Selected CSIRO media mentions for the week commencing 11 August. If you encounter a paywall, request a text version by emailing the article title here.
New $90 million research facility opens at CSIRO to house specimens collected over 150 years – Millions of irreplaceable biodiversity specimens have been re-homed at a new CSIRO facility that the agency says will support research to better understand and manage Australia’s natural environment… While there was celebration at the opening of the building, concern remains about the potential of job cuts at the agency, with the Community and Public Sector Union warning that hundreds of jobs could be axed this year… ABC Online, 14 August 2025 (link, text below).
No, CSIRO isn’t half-funded by private companies – A podcaster is falsely claiming Australia’s scientific research organisation receives half its funding from private industry. Audited financial statements show 75 per cent of the CSIRO1’s $1.72 billion in total revenue for 2023/24 came from Australia’s federal and state governments… AAP, 21 August 2025 (link, text below).
Aircraft toilets could flush out spread of global superbugs – A new study led by scientists from Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, in partnership with Xiamen University, the University of South Australia and Michigan Technological University, analyzed lavatory wastewater from 44 international flights arriving in Australia from nine countries… PHYS.ORG, 18 August 2025 (text only, see below).
Alarming discovery in China raises fears virus outbreak could spread to Australia – An alarming 20 new bat viruses have been detected in China, sparking fears that they could spread to humans and livestock and reach Australia. The viruses were discovered inside the kidneys of bats inhabiting orchards near villages in China’s southwest, along with new species of bacteria and a new parasite… MSN, 11 August 2025 (link, text below).
Abu Dhabi’s AI grows by 61%; AI bar from learning on online data – A new report has highlighted the growth of Abu Dhabi’s artificial intelligence (AI) sector, a rise driven by several key factors, including government and private sector initiatives. The report, published by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, pegs the industry’s growth rate at 61% between June 2023 and June 2024. According to the document, the growth spurt pegs Abu Dhabi as the regional leader for artificial intelligence, outperforming its peers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region… Coingeek, 18 August 2025 (link, text below).
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ABC Online, 14 August 2025
Millions of irreplaceable biodiversity specimens have been re-homed at a new CSIRO facility that the agency says will support research to better understand and manage Australia’s natural environment.
Named ‘Diversity’, the $90 million National Research Collections building in Canberra features temperature-controlled vaults that are bushfire and pest-resistant while designed to preserve 13 million specimens for future generations.
Among the specimens, which have been collected over 150 years, are 55,000 birds, 17,000 orchids, 2.4 million moths and seven million beetles.
Dr Clare Holleley, who is the director of vertebrate collections, says the facility serves as a “time machine for Australia’s biodiversity”.
“What this building captures is the full diversity of Australian fauna and flora,”she said.
“It’s taken snapshots of specimens over time, and when we put all of those little snapshots together, it puts together a picture of how Australia’s biodiversity is changing.
“We can learn from those trends and potentially predict what is going to happen in the future.”
‘A library of our biodiversity’
The collections include 99 per cent of Australia’s native birds, as well as exotic bird species, skeletons, mammals, reptiles stored in ethanol, eggs and frozen tissue.
Relocating the specimens took about a year.
The official opening of the facility coincides with National Science Week, described by CSIRO chief executive Doug Hilton as an “exciting” moment.
“It’s a little bit like a gallery or a museum that holds our national heritage … it’s a library of our biodiversity,” he said.
Dr Hilton described the facility as “cutting-edge”, featuring new genomics laboratories and digitisation facilities that will allow scientists to extract and share more information from research specimens.
“If we can’t understand how things are changing over time, it’s very hard to conserve things for the future,” he said.
“What we have here is a facility that holds specimens in a highly secure way and allows us to digitise and automate digitisation in a way that is just the envy of the world.”
‘Our science has to adapt’
While there was celebration at the opening of the building, concern remains about the potential of job cuts at the agency, with the Community and Public Sector Union warning that hundreds of jobs could be axed this year.
In responding to those concerns, Dr Hilton said: “Our science has to adapt”.
“We have to be able to shape our workforce and choose the programs of research that we think will give the best impact to the Australian community for the problems that face us today and over the next 10 years,” he said.
