New research could increase blood supplies for transfusions
06 August, 2012A team of scientists from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, has developed methods to increase the production of red blood cells from stem cells - a discovery that could dramatically boost the blood supply available for transfusions.
Masters of disguise: the crypsis behaviour
02 August, 2012 by Amy Smart and Jacob MoriartyCrypsis, the act of disguising oneself as one’s background or another unimportant object, is used in the insect world largely for survival - usually in order to avoid being eaten. PhD student James O’Hanlon of Macquarie University is researching how crypsis and mimicry are used as a signalling strategy, one by which an individual attracts the attention of other animals.
Lifting malaria’s deadly veil: mystery solved in quest for vaccine
02 August, 2012Researchers at the Burnet Institute have made a major breakthrough in the quest for a vaccine against malaria, which causes up to one million deaths each year.
Technology partnership to tackle society’s big challenges
27 July, 2012The University of Western Australia has teamed up with measurement technology company Agilent Technologies, committing to a five-year collaboration that will enable the development of groundbreaking applications in life sciences.
Tracing the ‘great, great grandmothers’ of the chicken world
26 July, 2012Dr Alice Storey, an archaeologist at the University of New England, is tracing the global migration routes of domestic chickens back through thousands of years towards their origins in the jungles of South-East Asia.
Putting smokers’ oxidative stress levels under the microscope
25 July, 2012A new study investigating the effectiveness of live blood analysis (LBA) as a tool to measure oxidative stress is being conducted at Southern Cross University and smokers are being invited to take part.
$33 million supercomputer to support SKA science
23 July, 2012A new $33 million supercomputer to be installed at the purpose-built Pawsey Centre in Perth will soon help scientists around Australia and the world to uncover the secrets of the universe.
No reason to feel sheepish about paternity
19 July, 2012Figuring out which lambs are the offspring of which sheep can be guesswork for sheep producers. A new, low-cost DNA test to verify sheep parentage could soon help breeders worldwide to record accurate pedigrees and maximise the genetic potential of their flock.
CSIRO to supply essential antibodies in the search for new rotavirus vaccines
19 July, 2012CSIRO has been contracted by PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) to produce antibodies on a large scale that will aid the development of new, safe, affordable and effective vaccines against rotavirus, a major cause of severe and fatal diarrhoea in young children worldwide.
ROV aids critical Antarctic krill research
18 July, 2012 | Supplied by: ATSA Defence ServicesA specially modified Falcon remote-operated vehicle has been supplied by ATSA Defence Services to the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE CRC) for research into sea ice algae. The vehicle will be jointly operated by researchers from ACE CRC and the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD).
Vaccine for obesity
17 July, 2012A recent study assesses the effectiveness of two somatostatin vaccinations, JH17 and JH18, in reducing weight gain and increasing weight loss in mice.
DNA fingerprinting shows marine protected areas benefit fisheries
13 July, 2012The first conclusive evidence that no-take protected areas can help restock exploited fish populations on neighbouring reefs was presented at the International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) yesterday.
Chicken vaccines recombine to produce virulent viruses
13 July, 2012New Australian research showing that poultry vaccines have recombined to produce more virulent viruses has prompted the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) to examine regulatory controls over the approval and use of veterinary vaccines.
Small ways to produce big bangs
12 July, 2012Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT in Pfinztal have developed a method for safer production of nitroglycerine: a microreactor process, tailored to this specific reaction.
Quantum threesomes
11 July, 2012A quantum mechanics study has discovered a new bound state in atoms that may help scientists better understand matter and its composition.
