Australasian Science Magazine Issue September-October 2010
The Rise of Intelligence
What were the influences that drove the evolution of intelligence?
By Kim Sterelny
What were the influences that drove the evolution of intelligence in humans?
Kim Sterelny is Professor of Philosophy at the Australian National University and holds a Personal Chair in Philosophy at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
This article is available exclusively to Australasian Science Magazine subscription holders. Subscribe here.
Fire, Erosion and the End of the Megafauna
The distribution of dated erosion events in Tasmania over the past 105,000 years in relation to human arrival and the extinction of the megafauna. Note the increase in the number of erosion events after 40,000 years ago and the absence of a peak in erosion events in the cold period around 65,000 years ago. The image of the giant marsupial Zygomaturus trilobus is by Nobu Tamura.
By Peter McIntosh
Tasmania’s erosion history links ancient Aboriginal burning practices with the demise of Tasmania’s megafauna.
Peter McIntosh is Senior Scientist (Earth Sciences) with the Forest Practices Authority in Tasmania.
This article is available exclusively to Australasian Science Magazine subscription holders. Subscribe here.
Desert Fireballs
An Operational Desert Fireball Network camera station on the Nullarbor, with satellite link and solar panel power source. Photo courtesy Geoff Deacon
By Alex Bevan, Philip Bland & Pavel Spurný
An intelligent camera system has been set up to track and recover meteorites in the Nullarbor.
Alex Bevan is Head of Earth & Planetary Sciences at the Western Australian Museum. Phil Bland is a Principal Research Fellow in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London. Pavel Spurný is Head of the Department of Interplanetary Matter at the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences in the Czech Republic.
This article is available exclusively to Australasian Science Magazine subscription holders. Subscribe here.
Fruit Extracts Help Exercise Recovery and Asthma
By Roger Hurst
Natural fruit compounds may balance the impacts that exercise can have on the body and help breathing in some types of asthma.
Dr Roger Hurst leads the Food and Wellness Group at Plant & Food Research in New Zealand.
This article is available exclusively to Australasian Science Magazine subscription holders. Subscribe here.
Lie to Me
Image: Simon Kneebone
By Michael Cook
Will brain scans revolutionise our legal system?
Michael Cook is editor of the bioethics newsletter BioEdge.
This article is available exclusively to Australasian Science Magazine subscription holders. Subscribe here.
A New Reason to Lose Sleep
Could the brain be more vulnerable to apnoea if CPAP therapy is discontinued? iStockphoto
By Caroline Rae
Are people with sleep apnoea prone to brain injury from oxygen deprivation?
Caroline Rae is Professor of Brain Sciences at The University of New South Wales and is based at Neuroscience Research Australia. This work was also conducted in collaboration with the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research.
This article is available exclusively to Australasian Science Magazine subscription holders. Subscribe here.
Life On Mars?
By Morris Jones
New NASA claims of Martian life in a meteorite discovered in Antarctica haven’t convinced astrobiologists.
Dr Morris Jones is an Australian space analyst and writer.
This article is available exclusively to Australasian Science Magazine subscription holders. Subscribe here.
The Double-Edged Sword of Technology
By Graham M. Turner
When questions of population growth and sustainability are debated, the silver bullet of technological progress is usually proposed or implied. But historical evidence and simulations of the future demonstrate the danger of relying on technology.
Graham Turner is a senior analyst with the National Futures Group at CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems.
This article is available exclusively to Australasian Science Magazine subscription holders. Subscribe here.
What Do Greenies Want?
By Hugh Possingham
The conservation movement is often too busy stopping others from getting what they want, and doesn’t spend enough time trying to make its own progress. Maybe it’s time to create a clear set of objectives with plans on how to deliver those objectives.
Professor Hugh Possingham is Director of the Applied Environmental Decision Analysis centre at the University of Queensland.
This article is available exclusively to Australasian Science Magazine subscription holders. Subscribe here.
Renewable Economics
It could be possible to shift the entire electricity system to a mix of renewables by 2020.
By Ian Lowe
Growth in GDP could pay for the entire electricity system to be converted to a mix of renewables by 2020.
Ian Lowe is Emeritus Professor of science, technology and society at Griffith University.
This article is available exclusively to Australasian Science Magazine subscription holders. Subscribe here.
Plate of the Nation
By Simon Grose
Our most successful television program provides insights into the Australian state of mind.
This article is available exclusively to Australasian Science Magazine subscription holders. Subscribe here.
The Aristotle Swan Test
By Paul Waring
Students from school to university should be learning the essential skills of critical thinking.
