Tagged: Australia

New code for controlling new food varieties (FASNZ; GMO, or not) - Code for life

Grant Jacobs • Apr 09, 2018 •

• Australia,
• FASNZ,
• food code,
• food regulation,
• gmo,
• New Zealand

New Zealanders and Australians might like to contribute (last-minute!*) submissions to revise Food Standards Australia and New Zealand’s code for controlling new food varieties, FSANZ is seeking input from the community on whether food derived using new breeding techniques (NBTs) should be captured for pre-market approval under the Code, and whether the definitions for ‘food produced using gene technology’ … Read More

Free online tool could help women decide on breast reconstruction - News

Jean Balchin • Apr 05, 2018 •

• apps,
• Australia,
• Breast cancer,
• breast reconstruction,
• cancer,
• genetics,
• New Zealand,
• online tools

A new study published in Psycho-Oncology has revealed that a free web-based decision aid that helps women with breast cancer make decisions regarding reconstruction surgery after mastectomy is likely cost-effective. BRECONDA (Breast Reconstruction Decision Aid) is a tool that helps people make decisions about breast reconstruction surgery. It was developed in collaboration with an international team of breast surgeons, oncologists, … Read More

Drug use can have social benefits, and acknowledging this could improve rehabilitation - Guest Work

Guest Work • Apr 04, 2018 •

• alcohol,
• Australia,
• bisexual,
• crystal meth,
• cultural capital,
• cultural gains,
• drug use,
• friendship,
• gay,
• hiv,
• La Trobe University,
• MDMA,
• party drugs,
• sleep,
• social benefits,
• social networks,
• socially

Jennifer Power, La Trobe University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Illicit drug use is often framed in terms of risk and antisocial or criminal behaviour. But drug use is often a highly social activity. For many people, the pleasure of using drugs is about social connection as much … Read More

We spent nine years tracking South Africa’s white sharks. What we learnt - Guest Work

Guest Work • Apr 03, 2018 •

• Australia,
• ecology,
• great white shark,
• Indian Ocean,
• marine life,
• New Zealand,
• photo identification,
• satellite tracking,
• seal island,
• south african great white

Alison Kock, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. How big is South Africa’s white shark population? Nobody really knows: estimates range from 500 to more than 1200. This is an important question because the species is under enormous pressure. South Africa’s sharks … Read More

With China’s space station about to crash land, who’s responsible if you get hit by space junk? - Guest Work

Guest Work • Mar 29, 2018 •

• Australia,
• chinese space station,
• damage,
• launching state,
• liabilty convention,
• Outer Space Treaty,
• satellites,
• US

Melissa de Zwart, University of Adelaide This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The defunct Chinese space station Tiangong-1 is falling back to Earth and about to crash land some time over the next few days. Most experts expect much of it to burn up as it enters the atmosphere, … Read More

World-first study links birth interventions and long-term childhood illness - News

Jean Balchin • Mar 26, 2018 •

• augmentation,
• Australia,
• Birth,
• caesarean section,
• Diabetes,
• hormones,
• induction,
• jaundice,
• Labour,
• Medicine,
• metabolic disorder,
• NSW,
• Nursing,
• Obesity,
• pain medication,
• population based data,
• respiratory infections,
• vaginal birth,
• women

A comprehensive study lead by a team of leading international researchers has found significant links between medical interventions used in the birthing process – such as caesarean section and induction – and a child’s long-term health. Illustration depicting Caesarean section. Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014”. WikiJournal of Medicine 1 Western Sydney University collaborated with University … Read More

60 years in orbit for ‘grapefruit satellite’ – the oldest human object in space - Guest Work

Guest Work • Mar 22, 2018 •

• archaeology,
• Australia,
• explorer 1,
• infinity,
• Satellite,
• space,
• space age,
• sputnik 2,
• thermosphere,
• vanguard 1

Alice Gorman, Flinders University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Sixty years ago, a grapefruit-sized aluminium sphere with six antennas and some tiny solar cells was launched into Earth orbit. The Vanguard 1 satellite is still up there and is the oldest human-made object in space. It’s our first … Read More

Four ways alcohol is bad for your health - Guest Work

Guest Work • Mar 08, 2018 •

• alcohol,
• Alcoholism,
• Australia,
• Bowel Cancer,
• Breast cancer,
• consumption,
• heart disease,
• high blood pressure,
• hospitalisation,
• injury,
• ischaemic heart disease,
• larynx,
• liver disease,
• New Zealand,
• pancreatic,
• Prostate,
• Stroke

Steve Allsop, Curtin University; Eveline Lensvelt, Curtin University, and Tanya Chikritzhs, Curtin University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. In Australia, almost 6,000 deaths a year can be attributed to alcohol, as well as around 400 hospitalisations a day. While drinking has declined in some … Read More

How does a Virus-Blocking Bacterium operate in Mosquitoes? - News

Jean Balchin • Mar 05, 2018 •

• arbovirus,
• Australia,
• bacteria,
• dengue,
• infection,
• Mosquito,
• RNA replication,
• virus,
• Wolbachia

A recent study published in PLOS Pathogens has revealed more details of the mechanism by which the bacterium Wolbachia blocks viruses in mosquito cells. Professor Scott O’Neill, Director of the World Mosquito Program, led by Australia’s Monash University, and colleagues argue that the mechanism reduces viral replication inside cells and that rapid degradation of viral RNA is involved.  What is Wolbachia?  Wolbachia is a genus of gram-negative … Read More

Stars for sale, but no, you can’t really buy an official star name to remember someone - Guest Work

Guest Work • Feb 27, 2018 •

• astronomer,
• astronomy,
• astrophysicist,
• Australia,
• commemoriation,
• constellation,
• delta,
• IAU,
• illness,
• memorial,
• orionis,
• southern cross,
• stars,
• telescope

Brad E Tucker, Australian National University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. About once a week, I receive an email like this (note that any identifying details have been removed): I was wondering if you could help me. We are coming to Canberra for 2 nights with our friends whose … Read More