Scent of life on Venus Microbial life may be present in the atmosphere of Venus, according to a paper published in Nature Astronomy today. Here’s our take, from our resident planetary geoscientist, Rohan Byrne @Buildmeaplanet.
Two Australian scientists have each been awarded CSL Centenary Fellowships, valued at $1.25 million over five years, to investigate new ways to fight two of the world’s biggest health challenges: cancer and infectious diseases. The Fellowships will be presented at the Australian Academy for Health and Medical Research Online Scientific Meeting 2020 on Thursday 15 October.
Australian researchers find ways to overcome the blinding glare of quasars
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will uncover galaxies never before seen by humanity, Australian-led research reveals.
The telescope, due to launch in late 2021, is the largest, most powerful and complex space telescope ever built.
Two new studies led by Madeline Marshall from Australia’s University of Melbourne and the ARC Centre of Excellence in All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) find that the Webb will be able to reveal galaxies currently masked by powerful lights called quasars.
Does cutting your contribution to climate change also improve your mental health? Researchers want to know how you’re dealing with eco-anxiety.
The public health scientists – from Melbourne’s Deakin and Monash universities – are exploring how bad news about the environment brings us down and whether taking even small actions on climate change boosts our mental health.
To find out, they are asking people to take a survey which aims to understand the mental health impacts of climate change.
Content available: – Image and caption, – Extended quotes from selected authors as supplementary content, – Genepool release – Filmmaker becomes co-author on paper published in top international journal, ‘Science’, – Paper details – Media release below
Ethical and social implications of powerful DNA-altering technology are too important to be left to scientists and politicians, researchers find.
Illustration by Alice Mollon
Designer babies, mutant mozzies and frankenfoods: these are the images that often spring to mind when people think of genome editing.
The practice – which alters an organism’s DNA in ways that could be inherited by subsequent generations – is both more complex and less dramatic than the popular tropes suggest.
However, its implications are so profound that a growing group of experts believe it is too important a matter to be left only to scientists, doctors and politicians.
Writing in the journalScience, 25 leading researchers from across the globe call for the creation of national and global “citizens’ assemblies”, made up of lay-people, tasked with considering the ethical and social impacts of this emerging science.
Artist’s impression of Venus, with an inset showing a representation of the phosphine molecules detected in the high cloud decks. Credit: ESO / M. Kornmesser / L. Calçada & NASA / JPL / Caltech
Microbial life may be present in the atmosphere of Venus, according to a paper published in Nature Astronomy today.
(Written by Rohan Byrne, our resident geoscientist. Follow him at @buildmeaplanet)
Traces of a telltale gas called phosphine have been detected in sunlight bouncing off the planet. The gas, a rare chemical sometimes used as a pesticide, has never before been observed on rocky planets other than Earth, where it is almost always a product of life.
Research conducted by former Fresh Science participant Dale Robinson has been covered in the 2020-2021 edition of Defence Science and Technology’s Outlook magazine.
Dr Robinson is a biomedical engineer at the University of Melbourne.
Minimising severe injury from blast events on military vehicles
Blast events inflicted on military vehicles are a consistent threat in contemporary conflicts. Developing equipment that better protects soldiers from this threat has become the focus of significant military research. It is critical to understand how severe injuries are inflicted and how forces from blast events are transmitted to the human body in order to strengthen blast protection for soldiers.
More than 11,000 people have signed up to Carbon Counter, the countrywide challenge produced by the ABC Science Unit for National Science Week.
The challenge shows families, individuals and schools how to reduce their contributions to global warming by making simple and easy changes to everyday routines.
We are a specialist science communication and public relations business. We help you communicate complex ideas simply to the public, media, government, and industry; on any platform from social media, to media, pitches, publications, events and conferences.
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Practice interviews. Key messages. Tricky questions. How to ensure your research is reported accurately.
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Anonymous - Sydney Jan 2020
2020-01-28T15:04:28+11:00
Anonymous - Sydney Jan 2020
Sarah's structure of the course, specific insight and understanding of science, her contacts and common mistakes made in communication were great and furthered my skills in this area.
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Shwathy Ramesh
2020-02-24T09:29:55+11:00
Shwathy Ramesh
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