More ‘good cells’, safer treatments for leukemia patients

Associate Professor Siok Tey.
Credit: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital

Associate Professor Siok Tey is researching treatments that will improve the survival and quality of life for her patients with leukaemia or other blood cancers.

“Bone marrow transplantation is an important form of treatment for blood cancers, but it cures only two-thirds of patients,” says Siok, a clinician researcher at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

Siok will use her $55,000 Metcalf Prize to improve the outcomes of bone marrow transplantation, which rebuilds the blood and immune systems to protect patients from leukaemia relapse. Not all patients, however, stay in long-term remission, and the treatment often comes with serious side effects.

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Making a virtual human cell to explore how we’re made and how we can regenerate damaged organs

Dr Pengyi Yang. Credit: Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI)

Dr Pengyi Yang plans to transform stem cell research.

“Today’s stem cell treatments have been the product of trial and error. My virtual stem cell will allow us to understand what’s happening inside a single stem cell that makes it decide what type of cell it will become, be it hair, skin, muscle, nerve, blood or other.”

He is mapping the many, complex influences that control stem cells and how they specialise into different cell types.

Pengyi is based at the Children’s Medical Research Institute and at The University of Sydney. He aims to remove much of the guess work from stem cell science and eventually stem cell medicine.

In recognition of his leadership in the field, Pengyi has received one of two annual $55,000 Metcalf Prizes from the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia.

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Securing global net zero: universities have solutions

Zero carbon flight is possible, and could be ready by 2030 (Leeds University)
Where should I plant my grapes in 2100? (University of Tasmania)
Understanding wildfire management with virtual reality projections (Penn State)
Floods, droughts, heatwaves, polar vortexes – warming oceans drive extreme weather (University of Bergen)
Understanding heat uptake across the Southern Ocean (UNSW Sydney)
Open-source solutions for direct carbon capture (NYU)
What does ‘net zero’ mean if you don’t have electricity? (University of Southampton)

Speakers available from universities across the world available for interview.

The 50 universities across the world who form the International Universities Climate Alliance are all working on ways we can secure global net zero. The Alliance was established in April 2020 and is convened by the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

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Rover ready for Australian Hospitals

ARTG listing for revolutionary lightweight x-ray machine

Globally unique new x-ray technology invented and made in Adelaide
Rover is a mobile digital x-ray imaging unit that’s lighter, cheaper, more robust, and more reliable than the competition
Micro-X has miniaturized X-ray tubes using carbon nanotube emitter technology that are one tenth of the weight of conventional glass tubes
Over 250 units operating in 30 countries around the world, first batch of Rover orders for Australia to be shipped.

Images
Supporting information
Media release below

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Galaxies pump out contaminated exhausts

Corrected 31 August: ‘500 light years’ updated to ‘500 million light years’

Research reveals how star-making pollutes the cosmos

Animation available, astronomers available in Australia and UK for interview

Galaxies pollute the environment they exist in, researchers have found.

A team of astronomers led by Alex Cameron and Deanne Fisher from the ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) used a new imaging system on at the WM Keck Observatory in Hawaii to confirm that what flows into a galaxy is a lot cleaner than what flows out.

The research is published today in The Astrophysical Journal.

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Australians find owl hunting good for science and soul under lockdown

12,000 Powerful, Barking, Boobook, Barn, and Masked owl calls found so far

Download sample audio here. Images available here. Video available here.
Meet the owls here.
More about the Australian Acoustic Observatory: acousticobservatory.org.
Background information
Scientists available for interviews
Media release below

Media contacts: Ben Keirnan, ben@scienceinpublic.com.au or 0408 184 858; or Tanya Ha, tanya@scienceinpublic.com.au or 0404 083 863.

Is that a dog barking? Or a Barking owl?

Hundreds of Australians have found thousands of owl calls by listening to short recordings made in nature reserves.

They’re helping researchers identify and map native Australian owl species through the Hoot Detective project.

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Hot earth, whale songs, science meets footy, the sourdough craze, and more

Sunday 22 August 2021

Highlights from the final day of National Science Week

117 events and exhibitions, 82 online activities, and dozens of great stories and talent.

Researchers, experts, and other interesting people available for interview around the country.

VIC: Climate change remedies
SA: Science at the footy
QLD: Save whales, but do we want to save sharks?
NSW: Bizarre ancient fish
NSW: The science of Sydney’s biggest backyard
TAS: An obsession with sourdough
WA: How do we future-proof agriculture?

Read on for more on these, including event contact details.

Also today:

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A Blue New Deal for oceans, hacking Minecraft, LEGO goes astro, and more

Saturday 21 August 2021

Highlights from day eight of National Science Week

197 events and exhibitions, 103 online activities, and dozens of great stories and talent.

Researchers, experts, and other interesting people available for interview around the country.

NSW: An ocean defender to the rescue
TAS: Hacking Minecraft, insect worlds, and cuddly animals at the Festival of Bright Ideas
VIC: A VR view of the Universe
QLD: Dive into the Great Barrier Reef without getting wet
NSW: CSI wildlife
ACT: Understanding the Universe through LEGO

Read on for more on these, including event contact details.

Also today:

SA: See the farm of the future
TAS: Keeping rivers healthy
VIC: The importance of bees
WA: Blending science and gardening and solar cooking

Coming up tomorrow:

Hot earth, whale songs, science meets footy, sourdough, and more – see a preview of Sunday’s highlights.

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Ending COVID-19, lighter x-rays, safe vaccines, and a teddy bear goes under the knife

Friday 20 August 2021

Highlights from day seven of National Science Week

262 events and exhibitions, 131 online activities, and dozens of great stories and talent.

Researchers, experts, and other interesting people available for interview around the country.

NSW: Quashing pandemics
TAS: Hacking Minecraft, insect worlds, and cuddly animals at the Festival of Bright Ideas
NSW: What 60,000 years of Indigenous knowledge tells us about the night sky
TAS: What dissecting a teddy reveals about plastic and waste
VIC: How quickly can you make a safe vaccine?
SA: Space sci-fi fact and fiction
SA: Lighter, faster, portable x-rays
VIC: The blind artist making books you can read with your eyes closed

Read on for more on these, including event contact details.