The Australian Science Communicators are hosting the conference in collaboration with the World Federation of Science Journalists. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Australian ScienceVenomous snakes and coneshells, the kangaroo genome, milking echidna's, giant marsupials, the bionic ear and now bionic nerves, a ringing star, a view to the heart of our galaxy and more. Here is a taste of some of the Australian science stories that have come out over the last year. These stories have been provided by science organisations around Australia and we have provided edited summaries which can be downloaded. We invite you to come out to Australia and find your own stories. Short and sweet: summarising Australian science:These summaries were written by Science in Public, based on press releases from science organisations. Australian science stories February 2007 - NEW!: (click on the headline below to go to the story) The following stories have been provided by science organisations from around Australia. For more information, please contact the organisation directly. To download stories in brief click here
Australian science stories November 2006: (click on the headline below to go to the story) Australian science stories September 2006 (click on the headline below to go to the story summary)Australian science stories July 2006: (click on the headline below to go to the story) More Australian science stories: (click on the headline below to go to the story) Aussie yabbies survive by connecting to underwater broadband19 February 2007 Like sharks, Australian yabbies have a 'sixth' sense, the ability to listen to electrical signals that alert them to prey or predators, according to University of Melbourne researchers. "We have provided the first evidence that yabbies 'listen' to electrical fields." Yabbies are small freshwater crayfish. Like sharks, Australian yabbies have a "sixth" sense, the ability to listen to electrical signals that alert them to prey or predators, new breaking research from the University of Melbourne has found. "We have provided the first evidence that yabbies "listen" to electrical fields for their survival, showing that a prey species is also listening." "It is as if they are tuning into the underwater broadband." The study was coordinated by Mr Patullo with a team of dedicated research fellows under the supervision of Professor David MacMillan from the University of Melbourne. Blair Patullo Rebecca Scott A busy left hand causes crashes to the rightSomeone using their left hand is four times more likely to collide with an object on the right than on the left, a new study from the University of Melbourne has found. The published study has important implications for road, industrial and maritime safety. Associate Professor Mike Nicholls, from the School of Behavioural Science said the research - published in this month's edition of the journal Neuropsychologia - had important implications for road, industrial and maritime safety. "The research shows that
someone using their left hand is four times more likely to collide with an
object on the right than on the left,'' he says. "For example, if you are using your left hand it stimulates the right side of your brain which draws your attention to your left, therefore causing you to bump into objects on your right,'' he says. Associate Professor Mike Nicholls Janine Sim-Jones uninews.unimelb.edu.au/articleid_3975.html Women scientists produce higher quality work9 January 2007 The study, conducted by Dr
Matthew Symonds from the Department of Zoology at the University of Melbourne
with colleagues from Australia and New Zealand, showed that the men in the study
published 40 percent more papers than women, but that women's work is cited
relatively more often by other scientists, a key indicator of quality.
Dr Matthew Symonds Rebecca Scott uninews.unimelb.edu.au/articleid_3965.html Early cochlear implants get deaf toddlers talking7 December 2006 Deaf babies and toddlers can develop normal language skills using cochlear implants according to a Melbourne study. Deaf babies and toddlers can develop normal language skills when cochlear implants occur between six months and two years, according to new research released by the University of Melbourne. "This is the first study
investigating the long term language progress of deaf babies and toddlers
implanted with Cochlear implants," said Head of the Department of Otolaryngology
at the University of Melbourne, Professor Richard Dowell. "It is wonderful to watch the children begin to respond to their hearing, and learn to communicate. These children can joke, lie, tease and use language in all its forms," she said. Professor
Richard Dowell Dr Shani Dettman Rebecca Scott uninews.unimelb.edu.au/articleid_3922.html Satellites measures soil moistureAustralian farmers will soon be able to measure soil moisture in paddocks from data collected by a space satellite under a University of Melbourne, NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) experiment. Dr Jeff Walker from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the University of Melbourne is leading an international experiment, (the National Airborne Field Experiment) to test and enhance satellite technology that will measure soil moisture levels in paddocks for Australian primary producers. "Our vision is that via the internet, farmers will be able to download key information about current and future soil moisture in their paddocks, which has been generated from a combination of model predictions and satellite observations." Dr Jeff Walker uninews.unimelb.edu.au/articleid_3866.html Images/vision available: Cold war gravity detector finds ore deposits18 February 2007
BHP Billiton has developed an airborne gravity system for mapping mineral deposits, known as Falcon. Falcon™ is the world's first airborne gravity gradiometer (AGG) and measures minute changes in the earth's gravity. It allows fast and cost-effective access to prospective terrains, areas which once took years to cover by ground surveys are now done in days. This technological innovation, which has its roots in technology developed for the US Navy, has enormous benefits and gives BHP Billiton a unique competitive advantage in the search for mineral and hydrocarbon deposits. This is backed by our exclusivity on the technology coupled with our unique value-added processing and interpretation capabilities. Samantha Evans CSIRO demonstrates world's fastest wireless linkCSIRO researchers have demonstrated the fastest and most efficient wireless link ever achieved. With 2.4bits/s/Hz - it is highest efficiency the ever achieved for such a system. Multi-gigabit links operate at speeds that leave current wireless networks far behind. For example the entire works of Shakespeare could be transmitted over this six gigabit link in under seven thousandths of a second or a full DVD movie in just over six seconds.
www.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps2kj.html Found - the red apple gene"The red colour in apple skin is the result of anthocyanins, the natural plant compounds responsible for blue and red colours in many flowers and fruits," says the leader of the CSIRO Plant Industry research team, Dr Mandy Walker. "If fruit doesn't look good, consumers are far less likely to buy it, no matter how good it might taste."
www.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps2j6.html Australia's venomous creatures not all bad news2007 Australian biotechnology companies and researchers are discovering that Australia's venomous creatures might not be all bad news. They may in fact bring us the medical drugs of tomorrow. Queensland biotechnology companies and researchers are discovering that Australia's venomous creatures might not be all bad news. They may in fact bring us the medical drugs of tomorrow. Deadly cone shell snailXenome Ltd is developing a therapy for severe pain derived from the venom of a deadly cone shell snail found on the Great Barrier Reef. Xen2174 is currently in Phase I/II clinical trials. Xenome is using its rare and diverse library of Australian venoms to develop other therapeutics for inflammation and cancer. Taipan snake venomElaCor Pty Ltd, is developing a therapeutic for congestive heart failure derived from Taipan snake venom. Australian Common Brown snakeQRxPharma Pty Ltd is developing a pro-coagulant useful in situations to control bleeding and tissue sealing, such as following surgery. FactorX is derived from the venom of the Australian Common Brown snake. Spiders, Scorpions, and CentipedesIf snakes aren't your thing then how about spiders? Australian Tarantulas Pty Ltd specialises in screening the venom of spiders, scorpions, and centipedes. The company even has its own Australian Venom Zoo located near Cairns. Queensland's natural megabiodiversity provides the perfect platform to develop a thriving biodiscovery industry:
Virtual map of the sheep genomeIn a world first, a team of international scientists led by CSIRO has constructed a virtual map of the genome of the sheep. www.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps2ge.html A real air guitarLed by engineer Dr Richard Helmer a team of researchers at CSIRO Textiles and Fibre Technology in Geelong has created a 'wearable instrument shirt' (WIS). "The technology - which is adaptable to almost any kind of apparel - takes clothing beyond its traditional role of protection and fashion into the realms of entertainment and a wide range of other applications including the development of clothes which will be able to monitor physiological changes," Dr Helmer says says.
www.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps2gl.html 'Air shower' set to cut water use by 30 per centThe researchers, from CSIRO Manufacturing Materials Technology in Melbourne, say the device increases the volume of the shower stream while reducing the amount of water used by about 30 per cent.
www.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps2g2.html Wine industry 'winners and losers' from climate changeClimate change will dramatically alter the growing season for Australian grapes and affect the wine styles produced here, according to new University of Melbourne and CSIRO research. Working with senior University and CSIRO climate change scientists, PhD student Leanne Webb found that in future grape growers can expect to see rising temperatures which will cause a shift in budburst dates, shorter growing seasons and earlier harvest dates.
