Operations

Sydney sea squirts show that there’s more to fertilization and IVF than we thought

For sea squirts the key to a long and happy life is to be fertilized not by a fast sperm, but by one that stands the test of time, Dr Angela Crean, from the Evolution and Ecology Research Centre at the University of NSW, has found.

And her discovery, published in PLoS, also shows for the first time that the influence of sperm extends well beyond the moment of conception. If further studies demonstrate the same effects in human sperm, the finding will change some of the assumptions used in IVF practice.

[Read more…] about The fastest sperm may not be best

Trial of treatment underway in Perth

Perth researchers are planning to end the sleepless nights that families face when ear infections strike and won’t go away. Their research could reduce the need for antibiotics and surgery, and help tackle hearing loss in indigenous communities.

Dr Ruth Thornton and her research team at the University of Western Australia have discovered that sticky nets of DNA hide the bacteria in the ears of kids with recurrent middle-ear infections, where they evade antibiotic treatment by creating impenetrable slimy biofilms.

[Read more…] about Sticky ear mystery solved

Safeguarding an important food crop—and the world’s beer supply

• On-site – farmers’ crop of barley infected with leaf rust
• Lee Hickey, University of Queensland geneticist and John Agnew, Chair of the Northern Region Barley Advisory Committee will be available for comment.

An international study led by a Queensland scientist has found a way to better safeguard an important food crop—and the world’s beer supply.

The study, led by University of Queensland geneticist Dr Lee Hickey, successfully identified a gene that protects barley against leaf rust – a disease that hit Queensland farmers in 2010 and could destroy almost a third of the national crop.

[Read more…] about Using genes to counter rust