Australasian Science September 2010
Feature Articles
What were the influences that drove the evolution of intelligence in humans?
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Feature
Life On Mars?
New NASA claims of Martian life in a meteorite discovered in Antarctica haven’t convinced astrobiologists.
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An intelligent camera system has been set up to track and recover meteorites in the Nullarbor.
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Are people with sleep apnoea prone to brain injury from oxygen deprivation?
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Feature
Fire, Erosion and the End of the Megafauna
Tasmania’s erosion history links ancient Aboriginal burning practices with the demise of Tasmania’s megafauna.
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Feature
Lie to Me
Will brain scans revolutionise our legal system?
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Feature
The Double-Edged Sword of Technology
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.
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Feature
Fruit Extracts Help Exercise Recovery and Asthma
Natural fruit compounds may balance the impacts that exercise can have on the body and help breathing in some types of asthma.
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Available online IN FULL
The taste of an energy-laden drink can produce a surge in muscle strength even before glucose hits the bloodstream. |
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. |
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Perth and Sydney experience greater increases in cardiovascular death rates over winter than Tasmania does, a new study has found. |
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. |
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The waste thrown out during the production of fruit juices and other processed fruit products contains antioxidants that may prove potent against disease. |
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. |
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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. |
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. |
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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. |
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. |
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University of Sydney researchers have found a piece in the puzzle explaining how the herpes simplex virus (HSV) infects us. |
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. |
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Students from school to university should be learning the essential skills of critical thinking. |
Trevor Barry has demonstrated that dedicated amateurs can still make important contributions to science, at least in astronomy. |
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Dave Reneke brings news from the space and astronomy communities around the world. |
A blood test for Down’s syndrome claims to be the “Holy Grail” of prenatal testing. |
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Research published recently in a reputable scientific journal suggests that acupuncture could have an analgesic effect on mice. |
Available online in full FOR SUBSCRIBERS
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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. |
Growth in GDP could pay for the entire electricity system to be converted to a mix of renewables by 2020. |
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Our most successful television program provides insights into the Australian state of mind. |
