Stories of Australian Science 2012

We’ve put together this collection of Australian science stories to give journalists and others around the world a taste of the breadth and depth of research activity in Australia.

You’ll read about uniquely Australian work: a new form of chlorophyll found at Western Australia’s Shark Bay; the immune tricks of wallabies; protecting lives and buildings from bushfires; and the role of synchrotron light in making great Australian wines.

This year, as we reviewed the collection, we realised that there was a strong physical sciences theme. That wasn’t deliberate. But it’s been a good time for the physical sciences in Australia. The nation will share constructing the world’s largest radio telescope with South Africa. A precursor, the SKA Pathfinder telescope, is already booked out for the next five years. And Australia’s high energy physicists shared in the announcement of the Higgs boson in July this year

The renaissance in the physical sciences in Australia also reflects the growing convergence of the physical and life sciences

The Australian Synchrotron, for example, has been a boon for life scientists. They’ve been queuing up for access to its powerful beams. And a dedicated life sciences supercomputer has been contributing to cancer genetics. These are just two of a series of substantial infrastructure investments that have underpinned Australian science recently.

Billions of dollars have been invested by the Federal government over the past decade. Now those investments are bearing fruit. In these pages you’ll read how non-scientists are turning their ideas into reality thanks to a national fabrication facility; and how shared data is fast-tracking discoveries in astronomy, and giving the public access to 18 million observations of Australia’s flora and fauna.

We also present the winners of some of Australia’s leading science prizes.

Read on below, or search more specifically using advanced search over on the right.

Stories of Australian Science Hidden art revealed Higgs boson: the Australian connection Frog peptides versus superbugs
	The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science Changing the world one molecule at a time New chlorophyll a gateway to better crops Birth of our hot Universe Camping and puppets top teaching prizes Birds, bees, robots and flying Prized astronomer keeps contributing
Neutrons revealing new battery technology and stopping train derailments Tracking lithium for better batteries Could a neutron beam help stop train derailments?
	A new era for Australian astronomy Sky survey confirms accelerating Universe Galactic shutterbug Wide open skies for Australian astronomy
The smallest devices transform science and art Micro sensors for extreme conditions Micro muscles bend to the task Small devices to fight a big disease Made to order: printing of live cells A new art form from nanotech Light work makes for a better drop
	Bionics: from hearing to sight to calming an epileptic storm Bionic eye researchers take a shine to diamond Bionic pioneer asks how we’re wired for sound On-demand epilepsy drug
Bushfire shelters, an anti-bingle radar and printable solar cells Next generation packaging Building better bushfire protection Live streaming for healthy waterways Granular plant protection Avoiding bingles with a cheap, small radar Laser therapy to fight early signs of eye disease Victoria in race to print solar cells
	New materials for clean energy and more efficient oils Spray-on solar cells Star-shaped polymers boost engine performance Fibre optics: from cables to constipation
Something borrowed, something new Don’t give away your old glasses Light-powered chip smashing records The structure of catalytic converters in cars
	Looking into our cells Health check for live cells Spotting cancer cells before they spread New tool for better breast cancer detection
For Women in Science Understanding the genetics of epilepsy The complex life of coral Saving tigers with maths Intelligent drugs
	Light fast-tracking Australian science Clues to switching off your blood clots New light on storing energy
The Higgs and high energy physics down under Melbourne takes centre stage in physics Australian Synchrotron helps its big brother in Geneva
	Better data, better research Regular source of ocean data now underway Mapping a future for Australian birds Finding pulsars in the archives
Making use of our energy Harnessing waste energy to power factories Australian science’s place in Asia