Consumers can look forward to better and cheaper solar panels and future LCD screens, thanks to the recent discovery of a new type of liquid crystal.

The deadly secrets of a carnivorous mushroom are being revealed with the help of the Australian Synchrotron. The results could lead to new medical drugs and pest-resistant plants.

The deadline for the next round of the Australian Synchrotron photo competition is Friday 27 March 2015. Photos must have been taken at the Australian Synchrotron. Send in your photo entries.

Photo comp winner: a million bright ideas (Jason Price) ideas'
A million bright ideas (Jason Price) won the September 2014 round of the synchrotron photo competition

Users who submitted applications for January-May 2015 (round 2015/1) will be notified from mid-December 2014.

Around 130 engineers and scientists from around the world met recently in Melbourne to discuss the hottest new developments in synchrotron hardware design.

A new outdoor meeting place and garden at the Australian Synchrotron honours the memory of synchrotron pioneer Steve Wilkins, who passed away unexpectedly in March 2013.

Synchrotron user Dr Matthew Hill has received the 2014 Malcolm MacIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year for his work with the world’s most porous materials.

A young researcher whose work is providing important new insights into the biological activity of selenium supplements has received the 2014 Australian Synchrotron Stephen Wilkins Thesis Medal.

Young researchers played a prominent role at the Australian Synchrotron User Meeting 2014 on 20-21 November, highlighting the talent of the next generation of synchrotron scientists.

Want to know why scientists think crystals are special? An enthusiastic audience of around 200 people flocked to the Synchrotron in December 2014 to learn for themselves what crystallography is and how it’s making a real difference to our lives.

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