CSIRO will play a lead role in the next stage of the development of the world’s largest radio telescope, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), to be located in Australia and in Africa.
This follows the SKA Organisation (SKAO) announcement that it has allocated R&D ‘work packages’ to consortia from around the world. The consortia, involving science institutes and industry, will progress the design and validation processes of the SKA to a stage that will enable tendering and build of the telescope from 2017.
CSIRO will head up the largest of these consortia, the SKA Dish Array Consortium, and will be responsible for the design work relating to the SKA’s 2500 antenna dishes and receivers, and the development of innovative receivers known as phased array feeds (or PAFs).
In addition, CSIRO will lead the Infrastructure Australia Consortium in charge of designing and costing critical SKA infrastructure at the Australian SKA site (the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in Western Australia). This would include the provision of power, communications, buildings, water and access to the site.
“The SKA is an international project, with global scale and huge scientific ambition,
Today we provide a brief review of top CSIRO news published in the previous period. There was everything – from gum leaves to bushfires. Hope you will enjoy this journey.
Spotlight – gum leaves rich in gold
While money doesn’t grow on trees per se, we’ve found that precious gold does. We have revealed that gum trees from the Western Australian goldfields draw up tiny particles of gold via their roots and it ends up in their leaves and branches.
Finding new gold deposits is not just about bling’it is vital for industry. In the past 10 years the discovery of new gold deposits around the world has decreased by over 45 per cent. Gold is one of the most important minerals used by industry. It is used in electronics, dentistry, medicine, aerospace, glassmaking, computers and mobile phones.
So mineral explorers need to find new ore deposits. Novel exploration techniques are required to find the more difficult deposits hidden beneath sediments. Read more and watch the video on CSIRO’s blog.
Top of the news
Bushfire help at hand
Bushfires have the potential to affect every Australian in one way or another. And this season is looking to be a bad one. Over the last few weeks we’ve been working hand in hand with the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) at its headquarters to provide advice on fire behaviour. We used the best tech to produce maps showing likely fire progress and to monitor Twitter feeds to find hot spots of developing fire emergency. The RFS is also using new apps we developed for the first time to assess the impact of the fires on property. More on the Climate Response blog.
Does my virtual forehead look big in this?
The online retail sphere is rapidly growing, with more people using their smart phones and tablets to make everyday purchases. But we’re taking online shopping to a completely new level by teaming up with online eyewear retailer Glasses.com. Using our Smart Vision technology, Glasses.com has developed a new iPad app that allows customers to virtually try on specs from the comfort of their own home. The Smart Vision software allows the app to produce a true-to-life 180′ view of the user’s face showing how each pair fits in 3D. Read more and watch the video on CSIRO’s blog.
It’s like Jimmy Choo – for horses
Spring Racing Carnival fever has hit- and our scientists are not immune. In a horse-ome titanium 3D printing first, we have scanned a race horse’s hooves using a handheld scanner and then, with sophisticated modelling software, designed the perfect fitting, lightweight racing shoe. And the shoes are pinkurple. Why did we bother? We think 3D printing will have broad application potential. We’re already researching how it can be used in biomedical implants and even things like automotive and aerospace parts. More on this blog.
Making a clean-burning synthetic fuel, Indian style
Impressive cricket skills aren’t the only thing us Aussies have in common with India. Both nations face pretty similar energy challenges in that neither country can meet current fuel demands with domestic production alone. Enter dimethyl ether (DME), stage left. DME is a fuel that can be produced from natural gas, coal, biomass, or directly from carbon dioxide. It generates significantly less pollution than conventional fuels when burnt, making it more environmentally friendly. So we’ve teamed up with friends in India to progress the research around use of DME. More on this blog.
In the business
Leading R&D for SKA
If you haven’t heard of the Square Kilometre Array, then let us tell you it will be the world’s largest radio telescope and it will be located in Australia and Africa. It’s just been announced that we will head the largest R&D consortia for the project, the SKA Dish Array Consortium. We will be responsible for the design work relating to the SKA’s 2500 antenna dishes and receivers, and the development of innovative receivers known as phased array feeds (or PAFs). More on the Universe blog.