www.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps2ei.html Australia, South Africa, short-listed for giant telescopeAustralia has been short-listed - along with South Africa - to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a giant next-generation radio telescope being developed by scientists in 17 countries. The proposed core site in Australia is Mileura station, 100km west of Meekathara in Western Australia. Other antennas would be distributed over the continent; still more might be placed in New Zealand. The SKA will be a set of thousands of antennas spread over 3000km, with half the antennas located in a 'core' site of 5km x 5km. www.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps2br.html Parkes finds unexpected 'heartbeats' in starAstronomers using CSIRO's Parkes telescope in eastern Australia have detected radio "heartbeats" from a star that was not expected to have them. A US-Australian research team found that a "magnetar" - a kind of star with the strongest magnetic fields known in the Universe - is giving off extraordinary radio pulses, which links this rare type of star with the much more common "radio pulsars". The discovery observations were made on 17 March 2006 by CSIRO scientist John Sarkissian. Further observations at Parkes were made by the Observatory's officer-in-charge, John Reynolds. Dr Reynolds says the unexpected strength of the pulsar puts it in a category of its own.
www.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps25p.html Research offers hope for alcoholics13 December 2006 Scientists at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute have discovered a system in the brain that stops an alcoholic's craving for alcohol. In studies conducted with rats, Dr Andrew Lawrence and his Florey colleagues used a drug that blocked Orexin's euphoric effects in the brain and the results were remarkable. "In one experiment, rats that had alcohol freely available to them stopped drinking it after receiving the Orexin blocker." Dr Lawrence said. "In another experiment, rats that had gone through a detox program and were then given the Orexin blocking drug, did not relapse into alcohol addiction when they were reintroduced to an environment in which they had been conditioned to associate with alcohol use. Merrin Rafferty Is wildlife birth-control safe?12 February 2007 UNSW Media contacts: Professor Des Cooper Dan Gaffney Soft-cell approach cuts animal tests7 February 2007
The new in-vitro technique has been pioneered by Dr Hayes and her UNSW colleagues, Shahnaz Bakand and Chris Winder. The cells are grown on a porous polyester membrane inside a small diffusion chamber and then exposed to selected toxic air pollutants (see figure 1). After as little as one hour's exposure, they can study cell growth and metabolism, and a range of routine toxicological endpoints. Importantly, the toxic measurements obtained by the in vitro method, such as the amount of a contaminant needed to inhibit cell growth, mirror well-established lethal values obtained from animal studies - a long-established method in toxicological studies. Dr Amanda Hayes Dan Gaffney Magnetic powder cleans oily penguinsVictoria University researchers hope to clean penguins using tiny 'oil drinking' magnetic particles, consisting of a finely-divided iron powder that is non-toxic and non-irritating. Victoria University's Professor John Orbell, has been awarded research funds totalling $60,000 by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the Phillip Island Nature Park (PINP) to continue groundbreaking research into cleaning oiled birds. Professor Orbell and his team from the University's School of Molecular Sciences and the Institute of Sustainability and Innovation at the University's Werribee Campus, believe the answer is in tiny 'oil drinking' magnetic particles, consisting of a finely-divided iron powder that is non-toxic and non-irritating. The birds would be cleaned by dusting the oil-coated feathers with the magnetic powder and then using a magnetic probe to remove both the powder and the oil together - known as Magnetic Particle Technology (MPT). Andy Gash, Snr. Low GI sugar?Sugar cane, not only provides a sweetener, but has the potential to supply a myriad of valuable ingredients that can enhance our health and that have been identified as being potentially useful in the fight against prostate and breast cancer and promoting general health and well being. Ms Julie Lloyd Biodegradable plastic from sugarcane?Queensland researchers are looking to turn sugarcane plants into highly productive plastic factories. Genes from bacteria - that naturally produce these biodegradable plastics - have been successfully incorporated into the sugar plant which then goes on to make plastic within their cells. Plastics grown within the plant are known as PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates). They can provide a diverse range of products from parts for cars, mobile phones and computers to disposable nappies, carpets and clothing. They can also be used for plastic food packaging, plastic bottles and bags and water resistant coatings for paper and cardboard. These plastics are environmentally friendly because they are renewable and biodegradable. Dr Peter Twine Stevens M. Brumbley www.cheque.uq.edu.au/research/bioengineering/ Ms Julie Lloyd Email: Julie.lloyd@crcsugar.com Meningococcus and golden staph identified in hours rather than daysNew technology that rapidly identifies dangerous bugs - such as meningococcus and golden staph - is set to save lives and help control outbreaks. Each strain of bacteria has a unique set of fingerprints or arrangement of genes. Now, rather than having to examine around 3000 pieces of genetic material for each strain of bacteria, the program has pinpointed just 7 key pieces of information for testing. In this way, bacteria can be accurately identified and tracked within hours rather than days and at a cost saving of up to 90% by using computer-based technology developed by the CRC for Diagnostics. Mr Paul Barrett Queensland scientists fine tune drugs for herpesPatients at risk of a lethal virus infection are less likely to need expensive, possibly toxic, treatments because of new technology. This universal virus infects about 50% of the adult population and is dormant in most people. When the immune system is suppressed, for example, in organ transplant patients or HIV sufferers, the virus often reactivates and can cause severe complications, or even be fatal. Associate Professor Rajiv Khanna Tobacco goes cold turkeyThe tobacco plant is giving up cigarettes to provide safer and cheaper pharmaceuticals. Tobacco is set to become a valuable source of human vitronectin - a protein used in pharmaceuticals for wound and tissue repair and in medical research to improve human health. Deriving vitronectin from tobacco is likely to be cheaper and safer than how it is currently produced. Vitronectin is commonly isolated and purified from human blood plasma. Because there is a risk of contamination from blood-borne pathogens, there are strict quality control measures needed to purify vitronectin from blood. This costly procedure makes the pharmaceutical expensive. Smart State Fellow, Dr Benjamin Dugdale, and his team have modified the genome - the set of genes - of the tobacco plant so that it can produce large quantities of this protein. They have successfully extracted and purified vitronectin from the plant and shown it is equivalent to vitronectin derived from blood. Collaborators: Professor James Dale, Dr Mark Harrison and Ms Maiko Kato. Professor James Dale Prostate cancer trialFebruary 2007 The Mater Medical Research Institute is trialling a prostate cancer vaccine using a new 'smart state' antibody developed and produced at MMRI. A world first trial into a prostate cancer vaccine - headed by MMRI Director Professor Derek Hart who discovered dendritic cells in 1979 - is being conducted at the Mater Medical Research Institute (MMRI), a world class facility. Cancer is very good at hiding from dendritic cells - specialized white blood cells produced in the bone marrow which initiate the body's immune response against foreign or infectious agents in the body - but this vaccine will effectively re-train the immune system to seek out and attack the cancer as it would launch an attack on a cold or flu. In phase one of MMRI Dendritic Cell Prostate Cancer Trial, which began in February 2006, five patients have been vaccinated with no adverse reactions. The next step is to launch a new phase one trial before the middle of the year which will build on the current trial using a new 'smart state' antibody developed and produced at MMRI. Contact for Professor Hart More sleep for newborns (and parents)Driving the baby around the block till he sleeps? A Queensland company has developed a cot that emulates the motion of a car, helping babies sleep soundly. Gold Coast company, Babyhugs Pty Ltd developed the 'Lullabub' cot rocker to emulate the motion of a car, which often helps babies to sleep soundly. The 'Lullabub' cot rocker gently rocks a cot automatically in a harmonic rhythm to naturally soothe and settle babies to sleep. It consists of four modules, which are placed under each leg of a cot. There is a choice of four motion settings which emulates the suspension of a car. It operates quietly and can also turn itself off automatically. The 'Lullabub' has won an Australian Design Award. Mr
