The Science Show

Science Show - 2008-11-15

Daylight saving and energy consumption Nicky Phillips reports on the results of a United States survey on changes in energy consumption as daylight saving is introduced. Worms help remediate soils Earthworms can eat thirty times their body weight of soil each day. Metals in the soil are taken in and change in form, often becoming inert. Mark Hodson is investigating the use of earthworms to help remediate sites degraded by metal contamination. Carbon dioxide in New Zealand waters The waters around New Zealand are cold, and carbon dioxide dissolves in cold water more readily than warm water. This raises the acidity of the water and affects organisms that build shells. The impacts of ocean acidification are expected to be very pronounced around New Zealand. Guerilla gardening Ruth Beran meets an inner city couple whoīve transformed their nature strip into a market garden. Tribute to Michael Crichton Michael Crichton was a doctor who went on to make movies including Jurassic Park. Michael Crichton died this week, November 4, 2008. By way of a tribute, we present an excerpt from an address he made at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in 1998. Diary of a maths olympiad team leader - part 2 of 3 Geoff Smith has led the United Kingdomīs team in the International Maths Olympiad since 2002. He gives insight into the organisation behind a maths olympiad and the challenges in running the competition. Sports research Anthony Bull is bringing physics and engineering to sports including rowing, cricket, rugby and cycling. The aim is to increase endurance and minimise injury by studying the sportspersonīs movement and motion.

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/current/audioonly/ssw_20081115.mp3

Science Show - 2008-11-08

Science in the United States as Barack Obama is elected President Excerpts from the Horizon television documentary The Presidentīs Guide to Science, plus comments from Freeman Dyson and Paul Ehrlich. The fat gene In the past 10 years, people have become heavier. Carrying more weight causes disease later in life. The best advice is to eat less and run more. But achieving this is difficult. So work is underway to find a pill which controls a recently discovered gene which controls weight. Presently it is unknown how the gene controls body weight. Bad Science - Ben Goldacre part 2 Ben Goldacre discusses stories from his book, Bad Science. He cites examples of the media overplaying stories which can scare the public, before data has been published in scientific and medical journals. Diary of a maths olympiad team leader - part 1 of 3 Geoff Smith has led the United Kingdomīs team in the International Maths Olympiad since 2002. He gives insight into the organisation behind a maths olympiad and the challenges in running the competition. Evolution and distribution of vertebrates in the southern hemisphere A fossilised dolphin has been found in Antarctica. A new species of dolphin has been described. And thereīs a new species of right whale. These are the only vertebrate fossils from Antarctica covering 40 million years. It poses the question, why are there no fossils of other vertebrates such as seals? Seals evolved in the northern hemisphere around 22 million years ago, but there most recent evidence in the southern hemisphere is at just 6 million years. Pat Quilty suggests perhaps there was no shallow water path for migration to the south until more recent times.

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/current/audioonly/ssw_20081108.mp3

Science Show - 2008-11-01

Bad Science - Ben Goldacre part 1 Ben Goldacre discusses stories from his book, Bad Science. He cites examples of the media overplaying stories which can scare the public, before data has been published in scientific and medical journals. Patenting fraud Korean scientist Hwang Woo Suk was found to have submitted fraudulent research, claiming a series of remarkable breakthroughs in the field of stem cell research. Now he is applying for patents in Australia. Nicky Phillips reports. Primate communication Gillian Sebestyen-Forrester has developed a novel method of recording, coding and analysing behaviour in gorillas as they interact with their social partners and the environment. She has observed multidimensional behaviour as in humans; that is, there are many components making up their communication and behaviour, consisting of a range of signals. Kew Botanic Gardens - approaching 250 years Nigel Taylor describes the establishment of the Kew Botanic Gardens. The gardens began in 1759 and became a scientific institution in 1841. First it became a place for the identification of plants, the herbarium contains the largest collection of dried plants anywhere. Then in 1857 the gardens became the first centre for the study of the economic use of plants. Orchids - now thought to date back to the dinosaurs Many orchids mimic insects in their morphology and use pheromones to attract insects. Some orchids live underground. They parasitise fungi for their food. It was once thought orchids had evolved recently. But DNA evidence, linking orchids with grasses and palms, and recent pollen found in amber places the origins of orchids even earlier than the palms at the time of the dinosaurs. Titan Arum or Carcass Flower blooms in Sydney Sydneyīs Royal Botanic Gardens has the largest and smelliest flower in the world, Amorphophallus titanum. The common name is Titan Arum or the Carcass Flower. The plant has a tuber which grows underground. When the tuber has the resources to grow a flower, the bud grows at 10 centimetres per day, reaching a height of 1.3 metres. The flower exudes an aroma similar to rotting flesh, which attracts the pollinating insects sweat bees and carrion beetles.