Isaac Asimov once said: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. He had alien civilisations in mind, but what of the many Australians who cannot tell the difference between magic and science?
As scientists we are continually implored to communicate our results. For instance, Science Minister Kim Carr recently appealed to scientists to engage more with the public in the global warming debate. But if the public possesses no tools to assess the scientific claims being made, are scientists just wasting their time?
Fruit Waste Fights Cancer
By Stephen Luntz
The waste thrown out during the production of fruit juices and other processed fruit products contains antioxidants that may prove potent against disease.
“Fruit has long been known for its health benefits, partly as a good source of antioxidants, the chemical compounds, including some vitamins, that protect body cells from damage,” says Dr Said Ajlouni of the University of Melbourne’s School of Land and Environment. “So we decided to investigate if fruit waste also had these properties.”
New Fish Species Show Their Hand
The pink handfish is one of nine newly described handfish species. It has not been sighted since 1999.
By Stephen Luntz
Nine new species of handfish have been found, bringing to 14 the number of known species of one of the world’s most remarkable creatures. Yet specimens of several species are rare, and at least one species may well be extinct.
Handfish get their name from their fins, which have evolved to look remarkably like hands. Although they can swim, they usually prefer to walk along the bottom of estuaries and the seafloor on these fins.
Over the years many specimens have been collected, but until recently most had not been identified to the level of species.
Unexpected Cold a Killer
By Stephen Luntz
Perth and Sydney experience greater increases in cardiovascular death rates over winter than Tasmania does, a new study has found.
Dr Adrian Barnett of the Queensland Institute of Technology is not as surprised as the general public might be. “A lot of very large studies have found that Scandinavia has a much lower increase in winter deaths than Spain, Italy and Greece,” he says.
However, Barnett says that this could be affected by differences in wealth, culture or the quality of the health care system. “Australia’s a good place to study this because we have such a wide range of climates but relatively similar culture and socio-economic circumstances,” Barnett says.
Frogs Shake the Tree
Red-eyed tree frogs mating. Males defend their territory, giving them access to females, by vibrating tree branches. Credit: Greg Johnston
By Stephen Luntz
A new form of animal communication has been revealed with the discovery that male red-eyed tree frogs send signals by shaking the branches of the trees in which they sit.
“Unlike most species of frogs, the red-eyed tree frog doesn’t show any evidence of females choosing a mate with the loudest or prettiest voice,” says Dr Gregory Johnston of Flinders University’s School of Biological Sciences. Instead, females seem happy to mate with every male into whose territory they wander, making, in Johnston’s words, “having territory really important”.
Athletes Can Taste Victory
The findings raise the possibility of a “sixth taste sense” that is able to detect energy density.
By Stephen Luntz
The taste of an energy-laden drink can produce a surge in muscle strength even before glucose hits the bloodstream.
In a study run by Dr Nicholas Gant and Dr Cathy Stinear of the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research, 16 young men held weights for 11 minutes, flexing every 2 minutes. “Not surprisingly, the maximum force they could produce decreased over time,” Stinear says. However, when given an energy drink the participants showed 2% more muscle strength only 1 second later.
A Seven Atom Transistor
By Stephen Luntz
Twenty years since 35 xenon atoms were manipulated into the shape of the IBM logo, the same technique has been used to form a transistor from just seven phosphorus atoms precisely placed in silicon. The achievement represents another step towards the creation of a quantum computer.
“The significance of this achievement is that we are not just moving atoms around or looking at them through a microscope,” says Prof Michelle Simmons of the University of NSW Centre for Quantum Computer Technology. “We are manipulating individual atoms and placing them with atomic precision in order to make a working electronic device.”
Herpes Infection Route Revealed
By Stephen Luntz
University of Sydney researchers have found a piece in the puzzle explaining how the herpes simplex virus (HSV) infects us.
Approximately 90% of the human population is infected with either HSV1 or HSV2, in most cases without obvious symptoms. Nevertheless HSV1 has been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, and infection with HSV2 increases the risk of contracting HIV, along with more immediate symptoms.
A/Prof Cheryl Jones of the University of Sydney’s Medical School says she and her colleagues have demonstrated that both strains of HSV infect Langerhans cells in the skin. “These are important immune cells, and we always thought they must have a role,” says Jones.
Pulsar Glitches Explained
A step has been taken to explaining curious changes in signals from pulsars. Credit: Russell Kightley
By Stephen Luntz
Dr George Hobbs of CSIRO has found a pattern to odd shifts in the timing of pulsars. His work may contribute to a greater understanding of the behaviour of these important astronomical objects, and could make pulsars even more powerful tools for testing the fundamental laws of the universe.
