March 2005

FEATURES

Solutions for a Toxic World
Up to 90% of toxic waste is dealt with by digging up the problem and moving it elsewhere. Julian Cribb outlines a number of new technologies to neutralise specific toxins.

The Pain Barrier
Mark Hutchinson has discovered why some people tolerate pain better than others, opening the way to individually tailored pain management.

Unlocking Nature’s Deep Sleep
Kingsley Dixon and Gavin Flematti have discovered a potent chemical in smoke that causes dormant seeds to sprout.

Robotic Approach to Crop Breeding
Jennifer Manyweathers meets a robot that is being used to identify drought-tolerant crop varieties.

FedSat Burns Up with Solar Energy
Solar energy and satellite research have been locked out of the latest round of research funding. Simon Grose profiles the winners and losers.

Australia Joins the Snail Race
From escargot to stir-fry, Vanessa Gardos finds that the local snail farming industry is setting a great pace.

How to Make a Minority Look Like a Majority
Scott Campbell and Ellen Townsend reveal how the results of a UK report on public acceptance of genetic modification were misrepresented.

CSIRO Communications in Turmoil - Again (142 kb PDF)
Peter Pockley documents the latest upheaval in a long-running saga that reveals the current style of running the nation’s once-great research agency.

Flying Foxes Face a Ticking Time Bomb
Samantha Fox examines the effect of paralysis ticks on a vulnerable rainforest creature.

How Drugs Hijack the Brain
Ross Young, Bruce Lawford and Gerald Feeney argue that criminal justice responses to addiction need to take into account scientific findings on the biological basis of addiction.

War of the Worms
Joanne Lello reveals that interactions between different parasitic species in the intestine can markedly influence the effectiveness of vaccines.

He, She and IT
Young women are colonising cyberspace, but Judy Wajcman says they also need to colonise the engine rooms of technological innovation in order to reshape the world we live in.

conScience

Science Needs the Female Factor
Australia’s research effort is setting itself up to fail when women are not involved to their full potential, writes Cathy Foley.

Browse

Tectonic Plate Is Breaking Up

Light Guides on the Way

Fossil Rewrites Mammal History

Glacier Retreat Continues

Eavesdropping on Titan

Blobs from Outer Space

Outback Telescope to Probe Cosmic Dark Ages

Eye of TIGER on Auroras

Building a Better Mozz Trap

Sheep Prefer Baaaad Diet

Door Shutting on Weeds

Coke Alternative for Iron Production

Rethink on Seahorse Sex

Sydney Has Hottest Year Ever

T-Rays Detect Malignant Cells

ANU Sues over Stromlo Fires

Livestock Taste Best When Happy

Crickets Live Fast, Die Young

Partial Root Zone Drying Success