bones reveal new species of pterosaur

Lucien Wilkinson — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 09:00:00 +0000

New �鶹ֱ��-led research has identified 100-million-year-old fossilised bones discovered in western Queensland as belonging […]

Fresh findings: earliest evidence of life-bringing fresh water on Earth

Lucien Wilkinson — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 03:18:02 +0000

New Curtin-led research has found evidence that fresh water on Earth, which is essential for […]

No bull: How creating less-gassy cows could help fight climate change

Samuel Jeremic — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 02:02:44 +0000

A �鶹ֱ�� study has revealed breeding less-flatulent cows and restoring agricultural land could significantly […]

Key moment in the evolution of life on Earth captured in fossils

Lucien Wilkinson — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 01:00:00 +0000

Curtin-led research has for the first time precisely dated some of the oldest fossils of […]

Curtin researcher crowned Young Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year

Crystal Fairbairn — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 04:02:49 +0000

�鶹ֱ�� geoscientist Dr Hugo Olierook from the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences and […]

Historic MWA milestone reached as we go ‘back to the future’ in the cosmos

Yasmine Phillips — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 02:03:10 +0000

A world-class telescope in outback Western Australia is on the verge of unlocking more secrets from the start of the Universe as new technology upgrades are rolled out during its historic 10-year anniversary.

Curtin’s stars recognised among the State’s finest

Yasmine Phillips — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 05:48:49 +0000

Six leading Curtin researchers and two of the University’s powerful science engagement programs have been named finalists in the 2023 Premier’s Science Awards, which recognise the State’s brightest experts in their fields.

New research dates the formation of Earth’s continents

Emma Chadwick — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 02:00:20 +0000

Researchers at �鶹ֱ�� have established a new framework for dating the Earth's evolution including the formations of continents and mineral deposits.

Leading soil ecologist appointed new Head of School at Curtin

Yasmine Phillips — Wed, 24 May 2023 01:56:37 +0000

An internationally recognised microbial ecologist has been appointed the new Head of the School of Molecular and Life Sciences at �鶹ֱ��.

95-million-year-old sauropod dinosaur skull first of its kind in Australia

Lauren Sydoruk — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 00:41:16 +0000

A �鶹ֱ��-led research team has analysed Australia’s first nearly complete sauropod dinosaur skull found in Queensland, Australia, gaining a better understanding of the animal’s anatomy, relationships to other sauropods, and feeding habits.

Curtin computational chemist awarded prestigious Dorothy Hill Medal

Lucien Wilkinson — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 01:47:20 +0000

A leading �鶹ֱ�� computational chemist has been named the 2023 recipient of the Dorothy […]

Ancient eggshell fragments ‘crack’ giant bird’s life secrets

Lauren Sydoruk — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 00:19:32 +0000

A team of researchers have used DNA from ancient eggshell fragments to provide a rare glimpse into the evolution of Madagascar’s extinct elephant birds.

Synthetic firefly glow lights new path to disease detection

286333f — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 17:28:27 +0000

A research team has found a way to synthetically create a firefly’s ‘glow’ that could have positive impacts on the access to medical light-imaging tools used to detect tumours and other diseases.

Study finds effect of Earth’s orbit around the sun on ancient microorganisms

Lucien Wilkinson — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 23:54:15 +0000

Researchers studying molecular fossils from deep beneath the Chicxulub impact crater have found evidence of how microorganisms changed in response to fluctuations in the Earth's solar orbit.

Pacific Ocean set to make way for world’s next supercontinent

Lauren Sydoruk — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 14:32:16 +0000

New �鶹ֱ��-led research has found that the world’s next supercontinent, Amasia, will most likely form when the Pacific Ocean closes in 200 to 300 million years.

Lunar glass shows Moon asteroid impacts mirrored on Earth

286333f — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 17:19:10 +0000

A Curtin-led research team has found asteroid impacts on the Moon millions of years ago coincided precisely with some of the largest meteorite impacts on Earth.

Wajarri school students the next science rock stars

Yasmine Phillips — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 13:31:20 +0000

Remote Indigenous school students are learning about the science behind the Earth’s oldest rocks on their lands as part of a two-way program that teaches scientists about the cultural significance.

Study unearths ancient reef structure high and dry on the Nullarbor Plain

Lucien Wilkinson — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 18:06:54 +0000

Curtin researchers and international collaborators using advanced satellite imagery have discovered an ancient reef-like landform ‘hidden’ in plain view on the Nullarbor Plain.

Earth’s ancient water cycle was key to making continents, study shows

286333f — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 17:55:07 +0000

A new �鶹ֱ�� study has found that water was transported much deeper in the early Earth than previously thought, shedding new light on how the continents were originally formed.

New technique unlocks ancient history of Earth from grains of sand

Lucien Wilkinson — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 17:14:43 +0000

Curtin researchers have developed a new technique by studying the age of ancient grains of sand from beaches, rivers and rocks from around the world to reveal the Earth's hidden geological history.

Consistent asteroid showers rock previous thinking on Mars craters

286333f — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 17:43:53 +0000

New �鶹ֱ�� research has confirmed the frequency of asteroid collisions that formed impact craters on Mars has been consistent over the past 600 million years.

Study suggests Sun is likely an unaccounted source of the Earth’s water

Lucien Wilkinson — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 17:39:11 +0000

�鶹ֱ�� researchers have helped unravel the enduring mystery of the origins of the Earth’s water, finding the Sun to be a surprising likely source.

Curtin research finds first clues to start of Earth’s supercontinent cycle

286333f — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 18:32:46 +0000

�鶹ֱ�� research has uncovered the first solid clues about the very beginning of the supercontinent cycle of Earth, finding it was kick-started two billion years ago.