Eyes in their stars: starfish and eye evolution
09 July, 2013A study has shown for the first time that starfish use primitive eyes at the tip of their arms to visually navigate their environment.
Urine test diagnoses kidney rejection before biopsies
05 July, 2013A study has found that the analysis of biomarkers in the urine samples of kidney transplant recipients can diagnose transplant rejection, even before it occurs.
Cheap antifreeze materials may lead to low-cost solar energy
05 July, 2013A process combining some comparatively cheap materials and the same antifreeze that keeps an automobile radiator from freezing in cold weather may be the key to making solar cells that cost less and avoid toxic compounds.
Taste genes linked to male fertility
02 July, 2013Taste and fertility may seem like two completely unrelated areas, but according to scientists at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, two proteins involved in oral taste detection also play an important role in sperm development.
Cane toad ingestion deadly for dwarf crocs
02 July, 2013 by Lauren DavisIt is well known that the toxins of the cane toad are often deadly when ingested by predators. Researchers from Charles Darwin University (CDU) have found that one such predator is the dwarf freshwater crocodile, whose population in northern Australia is diminishing as a result.
Making hydrogenation greener
02 July, 2013Instead of relying on heavy metals as catalysts, researchers have discovered a way to use iron which will make the process of hydrogenation both more environmentally friendly and less expensive.
Transistors without semiconductors - the death of silicon
01 July, 2013For decades, electronic devices have been getting smaller, and smaller, and smaller. It’s now possible - even routine - to place millions of transistors on a single silicon chip. But transistors based on semiconductors can only get so small.
Microfluidic chip can help identify unwanted particles in water and food
24 June, 2013A new process for making a three-dimensional microstructure that can be used in the analysis of cells could prove useful in counterterrorism measures and in water and food safety concerns.
The green energy lab of the future
21 June, 2013 by Lauren DavisWhen Curtin University’s renewable energy research centre CRESTA closed in 2004, the university found itself lacking a facility devoted to renewable energy. So when Dr Sumedha Rajakaruna was asked to design and build a new lab, he made sure the full use of expensive renewable energy sources could be achieved.
Vampire bat venom evades the immune system
21 June, 2013Scientists led by The University of Queensland’s (UQ’s) Associate Professor Bryan Fry have found that vampire bat venom contains molecules capable of evading the victim’s immune system.
Fluorescent eel lights up the path to assay development
17 June, 2013 by Lauren DavisResearchers from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, led by Drs Atsushi Miyawaki and Akiko Kumagai, have discovered a fluorescent protein in the Japanese Unagi freshwater eel. Not only is this the first fluorescent protein found in vertebrates, but it could also be used to help save human lives.
Why water quality tests don’t always accurately capture health risks
17 June, 2013A toxin dangerous to humans may help E. coli fend off aquatic predators, enabling strains of E. coli that produce the toxin to survive longer in lake water than benign counterparts, a new study has found.
Why was there a sudden drop in the incidence of leprosy at the end of the Middle Ages?
14 June, 2013Scientists have reconstructed the genome of medieval strains of the pathogen responsible for leprosy by exhuming centuries-old human graves to investigate why the incidence of leprosy decreased after the Middle Ages.
DNA brings materials to life
14 June, 2013Scientists have discovered a technique to control and direct the self-assembly of two different colloids.
Fossilised amber proves that glass isn’t a liquid
31 May, 2013A common myth which has persisted around medieval cathedrals is that the stained glass inside them becomes thicker at the bottom because it moves over time. But a team at Texas Tech University has shown that the glass is not going anywhere.
