Australian Science

Author: Editorial Board

  • CSIRO innovation could reduce brown coal emissions by up to 50 per cent

    CSIRO innovation could reduce brown coal emissions by up to 50 per cent

    CSIRO and its industry partners plan to trial the Direct Injection Carbon Engine (DICE) in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, the second largest and lowest cost brown coal resource in the world, with the aim of reducing emissions from brown coal-generated electricity by 50 per cent compared to current technology.

    Brown Coal Innovation Australia (BCIA) has allocated A$1 million to the technology trial, which is designed to maximise the value of Australia’s unique resource by significantly reducing emissions associated with the use of brown coal.

    The collaboration was announced  by Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Russell Northe, at the third International Low Rank Coal Industry Symposium in Melbourne.

    CSIRO Energy Group Executive, Dr Alex Wonhas, said DICE technology may allow Australia to economically develop coal reserves while reducing the environmental impacts of the sector.

    “Australia has the second largest brown coal resource in the world but current utilisation technologies are carbon intensive so we need to implement cleaner and more efficient ways to generate energy from coal,

  • ANU delivers the world’s first Hindi-English MOOC

    ANU delivers the world’s first Hindi-English MOOC

    The Australian National University is offering the world’s first bilingual Hindi-English Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).

    The 10-week course, Engaging India, is a partnership between ANU and the global MOOC provider edX, which was founded by American universities Harvard and MIT.

    MOOCs are free courses, open to anyone around the world and delivered online. Engaging India already has 10,000 enrolments.

    “India is more than Bollywood and cricket, the Taj Mahal and yoga. It is a vibrant, many-sided nation, with a rich history that is undergoing massive change and reasserting itself on the world stage,

  • Developing nations ride a motorcycle boom

    Developing nations ride a motorcycle boom

    Asia’s rapidly developing economies should prepare for a full-throttle increase in motorcycle numbers as average incomes increase, a new study from The Australian National University has found.

    Using data from 153 countries, researchers Dr Paul Burke and Dr Shuhei Nishitateno found the number of motorcycles per capita increases until average incomes reach around $8,000 per person per year. The number then declines as incomes rise higher.

    The research has implications for road safety in developing countries, where motorcycle use remains a relatively risky form of transport. Around 300,000 motorcyclists are killed around the world each year, with the death rate higher in developing countries.

    “Our research suggests that many low-income countries should plan for a sharp increase in motorcycle use over coming years,

  • Scientists find new way to fight Malaria drug resistance

    Scientists find new way to fight Malaria drug resistance

    An anti-malarial treatment that lost its status as the leading weapon against the deadly disease could be given a new lease of life, with new research indicating it simply needs to be administered differently.

    The findings could revive the use of the cheap anti-malarial drug chloroquine in treating and preventing the mosquito-bourne disease, which claims the lives of more than half a million people each year around the world.

    The parasite that causes malaria has developed resistance to chloroquine, but research carried out at the Australian National University (ANU) and Germany’s University of Heidelberg has shown that the parasite protein that causes resistance has an Achilles’ heel.

    “We studied diverse versions of this protein and in all cases found that it is limited in its capacity to remove the drug from the parasite,

  • The Science of the World’s Most Popular Drug

    The Science of the World’s Most Popular Drug

    Here’s a quick shot of science to start your day.

    The American Chemical Society, an organization representing chemists across the US, has released the latest in a series of Reactions videos. Attempting to explain the science of everyday things, previous Reactions videos have demystified the chemistry of Sriracha, Love, Pepper and more. This latest video breaks down the world’s most widely used stimulant, caffeine. If you haven’t had your morning cup of coffee, you may need to watch this video twice.

    On a side note, if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, consider spending Saturday, May 3rd at Stanford’s one-day coffee symposium. Organized by Stanford Continuing Studies, the symposium – Coffee: From Tree to Beans to Brew and Everything in Between – will feature guest speakers (historians, scientists, the CEO of Blue Bottle Coffee, etc.) talking about what goes into making this great beverage of ours. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in coffee tasting and evaluation sessions.

    Source and image.

  • Deregulation of student contributions

    Deregulation of student contributions

    Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Young and Chancellor Professor Gareth Evans have called for the deregulation of student contributions so Australian institutions can offer courses which better compete with those on offer from the world’s best universities.

    In an opinion piece published in The Australian,  they said the proposal would provide the best outcome for students, and would allow universities to focus on delivering a quality education comparable to universities such as Harvard and Stanford in the United States.

    “We want to provide an education that is comparable to that offered by the great universities of the world,

  • ‘Botox of plastic’ to freeze power costs

    ‘Botox of plastic’ to freeze power costs

    A new material that prevents plastic from ageing has been developed by CSIRO – offering huge environmental and cost savings for the energy industry.

    When applied to plastic lining this ‘botox for plastic’ can clean up exhaust gases from power plants much more effectively than existing methods.

    Currently, the techniques industry use to separate out raw materials such as gases, liquids and solids are extremely energy-intensive, accounting for 40 per cent of the world’s energy use each year.

    According to lead author Dr Sam Lau, the new ‘botox’ technique offers a solution that will make the separation process a staggering 50 times faster.