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/current/audioonly/ssw_20081101.mp3

Science Show - 2008-10-25

New record for silicon solar cell energy conversion efficiency to UNSW Martin Green A milestone of 25% energy conversion efficiency has been set by researchers at the University of NSW using silicon solar cells. 25% of incoming energy is converted to electricity. Of the remaining 75%, some is reflected and some is lost in heat. Appointment of the first NSW Chief Scientist Mary OīKane has been appointed the first NSW Chief Scientist. OīKane is a former vice-chancellor of the University of Adelaide and a former member of the Australian Research Council, the CRC Committee and the board of the CSIRO. Women take top science posts Science Minister Kim Carr speaking at the Prime Ministerīs Prizes for Science ceremony 2008. Angela Moles - Tall Poppy Angela Moles received a Tall Poppy award in Sydney, and it happens that part of her work involves measuring the heights to which plants grow! Angela is collecting data of plant morphology from specimens all over Australia. Eukaryotes and cyanobacteria thought to appear later Work done in 1999 set the date for the appearance on Earth of eukaryotes and cyanobacteria indicating the beginning of photosynthesis. Now, new results have seen the date moved later by 400 million years to about 2.3 billion years before present. Original samples used to determine the date, were shown to be contaminated. The new date resolves the mismatch in the buildup of oxygen in the atmosphere, which occurred some hundreds of millions years after the original date, which was 2.7 billion years before present. Pill replaces injections for monogenic diabetes Frances Ashcroft has found a gene which in a mutated state gives rise to monogenic diabetes, a form of diabetes present from birth. The mutated gene keeps a pore open in the membrane of pancreatic beta cells and insulin is not secreted. Now there is a drug with shuts the pore. This work has transformed the lives of patients who used to require several injections of insulin each day and now just take a pill once or twice a day. Cannabis receptors target for stroke treatment There are 2 types of stroke, one with bleeding, the other with a blood clot in the brain. When a clot blocks blood flow, there is a death of nerve cells. Over the following days and weeks, the immune system brings forth inflammation. The purpose of this is to clear any possible infection. The immune system doesnīt differentiate between stroke and brain injury. Treatment is difficult. Drugs are required quickly. Green at Work - the office dishwasher Londonīs Science Museum Chris Rapley was Director of The British Antarctic Survey for 10 years. When it was time for a change, he walked into Londonīs Science Museum, just when it was looking for a new director. Now it is 100 years since ties were cut with the Victoria and Albert Museum and celebrations are planned. Aircraft manufacturer Airbus has sponsored an exhibit, Does Flying Cost the Earth? It demonstrates the technological advances in aircraft design which try to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/current/audioonly/ssw_20081025.mp3

Science Show - 2008-10-18

Prime Ministerīs Prizes for Science 2008 Ian Frazer was awarded the Prime Ministerīs Prize for Science 2008. He created four vaccines to fight cervical cancer. Two of them-Gardasil and Cervarix-are now on the market. Both prevent infection with the virus responsible for most cervical cancers. The other two vaccines are in clinical trials and are designed to treat women who have already been infected. Electric cars on the move Developments in batteries mean the heavy lead batteries of the past are being replaced by lighter lithium batteries. These supply power and speed, seen as essential for car batteries. Now, in Finland, electric motors are being developed to convert petrol cars to electric power. The next challenge is to develop a system of charging points away from the home. Ford displays Deakinīs T-squared green car The Ford Motor Company ran a design competition for a revolutionary new car. The entry from engineering students from Deakin University was one of just two entries showcased. David Fisher reports. New photovoltaic plastics New plastics are being developed which conduct electricity, and can be used as photovoltaic materials, converting light into electricity. Applications might include surfaces within the home generating small currents from ambient light for recharging portable devices. Prospects for photovoltaics Photovoltaics were developed in 1956 and have since dropped to one-hundredth of their price then. Phil Livingston says major cost reductions are in train in solar thin-film technologies opening up possibilities for a wide range of products and applications. The push now is to have photovoltaic materials on the surfaces of most buildings, such as the tinting on windows, or the tiles on roofs. Hormones on the trading floor Equity markets have experienced wild swings lately. John Coates has been studying the behaviour of traders and noted signs of mania. He wondered whether there were steroids involved to help explain the marketīs often irrational movement.

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/current/audioonly/ssw_20081018.mp3