Brisbane dinosaur fossil is Australia’s oldest

Professor Bruce Runnegar with the fossil he found almost 70 years ago.
Photo Credit: The University of Queensland

Scientific Frontline: "At a Glance" Summary

• Main Discovery: University of Queensland researchers confirmed that a dinosaur footprint fossil discovered in Brisbane is Australia's oldest, dating back to the Late Triassic period, approximately 230 million years ago.
• Methodology: Scientists analyzed an 18.5-centimetre sandstone footprint originally collected in 1958 from Petrie's Quarry. Researchers employed modern 3D reconstruction and mapping software to analyze the trace fossil, allowing for the formal documentation and identification of the track-maker.
• Key Data: The fossil dates to 230 million years ago and measures 18.5 centimetres in length. The track-maker was estimated to stand 75 to 80 centimetres tall at the hip and weigh approximately 140 kilograms.
• Significance: This discovery represents the only dinosaur fossil ever found in an Australian capital city and pushes back the known presence of dinosaurs in Australia to an earlier date than previously recognized.
• Future Application: The fossil is now housed at the Queensland Museum to facilitate ongoing research and serve as a reference for identifying similar Triassic-era trace fossils in the region.
• Branch of Science: Paleontology
• Additional Detail: The footprint was attributed to a small, bipedal early sauropodomorph, a primitive relative of later long-necked dinosaurs, and was preserved in sandstone used for Brisbane's construction.

Twilight fish study reveals unique hybrid eye cells

Two pearlside species that have hybrid photoreceptors in their eyes as larvae and adults, Maurolicus muelleri  and Maurolicus mucronatus.
Photo credit: Dr Wen-Sung Chung

Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary

The Core Concept: A newly discovered type of visual cell found in deep-sea fish larvae that challenges the traditional biological dichotomy of rod and cone photoreceptors. These cells are specifically adapted to optimize vision in "twilight" or gloom-light conditions found at intermediate ocean depths.

Key Distinction/Mechanism: While vertebrate vision is historically categorized into cones (for bright light) and rods (for dim light), this hybrid cell functions as a bridge between the two. It uniquely combines the molecular machinery and genetic profile of cones with the physical shape and form of rods to maximize efficiency in half-light environments.

Origin/History: The discovery was announced in February 2026 by researchers at The University of Queensland, following marine exploration voyages in the Red Sea. The findings overturn approximately 150 years of established scientific consensus regarding vertebrate visual systems.

Major Frameworks/Components:

• Hybrid Morphology: Cells exhibiting the structural rod shape for sensitivity but utilizing cone-specific genes for processing.
• Developmental Adaptation: Found in larvae inhabiting depths of 20 to 200 meters, serving as a transitional visual system before the fish descend to deep-sea habitats (up to 1km) as adults.
• Twilight Optimization: A specialized biological design for low-light environments that balances sensitivity and detection better than standard rods or cones alone.

University of Queensland: SFL Spotlight

The University of Queensland (UQ), located primarily in Brisbane, functions as a central hub within the Australian scientific and educational infrastructure. Established in the early twentieth century as a "people's university," the institution currently manages a highly distributed physical footprint designed to optimize specific scientific disciplines. This footprint extends from the heritage-listed Helidon sandstone architecture of the St Lucia campus to highly specialized regional facilities, including the 1,068-hectare Gatton campus dedicated to agricultural and veterinary sciences, and clinical biomedical precincts at Herston and Dutton Park.

Fat particles could be key to treating metabolic brain disorders

For decades, it was widely accepted that neurons relied exclusively on glucose to fuel their functions in the brain. This is not the case.
Photo Credit: The University of Queensland

Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Neuronal Lipid Metabolism

The Core Concept: Neurons, previously thought to rely entirely on glucose, actively utilize saturated free fatty acids produced by the DDHD2 gene to fuel their communication and functions.

Key Distinction/Mechanism: Rather than depending solely on sugars, healthy brain cells manufacture and consume small fat molecules for energy, and supplementing these fats can restore function when the natural metabolic pathways fail.

Origin/History: A 2025 University of Queensland study, led by Dr. Merja Joensuu, uncovered this mechanism while investigating the genetic basis of hereditary spastic paraplegia 54 (HSP54).

Major Frameworks/Components:

• The DDHD2 gene, which is responsible for regulating lipid balance and synthesizing necessary fatty acids.
• Saturated free fatty acids, which act as the alternative small fat molecules used for neuronal signaling.
• Hereditary spastic paraplegia 54 (HSP54), a debilitating metabolic disorder resulting from a loss of normal DDHD2 gene function.

