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30,000 people identify 800,000 animals – Australia’s online wildlife census is working!

wildlife

Scientists are thanking the 30,000 Australians who have gone online and spotted more than 800,000 animals in 680,000 images through the ABC’s Wildlife Spotter project, helping scientists monitor Australia’s wildlife, their predators and pests.

But there’s still more work to be done, with hundreds of thousands of pictures of animals taken by automated ‘camera traps’ needing to be done.

“You’re helping us save bandicoots and other animals,” says Deakin University ecologist Euan Ritchie. “And you’re literally saving us years of work, so we can get ahead with understanding and protecting our wildlife.”

Anyone with a tablet or computer and an internet connection can join – head to www.wildlifespotter.net.au to start spotting and identifying the wildlife caught on camera.  [Read more…] about 30,000 people identify 800,000 animals – Australia’s online wildlife census is working!

The scent of a Sav Blanc; fats, fads and navigating nutrition; and a whisky-powered jet engine?

Science Week highlights for foodies

Wednesday 17 August 2016

Talent, researchers, experts, and other interesting people available for interview and photo opportunities around the country.

  • 3 foodies The science of beer, wine and chocolate –Ipswich, South Brisbane and Toowoomba, QLD
  • What’s whisky got to do with climate change and could there be a whisky-powered jet engine? – Parkes, ACT
  • The science and scent of a Sav Blanc – North Adelaide, SA
  • Drones in the vines – Pokolbin, NSW
  • The science of chocolate, make your own sherbet and a special space-guest at Queen Vic Market – Melbourne, VIC
  • Gluco-what? Poly-huh? The science of what’s in our food and on the label – Ultimo, NSW
  • DNA: what makes fruit a fruit, and a human a human? – Falcon, WA
  • Make your own gin with scientific equipment – Canberra, ACT
  • Fads, facts and a tasting tour of a training restaurant – Geraldton, WA

… and there’s more on each below.

Find more National Science Week events online at www.scienceweek.net.au  [Read more…] about The scent of a Sav Blanc; fats, fads and navigating nutrition; and a whisky-powered jet engine?

My room had 1,200 penguins. A whisky-powered jet engine? Science denial and bullshit. Innovation summit in Sydney

It’s day five of Science Week’s nine-day week with 770 events and dozens of great stories and talent, including:

Canberra:

  • Whisky business: what’s whisky got to do with climate change and could there be a whisky-powered jet engine?
  • 7749668-3x2-700x467[1] An obsession with penguins wins ANU’s Ceridwen Fraser ACT Scientist of the Year.
    She has made 15 trips to Antarctica studying how species survive in extreme conditions through the study of volcanoes, genetics and animal migration.

Sydney:

[Read more…] about My room had 1,200 penguins. A whisky-powered jet engine? Science denial and bullshit. Innovation summit in Sydney

Flying robocops; cyber security; and what space robots are next for NASA?

Tech highlights from National Science Week

Tuesday 16 August 2016

Local and international talent, researchers, experts, and other interesting people available for interview and photo opportunities around the country.

  • Robots in NASA’s search for ‘Terra-Nova’? – SA, NSW and ACT
  • Flying robocops! Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems – Adelaide, SA
  • Cryptic questions on cyber security – Adelaide, SA
  • What do robots and the Space Age represent for minerals and wealth? – Newcastle, NSW
  • All things quantum, from computing to transport – Carlton, VIC
  • Teaching with technology in the 21st Century – Melbourne, VIC

… and there’s more on each below.

Find more National Science Week events online at www.scienceweek.net.au.   [Read more…] about Flying robocops; cyber security; and what space robots are next for NASA?

Bounty from space science; biotech; and building bridges and bright young minds

Innovation-focused events around Australia

Tuesday 16 August 2016

Local and international talent, researchers, experts, and other interesting people available for interview and photo opportunities around the country.

  • Where is Australia’s innovative future headed? The inaugural AFR Innovation Summit ­– Pyrmont, NSW
  • What do robots and the Space Age represent for minerals and wealth? – Newcastle, NSW
  • From the sheep’s back to the resources boom: what’s next? – Brisbane, QLD
  • World Biotech Tour comes to Scitech – West Perth, WA
  • What will NASA’s search for ‘Terra Nova’ yield? – SA, NSW and ACT
  • Can smart technology save our planet? – Ultimo, NSW
  • A multinational engineering company is building bridges from sticks, string and cardboard, with kids – Darwin, NT
  • Surveying oceans with robots – Launceston, TAS
  • The global biohacking revolution – Eveleigh, NSW

… and there’s more on each below.

