Australasian Science Magazine Issue July and August 2011

Cover Story: The Mouse Is Not Enough by: Peter Pfeffer and Debra Berg Fundamental differences in embryonic development mean that research using mice may not be reliably applied to other mammals, and that cattle embryos may be a better model for stem cell studies in humans.	Feature: Rig Recycling by: Ashley Fowler, Peter Macreadie & David Booth Some 6500 oil rigs are due for decommissioning by 2025 at a cost of $100 billion. Would they be more useful as artificial reefs?
Feature: Droughts? Floods? Or Will We Run Out of Fuel First? by: James Ward & Simon Beecham Does the impending arrival of “peak carbon” mean that alarming climate change scenarios need to be revised downwards?	Feature: Gender Barriers In Science by: Stephen Luntz Australia is losing a huge proportion of potential scientists as women drop out of science at a disturbingly high rate.
Feature: First Ladies of Science by: Bill Mackey Australasian Science profiles 12 women who have made outstanding contributions to science and technology in Australia. What are the secrets to their success, and what barriers did they have to overcome?	Feature: Baby Blues by: Desiree Dickerson A mother’s immune response to influenza and other infections during pregnancy increases the risk of schizophrenia in her unborn child.
Feature: Chiro for Kids? by: Loretta Marron Why is a university running a paediatric chiropractic clinic that targets the vulnerable parents of sick children?	Feature: The Big Twist by: Zheng-Xiang Li Fossil magnetic needles in ancient Australian rocks have revealed that the continent underwent a 40° twist that split apart its most famous mineral provinces.
Australasian Sky: Skygazing in July by: David Reneke Your guide to the night sky this month.	Australasian Sky: Stargazing in August by: David Reneke Your guide to the night sky this month.
conSCIENCE: Death in the Hive by: Andrew Barron Almost 5 years since colony collapse was identified, the science tells us there is neither a single cause nor a single solution.	Cool Careers: A Warrior for Science by: Stephen Lunyz Krystal Evans took time from her own research to help save funding for medical science.
Directions: Saving the Australian Synchrotron by: John Boldeman The possibility that political wrangling could lead to the closure of the Australian Synchrotron is almost beyond comprehension.	Eco Logic: Does Recovery Planning Benefit Threatened Species? by: Madeleine Bottrill A new analysis suggests that recovery plans for threatened species need to be significantly improved if they are to make a difference.
Eureka!: Why We Love Trashy Gossip by: Madeleine Lum Our visual system is hard-wired to pay attention to people we’ve heard bad things about.	Lowe Tech: Tassie Logging Agreement Toppled? by: Ian Lowe Logging is continuing in Tasmanian forests of high conservation value months after an agreed deadline to cease logging has passed.
Naked Skeptic: Are Invisible Rays Frying Your Brain? by: Peter Bowditch What are the dangers, if any, from radiation emitted by mobile phones, microwaves, power lines, WiFi and Bluetooth.	Out of this World: Orphaned Planets Roam Free by: David Reneke David Reneke brings news from the space and astronomy communities around the world.
Quandary: Stem Cell Battles Are Far From Over by: Michael Cook Induced pluripotent stem cells are not the ethical breakthrough they were initially thought to be.	Simon Says: What Science Chiefly Needs by: Simon Says Australia’s new Chief Scientist could be as good as the first.
Chemical Solutions: Women in Chemistry: Then and Now by: Jenny Bennett Women have come a long way in chemistry since Marie Curie won her Nobel Prize 100 years ago.

The Tasmanian Tiger was named for its stripes, but a study of its elbow suggests that it also hunted like its namesake rather than living up to the nickname “the marsupial wolf”.

Children with autism are good at searching on a small scale but lack the ability to find objects in larger environments, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Koala numbers are falling, and the problem is likely to get worse according to evidence presented to a Senate inquiry into the health of the koala population.