Christopher Mitchell Elderly sleep through alarmResearch by Victoria University's Professor Dorothy Bruck has shown that the most common smoke alarm in Australian homes was the least effective at waking up older sleepers. Forty-five volunteers aged from 65 to 85, were subjected to four alarm signals - including the standard smoke alarm frequency of 3000 to 4000Hz. The other alarms included one with a lower frequency of 500Hz, a mixed frequency and a male voice. Each alarm was sounded at increased volumes in 30-second intervals until participants responded. Of the four signals, the standard fire alarm required the loudest volume before it woke elderly sleepers. Professor Dorothy Bruck Media release: www.vu.edu.au Muscling up against Metabolic SyndromeCan strength training be used to treat Metabolic Syndrome? This is the question being asked in a new study by Victoria University PhD student, Mr Itamar Levinger. "People who suffer from Metabolic Syndrome have a combination of obesity, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar levels", explained Itamar. "This novel form of training for people with Metabolic Syndrome is thought to improve fitness rather than fatness. Volunteers will not lose a lot of weight during the program, rather we expect they will build muscle mass making then feel stronger, fitter and healthier." Media Contact: Andy Gash, Snr. How much UV is too much?By collecting data on the ozone layer, Smart State Fellow Dr Michael Kimlin is helping assess the health risks and benefits associated with ultra violet (UV) radiation. Dr Kimlin has developed methods using satellite data to accurately measure the levels of ground-level UV radiation experienced by Queenslanders. When holes in the ozone layer appear: skin cancers and cataracts have been known to increase the human immune system may be suppressed and food crops and marine life are damaged. Dr Michael Kimlin Understanding tropical river systemsSmart State Fellow, Dr Andrew Brooks is using remote sensing to help understand what drives the great tropical river systems of northern Australia - rivers that may have the potential to quench the thirst of southern Australia. Dr Brooks and his team are surveying and mapping vast monsoonal rivers of the Gulf of Carpentaria and Cape York and estuaries - that are often inaccessible - by using a range of airborne and satellite based remote sensing techniques. These rivers are under pressure to share their water with the south where water shortages and drought are becoming a fact of life. The team has surveyed 6 300 kilometres of river using aerial videography, an inexpensive and rapid way of recording images; airborne infra-red imagery; digital aerial photography and Lidar. Lidar can see through the vegetation and provide high resolution 3D maps of the ground surface that help the team understand erosion in the Gulf. Dr Andrew Brooks Standardising blood specimen management with robotsAi Scientific's Pathfinder technology removes potential human error associated with manual sorting and splitting of blood specimens. Queensland company, Ai Scientific, is developing automated sample handling processes for clinical and analytical laboratories worldwide. The Pathfinder system uses stand-alone software and five independent robots working simultaneously to manage the blood specimens taken for testing, thus eliminating any potential human error. All specimens are logged, identified, the volume calculated, and sorted into workstation racks. Stephen Pronk Healthy avocadoesResearch undertaken at the CRC for Tropical Plant Protection has identified a powerful weapon to fight disease which will provide enormous benefit to the avocado industry. Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is the most serious post harvest disease of avocados. The disease produces lesions on the skin and flesh of ripening avocados, resulting in produce which is not able to be sold. The disease results in losses in the order of 20-25% at retail level. CRC researchers used the avocado's own defences and fertilising regime to prevent anthracnose disease. The Guatemalan rootstock was used with the 'Hass' avocados which resulted in a considerable reduction in the incidence and severity of the lesions associated with the disease. Fertilisers were also found to play an important role in managing the fungal disease. The avocado industry has adopted the CRC research outcomes by making major changes to its management practices. Growers can halve the incidence of anthracnose disease and enjoy an 80% decrease in infection severity. Professor John Irwin Wireless technology to improve chronic disease monitoringAlive Technologies, based at Arundel on the Gold Coast, has developed wireless health monitoring systems to assist in the screening, diagnosis and management of chronic diseases, and for consumer health and fitness. The Alive Monitor captures electrical impulses from the surface of the skin as the heart beats and can transmit heart rate information as well as producing an ECG trace. The Alive Monitor can be applied by a doctor or the patient themselves for screening and constant monitoring of their condition. The Alive Monitor uses wireless Bluetooth and mobile phone networks to immediately transmit the medical information to a computer, pocket PC, wrist-watch, or central monitoring centre. The Alive Monitor is being used in Australia, Europe and the USA. Contact: Bruce Satchwell Reducing greenhouse gases for magnesium industryThe Brisbane based CAST CRC has developed AM-cover which is an invisible technology mixture that could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions from the magnesium industry by over 5 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent per year. This is comparable to eliminating the emissions from 1 million cars or planting 17 million trees. AM-cover is a simple, cost-effective replacement for the potent greenhouse gas sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), which is used globally as a protective cover gas to prevent molten magnesium from oxidising. AM-cover is also non-toxic, non-corrosive, non-flammable and does not contribute to ozone depletion. Dr Nigel Ricketts Managing grazing lands in a variable and changing climateA team of Queensland scientists have developed an information service that provides information on the condition of arid and semi-arid grazing land so that graziers and land managers are better prepared for good and bad times. AussieGRASS (Australian Grassland & Rangeland Assessment by Spatial Simulation) is a program that models grazing systems on a 5 km grid over the whole Australian continent to produce maps and data on rainfall, pasture growth, fire risk and other important features of the pastures and water balance in a grazing system. Many of these map products are freely available on the Queensland Government's LongPaddock website. AussieGRASS has proven a valuable tool for analysing the severity of drought for submissions by Queensland and other states for Exceptional Circumstances funding from the Commonwealth for land holders in severe drought. AussieGRASS also provides valuable information for the Bureau of Rural Sciences' National Agricultural Monitoring System. Dr Bev Henry What turns plants on?University of Melbourne researchers have isolated a genetic 'switch' that can be turned on or off to alter the development of pollen sex cells in plants. Professors Mohan Singh and Prem Bhalla, who head the University's Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory in the Faculty of Land and Food Resources, analysed the genetic makeup of white lillies and other flowering plants to identify a germline-restrictive silencing factor (GRSF). The GRSF, which is present in all plants during plant growth, can be manipulated to effectively block the development of sex cells in plants, and can be turned on or off depending on the situation. Plants that produce pollen causing hayfever may be able to have their sex cell development - and therefore pollen production - turned off. Professor Prem Bhalla Dr Nerissa Hannink Harmonious couples pursue same goalsIf you want to have a successful relationship, you not only need to have the same goals as your partner, you also have to want them to the same extent, says research under way at the University of Melbourne. Warwick Hosking, who is
completing a PhD under Associate Professor Jennifer Boldero in the School of
Behavioral Science, has surveyed about 600 people, aged 18 to 52, for his
research into relationship conflict. Warwick Hosking Janine Sim-Jones uninews.unimelb.edu.au/articleid_4002.html "Starbug" the submarine monitors underwater ecosystemsAn innovative robotic submarine from CSIRO is set to transform environmental monitoring by dramatically reducing the cost of data collection. CSIRO's Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Starbug, was developed by the CSIRO ICT Centre at its Queensland laboratory. Starbug is an autonomous, miniature submarine for underwater monitoring and surveying of ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef. www.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps2j5.html Australia set for new metals industryRevolutionary technology emerging from the Light Metals Flagship could open the door to a competitive titanium industry in Australia Australia is on the brink of developing a new metals industry through locally developed technology that will make titanium - one of the most versatile light metals known - far more accessible to manufacturers. Over the past few years CSIRO researchers have been developing a new processing technology that now looks able to halve titanium processing costs. www.solve.csiro.au/0806/article12.htm Cataloguing Queensland's plants for curesGriffith University researchers have identified more than 40 plants and 1500 marine animals previously unknown to science that could hold the key to discovering life-saving medicines. The research is part of a massive international field study launched in 1993 to create a 'library' of every naturally-occurring plant in Queensland, as well as from biodiversity hot-spots such as Great Barrier Reef, China, and Papua New Guinea. We are also developing collaborations with US-based partners, including the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, the University of California at San Francisco and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill." It is jointly funded by the Queensland Government, Australian Research Council, pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Medicines for Malaria Venture. www.griffith.edu.au/centre/eskitis/ A model of a heartResearchers are using CSIRO's laser diagnostic laboratory to test blood flow in an artificial heart as part of a collaborative project with Japan's Waseda University. Analysis of a laser light beamed through the heart helps show where the blood is flowing smoothly, and to identify potential problem areas. The laser testing will help the researchers optimise the heart's design to reduce turbulence and shear stress, and minimise thrombus formation and damage to blood cells. The laser lab (which was originally built to assist with validating computer models of flow processes within the minerals industry) is also being used in a project with RMIT University modelling the distribution of drugs ingested from devices such as nasal sprays. www.solve.csiro.au/0805/article6.htm Turning one man's trash into another's treasureIndustrial seaweed processor Kelp Industries needed a practical, low-cost fuel source to dry its seaweed. Meanwhile the famous King Island Dairy had significant quantities of waste cardboard too expensive to ship back to the mainland for disposal. CSIRO has developed an innovative solution to two very different problems confronting two industries in the remote community of King Island in the Bass Strait. The companies approached CSIRO to determine whether it might be scientifically practical to recycle King Island's excess cardboard packaging into briquettes to help fuel the kelp furnaces and drying kilns. After assessing various ratios of cardboard to wood, conducting ash analysis and determining the correct briquette density, CSIRO found that solid briquettes - the size of a housebrick - made from shredded cardboard waste work well in the furnace as a 30 to 50 per cent component of the total fuel mix.
