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New ANU-led research has explained why Antarctica is not warming as much as other continents, and why southern Australia is recording more droughts.

Researchers have found rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are strengthening the stormy Southern Ocean winds which deliver rain to southern Australia, but pushing them further south towards Antarctica.

Lead researcher Nerilie Abram, from the ANU Research School of Earth Sciences, said the findings explained the mystery over why Antarctica was not warming as much as the Arctic, and why Australia faces more droughts.

“With greenhouse warming, Antarctica is actually stealing more of Australia’s rainfall. It’s not good news – as greenhouse gases continue to rise we’ll get fewer storms chased up into Australia,

Here we are at the end of one more exciting and fascinating week. It’s Sunday, as you know. It’s the day when we summarise what have happened during the last 7 day. This week was amazing, indeed. We got the opportunity to enjoy many different scientific and technological contributions and right now we would like to present what have attracted our attention the most.

Google Glass: Why the gadget faces its biggest test

Will Google Glass catch on? With a backlash in full swing, there may be one thing that threatens the technology’s adoption more than anything else, argues Chris Baraniuk. And in the video above, BBC Click’s Spencer Kelly takes a look at how one airline is embracing the technology while some other businesses would rather ban it.

Shrimp’s shell-smashing punch hands researchers a lead on tougher materials

Able to withstand thousands of strikes without breaking, the marine crustacean’s “fists” have inspired a carbon-fibre composite material that is stronger and more durable than that currently used by the commercial aircraft industry. Researchers created an architecture of carbon fibres to mimic the claw’s shock-absorbing interior and then used impact testing to judge its toughness versus other composites.

Creative ways we’re keeping fish on your plate

Grilled with garlic, oven baked, or lightly pan fried with a hint of lemon: Blue-eye Trevalla is one of Australia’s premium seafoods, and an iconic fish species for commercial fishers and seafood lovers alike.

Longevity gene may boost brain power: Researchers discover the gene may enhance cognitive abilities

Scientists showed that people who have a variant of a longevity gene, called KLOTHO, have improved brain skills such as thinking, learning and memory regardless of their age, sex, or whether they have a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Increasing KLOTHO gene levels in mice made them smarter, possibly by increasing the strength of connections between nerve cells in the brain.

Please stay thirsty and scientifically passionate for new stories. They will come soon.

CSIRO and Deakin University today officially open the new high-tech national research facility, located inside the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong.

Dr Kurt Zuelke, director of AAHL, said the new laboratory will provide more specialised techniques, at a cellular level, to help pin-point the immune mechanisms employed by various animal hosts.

“This new world-class facility will be critical in helping us develop new, more natural, therapeutics and boost our work in preventing, detecting and treating emerging infectious diseases,

Using a 3D scanner to map a patient’s mouth, CSIRO researchers and Australian dental company, Oventus, can now print a mouthpiece which prevents dangerous pauses in breath during sleep.

Printed from titanium and coated with a medical grade plastic, the breakthrough mouthpiece is customised for each patient.

The device has a ‘duckbill’ which extends from the mouth like a whistle and divides into two separate airways. It allows air to flow through to the back of the throat, avoiding obstructions from the nose, the back of the mouth and tongue.

Sleep apnoea occurs when the air passage in the throat becomes blocked during sleep and causes people to stoping breathing. In severe cases, people can suffer hundreds of events per night.

The existing treatments for sleep apnoea include devices that push the lower jaw forward to open up the airway or in more severe cases; a face mask which creates a continuous flow of air can be used.

CSIRO’s 3D printing expert, John Barnes, said the technology is opening new doors for treatments of a range of medical issues globally.

“When Oventus came to CSIRO with this idea, we were really excited. The possibilities of 3D printing are endless and the fact that we can now design and print a completely customised mouthpiece for patients is revolutionary,

From a recent survey on media usage among 12-13 year olds in Ireland, it came as no surprise to learn that the most common reason cited for going online was fun.

However, findings also revealed that school work scored just as highly, as did social networking. Not discounting social desirability implications of the ‘school work’ response, our findings confirmed what anecdotally we already knew – that this particular age group, officially too young for Facebook, is active on social networks and the internet and for a variety of reasons.

The 12-13 Project carried out by the Irish Film Institute (IFI) between October 2012 and May 2013 aimed to map the media usage of this age group in Ireland through an online log to be completed over a finite number of days. The findings would then inform several media literacy interventions which would be delivered at a variety of locations around the country and draw on the expertise of local media providers and professionals. While the primary activity of IFI is cinema exhibition, at the same time we are conscious of the multi-platform ways in which young people today access film. The EU Kids Online Survey has provided invaluable information on young peoples’ online habits across Europe. We were hoping that our small project would tell us a little more about their use of other media such as film, TV and radio – and whethermedia literacy interventions would affect any behavioural or attitudinal change.

Initially setting out to connect with out-of-school media experiences, including film watching, we wanted to find out the nature and duration of media-based activities, the skills and competencies, and the awareness and understanding of internet safety, amongst our target group. The age range was very particular, falling as it does in Ireland between primary and secondary school, when moving up involves a transition to a very different learning environment. Just as media literacy could provide a transactional learning space between in and out of school, perhaps it could ease transition to more demanding curricula or confidence-building in the challenging teen years. Equally we wanted to facilitate a positive engagement with media, when so much that is published about young people and media inclines towards the negative. This is not to underestimate the role that social networking may have played in serious or tragic occurrences, but rather to acknowledge its place in teen communications and to encourage discussion around issues of safety, with a view to promoting more discerning use.

From the findings of our online survey, we could surmise that the average 12-13 year old in Ireland used a mobile phone mostly to send texts, would go online each day and they would watch TV. Over half could adjust privacy settings, half would play games. In other words, the young people who took part in our research were to varying degrees media-savvy. Our follow-up media interventions in radio, web design, TV and filmmaking, which also included input and discussion on online safety, offered further confirmation of the participants’ media skills but most significantly, their interest in furthering them. As with our previous research project, Film Focus, and the numerous other research projects that are being carried out by other bodies in this highly pertinent field, we get repeated confirmation that active media engagements excite and motivate young people and they want to learn more. Curriculum developers, youth work and education funders, please take note.

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