|
|
|
|
Media Bulletin - 19 June 2006
In this bulletin
1. Could Melbourne lead a global effort to document ‘what makes us different’ - a catalogue of human mutations. The human variome project will be considered by an elite group of international geneticists in Melbourne this week.
2. From stars to brains: pathways to consciousness in the natural world. Paul Davies and George Ellis join a group of scientists, psychologists and artists in Canberra to provide insights into the basic laws of nature and the evolution of galaxies, stars, planets and life forms. And a birthday party.
3. To the Moon: NASA scientist John Landis is in Australia to talk about plans to return to the moon. He is in town to speak at a conference for planetariums.
4. The atomic bomb, the Nobel Prize and topless bars: The Canberra theatre company explores the life of physicist Richard Feynman in a nearly-one-man play throughout the month of July. They’re happy to talk about turning physics into art and drama.
5. Explore the issues of medical reporting at a Melbourne forum this Thursday.
6. Smart sheep, simulators for trainee doctors, singing wings and smart bombs for cancer. These were some of the science discoveries of early-career researchers we heard about last year. Fresh Science 2006, will identify the most exciting, least exposed Australian research for presentation to the public and the media, in Science Week in August – details at www.freshscience.org
------------------------------------------------------------ Story background: ------------------------------------------------------------
1. Campaign to map gene mutations – human variation
From 20 to 23 June, Melbourne will host an elite group of international geneticists, meeting to plan a global project that will catalogue human mutations and help transform our understanding and treatment of many diseases.
For those in Melbourne, you are invited to: · Opening dinner: Tuesday, 20 June: the opening lunch and opening address by Sir Walter Bodmer. From 12 noon to 2.20 pm at the Park Hyatt, 1 Parliament Place, East Melbourne. · Melbourne Conversations: Wednesday 21 June – a public forum at Melbourne Town Hall from 6.15pm to 7.45pm · Press conference: Friday, 23 June at 10.30 at the Park Hyatt, 1 Parliament Place, East Melbourne · Report back session: Friday 23 June from 2.30 to 4.30 at the Park Hyatt, 1 Parliament Place, East Melbourne
Please RVSP if you would like to attend any of these events.
We hope that the meeting will conclude on Friday with the announcement of a plan to create a global database of human mutations (variomes), and headquarter it here in Melbourne.
The meeting is sponsored by the WHO and will be attended by representatives of the OECD, European Commission, UNESCO, Google and the US Centers for Disease Control.
Key participants in the conference include:
Sir Walter Bodmer, Oxford University – one of the creators of the Human Genome Project. His team is now looking at human variation including remnants of Viking genes in the Scots; evidence in Central Asia confirming that humans first migrated out of Africa and then only dispersed into Europe and the Orient some 30,000-50,000 years ago.
Charles Scriver, McGill University, Montreal – Scriver also a creator of the Human Genome Project, was a pioneer in using vitamin D to prevent rickets, and in screening programs to detect genetic and nutritional diseases in newborns especially phenylketonuria. As a result of his work, Quebec’s health care system was the first in the world to provide a system for identifying and treating genetic diseases.
Michael Katz, USA – runs the global programs of the March of Dimes. Founded by Roosevelt to fight polio, the March of Dimes is working to give all babies a fighting chance against the threats to their health: prematurity, birth defects, low birthweight – a huge challenge in the developing world. Michael is a passionate advocate for mass vaccination of children and young people in order to prevent birth defects in newborns.
Richard Gibbs, Baylor College, Houston – born in Warrnambool and educated in Melbourne, Richard was part of the Human Genome Project team, and now heads one of the world’s largest gene sequencing efforts. His group is exploring the human genome as well as the cow, rat, honey bee, sea urchin, rhesus macaque, the orang-utan and, in conjunction with Melbourne researchers, the wallaby genome.
About the meeting: The Melbourne meeting and the project are the brainchild of Melbourne researcher Professor Richard Cotton, Director of the Genomics Disorders Research Centre.
“If we could give researchers, clinicians, genetic counsellors and affected families fast reliable access to up to date and accurate information on mutations, and the damage they cause, it would transform genetic medicine by:
- enabling doctors to rapidly diagnose and inform patients with rare diseases; - allowing new diagnostics; - helping researchers develop new treatments for hundreds of genetic diseases including cystic fibrosis and thalassemia; - assisting in uncovering the causes of common diseases such as breast cancer and asthma.
“In 1991 I started the journal Human Mutation. I was shocked to discover that no one was responsible for collecting information on mutations. So I used the journal to promote ways of collecting and making information available on a small scale. But now, in the aftermath of the Human Genome Project, it’s time to do the job properly,” Richard says.