Six students from De Montfort University have created a stellar 3D representation of 17th century London, as it existed before The Great Fire of 1666.
The three-minute video provides a realistic animation of Tudor London, and particularly a section called Pudding Lane where the fire started. As Londonist notes, “Although most of the buildings are conjectural, the students used a realistic street pattern [taken from historical maps] and even included the hanging signs of genuine inns and businesses
This spherical container has been engineered to house the most scientifically valuable cargo imaginable: samples brought back from the Red Planet.
Still probably many years in the future and most likely international in nature, a Mars sample-return mission is one of the most challenging space ventures possible for robotic exploration. A robust, multifunctional sample container is an essential link in the long technical chain necessary to make such a mission successful.
Weighing less than 5 kg, this 23 cm-diameter sphere is designed to keep martian samples in pristine condition at under -10*C throughout their long journey back to Earth.
First, the sample container must be landed on Mars, along with a rover to retrieve a cache of samples carefully selected by a previous mission, according to current mission scenarios. The container seen here hosts 11 sealable receptacles, including one set aside for a sample of martian air.
Then, once filled, it will be launched back up to Mars orbit. There it will remain for several days until a rendezvous spacecraft captures it. To ease the process of rendezvous, the sample container carries a radio emitter and retroreflectors for close-up laser ranging.
Before being returned to Earth, the container will be enclosed in another larger bio-sealed vessel to ensure perfect containment of any returned martian material. This container will then be returned to Earth for a high-speed entry.
“Because there is the potential, however remote, that the samples contain alien life, we have to comply with strict planetary protection protocols not to bring them into contact with Earth’s biosphere,” explained Benoit Laine, Head of ESA’s Thermal Analysis and Verification section, who oversaw the sample container project.
“In effect, the parachute technology is not reliable enough – which means the container must be able to withstand a crash landing without parachute.
“The mission design therefore does not include any parachute, and the capsule literally falls from Mars onto Earth, decelerated only by the pressure on the heatshield through Earth’s atmosphere, and by the impact at landing.”
While the sample container is a proof-of-concept design rather than actual mission hardware, it is fully functional and has undergone testing in simulated thermal conditions, including a 400 g shock test.
“This challenging project drew on the expertise of multiple ESA specialists,” added Benoit. “It incorporates mechanical systems covering structural, thermal and mechanisms engineering but also communications, antennas and power – it has of course to incorporate a highly reliable battery.”
The prime contractor for the project, which was supported through ESA’s Aurora programme, was French company Mecano I&D. Activities to prepare for a Mars sample mission continue, including a refinement of the sample container design, coordinated by the future missions preparatory office of ESA’s Directorate of Science and Robotic Exploration.
For the first time, the body of Australia’s most famous racehorse Phar Lap will be brought together virtually using CSIRO’s Museum Robot at the National Museum of Australia.
For many years Australia’s most famous horse has been in pieces. Phar Lap’s heart — currently preserved in a jar of formaldehyde – is at the National Museum of Australia (NMA) in Canberra, his hide is in the Melbourne Museum, and his skeleton is at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Today, students from three schools in Willunga, South Australia, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria and Townsville, Queensland will have the chance to see the legendary horse’s heart and hide and skeleton at the same time, while speaking to museum experts about the three exhibits. And they won’t even have to leave the classroom.
The students will be led by an expert guide from the NMA, through CSIRO’s museum robot. Logging in through their classroom smart board or local library computers, students will control their own unique view using the 360 degree panoramic camera on the robot’s head and can click on items in the exhibit to bring up images and more information.
“While the classroom sweep can be a bit of fun on Melbourne Cup day, we are giving students a much richer cultural and educational experience that they’ll hopefully remember for a long time,
“Our demons have their origins in our dread of death and the unknown. Today is Halloween, a time for costuming ourselves and confronting those fears (and, most importantly, for outsized consumption of sweets). For those of us celebrating Halloween disguised as vampires, werewolves and zombies, we owe a great debt to one of the world’s deadliest and most feared zoonotic viruses, rabies. This past summer I wrote about the fascinating microbial origins of some of our most enduring humanoid monsters in “The Bestial Virus: The Infectious Origins of Werewolves, Zombies & Vampires.