Daily Cannabis Increases Youth Psychosis Risk

Photo Credit: Oscar Aguilar

Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Cannabis Use and Youth Psychosis Risk

The Core Concept: Daily cannabis use in young people significantly increases the probability of developing mental health disorders, leaving users up to four times more likely to develop psychosis than non-users.

Key Distinction/Mechanism: The adolescent and young adult brain is actively developing, making it uniquely vulnerable to the psychological impacts of frequent cannabis use, which can trigger severe mental health disorders and dependence rather than alleviating psychological distress.

Major Frameworks/Components:

• Systematic analysis of the comorbidity between frequent cannabis consumption and psychiatric disorders like psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety.
• Identification of an epidemiological correlation where approximately one in three daily or near-daily users aged 15 to 25 develops cannabis use disorder.
• Evaluation of clinical efficacy, finding no clear evidence that medicinal cannabis successfully treats anxiety, sleep disorders, or depression.

Snail Shells as Weather Time Capsules

The shell of a Biggenden Banded Snail at Coalstoun Lakes National Park.
Photo Credit: The University of Queensland

Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Snail Shells as Weather Time Capsules

The Core Concept: Researchers have discovered that the growth bands on snail shells can act as a natural archive of extreme weather events.

Key Distinction/Mechanism: By analyzing the oxygen and carbon stable isotopes within tiny samples of shell taken at millimeter intervals, scientists can track periods of rapid shell growth, which correspond to extreme rainfall events, rather than just annual wetness.

Origin/History: A 2026 study led by University of Queensland researchers examined a Biggenden banded snail (Figuladra bayensis) shell. The shell contained elevated radiocarbon from 1960s nuclear tests, allowing researchers to date its growth bands to a 4.5-year lifespan.

Major Frameworks/Components:

• High-Resolution Radiocarbon Dating: Used to determine the age of the shell and its individual growth bands.
• Stable Isotope Analysis: Measuring oxygen and carbon stable isotopes within the bands to understand the rainfall conditions the snail experienced.
• Growth Spurt Correlation: Linking periods of rapid shell growth to the extreme rainfall immediately following specific cyclones (e.g., Cyclone Marcia in 2015 and Cyclone Debbie in 2017).

Fighting fungal infections with metals

A Petri dish with red agar on which grows a fungal strand in the shape of the element symbol for platinum (Pt).
Credit: CO-ADD

An international collaboration led by researchers from the University of Bern and the University of Queensland in Australia has demonstrated that chemical compounds containing special metals are highly effective in fighting dangerous fungal infections. These results could be used to develop innovative drugs which are effective against resistant bacteria and fungi.

Each year, more than one billion people contract a fungal infection. Although they are harmless to most people, over 1.5 million patients die each year as a result of infections of this kind. While more and more fungal strains are being detected that are resistant to one or more of the available drugs, the development of new drugs has come to a virtual standstill in recent years. Today, only around a dozen clinical trials are underway with new active agents for the treatment of fungal infections. “In comparison with more than a thousand cancer drugs that are currently being tested on human subjects, this is an exceptionally small number,” explains Dr. Angelo Frei of the Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Bern, lead author of the study. The results have been published in the journal JACS Au.

Viral Neuronal Fusion and COVID-19

Fused neurons in yellow, expressing Spike S fusogen from the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the human receptor hACE2.
Image Credit: Courtesy of University of Queensland

Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Viral-Induced Neuronal Fusion

The Core Concept: Viral-induced neuronal fusion is a newly identified pathological process where brain cells infected by viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, merge together rather than undergoing cell death or inflammation. This fusion permanently alters neuronal circuitry, causing the infected neurons to either fire synchronously or cease functioning entirely.

Key Distinction/Mechanism: Previously, viral infection in the brain was understood to result in only two clinical outcomes: cell death or inflammation. The discovery of a third outcome—neuronal fusion mediated by the presence of viral proteins like the spike S protein—highlights a unique mechanism where fused neurons survive but irreversibly lose their independent signaling capabilities.

Origin/History: The mechanism was detailed in a study published in Science Advances in June 2023 by researchers Professor Massimo Hilliard and Dr. Ramon Martinez-Marmol from the Queensland Brain Institute at The University of Queensland, following observations of persistent SARS-CoV-2 in the brains of patients with long COVID.

Major Frameworks/Components:

• Viral protein expression: The presentation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike S protein within neurons directly triggers the cellular fusion event.
• Circuit synchronization: Fused neurons fail to operate as independent circuits, resulting in simultaneous electrical firing or complete functional arrest.
• Broad viral etiology: The mechanism is hypothesized to occur with other neurotropic viruses known to cause fusion in non-neural tissues, including HIV, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, measles, herpes simplex virus, and Zika virus.

