Australasian Science Magazine Issue May 2010 | Australasian Science Magazine

Successful treatment of cancer may depend on the accurate timing of chemotherapy or vaccine therapies to match fluctuations in each patient’s immune system.

Browse: Early Autism Diagnosis Offers Hope

by: Australasian Science Magazine

A new study has concluded that it is possible to diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) much earlier than normally occurs. Early intervention can significantly change the outcomes for children who are diagnosed at a younger age.

Browse: Early Cannabis Dangers Quantified

by: Stephen Luntz

A study at the Queensland Brain Institute has confirmed the dangers of early cannabis use, revealing that users who start by the time they are 15 years old are three times as likely as non-users to experience psychosis by the age of 21.

Browse: Omega-3 Controls Zinc In Brain

by: Stephen Luntz

Light has been shed on one mechanism by which omega-3 fatty acids benefit the brain, but the research also indicates how much we still have to learn about the role of diet on brain health.

Browse: Butterfly Behaviour Link to Warming

by: Stephen Luntz

For the first time a paper has shown causal links between human changes to global temperatures and species behavioural change, in this case the early emergence of butterflies.

Browse: Volcanoes Boost Carbon Storage

by: Stephen Luntz

Undersea volcanoes release iron, some of which eventually finds its way to the surface of the Southern Ocean where it boosts phytoplankton growth and the absorption of carbon dioxide.

Browse: Hormone Hinders Memory

by: Stephen Luntz

Luteinising hormone (LH), which plays a role in regulating testosterone, has a strong correlation with poor memories in older men.

Browse: Alien Clusters Infiltrate Galaxy

by: Stephen Luntz

The Milky Way is filled with stars that arrived as part of captured formations. Now an Australian/Canadian study has concluded that one-quarter of the globular clusters that ring the galaxy come from dwarf galaxies. Globular clusters are spherical islands of stars, usually a few hundred thousand strong, sitting offshore of galaxies like pilot fish around sharks.

Browse: The Taste of Fat

by: Stephen Luntz

Australian and New Zealand researchers have challenged the traditional belief that humans can only detect five tastes. Their claimed sixth taste – fat – could hold the key to why some people have been able to resist the tide of obesity.

Browse: Devil in the Genetic Detail

by: Stephen Luntz

Genetic diversity may save the Tasmanian devil in the wild, with increasing evidence that a genetically distinct population in the north-west of the island may have natural immunity to the facial tumour disease that is ravaging its cousins.

Browse: Quantum Dots Controlled

by: Stephen Luntz

Developments in the production of magnetic quantum dots could increase the speed and power of computers.

Browse: Gannets Divorce for Real Estate

by: Stephen Luntz

Australasian gannets prefer to stay in long-term “marriages” to increase their chance of breeding success. However, a gannet will “divorce” in favour of another mate if it’s the only way to hold onto a prime bit of land.

Browse: Gene Implicated in Kidney Stone Formation

by: Stephen Luntz

Research on mice with a gene removed has unexpectedly shed light on the cause of kidney stones and liver failure.

Browse: Cosmetic Passes Test

by: Stephen Luntz

The belief that smearing oatmeal on your face is good for the skin is more than an urban (or rural) myth, according to Ms Becky Macdonald of The Biopolymer Network, who has found proteins in oats that are likely to work well in moisturising the skin.

Browse: Indigenous Migraine Treatment

by: Stephen Luntz

Native lemongrass (Cymbopogon ambiguus) is used in indigenous medicine to relieve headaches. No clinical studies have been done to confirm its effectiveness, but in vitro research at Griffith University suggests that belief in its properties is credible.

Browse: Aphid Genome Sequenced

by: Stephen Luntz

The pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) is the latest species to have its genome published, thanks to an international collaboration including the University of Otago.

Browse: Mountain Ash Can Resprout

by: Stephen Luntz

Mountain ash shares with other eucalypt species the capacity to resprout after fires, but only if the blaze is relatively cool, according to new research.

Browse: Size Matters for Dung Beetles

by: Stephen Luntz

Certain species of female dung beetles have evolved horns that are remarkably similar to those of male mammals, with a few more reminiscent of dinosaurs. The females use these to compete with each other, but when males fight for mates they also stand to gain a resource that is vital to their reproduction – dung.

Browse: Supercapacitors Increase Battery Life

by: Stephen Luntz

A team at Waikato University has demonstrated that supercapacitors can be used to capture electrical energy that would otherwise go to waste in portable electronic devices, significantly increasing the efficiency of high-tech gadgets.

Browse: Budget a win for climate change deniers

by: FASTS

FASTS responds to the Federal Budget

Cover Story: Inside the Minds of the Trendsetters by: John Gountas and Joseph Ciorciari Brain scans have revealed which personality types are the most influential in the widespread adoption of new trends and technologies.	Feature: A Matter Of Time by: Martin Ashdown and Brendon Coventry Successful treatment of cancer may depend on the accurate timing of chemotherapy or vaccine therapies to match fluctuations in each patient’s immune system.
Feature: Can Mimicking Nature Quench Our Thirst? by: Stuart Thickett, Chiara Neto and Andrew Harris Patterned polymer surfaces based on the African Stenocara beetle could be applied to our roofs to collect drinking water from the atmosphere.	Feature: NASA's Uncharted Future by: Morris Jones What does the scrapping of NASA's plans to revisit the Moon mean for space exploration?
Feature: Sea Slugs Turn up Heat on Bleaching by: Ingo Burghardt Symbiotic sea slugs employ similar zooxanthellae species as corals, offering fresh insights into why heat-stressed corals bleach.	Feature: Rise of the Machines by: Trevor Lithgow The cells in our body work because of the many "molecular machines" within them – but where did these machines comes from?
Feature: A Mystery of Astronomical Proportions by: Christine Nicholls At least one-third of all red giant stars have a mysterious variation in brightness that has astronomers stumped.	Feature: Neutrino Hint from Radioactivity Puzzle by: Peter Pockley The discovery that the decay rates of radioactive isotopes may not be immutable "constants of nature" could open fresh ways of detecting neutrinos and protecting astronauts and satellites in space.
conSCIENCE: Deadly Concerns Over Herbal Medicines by: Roger W. Byard Just how safe are herbal medicines, and how well are we evaluating their possible contribution to illness and death?	Cool Careers: The Smelly Side of Forensics by: Stephen Luntz The bacteria in decomposing bodies can help to determine when a person died – even if only a skeleton remains.
Eco Logic: Real Conservation Targets by: Hugh Possingham We have a lot to learn from Swedish conservation efforts.	Lowe Tech: Road to Nowhere by: Ian Lowe Innovation in New Zealand is following Australia's lead.
Naked Skeptic: Courts Immune to Anti-Vaccine Lobby by: Peter Bowditch The anti-vaccination lobby has been dealt some crucial blows in the US courts.	Out of this World: Europa: Our Best Bet for Earth-Like Life by: David Reneke If a 100-km deep ocean existed below the ice shell of Europa, the sixth of Jupiter's many moons, it would be 10 times deeper than any ocean on Earth and would contain twice as much water as Earth's oceans and rivers combined!
Quandary: Plastinated People by: Michael Cook Exhibits of "plastinated" human remains in garish poses raise issues of human dignity.	Simon Says: Mad Cow Backflip Denies Science by: Simon Grose Politicians have given in to public fears about the safety of beef imports rather than doing “what the science tells us”.
reminiSCIENCE: A Lover of Animals, Living and Dead by: Peter Pockley Michael Archer's life-long attachment to animals as research subjects and personal pets matches his passion for the records they have left in the unique fossil beds of the Australian outback.