Altruism surfaces on slow-sinking ship ABC News in Science: The primal instinct to selfishly flee from a dangerous situation takes precedence over helping others – unless you have time on your hands, according to Australian researchers. Professor Benno Torgler, of the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, and colleagues, report their work in this week’s … More Altruism surfaces on slow-sinking ship

Enzyme blocker may reverse nerve damage ABC News in Science: Blocking the action of a single enzyme prevents injured nerve cells dying and enables them to regrow, say scientists in the US. Their findings, to be published this week in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, could have implications … More Enzyme blocker may reverse nerve damage

Nutting it out  Australian Doctor: When Mrs A’s four-month-old baby had an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts, she was frightened and alarmed. “Almost immediately his lips became swollen, his eyes started watering and he began wheezing,” she remembers. “I realised what was happening and rushed straight to the local medical centre, which was just a few … More Nutting it out

New Zealand to consolidate agricultural research Nature News: Agricultural research in New Zealand is facing an unprecedented shake-up under a proposal to merge two of the country’s leading centres. The plan would see AgResearch – one of the largest Crown Research Institutes (CRI), the government’s eight research and development (R&D) companies – being absorbed by … More New Zealand to consolidate agricultural research

Do you have to be nuts to be a genius? Feb/March 2008 Cosmos: Had Sir Isaac Newton been alive today he would have been a Harry Potter fan. He was fascinated by alchemy and the existence of a philosopher’s stone that could turn any metal into gold. Despite being grounded in the pure sciences and … More Do you have to be nuts to be a genius?

Sydney Morning Herald: Snail porridge sounds like something Roald Dahl’s witches or J. K. Rowling’s magical creatures would eat – and not something that is appetising. Yet, snail porridge is one of the many unusual dishes on the menu at the “best restaurant in the world”: The Fat Duck in Bray, England. Chef Heston Blumenthal … More A question of good taste

I know what you’re thinking 12 October, 2006 Sydney Morning Herald: Episodes of Big Brother can teach us a lot about how we communicate, but not in the way you imagine. If you ignore the spoken exchanges of the housemates and look closely at their non-verbal communication, you may find an intriguing sub-text that can … More I know what you’re thinking

Blue jean dye kills cancer cells BBC News Online, 7 September, 2006 The dye in your blue jeans could soon be used to kill cancer cells, say scientists. UK researchers are employing tiny gold “nanoparticles”, 1/5000th the thickness of a human hair, to deliver the chemical compound directly into cancer cells, tearing them apart instantly. … More Blue jean dye kills cancer cells

Sequencing the dog genome The Science Show, ABC Radio National, 21 January, 2006 Tasha, a rusty coloured boxer with large brown eyes and a snowy white chest made history last year by being the first dog to have her genome completely sequenced. There wasn’t as much hype surrounding the publication of the dog genome as … More Sequencing the dog genome

Monkey business over BioMedNet, 5 January, 2004 Three years after applying for planning permission to build a new neuroscience center to house their non-human primates, Cambridge University’s application was finally accepted, generating an almost audible sigh of relief from many scientists across the UK. The ‘state-of-the-art’ facility at Cambridge University will benefit the animals housed … More Monkey business over