NMT1 Antiviral Pathway Breakthrough

Dr Merja Joensuu (R) and a colleague, look at cells through a microscope.
Photo Credit: The University of Queensland

Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: NMT1 Antiviral Pathway Breakthrough

The Core Concept: A novel antiviral treatment strategy that inhibits the human enzyme N-myristoyltransferase 1 (NMT1) to prevent viruses from successfully assembling and replicating inside host cells.

Key Distinction/Mechanism: Traditional antivirals target the pathogen directly, which frequently leads to viral mutation and drug resistance. This new approach instead disrupts the human cellular pathway that viruses hijack during reproduction. By altering host cell function, the targeted pathway forces the cell to produce defective, less-effective viral particles, granting the immune system critical time to clear the infection.

Major Frameworks/Components:

• Enzymatic Target: The therapy utilizes a compound—currently undergoing clinical trials as a cancer treatment—to inhibit NMT1, an enzyme responsible for directing protein location and function within cells.
• Viral Assembly Disruption: By altering spatial organization and cellular function, the drug ensures that new viral copies are constructed incorrectly.
• Broad-Spectrum Efficacy: Laboratory cell culture tests demonstrated significant efficacy against diverse infectious agents, including SARS-CoV-2, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and vesicular stomatitis virus.
• Rapid Pathogen Reduction: Researchers observed viral infection levels drop by approximately 50 percent after one day, and up to 90 percent after two days.

Shields and bodyguards: scientists uncover the hidden defences of a deadly childhood cancer

Neuroblastoma imaging showing cancer cells (white), immune cells (yellow) supportive tissue (blue) and blood vessels (red).
Photo Credit: The University of Queensland.

Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Hidden Defenses in Neuroblastoma

The Core Concept: Researchers have comprehensively mapped the microenvironment of neuroblastoma, a highly lethal pediatric cancer, discovering that the tumors utilize surrounding immune cells as "bodyguards" and specific proteins as "shields" to evade natural cell death.

Key Distinction/Mechanism: Unlike previous methodologies that merely cataloged the cells present in a tumor, this research utilized advanced spatial mapping technology to identify the precise geographical relationship between cancer cells and immune cells. It revealed that high-risk neuroblastoma cells resist ferroptosis—a natural cell death process triggered by toxic lipid accumulation—by expressing a protective shielding protein known as GPX4.

Major Frameworks/Components:

• Spatial Mapping Technology: Employed to construct high-resolution 2D maps of tumor samples from 27 pediatric patients, allowing researchers to observe the exact spatial orientation and interactions of cells, active genes, and proteins.
• Ferroptosis: A specialized form of regulated cell death driven by the toxic buildup of lipid peroxides, which the cancer cells must actively suppress to survive.
• GPX4 Protein: Identified as the molecular "shield" that neutralizes toxic fats, thereby saving the cancer cells from undergoing ferroptosis.
• Microenvironmental "Bodyguards": Specific immune cells strategically positioned within the tumor's architecture that actively protect the cancer cells from the body's natural defenses.

Climate change threatens global fisheries

Euchaeta marina (Calanoid Copepod).
Photo Credit: Julian Uribe-Palomino IMOS-CSIRO.

Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Climate-Driven Shifts in Marine Food Webs

The Core Concept: Rising ocean temperatures decrease the size of phytoplankton, driving a systemic shift in zooplankton communities from nutrient-dense crustaceans to nutrient-poor gelatinous organisms. This chain reaction significantly reduces the diet quality and overall biomass of small marine fish globally.

Key Distinction/Mechanism: Warmer oceans favor tiny gelatinous zooplankton, such as salps and larvaceans, which can consume smaller phytoplankton more efficiently than larger crustaceans like krill and copepods. While these gelatinous organisms create an energy transfer shortcut to fish, they contain only about five percent of the carbon found in crustaceans, functioning nutritionally like jelly rather than a dense protein source.

Origin/History: The global marine ecosystem model projecting these future ocean-wide declines was validated by empirical observations made during a recent, extreme marine heatwave in the North Pacific, colloquially known as "the Blob."

Thousands of tons of microplastics found in Moreton Bay

Dr Elvis Okoffo has tested samples of mud from Moreton Bay for microplastics.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of University of Queensland

University of Queensland researchers estimate there could be up to 7000 tons of microplastics polluting vital ecosystems in Brisbane’s Moreton Bay.

Dr Elvis Okoffo from UQ’s Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences said the team measured plastic stored within 50 surface sediment samples collected across Moreton Bay.