“It’s time for a global human variome (human gene variation) project,” Richard says. “I see the Melbourne meeting as a major step towards establishing this project.” It will require around $US60 million over five years to establish the project.
“With a concerted effort, I believe that we could have the system set up to document mutations and make the information available globally to clinicians and researchers within three to five years.”
The Melbourne meeting will bring 55 of the world’s authorities on mutations and other related DNA variations together to plan how information should be collected, validated, stored, and made available to the world. The conference will be opened by one of the world’s most eminent geneticists Sir Walter Bodmer FRS of Oxford, UK.
The Commonwealth government has contributed over $100,000 towards the conference and planning. The Victorian government have contributed $60,000 along with contributions from The Melbourne University, The CASS Foundation, Myer Foundation and the Ian Potter Foundation.
________________________
2. FROM STARS TO BRAINS: pathways to consciousness in the natural world
Consciousness, DNA and the universe – we still don’t know what the underlying factors are for the origin of the universe, the origin of complex molecules such as DNA and the emergence of consciousness.
With all of the astonishing advances in astronomy, physics, mathematics, chemistry, geology and biology over the last 150 years or so, there are some fundamental questions that remain unanswered.
In Canberra this week, a group of scientists, psychologists and artists are meeting to discuss, and hopefully provide insights into the basic laws of nature and the evolution of galaxies, stars, planets and life forms. They’re also celebrating Paul Davies’ 60th birthday
Tuesday & Wednesday, 20-21 June, Manning Clark House, Canberra
Main speakers: - Professor Paul Davies, a physicist formerly of the University of Adelaide and now at the Center of Astrobiology, Macquarie University. Paul has explored some of these questions in numerous books and articles, among other considering parallels between scientific enigmas and spiritual and religious perceptions.
- Professor George Ellis, physicist and cosmologist, who studied black holes jointly with Stephen Hawking.
Other speakers include: · other aspects of astronomy: Michael Dopita · Earth Science: Richard Arculus · the origin of DNA: David Penny · early life: Jochen Brocks · perception: Peter Robinson, · information theory: Gerard Milburn, · the science of consciousness: David Chalmers, · Consciousness and theology: Paul Collins, · Mass consciousness: Phillip Adams, · artistic expressions of consciousness: Elizabeth Truswell, Mark O’Connor and · the search for intelligence life in the universe, Charley Linweaver.
3. TO THE MOON: NASA scientist talks about returning to the moon and all that needs to be done before.
To the moon, says the President of the United States. At the same time as sending out robot missions to the moon to pave the way for humans in the next decade; the US will also be closing out the space shuttle program, performing a final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, and completing the International Space Station.
Hear from Rob Landis, Mission Operations Directorate from NASA Johnson Space Center as he talks about NASA's plans for the future and the vision for the next generation of human space exploration.
Rob will be talking at the Melbourne Planetarium on Tuesday 25 July, 6.30-9pm with telescope viewings after the talk.
_____________________
4. THE ATOMIC BOMB, THE NOBEL PRIZE AND TOPLESS BARS: EXPLORE THE LIFE OF RICHARD FEYNMAN IN THEATRE
"Physics is like sex. Sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it." — R. Feynman
Richard Feynman helped develop the atomic bomb, investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and won a Nobel prize in 1965 for his work on quantum electrodynamics.
Feynman was one of the world's greatest theoretical physicists, but he was also a man who fell, often jumped, into adventure. Not only did he develop the atomic bomb and quantum electrodynamics, but he played the bongos, frequented topless bars and relished his bit parts in university theatricals.
The Canberra Street Theatre presents the man behind the science in a nearly-one-man show about the “puckish genius”.
You’ll hear about his work on the Manhattan Project, his reconstruction of the space shuttle Challenger disaster, his Nobel Prize-winning quantum electrodynamics theory, as well as the intimate details of his personal life.
"Who knew quantum electrodynamics could be so much fun?" (NY Post)
____________________
5. MEDICAL REPORTING: A MELBOURNE FORUM
Melbourne-based journalists are invited to explore the issues of science and medical reporting at a session of Science at the Redback this Thursday. The discussion will cover: - What are the issues and responsibilities in reporting risk? - Who makes a reliable medical source? - How do you report complex medical topics clearly and accurately? With a panel including:
Carolyn Alexander -
Medical Observer
The session is presented by the Australasian Medical Writers Association and Australian Science Communicators Victoria. |
General
enquiries: please contact the people and organisations mentioned in our media
releases |