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JULY/AUGUST 2010
FEATURES
The Biggest Losers
New evidence tightens the noose on humans as the decisive factor in the extinction of the last of the megafauna in Australia and North America.
The True Believers
Are we pre-programmed to believe in weird and wonderful things that lack any significant scientific basis, and are some of us more likely to believe than others?
It’s a Wiggly, Wiggly Universe
A map of the Universe as it existed six billion years ago is close to completion, and may provide new insights into the physics of dark energy.
A Matter of Taste
Newborn babies will smile when they first taste sucrose and wrinkle their noses at the bitter taste of quinine. What is the adaptive significance of such innate responses to taste?
Microbe Genes Could Curb Livestock Burps
The DNA sequence of a microbe that produces methane in ruminants provides a target for vaccines and other drugs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.
The Young Visionaries
Early-career scientists are using goggles that mimic common eye diseases to teach primary school children about their vision research and the importance of eye care.
Evidence for Indigenous Australian Agriculture
The assumption that indigenous Australians did not develop agriculture is highly contestable, with a body of evidence revealing that they developed food production systems and in some cases lived in large villages.
It Never Rains But It Pours
Meteorological records since the 1950s reveal a decrease in rainfall that is consistent with anthropogenic climate change, but a different picture emerges when looking at records since 1900.
conSCIENCE
The Hazards of Synthesis
Synthesis of knowledge from different disciplines is underused in research and has hazards for practitioners.
REGULAR COLUMNS
BROWSE
Ten pages of the latest science news from our shores.
SIMON SAYS
The creation of the first synthetic genome is the latest paragraph in the story of evolution.
AUSTRALASIAN SKY
Your guide to the night sky this month.
OUT OF THIS WORLD
Dave Reneke brings news from the space and astronomy communities around the world.
COOL CAREERS
Dr Yves Al-Ghazi is finding genes that can make better clothing, but plans to put his scientific training to a very different use.
NAKED SKEPTIC
Could there be a greater abuse of both science and Christianity than creationism?
PUBLISH OR PERISH
Your guide to new science books published this month.
ECO LOGIC
Policy-makers love biodiversity offsets while ecologists are wary of them. What's important is their impact relative to the status quo.
LOWE TECH
If you want cheaper medicines, get a prescription in New Zealand.
QUANDARY
The creation of synthetic bacteria will increase the speed with which new organisms can be generated, and reduce the value of animal life to mere chemical devices.
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".