    “At the moment power generators rely on plastic linings made up of tiny holes just one nanometre wide, a tiny fraction of a width of a human hair,

  • Two Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Talk to Each Other & Get Into a Deep Philosophical Conversation

    Two Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Talk to Each Other & Get Into a Deep Philosophical Conversation

    The folks at the Cornell Creative Machines Lab are “interested in robots that create and are creative.

  • Research leads to food and sport deals

    Research leads to food and sport deals

    The commercialisation of CSIRO research and technology reached an important milestone last week with agreements being signed in the food, sport and surveying industries.

    CSIRO has now created more than 150 companies and currently hold interests in around 30. It is also Australia’s largest patent portfolio and issues around 80 licenses each year, many to Australian businesses.

    CSIRO Director of Business Development and Commercial Jan Bingley said the deals for BARLEYmax, Zebedee and WASP, further demonstrate how CSIRO was helping build Australian businesses and boost the country’s productivity.

    “CSIRO works with about 3000 clients each year, including more than 20 per cent of the Australian Stock Exchange top 200 companies and 1300 Small to Medium Enterprises,

  • 2014 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science

    2014 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science

    The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science are Australia’s national annual awards for recognition of outstanding achievement in science and excellence in science education. Nominations are open to Australian citizens and Australian permanent residents.

    The five awards are:

    • The Prime Minister’s Prize for Science (AUD$300,000);
    • The Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year (AUD$50,000);
    • The Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year (AUD$50,000);
    • The Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools; (AUD$50,000); and
    • The Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools (AUD$50,000)

    The Prime Minister’s Prize for Science

    • The Prime Minister’s Prize for Science is awarded for an outstanding specific achievement or series of related scientific achievements advancing human welfare or benefitting society.
    • Nominees can be an individual or a group of up to four, if the achievement is a collaborative team effort.
    • There are no restrictions as to when the achievement was accomplished, however nominees must be currently active in research.
    • Past recipients of the Malcolm McIntosh Prize and Frank Fenner Prize (or its predecessor, the Science Minister’s Prize) are eligible to be nominated and considered for this award.
    • Previous nominees are eligible for re-nomination subject to eligibility criteria being met.
    • The award comprises an award certificate, a gold embossed medallion, lapel pin and a grant of AUD$300,000.

    Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year and Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year

    • Nominations are open to individuals only.
    • Previous nominees are eligible for re-nomination subject to eligibility criteria being met.
    • The Frank Fenner Prize and the Malcolm McIntosh Prize recognise the achievement of scientists in their early to mid-career whose research advances human welfare or benefits society – or has the potential to do so.
    • The Frank Fenner Prize is awarded for achievement in the life sciences, including health and medical research, biology, agriculture, veterinary science and environmental science.
    • The Malcolm McIntosh Prize is awarded for achievement in the physical sciences and related enabling sciences, including chemistry, engineering, physics, astronomy, earth sciences, mathematics and information technology.
    • To be eligible, the nominee must have achieved outstanding research during a research career spanning no more than 10 years (or full time equivalent):

    The nominee’s highest degree should have been awarded not more than 10 years ago (on or after 29 May 2004), and a certified copy of the testamur must be provided.

    The achievements listed in the nomination can include research conducted as part of studies for a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD.

    At least four years of the nominee’s research career must have been spent in Australia.

    Allowances will be made for career disruptions such as family leave.

    Each award comprises an award certificate, an embossed silver medallion, lapel pin and a grant of AUD$50,000.

    Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools and Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools

    • These prizes are awarded in recognition of contributions by science teachers in their commitment and dedication to effective and creative science teaching.
    • Nominations are open to individual teachers only.
    • Previous nominees are eligible for re-nomination subject to eligibility criteria being met.
    • The AUD$50,000 grant component of the prizes for science teaching will be shared equally between the prize recipient and the last school in the Australian education system in which the achievements cited in the nomination were realised. The school’s share of the grant must be used to finance a project or projects that will improve the school’s capacity to teach science.
    • In addition to their share of the grant, the recipient will receive an award certificate, an embossed silver medallion and lapel pin.

    The full eligibility criteria, nomination guidelines and the online nomination form are online at: http://www.industry.gov.au/scienceprizes.

    For further information, please email: pmprize@industry.gov.au

    How to nominate

    Nominations for all five prizes will be conducted in two stages.

    Nominators are advised to refer to the 2014 nomination guidelines for the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science before submitting a nomination. Nominations will be assessed in accordance with the guidelines.

    Stage 1 requires that nominators register online to complete a form including:

    • Nominator and nominee(s) details.
    • Details of two supporters (for the three science prizes, one of these supporters must be based overseas).
    • An achievement summary of no more than 800 words describing the achievement nominated, with reference to the selection criteria for the prize.
    • A two-page curriculum vitae, which must be compiled with reference to the specific guidelines for each prize category.
    • Certified proof of Australian citizenship or permanent residency.
    • For the three science prizes only: the curriculum vitae should include reference to at least four articles or publications or patents which relate directly to the achievements for which the nomination is made.
    • For the Frank Fenner and Malcolm McIntosh Prizes only: evidence that the nominee’s research career spans no more than 10 years (or full time equivalent):

    The nominee’s highest degree should have been awarded not more than 10 years ago (on or after 29 May 2004), and a certified copy of the testamur must be provided.