www.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps2hj.html $22 million adult stem cell centre to be established at GriffithAdult stem cells have potential clinical applications in stem cell transplantation therapies and will be used to understand and ultimately develop treatments for brain diseases such as Parkinson's disease, motor neurone Disease and schizophrenia. Brisbane, Queensland - Griffith University Vice Chancellor Professor Ian O'Connor has welcomed the announcement by Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, the Honorable Tony Abbott MP, of $22 million to establish the Adult Stem Cell Research Centre. The new centre will position Griffith University and Australia as world leaders in adult stem cell research and develop collaborative links throughout the country with leading adult stem cell researchers. www.griffith.edu.au/centre/eskitis/ Australian company to run world's first xenotransplantation trial in diabetes without immunosuppression
A product made from natural neonatal pig islet cells encased in capsules is to offer new hope to people with Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes. In a world first, New Zealand-based, Australian company, Living Cell Technologies (LCT), is poised to start a Phase I/IIa trial for patients with Type 1 diabetes using its porcine pancreatic cell product, DiabeCell®, without using toxic immunosuppression drugs. "This is the only human clinical trial of its kind approved anywhere in the world. It recognises LCT's thorough pre-clinical testing of the product in animal models, which showed no adverse safety effects and a significant reduction in insulin requirements," said Dr John Court, scientific advisor to LCT and expert on adolescent diabetes.
Climate change impacts on plants and animals (including native species, pest species, and agricultural species)Australian wildlife is responding to changes in climate and researchers are currently trying to build a database in order to gather as much historical and current information on species and their breeding/migrating/flowering etc. Link to media release: Contact details: http://www.bom.gov.au/bmrc/clfor/cfstaff/lynda_chambers.htm Changes in bushfires risk with climate changeA new study funded by the Australian Government and some State and
Territory governments provides important new information to help communities
across Link to media release: Contact details: Tropical cyclones and climate changeWhile no single, recent high-impact cyclone can be said to be a direct
result of climate change, scientists agree that global warming may be
impacting on series Link to media release: Link to statement: Contact details: http://www.bom.gov.au/bmrc/clfor/cfstaff/john_mcbride.htm Research into maximum precipitation, QLDDownload: the SmalleyJakob poster (ppt, 403KB) Contact details: Indian Ocean Climate Initiative (IOCI)This program addresses climate change in Western Australia and is a partnership between the WA state agencies, the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO. "The program is strategic in nature and design. It aims to scientifically under-pin the wide range of specific application activities which may be needed and undertaken by various climate affected sectors in this region of Australia. "In particular IOCI is geared to translating national and international climate science and overlaying this with specific research and interpretation programs of its own. It pursues this mission through partnered and collaborative activities." While this project focuses specifically on the Western Australian region, an anticipated new initiative will support the same program for SE Australia (South-East Australia Climate Initiative, SEACI). The IOCI website is at: http://www.ioci.org.au and the 'Climate Note 1' series under http://www.ioci.org.au/publications/bulletins.html includes publications, including images, of research into how climate, temperature, sea-temperature, rainfall is changing. Contact details: http://www.bom.gov.au/bmrc/clfor/cfstaff/john_mcbride.htm Australia-UK teams join to fight fluCSIRO and the University of Bath have combined their expertise to develop new drugs to better safeguard against flu viruses developing resistance. See www.csiro.au/news for more detail. Background on development of Relenza. Is There True Authenticity in the Practice of Evidence-based Health Sciences?August 2006 The healthcare discipline and evidence-based discourse has been producing numerous specialized journals and best practice guidelines in the recent years, with health science scholars eagerly jumping on the bandwagon, mimicking this trend with their contributions to this discourse. Published by Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the Joanna Briggs Institute - in the September 2006 issue of the International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare - the paper aims to demonstrate that the evidence-based movement in the health sciences is outrageously exclusionary and dangerously normative with regards to scientific knowledge. This study is published in International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare (2006; 4:180-186). Media wishing to receive a PDF or to interview the authors, please contact alina.boey@asia.blackwellpublishing.com Contact:
www.blackwellpublishing.com Addressing the Realities of Climate ChangeJuly 2006 The impacts of climate change will be felt globally over the next century. In order to mitigate its consequences, we need to understand the cumulative effects of its actions and the environmental repercussions thus far. Associate Professor Lesley Hughes from the Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University, Sydney, has addressed this by conducting a review of observed and potential impacts of climatic changes on Australian species and natural ecosystems. The paper is a synthesis of the available literature on the issue of climate change, as well as an endeavor to identify critical knowledge gaps. Published by Blackwell Publishing in the August 2003 issue of Austral Ecology - for the Ecological Society of Australia - the findings in this paper still resonate widely in today's world. This study is published in Austral Ecology (2003) 28, 423-443. Media wishing to receive a PDF or to interview the author, please contact alina.boey@asia.blackwellpublishing.com. Contact:
www.blackwellpublishing.com Genetic Basis for Premature Ovarian Failure IdentifiedMay 2006 Researchers have successfully identified several genes associated with Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) or premature menopause, enabling carriers to make informed choices with regards to family planning. The study by Dr Kathryn Woad, Wendy Watkins, Deborah Prendergast and Associate Professor Andrew Shelling - all from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences from University of Auckland - is published by Blackwell Publishing in the June issue of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. This study is published in the June 2006 issue of The Australia and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Vol. 46, No. 3). Media wishing to receive a PDF, please contact alina.boey@asia.blackwellpublishing.com Contact:
www.blackwellpublishing.com Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements of Australian Children often inaccurateApril 2006 A new study has found many GP's do not regularly calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) in children, and when they do measure height and weight often the equipment is imprecise and therefore their assessment is inaccurate. The study by researcher Ms Bibi Gerner and colleagues from the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute's Centre for Community Child Health, at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital, is in the latest edition of the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health (JPCH), the peer reviewed journal of the Paediatrics Division of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP). This study is published in the April issue of the Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health (Vol. 42, Issue 4). Media wishing to receive a PDF, please contact alina.boey@asia.blackwellpublishing.com Contact:
www.blackwellpublishing.com Aussie team makes landmark insulin discovery
A team of CSIRO scientists has determined the molecular structure of the insulin receptor, the protein on the surface of cells that mediates the effects of insulin. This advance builds on many years of international research to understand how insulin functions in the body. 14 September 2006 Warrick Glynn Pick up your crying babyFriday, 27 October 2006 Help babies breathe easier18 October 2006 Bionic nerves22 September 2006 Predicting Schizophrenia11 September 2006 New fertility research14 August 2006 Australian synchrotron scientists reveal food-poisoning toxin Scientists from the University Adelaide, Monash University and the United States
have revealed important new information to advance understanding of how
bacterial toxins cause severe gastrointestinal diseases. Synchrotron discriminates arsenic in Phar Lap's hairForensic
analyst Dr Ivan Kempson from the University of South Australia's Ian Wark
Research Institute and Museum Victoria's Senior Collection Manager (Sciences)
Dermot Henry announced preliminary results of synchrotron x-ray fluorescence and
x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy studies of six hairs taken from the
preserved hide of Australasian horse-racing icon, the race-horse Phar Lap. Eyes in the sky to monitor climate changeWednesday, 01 November 2006
CSIRO and the Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping (CASM) will sign a
research agreement in Beijing today to collaborate on China's resource mapping
