University of Tasmania

@utas.edu.au

Stories, research and more from the University of Tasmania. #1 in climate action globally. CRICOS Code 00586B

🎶 Big news for PALENCIA! The folk trio, made up of Bachelor of Music students, has won the 2026 Ossa Music Prize. They’ll use the $6,000 prize and touring financial support of up to $8,500 to take their distinctive sound to communities across regional Tasmania: utas.au/ossaprize2026

Bachelor of Music students Amity Hutton, Emily Oates and Christian Palencia

A placement with Huon Valley Council showed ICT graduate Juman how tech skills can help tackle environmental challenges. From streamlining processes to supporting environmental management, he discovered the impact digital innovation can have in the community. utas.au/JumanPlacement

Juman Ashfi in lake on his placement with the Huon Valley Council.

A University of Tasmania and Royal Hobart Hospital partnership has found adenosine can remain stable for up to seven weeks when prepared under controlled conditions, supporting the potential use of ready-to-use syringes in cardiac care: utas.au/bs0109

The project team in a hospital setting.

Southern Rock Lobsters could soon have their own digital fingerprints. Researchers at IMAS have developed AI that identifies individual lobsters from photos, opening new possibilities for tracking populations, understanding movements and supporting sustainable fisheries. utas.au/rocklobster

Dr Dean Giosio, Professor Quinn Fitzgibbon and Dr Tara Kelly with a Southern Rock Lobster.Researcher with a Southern Rock Lobster.

More than a decade of research into a second contagious cancer affecting Tasmanian devils suggests the disease is spreading more slowly than scientists first feared. Stable populations indicate Tasmanian devils may have a greater capacity to coexist with the disease: utas.au/jF

A Tasmanian devil in a grassy field

The wait for PFAS test results could soon be measured in hours, not days. Our researchers have successfully trialled a mobile laboratory that can detect "forever chemicals" in soil and water on site, providing an early indication of contamination within six hours: utas.au/PFAS_testing

Mobile lab (van)

🌊 New Antarctic research shows the deepest layer of the Southern Ocean – Antarctic Bottom Water, or AABW – is shrinking faster than scientists realised, with the rate of change accelerating over the past decade. This is important because we all depend on it. ▶️ aappartnership.org.au/antarctic-ch...

Antarctic change drives slowdown of global ocean circulation - AAPP

Deepest layer of the Southern Ocean is shrinking faster with accelerated change

aappartnership.org.au

Australia’s reefs are under pressure from the voracious crown-of-thorns starfish and long-spined sea urchins. However, our new study shows that while they present high but differing risks, investing in control programs and innovative research could help tackle these two prickly problems: utas.au/jl

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Extreme heat, heavy rain and storm surges are affecting Australian seals and seabirds during a critical period of their development: as pups and chicks. ⛈️ New research shows that high-resolution weather and population monitoring can help us better protect them. More: utas.au/SealsSeabirds

Australian fur seal pups on an island

Species discovery has always depended on the tools available. Early naturalists relied on what they could collect. Today, whole genomes tell us if animals have different coding. Recognising “hidden biodiversity” in this way helps us ask better questions in the face of climate change: utas.au/JY

A flock of penguins on an Antarctic ice sheet with the ocean in the backgroundThree gentoo penguins on rocky Antarctic terrain

New research from Tasmania's Macquarie Harbour shows that oxygen can be added to low-oxygen waters at depth without adverse impacts. The research comes amid interest in low oxygen levels, which are linked to concerns about potential impacts on the endangered Maugean Skate: utas.au/MacquarieHar...

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