Australasian Science Magazine - the only monthly magazine dedicated to Australian and New Zealand science

APRIL 2008

FEATURES

Evolution of a Habitable Planet
By Craig O’Neill
The evolutionary history of Earth and Venus reveal the crucial tectonic factors behind habitable planets.

Telescope Wars
By Peter Pockley
Australia is at the forefront of developments towards the world’s most ambitious astronomical project, the Square Kilometre Array radiotelescope, but there is serious competition from South Africa to host the massive instrument, which will be able to hear the faintest hisses from the dawn of cosmic time.

Gene Therapy Reverses Diabetes
By Ann Simpson
Delivery of the insulin gene to liver cells has resulted in the permanent cure of Type I diabetes in rodents.

Embryonic Fate
By Poh-Lynn Khoo, Vanessa Franklin and Heidi Bildsoe
It has taken scientists 27 years to create an embryonic “fate map” that will help researchers to better understand developmental disorders in children.

Secrets of the Heart
By Fabienne Mackay
Severe heart defects occur in the absence of a gene that controls normal development.

D-Day in Antarctica
By Sandra Iuliano
What happens to the vitamin D levels of Antarctic researchers during the dark winter months, and what consequences might this have for their health?

Gobies Beat the Queue-Jumpers
By Marian Wong
Fish that don’t wait for their turn to breed face the threat of severe punishment, which serves to maintain social order and stability within their societies.

A Technicolour View of Evolution
By Helena Bailes
Genetic studies of a “living fossil” in Queensland are providing insights into what the world looked like when fish first crawled onto land 350 million years ago.

Carr’s Culture Crusade
By Peter Pockley
A wide-ranging interview with Senator Kim Carr reveals his reforming zeal for the science/research sector, which is largely funded by government.

reminiSCIENCE

Host of the “Sheep Hilton”
By Peter Pockley
Professor Derek Denton is internationally recognised for five decades of pioneering research on how sodium is regulated in mammals. His fame stems largely from his innovative use of sheep as experimental models for human systems.

conSCIENCE

Scientists Should Sell Science
By Andrew Baker
Scientists need to educate the public about science’s value. A young scientist urges a broadening of the university science curriculum.