satellite program. Whining about climate change22 October 2006 "Climate change will impact on the
Australian wine industry and there will be winners and losers," Ms Webb says. Green roofs for fresh food23 October 2006 Scientists copy the brilliance of a leaf
28 September 2006 Making coal cleaner
20 September 2006 Gardening the reef05 September 2006 Carp virus
06 September 2006 Wheat greenhouse03 October 2006 Marathon jellyfishResearch conducted in waters off Weipa
has taken scientists a step closer to understanding the secret lives of deadly
box jellyfish. Live fast, die young
07 September 2006 Sex for mums means heathier babies02 November 2006 Test-tube koalas
30 October 2006 Busy bee brain food26 October 2006 Fishy sex changes11 September 2006 Dolphins secret life18 August 2006 Mystery solved by kangaroo and platypus31 October 2006 Reading genes20 September 2006 Fossil fish supports Aussie crawl theory19 October 2006 Ancient marine reptiles26 July 2006 Surfing in Alice Springs16 August 2006 Aussie of the Year prevents cancerUniversity of Queensland (UQ)'s Professor Ian Frazer and Dr Jian Zhou (now deceased) discovered a vaccine to tackle prevent cervical cancer, which kills approximately 270,000 women each year, worldwide. The vaccine is now available in Australia and the US. Professor Frazer was made 2006 Australian of the Year for his invention. Links to sample of media releases:
Links to photos: Contact: Anton Sanker Aussies revolutionise rocket scienceA UQ team was the first in the world to successfully launch a scramjet (supersonic combustion jet) in 2002. Since then the "Hyshot" team at UQ has held 3 more experimental launches in the Australian desert, in conjunction with national and international partners. Link to media releases: Link to video and photos: Program description: Contact: Jan King We know why men are from Mars & women from VenusScientists from UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience led a team that found why males produce sperm and females produce eggs - answering one of the great questions of biology. Link to media release: Contact: Bronwyn Allan UQ makes brain connectionUQ's Queensland Brain Institute-led team has identified a molecule that plays a key role in establishing the major nerve connections between each side of the adult brain. Contact: Ron Hohenhaus UQ scientist junks DNA orthodoxyProfessor John Mattick, a co-founder of UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience, is challenging the dogma of so-called "junk DNA" (the 98.5 percent of our DNA that does not code for genes and until now has not been thought to do anything). Professor Mattick believes that it actually constitutes a hidden regulatory system that directs our development, and explains why humans are so much more complex than organisms such as worms, which have almost as many genes. Media release: Photos: Contact: Bronwyn Allan Coral research unlocks threats of global warmingUQ's Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg is a world leader in coral reef research, including on threats to the world's most spectacular reefs from global warming. Ove heads a UQ research station on a Great Barrier Reef island. Media releases: Background: Photos: Contact: Deciphering whale love songsUQ's Dr Mike Noad has spent years eavesdropping on and recording the haunting songs of humpback whales. He believes they are the soundtrack for a fascinating whale courting ritual. Listen to a wooing whale: Contact: Miguel Holland UQ unearths prehistoric secretsDr Steve Salisbury of UQ led a team that described the oldest ancestors of today's crocodiles, alligators and gharials. For story, background & photos: Contact: Dr Steve Salisbury Andrew Dunne Secrets of the Ice-Age Cave - how did the Aborigines Survive?Animal bones from the Kitikina Cave on the Franklin River, Tasmania, may hold the secret to the survival of Australia's Tasmanian Aboriginals during the last Great Ice Age 20,000 years ago. La Trobe University post-doctoral archaeology researcher Jillian Garvey is analysing animal bones and other material excavated from the cave to find out how human beings lived there at the height of the last Ice Age. This is a La Trobe University –Vassar College project initiated by La Trobe University archaeologist Dr Richard Cosgrove and Professor Anne-Pike Tay, an archaeologist at Vassar College, New York. Contact: Dr Richard Cosgrove See Secrets of Our Ice Age Hunters Who Killed Australia's Giant Marsupials?And here's a new Ice Age proposition, based on field excavations and expert archaeological dating of material found in a set of dunes at Lake Menindee, on the Darling River in NSW. This evidence suggests it may not have been prehistoric humans responsible for the extinction of Australia's giant marsupials 50,000 years ago, but that ageless culprit, the weather. Archaeological dating at Lake Menindee reveals that creatures like the diprotodon (weighing up to 2.5 tonnes), and the giant kangaroo (a metre taller than today's largest 'big reds') may actually have starved to death. Contact: Jacqui Duncan See Media Release Who Killed Australia's Giant Marsupials? 14 August 2006. Bad News for Body-builders - the Myth About Creatine"Performance-enhancing" creatine does nothing at all to enhance performance. Scientists from the Muscle Cell Research Group at La Trobe's Department of Zoology discovered recently that the short-lived improvements athletes seem to achieve in muscle mass and performance after ingesting creatine is not a consequence of the substance itself - but of increased water drawn into the muscles to balance the creatine intake. The research is likely to generate significant interest in the US where creatine is reportedly the most commonly used performance enhancing drug. Contact: Professor Graham Lamb Professor George Stephenson See Creatine Myth Exposed, La Trobe University Bulletin June 2005 Rewriting the Textbook on Muscle FatigueScientists Professors Graham Lamb and his colleague Professor George Stephenson in the Muscle Cell Research Group at La Trobe University's Department of Zoology are promoting some page-turning revision in educational publishing houses. The latest edition of an Australian school biology text book (Heineman's Biology 1 for VCE students in Victoria) now carries a full page story about the link between muscle fatigue and acidity. The scientists have overturned the widely-held theory that acidity - caused by a build up of lactic acid - is a major cause of muscle fatigue. They discovered that the opposite is true - that acidity helps prevent muscle fatigue. Heinemann's are the first publishers to acknowledge this, and explain why it is so. Contacts: Professor Graham Lamb Professor George Stephenson See Rewriting the Textbook, Economists Seek Answers on Heroin AbuseLa Trobe University economist Professor Harry Clarke, and University of Melbourne economist Professor Peter Bardsley have embarked on a three-year research project seeking economic solutions to drug abuse. They are investigating the potential for combining harm- minimization programs and appropriate penalties for illegal drug use as an economically sensible control strategy. Contact: Professor Harry Clarke See Fighting Heroin With Economics Global Guidelines to Fight ViolenceGeneral practitioners will be globally recruited into the front line of defence against domestic violence with the development of new guidelines to assist them to manage patients threatened by partner violence. Already endorsed by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the guidelines will also be adapted for use in the UK, Canada, the Netherlands and the United States, reflecting the collaborative research input of the 11 universities and research institutes involved in their development. The culmination of two years' international collaboration, the guidelines evolved from an initial focus group meeting of primary health care specialists at an international physicians' conference in Amsterdam in 2004. Contact: Dr Angela Taft See Media Release GP Guidelines Target Family Violence Globally, 11 July 2006, State-of- the-Art Spectrometer for AntarcticA state of the art imaging spectrometer being developed at La Trobe will be installed at the Mawson Antarctic Base in the summer of 2006-07 to provide better data about winds and temperatures 100 -300 kilometres above the earth's surface. The new spectrometer is being developed by La Trobe University scientists Dr Mark Conde, a senior lecturer in Physics, and Professor Peter Dyson, Head of the University's Department of Physics, in collaboration with UK scientist Dr Mike Kosch, a Reader in Experimental Space Science at Lancaster University. The instrument will result in better communications, navigation, surveillance and low-altitude satellite data . It will be a major improvement on the first generation of spectrometers which could only capture data across a very small patch of sky. The new instrument will map wind and temperature variations across 1,000 km of sky simultaneously. It will also support a sophisticated new radar network designed to monitor air and sea movements across 37,000 km of Australia's coastline and 9 million square kilometres of ocean. Contacts: Dr Mark Conde Professor Peter Dyson See La Trobe Spectrometer for Antarctic Base Biocontrol delivers a $10billion resultBiological control of weeds introduced into Australia has delivered a return of close to $10 billion, making it one of the most successful scientific programs in the nation's history. A summary of the Economic impact assessment of Australian weed biological control can be found at: Scientists develop a condom for weedsAustralian scientists are working on a world-first method for achieving contraception in plants.