As a human race, we have only been able to cross such large distances and multiple time zones in the past century. Before commercial flights were a common way of travelling overseas, we would have been able to cope with changing time zones better during a lengthy voyage by sea.
Besides the lack of hydration, uncomfortable seating position and questionable food we are subjected to during an economy flight, the main reason why jetlag catches up on us is to do with our circadian rhythm being desynchronised. Until we evolve to adapt to frequent travel between time zones, this cannot be ignored.
Time Zones
A lot of our body’s physiology is regulated by neurotransmitters that can be classified as amino acids, peptides and monoamines. One example of a monoamine is melatonin, which is affected by sunlight over a 24-hour period (circadian rhythm). A disruption in this circadian rhythm can profoundly affect body temperature, digestion, heart rate, blood pressure, hormones and state of mind (source –The State Government of Victoria).
Naturally corresponding with the amount of hours in the day, there 24 time zones around the world. It has been documented that travelling over two time zones will have a marginal effect to a person’s circadian rhtyhm but travelling over any more than three can cause desynchronisation to a substantial degree (source – Reilly T).
The Effects
Travelling west will also make jetlag easier to recover from due to the circadian rhythm being temporarily prolonged to about 27 hours, making it easier for the body to adapt (Reilly T). When experiencing a shift of any more than 12 time zones however, travelling east or west does not make a difference. That would be the equivalent of flying from Adelaide to Sao Paulo, Brazil. It would be hard not to pull up a bit rough after a marathon flight such as that.
After travelling east, it is also common for people to have trouble getting out of bed at a normal time in the morning while flying back from the west will result in waking up before dawn (Libassi L, Emad YA).
Suffering from jet lag may be inconvenient for someone coming back from a holiday or the occasional business trip but it can have further implications for those travelling more regularly as a part of their day-to-day lifestyle.
In the United States, where sporting teams could experience up to four different time zone changes on a flight to an away game, the overall effect of disrupted circadian rhythms to the whole team can impact results and change the course of a season.
A three-year study on 19 North American Major League Baseball (MLB) teams found the home team could expect to score 1.24 more rune than usual when the visitor had just completed eastward travel. Home teams also scored 0.62 more runs during the day than the night (source – Recht LD, Lew RA, Schwartz WJ).
A more recent 10-year study found MLB teams that travelled through three time zones have as much as a 60% chance of losing their first game upon arrival (Winter WC, Hammond WR, Green NH, Zhang Z, Bliwise DL).
Jet lag can no doubt take its toll for sporting teams and businessmen who must travel as part of their job but there usually is a period of rest for the body to recover from crossing multiple time zones. Cabin crew members on international flights regularly do this more than anyone with as little as two days break before their next flight.
A study on 62 experienced female cabin crew members found increased secretion of the stress hormone, cortisol, and impaired nonverbal cognitive processing for cabin crew members who travelled on more transmeridian flights with less days off. The results showed the body could not even adapt to the stress of jet lag with some participants having as much as four years experience in the field (Cho K, Ennaceur A, Cole JC, Suh CK).
Another study on 45 female flight attendants and 26 teachers confirmed the variability in melatonin production as high as 25% was twice as likely to be associated with flight attendants (Blosser F).
Available as a 2mg prescription tablet in Australia, melatonin can help combat jet lag easily and with minimal side-effects. Although, the Therapeutic Goods Administration does not advise taking melatonin in combination with alcohol, Thioridazine and Imipramine, and benzodiazepine or other hypnotics.
Nine out of ten randomised trials on airline passengers, airline staff and military personnel crossing five or more time zones saw decreased jet lag symptoms in subjects when melatonin was taken one hour before the destination bedtime (10pm to midnight). Doses of melatonin closer to 5mg were seen to be significantly more effective than a slow-release 2mg dose (Herxheimer A, Petrie KJ).