Find more National Science Week events online at www.scienceweek.net.au.  [Read more…] about Bounty from space science; biotech; and building bridges and bright young minds

Astronomy at Uluru; the science behind boomerangs; and #footyneurons

Indigenous science stories from National Science Week

Tuesday 16 August 2015

Talent, researchers, experts, and other interesting people available for interview and photo opportunities around the country.

  • Students explore Indigenous science, artefacts, bushfoods and demonstrations – Sydney, NSW
  • Neural Knitworks to stop sporting concussions – Sydney, NSW
  • The science of weaving and super seeds – Narrung, SA
  • Boomerangs, bush tucker, rockets and robots: traditional tool making meets contemporary science – Balga, WA
  • Aboriginal science at the museum – Albury, NSW
  • Howling wood to talk to distant neighbours – Wagga Wagga, NSW
  • Walk the walk of the ancient Aboriginal people – Eden, NSW
  • Astronomy in Uluru – Yulara, NT

… and there’s more on each below.

Find more National Science Week events online at www.scienceweek.net.au.   [Read more…] about Astronomy at Uluru; the science behind boomerangs; and #footyneurons

Floral fragrances; future medicine; and science, fear and Facebook

Lifestyle stories from National Science Week

Tuesday 16 August 2016

Talent, researchers, experts, and other interesting people available for interview and photo opportunities around the country.

  • Are you a human or an ecosystem? What can we learn from ancient DNA? – Adelaide, SA
  • Risky business or worried well? The science of why and what we fear – Melbourne, VIC
  • 2084: How future medicine will create a happier world – University of Sydney, NSW
  • Meet the Mars Lab’s rovers and step inside the Large Hadron Collider – Ultimo, NSW
  • Make your own perfume and fabric dye with flowers – Hopetoun, WA
  • So you think you can science? Vote for your favourite science staff video – National

… and there’s more on each below.

Find more National Science Week events online at www.scienceweek.net.au.    [Read more…] about Floral fragrances; future medicine; and science, fear and Facebook

Looking for the next young Attenborough, energy innovation, and what would you save from extinction?

Environment and energy highlights from Science Week: 13-21 August

Monday 15 August 2016

  • The search for the next young David Attenborough – South Brisbane, QLD
  • What’s next for renewables? Explore the CSIRO Energy Centre – Newcastle, NSW
  • What’s happening down south and why should we care? – Hobart and Launceston, TAS
  • Are plant barcodes the future of conservation? – Kings Park, WA
  • Which ten species would you save from extinction? – Sydney, NSW
  • Solar innovation for the harsh Aussie environment – Darwin, NT
  • Corals and tree rings tell tales of our past climates – East Maitland, NSW
  • The Big Climate Trivia Night – Civic, ACT
  • Levee tour: see a city’s flood defences – Wagga Wagga, NSW

… and there’s more on each below.

Find more National Science Week events online at www.scienceweek.net.au  [Read more…] about Looking for the next young Attenborough, energy innovation, and what would you save from extinction?

Curing blindness by repairing corneas with invisible films

A patented treatment could restore eyesight for millions of sufferers of corneal disease.

The University of Melbourne–led team of researchers have grown corneal cells on a layer of film that can be implanted in the eye to help the cornea heal itself. They have successfully restored vision in animal trials and are aiming to move to human trials next year.

Berkay Photo - Fresh Science Profile Victor Fortmann’s vision in one eye failed following a condition called bullous keratopathy. Two donated cornea transplants restored his sight for a period, but he now needs a third to restore his vision in that eye.

Over 2000 corneal transplants are conducted in Australia each year. But globally there’s a shortage of donated corneas, and the resulting loss in vision affects about 10 million people worldwide.

“We believe that our new treatment performs better than a donated cornea, and we hope to eventually use the patient’s own cells, reducing the risk of rejection,” says Berkay Ozcelik who developed the film working at the University of Melbourne.

“Further trials are required but we hope to see the treatment trialled in patients next year,” he says.

[Read more…] about Curing blindness by repairing corneas with invisible films