'Killing us softly' - the price of weedsThe cost to Australia's economy from weeds is an estimated $4 billion annually and the cost in the degradation of our native bushland environment is inestimable. Weeds are an increasing problem for asthma and hay-fever sufferers. Of the more than 28 000 plant species introduced into Australia, over 2 500 have become naturalised. Of those species 'gone bush' in recent decades, 65% came from urban gardens and parks. More weed images Shoes, and laces in particular, can carry weed seeds into precious places without the wearer noticing. Credit: Kate Blood Another one for the road - tyres are good at picking up weed seeds as hitchhikers. Credit: Kate Blood Rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora), one of Australia's worst 20 weeds, is found over 700,000 ha of Qld. Credit: Colin Wilson Contacts: Dr Rachel McFadyen Peter Martin Artificial breeding for sharks - action taken to save grey nurse sharkState of the Art technology has been developed by the NSW Government to help save the threatened grey nurse shark. In a world first the Government has helped develop an artificial shark uterus to help save this endangered species. The grey nurse shark suffers from a condition known as intra-uterine cannibalism, which basically means that when the pups hatch out of their eggs, they eat each other while still inside the mother's uterus. Contact: Dr Steve Kennelly Virtual sheep management a realityFarmers can manage sheep from an office hundreds of kilometres from the flock as a result of on-farm trials of off-the-shelf technology. The NSW Department of Primary Industries and the Australian Sheep Industry CRC (Sheep CRC) said e-sheep® will give the industry the power to boost production and cut costs through more efficient flock management. The sheep are fitted with electronic ear tags which register when the sheep move past a scanner fitted to drafting gates. · Contact: Dr Kevin Atkins Beef industry to save half a million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissionsThe Australian beef herd is on track to produce about 3% or half a million tonnes less methane over the next 25 years, according to the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI). DPI Livestock researcher Andrew Alford says the reduction achieved in individual herds in this period could be as high as 16%, if individual cattle producers make a concerted effort to breed cattle with improved feed efficiency. "Previous research by the department has found that cattle with superior feed efficiency expel less methane." Contact: Dr Roger Hegarty Dr Hegarty has been instrumental in setting up collaborations between Australia, New Zealand and countries in the Asia/Pacific region. He is acting chairman of the International Scientific Committee for the 2007 'Greenhouse Gases in Animal Agriculture' in Japan. New technology targets pesticide-resistant insectsAustralian and UK scientists have developed a technique to effectively control the 'super pests' that are highly resistant to pesticides used on important food and fibre crops worldwide. The technique, patented by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Rothamsted Research (UK), has proved effective against key insect pests that have evolved resistance to pesticides used in many agricultural industries, including horticulture and field crops. The research initially focused on overcoming resistance to insecticides in the cotton bollworm and silverleaf whitefly but is also expected to also control cockroaches, mosquitos and bedbugs more easily. Contact: Dr Robin Gunning Salmonella alert for home fish tanksAquaria may harbour dangerous bacteria responsible for causing gastroenteritis in children and adults, according to NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) researchers. Although rare, in some cases the gastroenteritis was severe enough to cause hospitalisation. A study led by DPI microbiologists Steven Djordjevic and Renee Levings found that ornamental fish and their tanks are a reservoir for a type of Salmonella bacteria which is resistant to seven antibiotics. Contact: Dr Steve Djordjevic Restoring agriculture to Aceh after the tsunamiLast December's tsunami swept saltwater across a 2,000 kilometre stretch of the Sumatran coastline, penetrating up to seven kilometres inland. A team from the NSW Department of Primary Industries working in Aceh, Indonesia, has found the success or failure of crops affected by last December's tsunami is directly related to the length of time fields were immersed in salt water. The DPI team took with them a piece of scientific equipment called an EM38, which can measure salinity in soil to a depth of 1 metre, and one of their first tasks was to train two local staff in its use. Team leader, DPI soils scientist Dr Peter Slavich said use of the EM38 is enabling the impacts of salinity on crop growth to be rapidly assessed. "For instance the EM38 will be used in the Sigli district, where the Australian aid organisation Austcare plans to provide seed for 25 hectares of red onions. Dr Slavich said the worst affected farming lands are those where the drainage and irrigation systems have been damaged and filled with sediment. Little cropping is possible in these areas. Dr Peter Slavich says rice crops in coastal areas where there was less damage to irrigation and drainage systems appear to have come through the last nine months relatively unscathed. "Farmers and agencies recognised that attempting to establish crops on highly saline soil was a waste of resources and that this could be avoided by conducting EM38 surveys prior to planting," Dr. Slavich said. The research effort has been funded by the Australian Council for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). Contact: Joanne Finlay Science Network's WA stories: Gecko Glue, Inventor profiles and more…Check out the website www.sciencewa.net.au for a whole lot of science stories coming out of Western Australia. ScienceNetwork is updated bi-weekly and also releases a monthly e-newsletter, with over 5,000 subscribers. Visit soon to see how Scitech has reinvented itself in 2006. Imaging device focuses on preventing eye disease worldwideThe small hand-held device that Professor Kanagasingam Yogesan and his research team developed doesn't have a name yet, but already it's helping detect and prevent eye disease. It's being used in regional hospitals and remote communities in Western Australia, and is even set to help screen patients from native Indian communities in the United States. By miniaturising the optical systems involved, Yogi and his team came up with a device that was compact and cheaper - as well as doing the work of two much larger pieces of equipment. "Because it's so simple to use, GPs and nurses can use the device and screen for diseases such as diabetic retinopathy which is one of the leading blinding eye diseases in the world. The multi-imaging device is one of seven inventions selected as finalists in the inaugural Western Australian Inventor of the Year awards. Contact: Science Alert: plant stem cells, marathon jellyfish and koala genome virusScienceAlert carries topical news items and feature articles from leading scientific research organizations as an information service to science, industry, the media, government and the community. There is no charge for its use, reproduction or linking. No registration is required. Plants an untapped resource for stem cell research:Plants share many similar stem cell traits to humans and can be used to unlock secrets useful for human stem cell research, according to University of Melbourne biology experts. Contact: Professor Mohan Singh Professor Prem Bhalla More information about this article: Matthew Johnston Koala genome virus:University of Queensland researchers have made a startling discovery that may explain why the koala is susceptible to certain infections and cancers. Researchers found the koala genome is currently being invaded by a virus called koala retrovirus (KoRV). Their findings have been published in this week`s issue of Nature. The work has important implications for the conservation of Australia`s koala populations as the research has also shown an association between this virus and a high incidence of cancer in both captive and wild koalas. Media enquiries: Associate Professor Elizabeth Kerr Australian wins highest international honour in mathematicsThe Fields Medal is the highest international scientific award for mathematicians. It is awarded every four years by the International Mathematical Union at the International Congress of Mathematicians to a candidate no older than 40. Professor Tao is 31 years old. He was presented with his medal by His Majesty, King Juan Carlos I of Spain at the Congress currently being held in Madrid, attended by some 4000 mathematicians from all over the world. Terry Tao has made spectacular breakthroughs in an extraordinarily wide variety of very difficult problems. His most famous recent discovery (in collaboration with Professor Ben Green of Cambridge University) concerns prime numbers. Prime numbers are familiar to all school children. Tao and Green proved that there are arbitrarily long strings of prime numbers that are a constant distance apart. They also gave ways of measuring how thickly spread such long strings are among the primes. Their work may have implications for possible new methods of encryption and security of information. He graduated from Flinders University in Adelaide with a BSc Hons at age 16 and an MSc at age 17, both supervised by Professor Garth Gaudry. At 21 he gained a Ph.D. from Princeton