Kicking off in Sydney this Thursday 16 August, it’s 11 days of serious science fun, with 50 events running day and night around the Powerhouse Museum, the ABC Ultimo Centre, Ultimo TAFE and the University of Technology, Sydney.

So far, we’ve blogged about:

• Chemistry and creativity in the kitchen: Making tiny edible spheres of flavour is just one of the secrets of molecular gastronomy that food scientist and award-winning pastry chef Galit Segev will share at the Ultimo Science Festival.
• Animating mating krill: from Antarctic ocean floor to online music video – A video of tiny crustaceans mating was taken at the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Antarctica. Now it’s been transformed into an animation and remixed online into a music video.
• Iron-ageing: trace elements and their role in Parkinson’s disease: If all the iron in the human brain was put into one lump, it would amount to about the size of a grain of rice. But the metal plays a vital role in brain cells and their function.
• The life and inventions of Alan Turing: Turing expert Professor Jack Copeland and;
• ABC RN Forum – The Beast Within: dissecting the ethics of animal experimentation. [continue reading…]

Sydney Harbour’s natural beauty is thanks to its healthy ecosystem, say Sydney researchers—and it’s one of the most diverse harbour ecosystems in the world.

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An exhibition at the Ultimo Science Festival is bringing together art and science; using music, animation and more.

Seals to songs: turning science into music

Animating mating krill: from Antarctic ocean floor to online music video
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Locating science in Red Dog tales, citizen scientists monitor sea turtles, Robogals across Queensland and more.

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Tools once used just to diagnose human diseases are being used to save coral reefs; depression patients will be able to monitor their mental health using a computer and a bodybuilder’s health supplement could be the key to treating a life-threatening muscular dystrophy affecting hundreds of Australian children.

These are just some of the interesting stories that emerged from Australian research published in the last week.  Find over a dozen other stories below.

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This week on radio, Tim Thwaites discusses fake tweets; ant bullies; sponge genes; oceans of plastic; and more. [continue reading…]

This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about how eggs woo sperm; plants that jump the fence; robots that hide; hanging around Mercury; and more [continue reading…]