Astronomers searching for clues about dark energy, the mysterious force that is speeding up the expansion of the Universe, have uncovered new evidence about the nature of supernovae, finding many are lighter than scientists had expected,

 A team led by astronomers at the Australian National University (ANU) has discovered the oldest known star in the Universe, which formed shortly after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago,

Researchers from the Australian National University have ruled out climate change as the cause of extinction of most of Australia's giant animals, including giant kangaroos, three metre-tall flightless birds and the Tasmanian tiger,