University. Prior to winning the Fields Medal, he had won virtually every top international research prize in mathematics. "I began teaching Terry Tao when he was only 12 years old," said Garth Gaudry." Even at that age, he exhibited stunning insight and creativity. Discovering new mathematics was such an enjoyable adventure for Terry. To be Terry's teacher was, for me, the privilege of a lifetime." Contact: Margot Gorsky $12 million dollar team to flex their musclesWollongong University The science fiction of the 1970s TV show Six Million Dollar Man is just around the corner with the development of wearable muscles by Australian electrochemists, scientists at the major international conference Connect 2005 heard today. Professor Gordon Wallace of Wollongong University is a leader in the field of electronic textiles and the team he is part of has just won $12 million in funding from the Australian Research Council to establish a Centre of Excellence in Electromaterials Science. Professor Wallace's ground-breaking research has created the basis for new electronic textiles - that is, novel fibre made from flexible plastics that conduct and store electricity. The fibres also expand and contract in response to an electrical current. The fibres are embedded with carbon atoms for added strength, but are highly flexible and could be woven together into other materials. "At the biomolecular level we intend that such fibres will eventually find use as implants guiding nerve cell growth and assisting in spinal cord regeneration - a project being pursued in collaboration with Professor Graeme Clark's Bionic Ear Institute." For interviews with Professor Wallace, please contact: Sue Nelson Mistletoe: good or bad for gum trees and biodiversity?Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University Mistletoe is a prominent component of woodlands throughout southeastern Australia. Unlike many woodland plants and animals that are becoming increasingly scarce, mistletoe has responded positively to habitat fragmentation and has become more abundant in many areas. All mistletoes have a positive influence on overall biodiversity. Yet, in high densities mistletoes can kill trees. To understand the role of mistletoe in remnant woodlands we have conducted a large-scale removal experiment in the upper Billabong Creek catchment in NSW. We've removed mistletoe from 20 woodland areas, with 20 controls. Over the next two decades we will compare the biodiversity Contact: Dr David M Watson Good chrome, bad chrome -- What happens down below?A team of Australian and German scientists pursues the question what happens if toxic chromium is introduced into the soil below our feet. Chromium is widely used in industrial processes, such as chrome plating, wood preservation, and leather tanning. Chromium can exist in non-toxic forms and in toxic forms. Often the latter is industrially more important. Around the world, many sites are contaminated with chromium, posing environmental and health hazards. They aim to help develop efficient soil remediation strategies. Such strategies can then be used to create and sustain a cleaner environment. The team of scientists was formed as an international collaboration between 'Environmental Resources Management' (ERM Melbourne), La Trobe University (Melbourne), the Department for Innovation, Industry and Regional Development (DIIRD, Melbourne), and the Hamburg Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (HASYLAB, Hamburg). Team members came together at HASYLAB to simulate chromium spill accidents in controlled lab conditions. During the experiments the scientists measured how the chromium reacts on the soil, using a technique called X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy. These measurements were only made possible due to the unique properties of synchrotron light as available at HASYLAB. The results show in detail how the initially toxic chromium from the spill solution reacts to form other chromium compounds when the solution is interacting with the soil. For instance, some of the chromium converts to non-hazardous chromium-(III)-oxide, while some of the chromium remains in the original form. Paper being submitted soon. Images: images from the beamline used for the experiments. Also, a graphics/design studio took some photos at HASYLAB during one of the beamtimes on the project. Permission can be sought if required Contact: Peter Kappen Antifreeze grassVictorian scientists have discovered antifreeze genes in a unique grass from Antarctica that could mean millions of extra dollars in farmers' pockets, Minister for Innovation John Brumby announced today at BIO2006 in Chicago. Department of Primary Industries (DPI) scientists based at the new state-of-the-art Victorian AgriBiosciences Centre have uncovered genes in Antarctic Hairgrass giving the plant the remarkable ability to inhibit ice crystal growth as a mechanism for freezing tolerance. Mr Brumby said the findings have major implications for improving frost tolerance in crop and pasture species that underpin the world's agriculture industries. "Over the next few years we should see the development and application of technologies for frost tolerance in crops based on the knowledge gained from the functional analysis of these antifreeze genes," said Mr Brumby. Globally five to 15 per cent of agricultural production is lost to frost each year and in the USA there are more economic losses to frost than any other weather related phenomenon. Victorian Minister for Agriculture, Bob Cameron, said on average frost caused production losses of just under $140 million a year in Victoria and South Australia's wheat and barley crops alone. He said Antarctic Hairgrass was one of only two vascular plants and the sole grass species to colonise the Antarctic Peninsula. "It survives temperatures as low as minus 30C and winters with little or no light," Mr Cameron said. "DPI scientists have been able to identify related genes in temperate grasses such as ryegrass, and by comparing them with the Antarctic grass's ice recrystallisation inhibition genes have established the technological basis for strategies to improve frost tolerance in some crop and pasture species." Initially funded as part of the Victorian Government Science and Technology Initiative, this research is now undertaken within the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics funded by the Australian Research Council and the Grains Research and Development Corporation. Stem cell hubs in north and south link Victoria and CaliforniaThe Melbourne-based Australian Stem Cell Centre and Monash University has forged a historic agreement with the University of California San Diego (UCSD) in what is a major commitment towards stem cell research in the world. Speaking from BIO2006, the Premier, Steve Bracks, said the State of Victoria and the UCSD were creating a powerful new international collaboration in stem cell research. "This historic initiative will cement Victoria as a global leader in stem cell research and allow our leading stem cell researchers to work alongside their Californian counterparts," Mr Bracks said. "California is fast becoming the hub of stem cell research in the northern hemisphere and the memorandum of understanding between the UCSD and Australian Stem Cell Centre, based at Monash University will result in two of the world's leading centres working together on future projects and discoveries." Mr Bracks said under the agreement both centres will have access to research facilities and staff as well as undertake a regular exchange program to fast-track research and knowledge transfer. Material for pacemakers, stents and spinal discs to be made in MelbourneMelbourne will be home to a manufacturing facility producing material for medical equipment, the Victorian Premier, Steve Bracks, announced today. Speaking in Chicago today as part the BIO2006 conference, Mr Bracks said medical device company, Aortech Biomaterials has announced a major expansion to its Melbourne production facility. Aortech last month signed an exclusive licence and supply agreement with St Jude Medical for the use of its Elast-Eon™ bio-material for use in cardiac rhythm management leads. "Elast-Eon was invented by CSIRO scientist, Dr Pathiraja A. Bunatillake, specifically for use in long-term medical devices like pacemakers, stents and spinal discs," Mr Bracks said. "This agreement is for Aortech to supply its biostable polymer, Elast-Eon™ which will be used in long-term, life sustaining medical devices. "The Melbourne facility will begin operations in June and include a commercial-scale polymer synthesis manufacturing plant." Biosecurity, pests and disease links Manitoba and MelbourneVictorian scientists will be working more closely with their Canadian counterparts following the signing of an historic MOU with the Canadian province of Manitoba today. The Minister for Innovation, John Brumby, signed the MoU with Manitoba's Minister for Energy, Science and Technology, David Chomiak, during BIO2006 in Chicago. Mr Brumby said the focus of the MoU was to build strategic alliances between research institutions and businesses working in biosecurity research, diagnostics, and pest and disease management. "Victoria and Manitoba share similar environmental and climatic conditions making collaboration in the areas of agricultural biotechnology and the environment extremely valuable," Mr Brumby said. "We are both large agricultural producing states and major exporters of food and fibre products, and we recognise the need to protect our agricultural industries against the threat of disease. "Both states are well