March 2006

FEATURES

Gene Cheats
Sports scientists believe that genetically altered athletes could be competing within 2 years. Simon Grose reports.

It’s Life: But Not As We Know It
Herbert Volk, Adriana Dutkiewicz, John Ridley and Simon George developed a technique that enables the fossil record of bacteria to be traced to the early history of the Earth – and maybe the Universe too.

Drive-Thru Is Not the Medal-Winning Lane
Scott Winton questions a world champion Sarah Ulmer’s decision to promote fast food while her country’s obesity rates are soaring.

Nature Gags on CSIRO Diet (330 kb PDF)
Controversy over whether The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet is “scientifically proven” has gone international, but the national research agency is answering the criticisms selectively. Peter Pockley reports.

Why Did the Koala Cross the Forest Floor?
Koalas are fussy eaters. Ben Moore discovers why.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Landmines
Ken Street risks life and limb to save ancient crops from extinction in Armenia.

The Rise and Fall of Pitcairn
Marshall Weisler lived on the Pitcairn Islands for 5 months to determine how its prehistoric colonists survived for centuries, and why they ultimately failed.

The Avian Flu Dilemma
Greg Tannock says that a vaccine for avian flu will soon be available, but warns of the risks involved.

Open Access Publishing:
A Solution to the Serials Crisis?
The steep rise in subscription costs to scientific publications and the potential of the internet have resulted in an argument that all scientific research results should be available for free. Danny Kingsley examines how such a system would work.

All the World’s Books at your Fingertips
Matthew Rimmer examines the issues surrounding Google’s ambitions to place every book published online.

Stormwater Pollution:
Is It Damaging Urban Waterways?
Michael Barry finds that stormwater run-off from roads could be playing a leading role in damaging our urban waterways.

conSCIENCE

Time to Rethink Public Investment in Research (193 kb PDF)
The failure of National Research Priorities and CSIRO’s Flagships to capture imagination, plus dramatic shifts in the profile of Australian research, mean that science needs a new socioeconomic focus, says Tom Spurling.