The radio signals that pulsars release as they spin form remarkably accurate timing devices, but they gradually slow down as the electromagnetic emissions drain energy from the stars’ rotation.
Nevertheless, the timing of these signals is not perfectly consistent. While some variations can be explained through external forces, such as large nearby objects altering a pulsar’s orbit, others have been harder to explain.
Placental Cells Heal Lungs
By Stephen Luntz
Cells drawn from the human placenta can reduce lung damage in mice. The finding could lead to methods for restoring damaged lungs in humans, bypassing issues involving embryonic stem cells.
A/Prof Yuben Moodley of The Lung Institute of Western Australia (LIWA) says that the finding came from the observation that, during pregnancy, part of the placenta develops from embryonic cells while the rest forms from the mother. Moodley notes that the embryonic-derived component of the placenta produces the amniotic fluid, protecting the foetus against foreign material and promoting its growth.
Exercise First, Eat Later
By Stephen Luntz
The pain of early morning exercise may have a benefit for athletes, with evidence that those who train before breakfast get more benefit than those who eat first.
Conventional advice is that athletes should eat before training, but A/Prof Steve Stannard of Massey University is not surprised that his research found otherwise. “Training is all about putting the body under stress, not going faster,” Stannard says. “So by starting out with less fuel, you will reach the point where you really begin to stress the body quicker. This means you will spend longer under stress, and ultimately the training will be more beneficial.”
Processed Meat Increases Ovarian Cancer Risk
By Stephen Luntz
The consumption of processed meat increases women’s risk of ovarian cancer while consumption of fish reduces it, according to two Australian studies and a meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Ovarian cancer is rare but has a high mortality rate, with 60% of those diagnosed dying within 5 years.
“Our research suggests that women who eat processed meat several times a week have about a 20% higher risk of developing ovarian cancer than women who eat processed meat less than once a week,” says Dr Penny Webb, head of the Gynaecological Cancer Group at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research. “Conversely, it appears that women who eat more poultry and fish may have a 10–15% lower risk of developing ovarian cancer than those who eat less poultry or fish.”
Eye of the Spider
Jumping spiders get surprisingly good vision from their smaller eyes.
By Stephen Luntz
he visual systems of jumping spiders are even more extraordinary than previously realised, according to a new study that has extracted remarkable precision from very small eyes.
Jumping spiders have four pairs of eyes, but one is vestigial. Another pair is very large relative to the spider, and provides remarkable vision while the two smaller pairs were thought to be simply used as motion sensors.
However, Macquarie University PhD student Daniel Zurek has overthrown this idea by placing removable dental silicone over the main and rear eyes of 52 jumping spiders (Servaea vestita) while leaving the forward-facing anterior lateral eyes uncovered. Zurek then showed the spiders tethered live house flies and dots moving on a screen.
The Amateur Astronomer
By Stephen Luntz
Trevor Barry has demonstrated that dedicated amateurs can still make important contributions to science, at least in astronomy.
Few scientists came to their field later in life than Trevor Barry, but he’s more than making up for the delay with enthusiasm – some might say obsession. Barry is an amateur astronomer, but the work he is doing with his personal telescope has had a major impact on our understanding of the planets and certain stars.
Of Meridians and Mice
By Peter Bowditch
Research published recently in a reputable scientific journal suggests that acupuncture could have an analgesic effect on mice.
On a shelf next to the desk in my office there is a model of a dog. This is not just any old model, but is a model showing acupuncture points on the dog, and it came with a list of the points and what each point is associated with.
Huge Solar Storms to Impact Earth
By David Reneke
Dave Reneke brings news from the space and astronomy communities around the world.
Huge Solar Storms to Impact Earth
Beware the solar maximum – that’s the dire warning from senior space agency scientists. They believe the Earth will be hit with unprecedented levels of magnetic energy from solar flares after the Sun wakes from a deep slumber sometime around 2013. National power grids could overheat and air travel could be severely disrupted while electronic items, navigation devices and major satellites could stop working.
The Whole Truth
For every 660 Down’s syndrome foetuses that are detected and terminated in the UK each year, 400 normal children perish as well.
By Michael Cook
A blood test for Down’s syndrome claims to be the “Holy Grail” of prenatal testing.
If you are ever searching for bioethics case studies, it’s hard to go past the Daily Mail, Britain’s number-two tabloid. It’s not all saucy tittle-tattle about the glam set and the royals: human interest is what drives the Daily Mail, and there are no more poignant stories than birth and death, the great themes of bioethics.
