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Science In Public

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The ABC’s Wildlife Spotter is off to a brilliant start

Media release from ABC Radio National

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Australian wildlife scientists need all eyeballs on deck this August to help them study where Australia’s wild things are, as part of Wildlife Spotter — the ABC’s citizen science project for National Science Week (13–21 August 2016). 

Since its launch on Monday 1 August:

  • 133,601 images have been identified, and
  • 153,463 animals have been
  • spotted by 7,290 citizen scientists.

[Read more…] about The ABC’s Wildlife Spotter is off to a brilliant start

Wine science; Bull S…cience; flying robocops; and a ‘rock’ musical

South Australia launches National Science Week tonight

4 August 2015, launch at 5pm, Goyder Pavilion Mezzanine, Adelaide Showground

  • Flying robocops: how are Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems being used by SA police?
  • Going batty: are you living with tiny bats that you can’t see?
  • America’s 1950s Dyna-Soar spaceplane
  • Moonlandings, global warming, and vaccinations – all science conspiracies, right? WRONG.
    But how hard is it to get scientists to believe BS (bad science)?
  • The chemistry of your buttery chardonnay
  • Plus Brian Cox, dolphins after dark, space robots and more.

More than 170 National Science Week events will be held across the state – these are just some of the highlights. More on each below.

[Read more…] about Wine science; Bull S…cience; flying robocops; and a ‘rock’ musical

Help find the wild things: citizen scientists needed to spot wildlife caught on camera

wildspotter

Australian wildlife scientists need your eyeballs this August to help them study where Australia’s wild things are for Wildlife Spotter—the ABC’s citizen science project for National Science Week.

Australia is a vast country. Researchers have set up automatic cameras that are snapping wildlife day and night. Now they need your help to analyse the millions of photographs they’ve captured in tropical rainforests, the dry rangelands, and around our cities.

From superb lyrebirds to common wombats, from bettongs to bandicoots, from brush turkeys to Tassie devils, and even feral cats and foxes—scientists want to know which species are roaming both in the wild and in urban areas. Participants will help answer questions including: how many endangered bettongs are left; how well native predators like quolls and devils are competing with cats for food; and how common are common wombats.

You can join in by heading to the Wildlife Spotter website at www.wildlifespotter.net.au. [Read more…] about Help find the wild things: citizen scientists needed to spot wildlife caught on camera

National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia

The National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia supports stem cell science and educates the community about the potential and dangers of stem cell therapies.

The winners of the 2016 Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Research are:

  • James Chong: Stem cells healing broken hearts
  • Tracy Heng: Making cancer treatment less aggressive and more effective

Read the media release.

The winners will receive their awards at a breakfast ceremony on Wednesday 27 July in Melbourne. Visit the website: stemcellfoundation.net.au

https://www.scienceinpublic.com.au/stemcells/stemcellfoundation

Making cancer treatment less aggressive and more effective

Tracy Heng wants to make cancer treatment gentler and more effective for elderly patients with blood cancer and other blood disorders.

“Bone marrow transplants have transformed survival rates for blood cancers. They replace a diseased blood system with healthy blood-forming cells, but first, doctors have to wipe out a patient’s immune system, which takes a big toll on elderly patients. My goal is to change that,” says Tracy. [Read more…] about Making cancer treatment less aggressive and more effective

Stem cells healing broken hearts

James Chong has two starters in the race to develop stem cell therapies for heart failure as viable alternatives to heart transplants. His research is exploring both the potential for transplanted stem cells to regenerate new heart tissue and how to repair a patient’s heart by rejuvenating their own heart stem cells.

“In Australia, 54,000 people suffer a heart attack and 20,000 die from chronic heart failure each year. I want to develop stem cell treatments that can save the lives of the thousands of people who miss out on heart transplants,” says James. [Read more…] about Stem cells healing broken hearts

Tens of thousands of Australian lives changed, over three million to go

National science prize for Melbourne hearing aid revolutionary Elaine Saunders

Four million Australians, young and old, need a hearing blamey_saunders_logoaid. Without one they’re at risk of losing their friends, their partner, their job and their sanity. But price, stigma and the loss of control when we see an audiologist are amongst the factors that stop most people from acting.

Elaine Saunders has changed that for tens of thousands of Australians.  [Read more…] about Tens of thousands of Australian lives changed, over three million to go