placed to take a leading role on global biosecurity issues and the three-year MoU will encourage collaboration on research projects and other business and government exchanges." Contact: Mark Pearce Media Manager What is climate change doing to Australian wildlife?The temperate June weather gave our heavy winter jackets and heating bills a welcome rest this year, but the change to a warmer lifestyle isn't as pleasant for some native Australian species. Dr Lynda Chambers at the bureau's research centre looks at phenology - the relationship between climate and periodic biological phenomena such as migration - and is now focussed on the impact of climate warming on animal behaviour and distribution. Lynda is investigating ways of documenting these effects, and she hopes the information might be used to mitigate the environmental pressures on native species. Lynda, who holds a PhD in zoology from the University of Melbourne and a Masters degree in statistics from La Trobe University and the Key Centre for Statistical Sciences, says Australian plants and animals have been changing their habits in recent years to accommodate rises in temperature. Over the past few decades alpine areas have contracted to higher altitudes due to the general increase in temperatures, producing a change in the population of tree and animal species. "Some of the gums that are usually found at lower altitudes are moving up into the higher altitudes, changing the habitat of these areas," Lynda says. Mangrove areas have also started to migrate landwards because of sea level rises, she says. Yet, relative to the northern hemisphere, very little has been recorded on how climate change has affected Australian plants and animals. Britain has phenology records that date as far back as the 1600s, but the earliest known accurate Australian records only go back to the 1940s. Lynda, who joined the bureau in 1993, is in the process of setting up the National Ecological Meta-Database in cooperation with Macquarie University and the University of Melbourne, with funding from the Australian Greenhouse Office. She says the project has the potential to increase our understanding of exactly how climate change is affecting natural systems, including animal breeding, migratory behaviour and population dynamics. What climate change is doing to Australian wildlife: 1. The genetic make-up of the Drosophila (small fly) has changed. The change is equivalent to a latitude shift of four degrees. 2. Pairings of the Sleepy Lizard are occurring earlier due to warmer, drier winters. 3. The distribution of the Greyheaded and Black Flying Foxes has shifted polewards. 4. Seven species of birds are migrating to the Snowy Mountains at least one month earlier than normal. These birds are the Crescent Honeyeater, Olive Whistler, Australian Kestrel, Fantail Cuckoo, Red Wattlebird, Richards Pipit and the Yellowfaced Honeyeater. Story: Wildlife pictures: Cloud pictures: Little penguins spark curiosity in ecologyDr Lynda Chambers of the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre has been a volunteer at the Phillip Island Nature Park for the past 16 years, helping monitor Little Penguins. "It was my interest in these birds and why the timing of their breeding seemed to vary so much from year to year that first got me involved in looking for climate change signals in ecological data." Picture: Contact: Mark Jenkin Public Affairs New cosmic object found16 February 2006 A team from the UK, USA, Australia, Italy and Canada found a new kind of cosmic object using the Parkes telescope. Cheap Aussie telescope captures world's biggest solar flare16 September 2005 Australian scientists using a radio telescope kit costing just over A $200, have managed to accurately measure the size of the largest X- ray flare ever seen from our Sun - something that a sensitive US satellite was unable to do. Star near the Southern Cross is ringing22 December 2005 Australian and European astronomers used telescopes in Australia and Chile as a 'stellar stethoscope' to 'listen' to a star near the Southern Cross that is ringing like a bell. Aussies explain why dying star sent mixed messages4 May 2006 Australian astronomers have explained why a dying star sent out mixed signals about its identity. Contact: Helen Sim New organs can be grown in body - key breakthroughA novel technique enabling vital new organ tissue to be grown in a special bio-chamber in the body has been developed by scientists at the University of Melbourne and the Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery (BOBIM). The technique involves growing cells inside a 'non-reactive biocontainer' which, placed in rats, sees the cells mature into fully functional tissues and organs.Using this breakthrough technology, scientists at BOBIM have successfully produced sufficient tissue to replace a breast. Contact: Professor Wayne Morrison Sorel Old Secret sex lives of swans under scrutiny in new studyThe promiscuous mating habits of black swans have initiated a new study at Albert Park Lake by University of Melbourne researchers. "Swans have long been renowned as symbols of lifelong fidelity and devotion, but our recent work has shown that infidelity is rife among black swans," says Dr Raoul Mulder from the University of Melbourne's Department of Zoology.Previous DNA paternity analysis has revealed that about one in six baby swans are 'illegitimate', resulting from secretive matings between a female and a male other than her own partner. "What is unusual about these findings is that male swans are typically very protective of their female companions. How then can a female be promiscuous in this relationship? Is she sneaking off in the middle of the night to meet other swans? In addition, the male is also seeking bonus copulation with other females," says Dr Mulder. Dr Raoul Mulder Cyber criminals targeted by smart Internet security softwareOrganised crime syndicates that crash Internet business sites will be thwarted by new security software developed by the University of Melbourne. Smart network security software that stops attacks of bogus traffic aimed at shutting down Internet businesses has been developed by experts from the University of Melbourne and start-up company IntelliGuard I.T. Pty Ltd. "This is a critical time for Internet security as more businesses prepare to migrate towards Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and video based systems in the next 12 months," said Professor Rao Kotagiri, Head of the University's Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering. He says that organised crime that targets Internet businesses is an emerging global problem causing major disruption and huge financial losses for Internet based services worldwide.For more information: Professor Rao Kotagiri Philip Mulley Ivan Mellado Rebecca Scott Chemical changes turn milk protein into a Listeria killerA University of Melbourne researcher has modified a key protein in cows' milk to make it a killer of bacteria which cause food poisoning and food spoilage. PhD research by Yu (Cindy) Pan has found that chemically modifying the protein lactoferrin substantially boosts its ability to fight off the food poisoning bug Listeria.Listeria can cause miscarriages in pregnant women and extremely serious illnesses in children, the elderly and those with suppressed immune systems. The protein modified by Ms Pan also fights off the bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens, one of the most common causes of food spoilage. Media contact: Ms Cindy Pan Mobile: +61 402 285 951 Yu.Pan@mgc.com.au Dr Hubert Roginski Ph: +61 3 9217 5251 rhubert@unimelb.edu.au Dog DNA project provides clues to human illnessesMelbourne researchers are examining the DNA of dogs in a research project aiming at determining the genetic causes of common pet diseases - and to provide a model for combating diseases such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis in humans. The researchers, led by Dr Steven Holloway from the University of Melbourne Faculty of Veterinary Science, have taken DNA from 100 dogs in the quest to determine what in their genetic makeup causes diseases such as diabetes, granulomatous meningitis (similar to multiple sclerosis) and immune-mediated haemolytic anemia, a condition which causes the immune system to attack red blood cells.Dr Holloway said the research, backed by a grant from the Canine Research Foundation, would look at diseases of the immune system which could have a genetic cause. More information about this article: Steven Holloway Janine Sim-Jones Genome discovery will help combat disease and lead to new drugsAn international consortium of researchers has cracked the gene code behind a key family of fungi, which includes a major laboratory organism, an essential ingredient of soy sauce and the leading cause of death in leukaemia and bone marrow transplant patients. The worldwide consortium, which includes Professor Michael Hynes from the University of Melbourne's Department of Genetics, has determined and analysed the 'genome sequences' or genetic maps for the fungi Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Aspergillus oryzae.The findings will be published in three different papers on 23 December in Nature magazine. They are the result of over six years of effort from more than 150 scientists across the globe, and are vital for future scientific advancements. Video footage and images to accompany this release are available. This site also contains further information about the fungi: For more information please
contact: Matthew Johnston
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