Adjusting to a new time zone before arrival, known as preentrainment, can be another way of dealing with jet lag. This is to do with our chronosense, a biological response to light generated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus that can be active even in blind newborn babies (Sernagor E).
Circadian rhythm labeled
A study on 28 participants trialled a three-day treatment of exposing differing amounts of light in the first 3.5 hours of waking, advancing normal wake time by one hour each day. Participants who received the greatest amount of bright light over the three days experienced a phase shift of nearly two hours, which can be particularly helpful for those travelling east and arriving in the morning (Burgess HJ, Crowley SJ, Gazda CJ, Fogg LF, Eastman CI)
The disadvantage of this treatment is the inconvenience of being exposed to bright light and still carrying out normal morning duties.
Another study from the same research team combined morning bright light exposure with afternoon doses of melatonin over three days before a flight. Participants experienced a phase advancement of nearly 2.5 hours and no jet lag symptoms with a 0.5mg dose of melatonin and alternating exposure of bright and dim light for 30 minutes (Revell VL, Eastman CI).
Previously, the typical method of dealing with jet lag would be drinking yourself to sleep on the flight followed by a stupendous amount of coffee consumed on arrival. The health implications of these methods are obviously detrimental. Until we make genetic advances to cope with jet lag however, the other options available today are safe and effective for returning back to your regular time zone.
Images courtesy of visual.dichotomy, Will Fisher and Wikimedia.
A team of international scientists has isolated a very close relative of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) from horseshoe bats in China, confirming them as the origin of the virus responsible for the 2002-3 pandemic.
The SARS-CoV pandemic killed 774 people of the 8094 people infected, a case fatality ratio of almost 10 per cent. With cases diagnosed across the world, the pandemic had an impact on international travel and trade.
The research team, led by Professor Shi Zhengli from Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and including CSIRO and Duke-NUS scientist Professor Linfa Wang, have just had their breakthrough results published in the prestigious journal Nature.
While researchers globally have previously used genetic sequencing to demonstrate that bats are the natural reservoirs of SARS-like CoVs, this is the first time that live virus has been successfully isolated from bats to definitively confirm them as the origin of the virus.
The team successfully isolated a SARS-like CoV, named SL-CoV WIV1, directly from faecal samples of Chinese Horseshoe bats using the world renowned bat virus isolation methodology developed by scientists at CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong.
The results will help governments design more effective prevention strategies for SARS and similar epidemics.
Horseshoe bats are found around the world, including Australia and play an important ecological role. Their role in SARS-CoV transmission highlights the importance of protecting the bat’s natural environment so they are not forced into highly populated urban areas in search of food.
PHOTO: The SARS virus appears to have originated in horseshoe bats from China.(Guangdong Entomological Institute/South China Institute of Endangered Animals)
A new voice analysis software that aims to decipher your inner feelings has made a splash into the innovative technology scene, with mixed reactions. In a case of machines helping machines, a computational voice analysis software created by a startup in Tel Aviv, Israel, can actually detect emotions in a person’s voice and share that through a machine. The phrase ‘it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it’ comes to mind.
What can it do?
The software is still in its early stages, but the developers say that it is able to determine whether or not a person’s happy attitude actually has frustration lying beneath it, or vice versa.
Currently, the software can detect around 400 variations of different moods. Unlike other similar software, it doesn’t use trigger words such as ‘ridiculous’ or ‘outrageous’ to do its analysis, instead its algorithm is based on the tone and frequency of a voice.
The software can also pinpoint a consumer’s personality, which can affect their purchasing habits. For example, if a person is conservative, a marketer or salesperson would want to offer them a product that is tried and tested, as opposed to an innovative person who might be more drawn to the latest products.
To develop the software, the emotions of over 70,000 people speaking in 30 different languages were analysed. The startup’s research was inspired by an Israeli study done in the 1990’s that looked at how babies understood and responded to the moods of adult speech prior to learning how to speak themselves.
What can it be used for?
Although there are several researchers that are developing similar products, the one created by said company, Beyond Verbal, is targetting call centres and customer service departments. By using the software, the people at the other end of the line can gain insight into a caller’s mood, intention and personality.
