Australian Innovation Challenge 2013 winners announced
Eight of the country's best innovators were recognised last week in the third annual The Australian Innovation Challenge. The challenge is run by The Australian in partnership with Shell Australia with support from the Department of Industry and Innovation Australia. Read more »
Gravitational waves provide new way of studying the universe
The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced that it will create an observatory in space to detect ripples in the fabric of space-time, known as gravitational waves, which are created by celestial objects with very strong gravity, such as the merging of black holes. Researchers say this will expand the way in which they can observe the universe. Read more »
Why beer bubbles over or the physics of beer bottle foam-over
Finally, some important physics - researchers have worked out why if you tap the bottom of a newly opened beer bottle it froths up and foams everywhere. Read more »
Equip your lab for less - 3D print your equipment
With a 3D printer, open-source software and free digital designs, cash-strapped scientists can now fabricate their own lab equipment at a fraction of the cost. Read more »
Ancient viruses in modern humans
Researchers at Oxford and Plymouth Universities have discovered ancient viruses from Neanderthals in the DNA of modern humans. Their research was supported by the Wellcome Trust and Medical Research Council (MRC) and published in the journal Current Biology. Read more »
3.5 billion-year-old bacterial ecosystem found in WA
A team of researchers has discovered the well-preserved remnants of a complex microbial ecosystem in a nearly 3.5 billion-year-old sedimentary rock sequence in Western Australia. Read more »
NZ Prime Minister's Science Prizes awarded
The 2013 Prime Minister's Science Prizes were this week awarded at the Royal Society of New Zealand in Wellington. With a total of $1 million in prize money, the awards aim to highlight the contribution science makes to New Zealand's economy. Read more »
Ants can change their priorities while househunting
All animals have to make decisions every day - often as a group to help their survival. Researchers from Arizona State University, hoping to understand how the collective decision-making process arises out of individually ignorant ants, have conducted an experiment which found that the creatures can change their decision-making strategies based on experience. Read more »
There was more than one winner at the Prime Minister's Prize for Sciences night
From mathematics and statistics, through electronics, quantum computing and defeating zombie ideas in ecology, to inspirational primary and high school teaching, this year's winners of the Prime Minister's Prize for Sciences show the depth of talent in the Australian science scene. Read more »
Non-invasive blood sugar monitoring
A team of German researchers has devised a novel, non-invasive way to make monitoring of blood glucose easier. Read more »
Golden gumleaves reveal hidden mineral deposits
CSIRO scientists have discovered that eucalyptus trees in Western Australia's Kalgoorlie are drawing up gold particles from the earth via their root system and depositing it in their leaves and branches. Their findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications. Read more »
Enhancing DNA and oligonucleotide sample preparation
When sourcing a concentration method for their microtitre plates containing oligonucleotides (oligos), researchers at high-throughput genome analysis centres must take care to choose an evaporator system that will not only provide fast drying, but also take good care of their samples. Read more »
Scorpions and spectrometers to improve cancer surgery
Scorpions could hold the secret to better cancer treatment, according to researchers from the Queensland Tropical Health Alliance (QTHA). The alliance recently acquired a $1.2 million nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer and facility to investigate the structure of promising molecules, some of which are found in scorpion venom. Read more »
Measuring age of human tissues reveals breast tissue ages faster than the rest of the body
A biological clock embedded in our genomes may shed light on why our bodies age and how we can slow the process. Read more »
Technological breakthrough for skin regeneration
Researchers have demonstrated new multimodal optical microscopy technology which, when coupled with advanced image co-registration algorithms, can account for soft-tissue deformations that may occur over the timecourse of weeks and months. Read more »
New imaging system uses unconventional way of focusing light
For hundreds of years, optical devices like microscopes and telescopes have relied on solid lenses that slide up and down to magnify and to focus. In pursuit of ever-smaller imaging systems, researchers are now working to create entirely unconventional ways of focusing light. Read more »
Through-focus scanning optical microscopy
A technique developed several years ago at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for improving optical microscopes has now been applied to monitoring the next generation of computer chip circuit components, potentially providing the semiconductor industry with a crucial tool for improving chips for the next decade or more. Read more »
Insect weathermen reduce mating activity before storms
Researchers from the University of São Paulo have found that insects modify their mating behaviour in response to the changes in air pressure which precede a storm. By reducing mating during wind and rain, it is suggested that the insects are also reducing their risk of injury or death. Read more »
Antarctica's promiscuous microbes
Deep Lake, located 5 km from Davis Station in Antarctica, is 3500 years old, 36 m deep and so salty that it remains in liquid form down to a temperature of -20°C. Researchers have now uncovered the secrets of the lake's dominant inhabitants - extremophile microbes from the haloarchaea group. Read more »
New hepatitis virus or glassware contaminant?
The sensitivity of next-generation sequencing can be fantastic and also problematic as the system can easily pick up contaminants and lead researchers into false conclusions. Read more »
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