“The level of plastic contamination we found is equivalent to three Olympic swimming pools full of plastic or 1.5 million single use plastic bags,” Dr Okoffo said.

“The main types of plastic detected were polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

“PE is used for single-use items such as plastic food wrapping, bags and bottles and PVC is used in pipes, building materials, electronics, and clothing.

Gut bacteria potential key to IBD and colon cancer prevention

Jakob Begun  ATH - Associate Professor
Mater Research Institute-UQ Faculty of Medicine
Source: University of Queensland

Researchers have isolated five strains of gut bacteria that could pave the way for new inflammatory bowel disease treatments and potentially help prevent some forms of bowel cancer.

The study by University of Queensland and Mater researchers identified gut bacterial strains that suppress inappropriate gut inflammation and debilitating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms.

IBD is a chronic condition characterized by relapsing gut inflammation believed to be caused by an abnormal gut bacterial composition which produces an immune response in genetically susceptible people resulting in severe symptoms.

University of Queensland researcher and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Group Leader, Associate Professor Jake Begun, said his team isolated bacteria found in the healthy gut and identified several species that produced a range of anti-inflammatory substances.

“While the gut microbiome is made up of trillions of bacteria that have co-evolved with humans over time, our lab tests identified five strains that were able to suppress inflammation in blood and tissue samples from IBD patients,” Dr Begun said.

“Furthermore, one of these healthy gut bacterial strains produced anti-inflammatory substances that were able to reduce disease severity in a pre-clinical model by inhibiting one of the master molecular regulators of inflammation called NF-kB, without causing any side-effects.”

Mater Research and UQ PhD candidate Rabina Giri said the research found good bacterial strains inhibited the pro-inflammatory enzyme NF-kB by about half.

Satellites unveil the size and nature of the world’s coral reefs

A satellite photo from the Allen Coral Atlas showing shallow coral reefs off Fiji
Image Credit: Courtesy of Allen Coral Atlas

University of Queensland-led research has shown there is more coral reef area across the globe than previously thought, with detailed satellite mapping helping to conserve these vital ecosystems.

Dr Mitchell Lyons from UQ’s School of the Environment, working as part of the Allen Coral Atlas project, said scientists have now identified 348,000 square kilometers of shallow coral reefs, up to 20-30 meters deep.

“This revises up our previous estimate of shallow reefs in the world’s oceans,” Dr Lyons said.

“Importantly, the high-resolution, up-to-date mapping satellite technology also allows us to see what these habitats are made from.

“We’ve found 80,000 square kilometers of reef have a hard bottom, where coral tends to grow, as opposed to soft bottom like sand, rubble or seagrass.

Key discovery to prevent sepsis in newborn babies

Photo Credit: March of Dimes

Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Preventing Neonatal E. coli Sepsis

The Core Concept: Newborn babies who develop sepsis from E. coli bacteria suffer from a critical deficiency in specific maternally transferred antibodies that target a major surface protein common to all E. coli strains.

Key Distinction/Mechanism: While healthy babies are protected against bacterial pathogens via the natural transfer of bacteria-fighting antibodies from mothers during pregnancy, infants who develop neonatal sepsis exhibit a severe, more than 10-fold reduction in E. coli-specific antibodies. This lack of natural immunity is what allows the bacteria to rapidly spread through the blood and overwhelm the body.

Major Frameworks/Components:

• Neonatal Antibody Analysis: The study analyzed blood collected from 100 newborn babies diagnosed with E. coli sepsis to quantitatively measure specific antibody levels.
• Maternal-Fetal Immunity Transfer: Investigates the biological mechanisms of how protective immunoglobulins are naturally transferred from expectant mothers to fetuses.
• Probiotic Colonization Model: Experimental testing utilizing E. coli strain Nissle 1917 (commercially available as Mutaflor) to safely colonize the maternal intestinal tract and stimulate natural antibody production.

Red pandas face a fractured future

Red Panda
Credit: Damber Bista

The much-loved red panda is renowned for its tree-climbing ability and adorable nature, but new research shows the endangered mammal is being driven closer to extinction.

University of Queensland PhD candidate Damber Bista, who tracked red pandas in Nepal over a 12-month period from Queensland using GPS telemetry, has found that human impact is causing the mammal to restrict its movements which is further fragmenting their habitat.

Mr Bista said it was a worrying sign.

“Our research findings show that current patterns of habitat fragmentation and forest exploitation, from infrastructure projects such as new roads, are placing the red panda under increased threat,” Mr Bista said.