For example, a customer may lodge a help ticket with a call centre, and while on the phone the operator can determine whether the caller is getting agitated, is upset or is genuinely happy – despite how they might first come across. This can help the operator treat the consumer accordingly.
Going forward, the technology used in the software could potentially be used for a wide variety of situations, including within the legal system.
Why doesn’t everyone love it?
Despite the technology being undoubtedly clever, not everyone is so convinced. One key point that is raised is that the software can only determine a person’s mood at the time of that one phone call, which isn’t helpful for long-term customer relations.
The issue of privacy also comes up. Not everyone would feel comfortable knowing that they are being analysed as they speak – and if they did, would they subconsciously act different, thus skewing results?
With all new technology comes doubts and concerns. For every positive there is someone pointing out the negatives.
Ocean Cleanup Array by Boyan Slat via inhabitat.com
Plastic. Seems it has extended its reach into the farthest corners of the universe. An earliest post described how plastic has changed our lives, for better…and for worse. ADD link to earlier post. That post largely reflected on the growing problem of plastic in the oceans and the effect on plant and animal life. Now, it seems that plastic threatens our freshwater lakes now too. LINK here.
But wait. It doesn’t stop there. Plastic particles have been found on Saturn’s moon, Titan. The Cassini Probe has detected propene, or propylene on Titan.
It is the first definitive detection of the plastic ingredient on any moon or planet, other than our home world, says the US space agency (Nasa).
What does this mean for the oceans, lakes and rivers? What does it mean for outer space?
With the vast engineering knowledge present around the globe, you’d think we could solve this problem. And we can. We have ambitious engineers. It will take some financing from some courageous and gusty entrepreneurial types. Those aren’t hard to find. It will take people who have an undying passion for the environment and the drive to protect it. We have those. So why can’t we get started on this problem? Any company wanting good PR, this would be an easy ticket to kudos and celebratory high fives.
So realistically, what can be done?
Here’s something that could be a real contender, a real solution to the problem.
Check out Boyan Slat’s idea on this TEDxDelft video. He was just 18 years old at the time. He’s since gone on to found his own non-profit organization, The Ocean Cleanup Foundation. His idea is an ocean cleanup array that could remove 7,250,000 tons of plastic from the world’s oceans.
Sounds easy, right? Not only that, it also sounds possible.
Plastic in the oceans, lakes and rivers on this planet is a problem that must be solved. It must be solved now. And then the problem of plastic from satellites or space junk will then need to solved. Of course, managing plastic, and preventing plastic from escaping into natural environments, is the first step.
There’s always work to do. Ending plastic’s reach could very well be within reach.
People have been using alternative therapies for thousands of years, long before scientific-based medicine became the norm. Defined as any form of medical treatment not covered by top medical school courses, alternative therapies come under many guises, from acupuncture and chiropractic to homeopathy and naturopathy.
Many people will only use alternative therapies whereas others believe in a complementary approach, whereby elements of conventional and alternative therapies are used to get the desired result.
Are alternative therapies a safe and effective choice? Here are the facts.
Types of alternative therapies
There are dozens of types of alternative therapies, which range from practitioner-based to therapies that can be completed in the home. Many of these therapies are closely aligned with each other, whereas others have very different thoughts and methods of diagnosis and treatment.
Some of the more common types of therapies used in the developed world, as listed by the National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicines, include acupuncture, hypnosis, diet-based therapies (e.g. Atkins diet, South Beach diet), massage, meditation, naturopathy, yoga, chiropractic and energy healing therapy.
Alternative therapies today
In an American study, the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, it was found that 38 per cent of adults and 12 per cent of children had used some form of complementary or alternative therapy in the 12 months prior to the survey.
Additionally, the survey found that Americans had spent $33.9 billion on alternative therapy services and products. As an increasing amount of funding is put into researching the benefits of alternative therapies, more people, including medical doctors, are taking it seriously.
