Archived News for Research Sector Professionals - November, 2013
A survey has shown that engineering students should be more aware of the public and social welfare issues in their projects, or risk focusing too much on the technical and not enough on the human element.
Algae growth shows centuries of sea-ice shifts
The ebb and flow of annual changes in sea-ice cover is reflected in the algae underneath, allowing scientists to plot changes in the ice by counting the ‘age rings’ of water plants.
Awards tip hat to top tertiary teachers
Australia’s thirteen best university teachers have been recognised at the Australian Awards for University Teaching.
Better science hopes to save billions
Even under the most modest global warming scenarios, extreme El Niño years will occur twice as often – a new report from the University of New South Wales says.
Blood tests to assess brain bumps' effect
Blood tests may soon be used to accurately diagnose concussion and predict long term cognitive disability, heralding a quick and easy way to check for life-threatening damage.
Chevron funds Barrow Island bug book
A new book has added 25 species to the thousands which inhabit a small island area off the north west of Australia.
Eddies vetted for air supply
An international team has collected information to show in greater detail how undersea ‘eddies’ distribute oxygen, warmth and nutrients around the ocean, and how a reduction of this process could leave some parts starving.
Stick to the script to fight bacteria back
Research is pretty fast - but bacterial evolution is faster, a University of Adelaide drug expert says.
Vitamins condition better golden nanorods
Engineers in the US have developed a healthy method to make nanoscale gold rods in large quantities, with complete control over the rods' dimensions and optical properties.
Maven makes Mars-bound leap from Earth
NASA has sent its most recent robotic explorer into space, launching the Maven spacecraft towards Mars
Bad fat finding method honed
A team in the US have developed a new method for estimating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, which is more accurate than standard ways for measuring ‘bad’ cholesterol.
Humans still match-up in CPR stakes
Swedish medical researchers have conducted a study to compare automatic and manual cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques, to see which has the best survival results.
Key gene found for severe asthma attacks
An international team has pin-pointed the genes responsible for an increased chance of severe asthma in children, which could one day lead to much more effective treatments.
New search to single-out solar improvements
Cambridge researchers have gone back to the drawing board for solar cells, looking to redesign the entire system to allow better efficiency with cheaper materials.
Next level X-ray to put eyes on energetic atoms
An anode upgrade means Melbourne is now home to the most powerful X-ray machine ever developed.
Students given online keys to 27,000 degree plasma rig
A new project gives any student or teacher with an internet connection remote access to real a physics lab, and all the scientific discoveries they hold.
Ancient WA probed for the origins of life
A discovery in Western Australia may have shined a light on the Earth’s oldest inhabitants, with researchers finding microbes in rocks over three and a half billion years old.
Grants to keep eyes on the Reef
Scientists in north Queensland will be able to continue working with one of the nation’s greatest natural assets with a new round of funding grants.
Hyenas' microbial messages, written in stink
Zoologists have discovered the incredible complexity of messages left by hyenas in the form of smelly post-it notes.
New links lock mans' place at sea
A recent study has highlighted a new factor in the complex relationship between humans, the atmosphere, oceans and the whole state of the planet.
Rare feasts never wasted by bottom-feeders
Researchers have answered some long-running questions over how animals at the deepest levels of the ocean are able to feed themselves – it seems there is a long time between meals, but there is a serious feast when they do arrive.