“There are programs of research that we may have to stop in order for us to be able to do new programs of research to tackle those big problems like productivity, sustainability and our sovereign science capacity.”
He said the agency would be reviewing its whole portfolio of science next month and then would need to make “hard choices”, but wouldn’t say how many jobs could be affected.
“We need to be thinking about the programs of research that we do. We have to be refining those to make sure we are working on the big problems. I think the Australian community would expect us to do that,” he said.
The new National Research Collections building was jointly funded by the CSIRO and the Department of Education through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.
While the building won’t be open to the public, the collections will be accessible to researchers, governments, and citizen scientists worldwide.
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AAP, 21 August 2025
AAP FactCheck – A podcaster is falsely claiming Australia’s scientific research organisation receives half its funding from private industry.
Audited financial statements show 75 per cent of the CSIRO1’s $1.72 billion in total revenue for 2023/24 came from Australia’s federal and state governments.
The remaining quarter is a mix of private and public revenue that includes grants, sales of consulting and research services, royalty fees, and industry co-investments.
The false claim appears in an Instagram video2 by an Australian podcast host being shared online.
“CSIRO now gets 50 per cent of its funding from the private industry, including Tesla, EV cars and batteries, Vestas, which is a wind turbine giant, and AGL,” the man says.
He did not respond to AAP FactCheck’s inquiries for more information about the claim.
CSIRO reported $1.72 billion in revenue in 2023/24, according to financial records in the agency’s annual report3 (page 96).
Of this figure $1.01 billion was revenue from federal government appropriations and a further $295 million came from dealings with federal, state and territory governments.
That’s at least three-quarters of the CSIRO’s revenue, with the remaining quarter coming from a mix of different sources.
Those sources include the Australian private sector, which accounted for just $76.2 million of the CSIRO’s total revenue in 2023/24 – or 4.4 per cent.
Another $96.8 million in revenue, or 5.6 per cent, comes from overseas companies and governments, the CSIRO said.
“CSIRO’s revenue from overseas entities is earned through conducting science and engineering activities with a range of partners,” a CSIRO spokesperson told AAP FactCheck.
“These partners include companies, global funding bodies and public entities such as NASA.”
A further $42 million is sourced from rural industry and development corporations (RDCs) and $8.3 million comes from cooperative research centres, which the CSIRO said includes private groups.
“CSIRO receives grant funding from RDCs assisting CSIRO to conduct specific research and development projects,” the spokesperson said.
“For some projects, there can be contributions from other parties to the costs of the research and development.”
In total, CSIRO received less than a quarter of its funding from combined Australian and international private industry in 2023/24.
An exact proportion is unavailable because the CSIRO does not break down every contact or business arrangement it enters into within its annual financial reports, however it does specify that 75 per cent of revenue is from Australian governments – state and territory, as well as national.
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PHYS.ORG, 18 August 2025
A new study led by scientists from Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, in partnership with Xiamen University, the University of South Australia and Michigan Technological University, analyzed lavatory wastewater from 44 international flights arriving in Australia from nine countries.
The team detected nine high-priority pathogens and superbugs, including some that are acquired in hospitals and resistant to multiple drugs. The researchers used advanced molecular techniques to analyze the superbugs’ genetic signatures and antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) profiles.
Five of the nine superbugs were found in all 44 flight samples, while a gene conferring resistance to last-resort antibiotics was detected on 17 flights. Notably, this gene was absent in Australia’s urban wastewater during the same period, suggesting its likely introduction through international travel.
The findings, published in Microbiology Spectrum, confirm that aircraft wastewater is a viable tool for global AMR surveillance, according to senior author Dr. Warish Ahmed, a principal research scientist from CSIRO.
“Aircraft wastewater captures microbial signatures from passengers across different continents, offering a non-invasive, cost-effective way to monitor threats like AMR,” Dr. Ahmed says.
The wastewater samples revealed significant geographic variations, according to co-author UniSA microbiologist Professor Nicholas Ashbolt, from the Future Industries Institute.
“Flights from Asia, particularly India, showed higher concentrations of antibiotic-resistance genes, compared to flights from Europe and the U.K.,” Prof Ashbolt says.
