 |
 |
 |
|
||
 |
||
OCTOBER 2009
FEATURES
Dinosaurs Down Underground
Victoria’s west coast has yielded evidence of dinosaurs that dug burrows to nurture their young through the polar winter.
The Toolmakers of Flores
The stone tools made by hobbits on Flores yield striking similarities with those made by modern humans.
Tool Use in Dolphins
Female dolphins in Shark Bay have developed a foraging technique that they pass onto their daughters.
Redefining the Dingo
New research from one of the first ever dingo conservation areas reveal that simple appraisals of colouration and genetics do not adequately measure the “purity” of a dingo population.
Green with Heart Disease
Controlling an enzyme found in nasal mucous may help to treat heart disease.
One Step Ahead of Antibiotic Resistance
It’s been decades since a new class of antibiotic has been developed , but now scientists have identified a key enzyme they hope to immobilise to stop pathogens from developing antiobiotic resistance.
Silkworm Smell Refines the Electronic Nose
Odorant receptors in the silkworm are helping scientists to develop a more sensitive “electronic nose” with applications in winemaking, medical diagnosis and the detection of explosives and illicit drugs.
Dark Matter Here on Earth
The Large Hadron Collider will search for the elusive Higgs boson and may even uncover a candidate particle for dark matter.
How Important Are Patents for Commercialising Inventions?
A survey of innovators reveals that patents don’t have a major effect on the decision to commercialise an invention.
conSCIENCE
Access to Mathematics Is Vital for Equity
The disastrous state of mathematics education in Australia is more than a brake on the nation’s capability in research and innovation. It also reflects a lack of social justice for students.
REGULAR COLUMNS
BROWSE
Ten pages of the latest science news from our shores.
SIMON SAYS
Voter Capture and Storage
Carbon emissions trading is descending into farce as the nation’s political parties try to back a winner with the electorate.
AUSTRALASIAN SKY
Your guide to the night sky this month.
OUT OF THIS WORLD
Star Formation Is Not So Simple
New research disproves a long-held assumption.
COOL CAREERS
A Long Trip North for Fossil Expert
Professor John Long is leaving Australia to take a leading role at the USA’s third-largest natural history museum.
REMINISCIENCE
Sound Climate Science and Policy
In this second part of our profile of pioneering geophysicist Professor Kurt Lambeck, he tackles the rise in sea levels and calls for better science policy.
VELOCITY
Elementary Watson? No, Nuclear
Great literary detectives like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot brought traditional forensics into the public eye, and now we have a strange fascination for the science. A relative newcomer is also on the scene – nuclear forensics – which looks at how radiation can affect traditional evidence.
NAKED SKEPTIC
Vaccination Is Back in Vogue
The anti-vaccination lobby is no longer getting a free ride in the media.
QUANDARY
Baseball Bioethics
DNA testing may cause some baseball recruits to strike out.
BEAMLINE
Hanging by a Thread
At one point during their growth cycle, some bacteria literally hang by a thread from the cell they are about to invade – a thread that could become a target for next-generation antibiotics.
ASTROSPACE NEWS
Renowned astronomy educator David Reneke is now representing Australasian Science. His Astrospace News blog is updated regularly and his new e-book, Apollo 11: The Untold Story, outlines "Over 50 Things You Didn’t Know About The First Moon Landing".