As an example of the effects that research can have on the uptake of an alternative medicine in the general public, in 2002 the most commonly used natural product was echinacea. By 2007, echinacea had dropped to third place and omega 3 fish oil use had drastically increased. This came after several positive studies proved the benefits of fish oil and the mainstream media jumped on it (NCCAM, 2008).
What can alternative therapies help with
Alternative therapies can offer relief from a wide range of health problems, and can also assist in the prevention of illness. While many of the types of alternative therapies can offer a very broad spectrum of health benefits (e.g. naturopathy), others are much more specific (e.g. chiropractic for spine-related pain relief)
The most commonly used alternative therapies are used to treat back and neck pain, largely through the use of a chiropractor. Arthritis, anxiety, insomnia and head or chest colds are also on the list of commonly treated illnesses. (NCCAM, 2008).
Scientific evidence
The main problem that has always inhibited the large-scale uptake of alternative therapies is the lack and quality of scientific evidence. Instead, a lot of the claims made by providers of services and products are anecdotal.
The popularity of alternative therapies in recent years has demanded for a more serious, scientific look into their benefits. In a positive move for the industry, the National Centre for Contemporary and Alternative Medicines (NCCAM) was established in 1999 to help fund detailed scientific-based research into the safety and efficacy of alternative and complementary therapies.
Since then, a range of therapies have been endorsed and scientifically proven. For example, several studies into the benefits of chiropractic therapy found that spinal manipulation could provide mild-to-moderate relief from low-back pain and was proven to be as effective as conventional medical treatments (Rubinstein et al, 2011).
Additionally, women are turning to acupuncture as a fertility and miscarriage prevention treatment, even more so now after scientific evidence has proven it helpful. Manheimer et al (2008) found that women who are using IVF treatment could benefit from the use of specialist fertility acupuncture.
5 Quick facts about alternative therapies
Between 60 and 80 per cent of the world’s population rely on alternative therapies as their primary choice of health care (World Health Organization, 2005)
Almost 20 per cent of Fortune 500 companies offer alternative therapies as part of their health care packages for employees
The National Institute of Health (NIH) currently invests about $40 million per year in complementary and alternative medicine related research (NCBI, 2012)
Studies have shown that regular yoga practice can improve a variety of health problems including back pain, headaches and stress, as well as improve quality of life (Lipton, 2008)
Omega 3 is the most commonly used natural product among adults in the United States, followed by glucosamine and echinacea (NCCAM, 2008)
It’s been a long October which brought many exciting, interesting and controversial events in the science online community. Starting with the good news as Peter Higgs was awarded Nobel Prize in Physics, then some not-so-good news surrounding Urban Scientist Danielle Lee and her terrible experience with (now former) editor at biology online – explained more here and here. Then as Ada Lovelace day approached, some other totally unexpected events popped out in the science blogosphere that brought many of us to stop and think about ethics and professionalism, not only in science but in other areas such as internet technologies, the academic world, and so on.
Let’s have a quick look at some of the interesting science-related stories and happenings over the past thirty days, we hope you’d enjoy the most interesting stories for October. Stay curious and scientifically passionate!
Lana Ostojic is a young applied science professional with the real-world experience in criminal forensics. She is a researcher at the Research and Development Department at the Office of Chief of Medical Examiner (OCME), NYC. Lana is also a PhD candidate at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Molecular Biology and Physiology. Her primary field is molecular biology and physiology. Read more>>
Have you ever noticed that people who spend more time outdoors, particularly those who garden regularly, are often cheery? While the exercise, sunshine and general health benefits of being outdoors contributes to a happy disposition, scientists have discovered that some of this cheer comes from a certain bacteria that lives in the soil.
Mycobacterium vaccae, a soil dwelling bacteria, has been found to affect our brains in a similar way to antidepressants. It activates brain cells to produce serotonin, a hormone that helps regulate mood and sleep. Low levels of serotonin are often correlated with moodiness, feeling down and depression. Read more>>
Ada Lovelace Day is a day for celebrating the achievements of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. Recently, the New York Times published a fantastic article by Eileen Pollack, “Why Are There Still So Few Women in Science