Of the 44 international flights, 18 originated from India, 14 from the United Kingdom, six flights from Germany and the remainder were single flights from France, UAE, Türkiye, South Africa, Japan and Indonesia.
Lead author Dr. Yawen Liu, a visiting scientist at CSIRO from Xiamen University in China, says these disparities could reflect differences in antibiotic use, water sanitation, population density and public health policies across regions.
The study also tested whether disinfectants used in aircraft toilets degrade genetic material. The results showed that nucleic acids remained stable for up to 24 hours, even in the presence of strong disinfectants, confirming the reliability of aircraft wastewater for surveillance purposes.
“International travel is one of the major drivers of AMR spread,” says Dr. Liu. “By monitoring aircraft wastewater, we can potentially detect and track antibiotic resistance genes before they become established in local environments.”
Infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 are all known to have been spread by air travel. Multi-layered control strategies have been trialed to reduce their transmission, including travel restrictions, individual passenger screening, and quarantine.
The samples used in the study were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic repatriation flights, which may have influenced passenger demographics. However, the authors say that the approach can be adapted to routine international travel.
“With AMR projected to cause more than 39 million deaths globally by 2050, the need for innovative surveillance tools is urgent,” Prof Ashbolt says.
“Aircraft wastewater monitoring could complement existing public health systems, providing early warnings of emerging superbug threats.”
“This is a proof-of-concept with real-world potential,” says Dr. Ahmed. “We now have the tools to turn aircraft toilets into an early-warning disease system to better manage public health.”
The research presented in this study builds on CSIRO’s previous work in collaboration with Dr. Ian Hosegood (Qantas) and Dr. Jochen Muller (University of Queensland), which identified SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater samples from long-haul flights carrying returning Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic. This work demonstrated that wastewater surveillance can provide valuable data for public health agencies.
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MSN, 11 August 2025
An alarming 20 new bat viruses have been detected in China, sparking fears that they could spread to humans and livestock and reach Australia.
The viruses were discovered inside the kidneys of bats inhabiting orchards near villages in China’s southwest, along with new species of bacteria and a new parasite.
Two of the viruses are closely related to the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses, which are known for their high fatality rates in humans and for causing severe symptoms that include severe brain inflammation and respiratory disease.
Associate Professor Vinod Balasubramaniam, a molecular virologist at Monash University in Malaysia, said the viruses were particularly concerning because they were predominantly found in bat kidneys, raising alarm that the viruses could be spread through their urine into water sources and on fruits.
‘For Australia, with its history of Hendra outbreaks linked to bat populations, the findings hold special relevance,’ he said.
‘The similarity between Australian rural environments and Yunnan’s orchards near human settlements stresses the urgency of intensified surveillance and biosecurity measures.
‘Global connectivity means an outbreak in China could swiftly reach Australia.’
University of Sydney wildlife disease ecologist Dr Alison Peel said more research was needed to determine the risk posed by the new viruses.
‘The main significance of this work lies in the discovery of viruses in bats in China that are “evolutionary cousins” to two of the most concerning pathogens in humans, Hendra virus and Nipah virus, which circulate in bats and are highly fatal if they spill over into people,’ she said.
CSIRO virologist Dr Nias Peng said Australia could not afford to ignore the potential for new diseases transmitted from animals to humans.
‘Given Australia’s history with Hendra virus outbreaks since its emergence in 1994 to cause multiple fatal infections in horses and humans, this underscores the importance of continued vigilance in rural and peri-urban areas close to bat habitats,’ she said.
‘Strengthening disease surveillance, understanding spillover mechanisms, and educating the public about reducing exposure risks, like ensuring fruits are washed and livestock protected from exposure, could help mitigate potential outbreaks.’
The World Health Organisation recommends washing and peeling fruit to prevent contracting and spreading Nipah virus.
University of Queensland Director of the Centre for Animal Science Professor Tim Mahony said while Hendra and Nipah viruses were both highly lethal to humans, they are quite different in their risk profile.
‘Human infection by Hendra virus requires an amplifying host, horses, with no reports of anyone being infected through contact with bats or their fluids,’ he said.