“Because of this, red pandas are changing their activity to minimize their interactions with disturbances, such as humans, dogs, or livestock, and this is drastically interfering with natural interactions between the animals, resulting in population isolation.”

Researchers discover a new approach to breaking bacterial antibiotic resistance and rescue frontline drug treatments

Dr Erin Brazel from the University of Adelaide’s
Research Center for Infectious Diseases.

Researchers at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute), The University of Queensland, Griffith University, The University of Adelaide, and St Jude Children’s Research Hospital (USA), have unlocked a key to making existing frontline antibiotics work again against the deadly bacteria that cause pneumonia.

In a world first, this international team discovered how to repurpose a molecule called PBT2 – originally developed as a potential treatment for disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases – to break bacterial resistance to commonly used frontline antibiotics.

Led by University of Melbourne’s Professor Christopher McDevitt, a laboratory head at the Doherty Institute, this discovery may soon see the comeback of readily available and cheap antibiotics, such as penicillin and ampicillin, as effective weapons in the fight against the rapidly rising threat of antibiotic resistance.

In a paper published today in Cell Reports Professor McDevitt and his collaborators described how they discovered a way to break bacterial drug resistance and then developed a therapeutic approach to rescue the use of the antibiotic ampicillin to treat drug-resistant bacterial pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae in a mouse model of infection.

This may become a game-changer against the global health threat of antibiotic resistance. Last year the World Health Organization (WHO) described antibiotic resistance as one of the greatest threats to global health, food security, and development. Rising numbers of bacterial infections – such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhoea, and salmonellosis – are becoming harder to treat as the antibiotics used against them are becoming less effective. With few new drugs on the horizon, it is predicted that by 2050 antibiotic resistant infections will cause more deaths than cancers and cardiac disease, accounting for more than 10 million deaths per year.

Ultrasound therapy shows promise as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease

Professor Jürgen Götz with an ultrasound machine.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of University of Queensland

University of Queensland researchers have found targeting amyloid plaque in the brain is not essential for ultrasound to deliver cognitive improvement in neurodegenerative disorders.

Dr Gerhard Leinenga and Professor Jürgen Götz from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) said the finding challenges the conventional notion in Alzheimer’s disease research that targeting and clearing amyloid plaque is essential to improve cognition.

“Amyloid plaques are clumps of protein that can build up in the brain and block communication between brain cells, leading to memory loss and other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr Leinenga said.

“Previous studies have focused on opening the blood-brain barrier with microbubbles, which activate the cell type in the brain called microglia which clears the amyloid plaque. 

“But we used scanning ultrasound alone on mouse models and observed significant memory enhancement.”

COVID vaccine patch fights variants better than needles

A vaccine patch
Credit: University of Queensland

A needle-free vaccine patch could better fight COVID-19 variants, such as Omicron and Delta, than a traditional needle vaccine according to a University of Queensland study in mice.

The research, conducted in partnership with Brisbane biotechnology company Vaxxas, tested the Hexapro SARS-CoV-2 spike vaccine using the Vaxxas high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) technology, and the results found the patch was far more effective at neutralizing COVID-19 variants.

UQ’s Dr Christopher McMillan said the vaccine patch appeared to counteract new variants more effectively than the current SARs-CoV-2 vaccine delivered by injection.

“The high-density microarray patch is a vaccine delivery platform that precisely delivers the vaccine into the layers of the skin which are rich in immune cells,” Dr McMillan said.

"We found that vaccination via a patch was approximately 11 times more effective at combatting the Omicron variant when compared with the same vaccine administered via a needle."

He said the results extended further than just the Hexapro vaccine.

Blood Test for Precision Lung Cancer Therapy

Associate Professor Arutha Kulasinghe and non-small cell lung cancer cell.
Photo Credit: The University of Queensland

Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Blood-Based Proteomic Profiling for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

The Core Concept: A novel diagnostic blood test that analyzes thousands of proteins to predict how patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) will respond to treatments like immunotherapy before therapy begins.

Key Distinction/Mechanism: Unlike traditional, highly invasive tissue biopsies, this method utilizes advanced protein measurement and statistical modeling on standard blood samples to identify biological signals directly linked to treatment response and potential disease relapse.

Major Frameworks/Components: 

• Proteomic Analysis: The measurement of thousands of distinct proteins within a patient's blood sample.
• Statistical Modeling: The application of computational algorithms to translate complex protein data into predictive clinical signals.
• Longitudinal Tracking: The assessment of blood samples taken both before and after surgery and immunotherapy to monitor how protein levels fluctuate over time.
• Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Pathology: Focused research on the most common and deadly form of lung cancer.