Australasian Science: Australia's authority on science since 1938
Cover Story
Cover Story
New Ideas about the Neanderthal Extinction
A modern human cranium (left) and a Neanderthal cranium (right). Modern humans have a globe-shaped braincase with steep sides, our foreheads lack a prominent bony ridge about the eye sockets, and our faces are shorter and flatter with scalloped cheeks. Credit: BirdImages/iStockphoto
By Darren Curnoe
Were modern humans so superior that they drove Neanderthals to extinction, or did their lonely existence leave them genetically vulnerable?
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Why Our Brain Craves Random Noise
Credit: RyanJLane/iStockphoto
By John L. Bradshaw
Sensory deprivation, dreams, hallucinations and the detection of familiar patterns in clouds and repetitive sounds reveal our brain’s determination to make meaning from random noise.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Horse Racing Position Cuts Drag by up to 66%
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Should Australia Allow Mitochondrial Donation?
Credit: nobeastsofierce
By Ainsley Newson & Stephen Wilkinson
Is there any ethical reason why legislation should prevent the use of donor mitochondria in cases where children are likely to inherit mitochondrial disease from their mothers?
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
A Different Angle on Earth’s Climate History
Credit: pongpongching/Adobe
By George Williams, Phillip Schmidt & Grant Young
Earth’s axial tilt affects our environment in many ways, but a much greater tilt in the remote geological past may have strongly influenced the planet’s climate history and the evolution of life.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Could Sugarcane Prevent Diabetes?
Credit: Frog 974/Adobe
By Matthew Flavel & Barry Kitchen
When sugar is refined we are discarding antioxidants that not only temper metabolic diseases but can also restore insulin production.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
The Psychedelic Renaissance
Credit: agsandrew/Adobe
By Martin Williams & Melissa Warner
Recent studies are finding that psychedelic medicines are effective treatments for mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
The Moral Machine
Credit: the_lightwriter/adobe
By Guy Nolch
How can we program autonomous vehicles to make life-or-death decisions when our own moral values vary according to factors such as age, gender, socioeconomic status and culture?
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
The Big Picture on Nanoparticle Safety
Credit: olly/Adobe
By Laurence Macia & Wojciech Chrzanowski
Nanoparticles are found in our food, cosmetics and tattoo inks, but regulations for their use aren’t keeping up with new research questioning their safety.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Inside the Lair of a Mysterious Cosmic Radio Burster
A flash from the Fast Radio Burst source FRB 121102 travelling towards the 100-metre Green Bank telescope in the USA. The burst shows a complicated structure, with multiple peaks that may be created during the burst’s emission or imparted during its 3-billion-light-year journey to us. This burst was detected using a new recording system developed by the Breakthrough Listen project. Credit: Danielle Futselaar/Shutterstock
By Charlotte Sobey
Two of the world’s largest radio telescopes have unveiled the astonishingly extreme and unusual environment of a mysterious source of repeating radio bursts emanating from 3 billion light-years away.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