‘The situation with Nipah virus is somewhat different, as while an amplifying host can be involved (typically pigs), human infections through contact with saliva from infected bats is a known risk.
‘Whether either of these scenarios, or others, applies to the related viruses identified in this study is impossible to know.’
The research was published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.
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Coingeek, 18 August 2025
A new report has highlighted the growth of Abu Dhabi’s artificial intelligence (AI) sector, a rise driven by several key factors, including government and private sector initiatives.
The report, published by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, pegs the industry’s growth rate at 61% between June 2023 and June 2024. According to the document, the growth spurt pegs Abu Dhabi as the regional leader for artificial intelligence, outperforming its peers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
While a number of AI companies have set up shop in Abu Dhabi, 58% of firms in the emirate are focused on innovation and research. Meanwhile, the city has added over 150 new AI companies to its growing ecosystem in the first six months of 2025.
“This surge is not only about numbers,” said Shamis Ali Khalfan Al Dhaheri, Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “It reflects a vibrant, diverse community of entrepreneurs, scientists, and global leaders who recognise Abu Dhabi as a magnet for groundbreaking technology ventures.”
Beneath the glowing numbers for Abu Dhabi’s AI ecosystem is a three-year strategic roadmap to become a global leader for emerging technologies. Scheduled for 2025-2028, the AI roadmap places policy advocacy and ease of doing business at the core for international and local firms keen on establishing operations in the emirate.
Furthermore, Abu Dhabi has launched an Advocacy Working Group on Artificial Intelligence and Technology to spearhead the emirate’s push toward AI dominance. Last year, it established MGX, which leads the emirate’s investments in AI and other emerging technologies.
In May, a bilateral deal between the UAE and the U.S. will see Abu Dhabi host the largest AI campus outside America. The deal has since triggered a flurry of new AI companies to set up shop in Abu Dhabi, lured by access to high-end chips from Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA).
UAE’s stance powers AI growth
At the core of Abu Dhabi’s growing AI ecosystem is the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) broad approach toward artificial intelligence. While UAE authorities have declared their AI ambitions, launching the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council (AIATC) signals the country’s clear intention for dominance.
Heavy government spending has begun yielding early results with several UAE-made AI models already drawing comparisons with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Gemini. Meanwhile, authorities are monitoring safe AI usage with the rollout of a national charter for guiding principles and ethics.
New study bars AI models from learning via online content
Australian researchers have reached a breakthrough in developing a technique to bar unauthorized AI models from learning from visual data uploaded online.
The technique limits AI from accessing photos and artworks and using them as training data. Developed by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, the research leaned on support from the University of Chicago and the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CSCRC).
A close look reveals that the system renders images and artworks unreadable to AI models. Despite the alterations for AI systems, the report noted that the image remains unchanged to the human eye.
CSIRO scientist Derui Wang disclosed that the new technique has shown early flashes of brilliance during controlled lab studies. The system has proven formidable against adaptive attacks and retraining attempts by the most advanced AI models in the market.
“We can mathematically guarantee that unauthorised machine learning models can’t learn from the content beyond a certain threshold,” said Wang. “That’s a powerful safeguard for social media users, content creators, and organisations.”
Per the report, there are a plethora of use cases stemming from the CSIRO technique. For starters, social media users can lean on the solution as a protective layer for their photos before uploading them, restricting AI models from learning facial features.
Wang noted that the capability is key in stifling the ability of AI models to create deepfakes without the consent of the user. Furthermore, the technique will find utility in state defense, with countries using it to shield sensitive satellite pictures and cyber threat data from AI models.
For now, it is only applicable to images, but there are plans to extend the capabilities to music, text, and videos. While a mainstream rollout is still in the distance, CSIRO has its sights set on new research partners from AI safety and ethics, academia, cybersecurity, and defence.
Tightening the noose for AI
Amid the rapid adoption of AI models, researchers are making different attempts to curtail the excesses of the emerging technology. In the early days, AI companies rolled out detectors to identify AI-generated text, racking up 100% accuracy levels, while Big Tech firms have found varying degrees of success with watermarking tools.
Furthermore, experts are mulling blockchain to limit AI’s access to copyrighted materials for training. On the policy side, regulators are creating guidelines and guiding principles for AI companies.