Phobia expert says every fear has a cure
Spiders, snakes, heights and, for some people, even buttons can set them shaking with fear.
Whatever the trigger, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) expert Ian Stephens says any phobia can be cured, and usually within minutes.
The 43-year old NLP specialist is one of Australia’s leading Peak Performance Coaches and is available for interviews ... 07-Jan-2010
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New evidence links humans to megafauna demise
A new scientific paper co-authored by a University of Adelaide researcher reports strong evidence that humans, not climate change, caused the demise of Australia’s megafauna - giant marsupials, huge reptiles and flightless birds - at least 40,000 years ago.
In a paper published today in the international journal Science, two Australian scientists ... 22-Jan-2010
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Universe '30 times more run down' than we thought - experts
Cars run out of petrol, stars run out of fuel and galaxies collapse into black holes. As they do, the universe and everything in it is gradually running down. But how run down is it? Researchers from The Australian National University have found that the universe is 30 times more run down than previously thought.
PhD student Chas Egan and Dr ... 25-Jan-2010
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Making the most of the Pre-prep advantage
Attending quality Pre-prep classes is excellent for helping young children prepare for a lifetime of learning, says a Queensland University of Technology early childhood lecturer.
Jennifer Eaton said while parents may wonder whether to send their children to non-compulsory Prep and Pre-prep classes, the Queensland Government's recent guarantee ... 26-Jan-2010
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Omega-3 fatty acid may help prevent brain cell death
Researchers at Deakin University believe they have discovered how the omega-3 fatty acid DHA can help prevent brain cells from dying – a finding which could have implications for reducing the risk of brain function loss associated with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.
“Previous research has suggested that there is a link between low levels ... 02-Feb-2010
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Fatality Free Friday world record attempt needs you
The organisers of Fatality Free Friday, Australia’s largest community-based national road safety campaign, are planning to stage a world record attempt on April 28, 2010 to draw attention to reducing the road toll.
The organisers are hoping to attract thousands of Australians to take part in the world’s largest driving lesson that will be verified ... 05-Feb-2010
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Blocking cell movement for cancer, MS treatment
University of Adelaide researchers are finding new ways to block the movement of cells in the body which can cause autoimmune diseases and the spread of cancer.
Led by Professor of Immunology Shaun McColl, the researchers have identified molecular “receptors” on the surface of cells which are involved in helping cells migrate to sites where they ... 09-Feb-2010
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Reduction in cabin crew: is it safe?
The Australian newspaper today reported on CASA’s proposal to reduce the number of cabin crew Australian airlines will be required to carry.
The required ratio is proposed to change from 1 attendant per 36 passengers, to 1 attendant per 50 passengers.Flight Safety Foundation international program director Trevor Jensen (a former Qantas captain), ... 16-Feb-2010
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Knife crime not just a police problem
RMIT University criminal justice expert Associate Professor Julian Bondy says only a broad, whole-of-government, multi-agency approach will combat the problem of knife crime in Victoria.
“Knife crime is not just an issue for police to deal with,” Associate Professor Bondy said.
“In Victoria, we have increased police search powers and imposed ... 22-Feb-2010
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Literacy advocate promotes the importance of reading aloud to children in foster care
Reading books aloud is the best way to improve the literacy skills of children in care, according to Bronwyn Sheehan, Founder and Executive Director of The Pyjama Foundation.
“Research demonstrates that any improvement in literacy will make a positive impact on a person’s overall quality of life,” Bronwyn said.
“Parents reading books aloud is ... 22-Feb-2010
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Deakin tower provides vital fire link
News editors - Photo opportunity - The control room at the Burwood Campus
A humble tower, operated by Deakin University on Peter’s Hill, Cape Otway is playing a key role in the trial of a bushfire warning system, funded by the Federal Government.
The University’s tower and wireless link are playing host to a special sensor being used by FireWatch ... 01-Mar-2010
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Patients at high risk of a heart attack or stroke are under treated
Australian research has confirmed substantial under treatment of patients who are at risk of cardiovascular disease. The new research shows that up to 70% of patients who are at a high risk of a heart attack or stroke in the next 5 years aren’t receiving the care required to prevent these conditions. Findings also show that 50% of older patients ... 01-Mar-2010
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Health care and hospitals: Available experts
Health care is set to be a major issue in this year’s federal election and experts from The Australian National University are available to the media to offer perspective on policy, issues and reform.
The following academics are available for comment. For assistance in locating other experts, please contact ANU Media on 02 6125 6125.
WELLS, Mr ... 03-Mar-2010
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Dealing with crime in a virtual world
With the regulation of social networking sites in the headlines, Deakin University criminologists are examining the emerging problem of criminal and harmful activities in three-dimensional virtual worlds.
The issue is explored by Dr Ian Warren and his colleague Associate Professor Darren Palmer in their paper, Crime risks of three-dimensional ... 09-Mar-2010
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Australian business owners ignore Federal Government CPRS
Australian business owners are ignoring the government’s Emissions Trading Scheme, accusing it of not supplying them with sufficient explanation about the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).
But business owners are concerned that CPRS will be expensive.
In a national survey released today, almost 90 per cent (87.7 per cent) of business ... 11-Mar-2010
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Touch of reality for virtual medicine
How to efficiently capture what it feels like to carry out a medical procedure – such as giving an injection – and then reproduce the sensation quickly and accurately in the virtual world has been the focus of recent work by researchers at Deakin University.