    The achievements listed in the nomination can include research conducted as part of studies for a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD, so long as the entire period covered is not more than 10 years.

    At least four years of the nominee’s research career must have been spent in Australia.

    Allowances will be made for career interruptions such as family leave.

    Stage 2 requires shortlisted nominees to submit further details, including:

    • Reference from the nominator of no more than five pages, addressing each point of the prize selection criteria.
    • References from the two supporters endorsing the nominated achievement.
    • A paragraph in simple English describing the nature, impact and importance of the nominee’s nominated achievements, for possible use in publicity.
    • For the three science prizes only: a list of publications and copy of each of the four publications which best describe the nominated achievement.

    CLOSING DATE: 29 May, 5.00 pm local time in Canberra

  • Science & Cooking

    Science & Cooking

    I can hardly think of a more appealing nexus of the sciences, for most of us and for obvious (and delicious) reasons, than food.

    Add a kind of engineering to the mix, and you get the study of cooking. Back in 2012, we featured the first few lectures from Harvard University’s course Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to the Science of Soft Matter. Their collection of rigorous and entertaining presentations of that which we love to prepare and, even more so, to eat has since expanded to include one- to two-hour lectures delivered by sharp professors in cooperation with respected chefs and other food luminaries on culinary subjects like the science of sweets (featuring Flour Bakery’s Joanne Chang), how to do cutting-edge modernist cuisine at home (featuring Nathan Myhrvold, who wrote an enormous book on it), and the relevance of microbes, misos, and olives (featuring David Chang of Momofuku fame).

    Alternatively, you can pick and choose from the complete list of Harvard’s Science and Cooking lectures on Youtube or on iTunes. Some get deep into the natural workings of specific dishes, ingredients and preparation methods; others, like “The Science of Good Cooking

  • Chocolate bytes with virtual mouth this Easter

    Chocolate bytes with virtual mouth this Easter

    Here’s something to chew over. Easter chocolates, along with our favourite everyday foods, could taste just as good but be healthier in future, thanks to new technology that is revealing the science of chewing.

    CSIRO’s 3D mastication modelling, demonstrated for the first time in Melbourne today, is starting to provide researchers with new understanding of how to reduce salt, sugar and fat in food products, as well as how to incorporate more fibre and nutrients, and even how to create new food sensations.

    CSIRO biomechanical engineer and computer modeller, Dr Simon Harrison, said the world’s first 3D dynamic virtual mouth can provide detailed insight for developing healthier foods.

    Just in time for Easter, Dr Harrison has modelled a caramel filled Easter Egg to see what happens when the virtual mouth takes a bite.

    “In polite company, we can’t see inside someone’s mouth while they’re eating and, until now, it has not been possible to view how the chewing process alters food,

  • Years of Living Dangerously – the New Series on Climate Change

    Years of Living Dangerously – the New Series on Climate Change

    Ever since Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth came out to critical accolades, Conservative scorn and a handful of Oscars, there has been no shortage of well meaning documentaries about the perils of climate change. Most feature a Hollywood celebrity or two, a liberal amount of liberal guilt, and a distinct sense of preaching to the converted.

    The new Showtime series Years of Living Dangerously might have plenty of those first two elements but none of the third. In the first episode of the series –which has been released for free on YouTube (above) – Don Cheadle asks, “Is there a way to discuss climate change without politics or religion getting in the way?

  • The Science behind Architecture

    The Science behind Architecture

    Architecture, in various forms, dates back to early man. But it wasn’t until the late Renaissance period that modern architecture that we know today came about; when engineers, artists and architects separated and formal architecture training began in the 19th century. It became less focused purely on its artistic merit, and more on its quality and function.

    The Oxford Dictionary defines architecture as being: ‘the art and science of designing buildings and (some) nonbuilding structures’. (Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 1993). And now, there is more science behind architecture than ever before – from earthquake and hurricane proof to advanced soundproofing and more, a building is no longer ‘just a building’, and the design needs to be more than just aesthetically pleasing – it needs to be functional too.

    Here, we take a look at some of the common problems faced by architects and the scientific developments that are used to overcome them.

    Sustainability

    The word sustainability has been a hot topic for several years now. Sustainable products are both environmentally friendly and more economical. From energy and transport to clothing and agriculture, engineers and scientists are constantly looking for ways to make things more eco-friendly and sustainable. Architecture is no different. There are several elements of building design and construction that can be more sustainable – including the materials used and machinery involved.

    In Australia, the Green Building Council of Australia gives green ratings to new buildings, based on the environmental impact that they have. Launched in 2002, the not-for-profit Green Building Council aims to help promote more sustainable and green property developments, such as those advocated by Dion Seminara, who is looking to promote what he calls ‘intelligent architecture’.

    “The Queensland homes offered many advantages, particularly in terms of lower running costs for heating and cooling. The architectural design responded directly to the local climate using simple materials to create comfortable homes.