Australasian Science: Australia's authority on science since 1938
Complete
Lessons from Space Camp
By Jackie Slaviero
Fascination with space travel can launch primary students into a life of maths and science discovery.
Jackie Slaviero is Assistant Principal at Sydney’s Eastwood Public School and a councillor of the NSW Science Teachers’ Association. She and her pupils are currently raising funds to visit Space Camp later this year.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Solar Blockout
By Simon Grose
Governments have won big headlines for big money allocated to big solar projects – but kept the money.
Simon Grose is a Director of Science Media (sciencemedia.com.au).
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Genome–Disease Association Studies Defended
By Stephen Luntz
"Failure of candidate gene studies showed how little we knew about the basic causes of most common diseases."
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Exclusive subscriber news
By Stephen Luntz
Subscribe for complete access to all news articles, columns and features each month.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Of Mice & Men
Image: iStockphoto
By Claire Thompson
Are mouse models of immune disorders of the human gut, such as inflammatory bowel disease, reliable? And can probiotic supplements keep us healthy?
Claire Thompson completed this research as a PhD student at the University of Sydney’s School of Molecular Bioscience. She is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg, Germany.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
A Reproductive Riddle
Scanning electron micrographs of the penis from a fawn hopping mouse (left) and spinifex hopping mouse (right) showing the narrower shaft but much larger spines that enable the spinifex hopping mouse’s penis to lock into place during mating.
By Bill Breed
They look cute and even like to cuddle, but what do the small testes and spikey penis of the spinifex hopping mouse tell us about their ability to survive and thrive between periods of drought and flooding rain?
Bill Breed is a Professor at The University of Adelaide and co-author of Native Mice and Rats (CSIRO Publishing, 2007).
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
A Reef Too Far?
Goldtail damselfish. Credit: Mary Bonin
By Mary Bonin, Glenn Almany & Geoff Jones
Coral reefs are being subjected to more disturbances than ever before, but a new study has surprisingly found that reef fish can benefit from habitat fragmentation.
Mary Bonin is a postdoctoral researcher in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and the School of Marine and Tropical Biology at James Cook University. Glenn Almany is a Future Fellow in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at JCU. Geoff Jones is a Professor in the School of Marine and Tropical Biology at JCU and a Chief Investigator in the Centre.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Identical Genes, Individual Twins
Identical twins essentially have the same DNA sequence, but the way they use their DNA can be vastly different. Photo: Fotostudio Enjoy, Ingrid van Heteren (NL)
By Marcel Coolen
Identical twins essentially have the same DNA sequence, but the way they use their DNA can be vastly different. Photo: Fotostudio Enjoy, Ingrid van Heteren (NL)
The research described here was performed by Dr Marcel Coolen at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research’s Epigenetics group headed by Professor Susan Clark. Dr Coolen is currently group leader at the Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Enzyme Evolution Reveals Earth’s Inhospitable Past
Stromatolites found in Kalbarri National Park, Western Australia. Photo: Ruth Arcus
By Joanne Hobbs & Vic Arcus
The reconstruction of a one-billion-year-old enzyme paints a picture of a hot and hostile past.
Joanne Hobbs is a postdoctoral research scientist and Vic Arcus is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, New Zealand.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
New Life for Ancient Malaria Remedy
A Burmese boy suffering from malaria is held by his mother at a special clinic for malaria. Credit: Paula Bronstein / iStockphoto
By Nick Klonis & Leann Tilley
The parasite responsible for malaria is developing resistance to a frontline drug that was first used in China more than 2000 years ago. By determining how artemisinin works, scientists may have just opened a new battlefront in the war against malaria.
Nick Klonis is a Senior Research Fellow andr Leann Tilley is a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
