Posts tagged as:

2004

Aussies plan for Mars weather forecasts

31 August 2004

Seeing Mars in a different light  A team of Australian astronomers are developing a way of forecasting the weather on Mars – without putting their toes in space and have created beautiful images of our neighbouring planet.  Their discoveries will help us determine if Mars was a kinder place for life in the past. And [...]

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Microwaving trees speeds up coffee table production

31 August 2004

A new process for drying wood could revolutionise the timber industry and lead to cheaper timber for customers. The process combines a new microwave technology with more traditional drying techniques, such as solar drying. At present it can take a year or more to convert some Australian timber into top quality furniture or flooring. Much [...]

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Hitchhiking pests uncovered

31 August 2004

A test for  toxic algae could help save our coastal waters from attack by invading pests Coastal waters around the world are threatened by invaders lurking in the ballast water of cargo ships. A new global agreement will require ships to meet strict regulations to ensure they do not harbour any unwanted invaders. New technologies [...]

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Let the light shine through

31 August 2004

Fogged up glasses, windscreens and bathroom mirrors may be a thing of the past. Researchers have invented a new, permanent, multi-purpose coating technology that will prevent your spectacles, car windscreen or bathroom mirror fogging up ever again. The coating, called XeroCoat, also cuts out unwanted reflections from glass, letting more light through.  Making it ideal [...]

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Frog sex in the city

31 August 2004

Tree frogs defy the trend of urban decline Central Melbourne used to be a Mecca for frogs, but now there is only one species left. Southern brown tree frogs can still be heard calling to attract females for mating in parks throughout inner Melbourne, including the Royal Botanic Gardens and Fitzroy Gardens. A survey conducted [...]

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The sport of lizards

31 August 2004

Sporting technology used on lizards to watch them run. The same camera that analysed the bowling action of Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan is being used to study how dragon lizards can escape a bigger, faster predator, the goanna. “It’s all in the running action,” says zoologist, Chris Clemente from the University of Western Australia. [...]

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GeneBalls: barcoding DNA

31 August 2004

Millions of genetic tests using just one drop of blood Queensland PhD student Angus Johnston has invented a unique technology with the potential to test for hundreds of diseases, cancers and genes in one, cheap, test. He hopes that within five years the technology will be available in a desktop unit for less than $30,000. [...]

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Yoghurt won’t stop thrush

31 August 2004

Probiotics not always the right approach Millions of women around the world have probably used yoghurt as a folk remedy to prevent thrush while taking antibiotics. A Melbourne GP and PhD student has proven that Lactobacillus acidophilus, a key bacterium in yoghurt, was not effective in the prevention of thrush (‘vulvovaginitis’) after antibiotics. Her findings [...]

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Wastewater reuse: are Australian children at risk from playing in their own backyard?

31 August 2004

Four thousand families around Sydney may be placing their young children at risk by spraying partially treated sewage from their onsite aerated sewage systems on lawns where children play. The sewage may contain disease causing microorganisms such as viruses and Cryptosporidium which can cause gastroenteritis in children who play in areas sprayed with sewage. Katrina [...]

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Locating the trigger to conservation

31 August 2004

A treasure hunt through Western Australia’s south-west has uncovered more than 20 new trigger plant species – small plants that catapult pollen onto visiting insects. Perth botanist Dr Juliet Wege made her findings whilst researching at the Department of Conservation and Land Management, the study funded by the Australian Biological Resources Study. Juliet has formally [...]

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Filling the hole on mine safety

30 August 2004

A PhD student in QLD improves mine safety with her predictive computer program Some of the risk involved in working underground is being reduced by a revolutionary approach to predicting the collapse of mine retaining walls . “In mining, huge voids are created underground when valuable ore is removed. Voids often the size of a [...]

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Are cancer cells confused?

30 August 2004

Scientists have recently discovered that the gene EDD is implicated in the development of breast and ovarian cancer. And like the horse, this gene is into talking. “Cancer arises from defects in cell growth and division. We are now beginning to realise that defective cellular communication can also lead to cancer,” says Professor Rob Sutherland, [...]

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Does our immune system control pain?

22 August 2004

Adelaide research shows way to pain prediction test There’s a global pain epidemic, despite the availability of various drug and non-drug treatments. A breakthrough by Australian researchers may lead to a new era of pain control. “We still don’t fully understand pain,” says Mark Hutchinson from the University of Adelaide. He has discovered a strong [...]

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The fine art of stripping

22 August 2004

Careful chemistry has peeled back two layers of house paint to unveil a rich world of Victorian murals at Mandeville Hall-Loreto Girls School in Toorak. Called the Indian Room, the walls were decorated in the 1870s with paintings of lush green foliage and vegetation, bordered with red draperies and golden architectural detail. But for the [...]

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Global climate change: a load of poo?

18 August 2004

Plankton poo could be the key to understanding how much carbon dioxide our oceans can store according to Tasmanian researcher Dr Karin Beaumont. The greenhouse effect is arguably humanity’s greatest environmental threat.   “We need to understand where and how carbon dioxide is stored in the oceans. Part of the answer lies in the poo [...]

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