Listen to: Gold, Galahs and the Milky Way: unlocking the universe, on ABC Big Ideas

Additional menu

Science In Public

Science writers, communicators, media, training, and public relations

Niall

Thursday’s stories at the Botanic Congress

At the Botanical Congress today

  • Secrets of a voodoo plant revealed – it could reshape Australian crops, and rescue African farmers from a disastrous plant parasite
  • How cotton was born: a million year-old mating opens up an improved future
  • Is there too much cyanide in imported cassava products?
  • Sister Water Lily meets the Big Bad Banksia Man – do they hold the key to a new era in botany education?
  • Why life depends on plants and what we need to do to for biodiversity and humanity – an op ed from Peter H. Raven, President Emeritus,MissouriBotanical Garden. [Read more…] about Thursday’s stories at the Botanic Congress

What’s living in your street?

The Atlas of Living Australia will tell you.

Within 5 km of News Limited in Holt Street, Sydney for example there are reports of at least 3,500 different animal species, and 2,400 plant species.

ABC Southbank in Melbourne is a neighbour to more than1200 animals and 519 plants. In the coming months the records will be more detailed as institutions add their records. [Read more…] about What’s living in your street?

How cotton was born

A million year-old mating opens up an improved future

A coming together and genetic merging of an American plant with an African or Asian plant one or two million years ago produced the ancestor of the bush that now provides 90% of the world’s commercial cotton. And although the resulting plant has been domesticated and changed genetically by breeding over thousands of year, it retains a genetic structure and capacity which is conducive to further modification. [Read more…] about How cotton was born

Growing drugs, Identify life and make way for microbes. Wednesday at Botanical Congress

Queensland researchers believe future cancer drugs could be grown in sunflowers and ultimately delivered as a seed ‘pill’.

They’ve got a long way to go, but the concept illustrates the power of modern botany to deliver everything from new medicines, to functional foods, and customised biofuels. More below.

Also at the International Botanical Congress in Melbourne today: IdentifyLife will empower everyone to identify plants and animals. Make way for the microbes – can plants help us create a sustainable future or do we need to turn to microbes? [Read more…] about Growing drugs, Identify life and make way for microbes. Wednesday at Botanical Congress

The Acacia debate

A plant name dispute that has bubbled away for a decade has finally been resolved at the XVIII International Botanical Congress in Melbourne.
The species concerned are the acacias, which until now has included the Australian wattles and the thorn trees of the Serengeti—both highly recognisable and iconic groups of plants. [Read more…] about The Acacia debate