Robotics engineer James Mullins and his colleagues at Deakin’s Centre for Intelligent ... 11-Mar-2010
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Research reveals roads to recovery from sexual abuse
By taking a novel approach to the subject of child sexual abuse, a researcher at the University of New England has revealed some of the inner sources of resilience that can enable adults to recover from such childhood experiences.
Dr Sally Hunter, who has just published her findings in a book titled Childhood Sexual Experiences: Narratives of ... 15-Mar-2010
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Making best use of stormwater: free public forum
Capturing stormwater for urban use will be the subject of a free public forum at the University of Adelaide this Wednesday, 24 March.
Hosted by the Water Research Centre of the University's Environment Institute, the ‘Water Wednesday’ forum will focus on the debate around re-using stormwater from urban Mt Lofty catchments.
Forum Chair Associate ... 22-Mar-2010
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Graham Stafford’s murder conviction quashed, no retrial ordered
The Department of Public Prosecution has announced it will not pursue a retrial against Graham Stafford after the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction in December last year.
Stafford was convicted in 1992 of the abduction and murder of 12-year-old Brisbane school girl Leanne Holland, for which he served over 14 years in prison.
Maintaining his ... 29-Mar-2010
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iPhone application to scan for food allergens
Allergy sufferers could soon be able to use their iPhone to scan a food’s barcode at the supermarket to determine whether it’s safe to eat.
The application being developed by Deakin University, GS1 Australia and Nestlé, will allow consumers to instantly access detailed product information including allergens such as wheat, egg, peanuts and ... 31-Mar-2010
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UNE wins Federal funding to build Clinical School in Armidale
The University of New England has received $5.5 million from the Commonwealth Government to build a Clinical School in Armidale to support the Joint Medical Program (JMP).
The Tablelands Clinical School will play an important role in supporting the Government’s strategy to build the health workforce of the future and improve the long-term ... 06-Apr-2010
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Unique fossil find ‘transitional’ between man and ape
A team led by Professor Lee Berger of the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa and Professor Paul Dirks now at James Cook University have discovered a new species of hominid believed to be “a good candidate for being the transitional species” between humans and ape-man.
Named Australopithecus sediba the fossils were discovered by Wits ... 09-Apr-2010
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Queensland researchers found breast cancer survival gene
QIMR researchers, as part of an international collaboration, have found that a gene that is most commonly associated with skin pigmentation, hair and eye colour may influence a patient’s chances of surviving cancer.
The study found that a variant in the OCA2 gene is associated with increased survival in breast cancer patients.
According to ... 14-Apr-2010
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Curtin research next step for cleaner, greener cars
Curtin University of Technology researchers are a step closer to helping produce cleaner, greener cars using hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Professor Craig Buckley, from Curtin’s Centre for Materials Research, said alternative fuel sources such as hydrogen were becoming increasingly important.
“Oil is a pollutant linked to climate change and is ... 14-Apr-2010
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Meat, fish and ovarian cancer risk
Dr Penny Webb will be available for interview on 22 April.
What do meat, fish and ovarian cancer have in common? More than you would think, says Dr Penny Webb from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR).
“Our research suggests that women who eat processed meat several times a week have about a 20% higher risk of developing ovarian ... 21-Apr-2010
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PM launches National security college
Australia’s first National Security College will begin activities in May after its official launch by the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at The Australian National University today.
In a major address on national security this afternoon, the Prime Minister said the National Security College at ANU will enhance collaborative leadership in the national ... 24-Apr-2010
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New measures proposed to curb youth road toll
Dr Lisa Wundersitz from the University’s Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR) says drivers aged 16-24 years make up 13% of the State’s licensed driving population, but in 2009 were involved in 33% of fatal crashes in South Australia.
“Young drivers are over-represented in crashes. Not only do they account for more than a third of all ... 27-Apr-2010
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Commonwealth Government must move to control gambling regulation
News facts
• Commonwealth Government should take over the regulation of gambling in Australia
• States have not acted to curb gambling harms because they have an irreconcilable conflict of interest
• Report sets out vision for Commonwealth Government intervention in gambling policy governance and (re)regulation at a national ... 30-Apr-2010
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Fighting fire with fire not the only way: experts
Action taken to reduce the impact of wildfires may not be protecting houses or native animals and plants, according to leading experts.
The warning comes from a team of fire scientists, land managers and ecologists who call for a new, rational approach to making decisions about fire management in an article published in the journal Conservation ... 03-May-2010
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Resurrected mammoth blood very cool
A team of international researchers has brought the primary component of mammoth blood back to life using ancient DNA preserved in bones from Siberian specimens 25,000 to 43,000 years old.
Studies of recreated mammoth haemoglobin, published today (Monday 3 May) in Nature Genetics, reveal special evolutionary adaptations that allowed the mammoth to ... 03-May-2010
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Body image putting pregnant women at risk
Pregnant women may not be eating enough fruit and vegetables, according to preliminary findings of a study by RMIT University and the Parenting Research Centre released on Mothers’ Day.
Researchers are investigating women’s experiences during pregnancy.
In particular, they want to understand the challenges women face and how these impact on ... 09-May-2010
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No-frills Budget an unusual election strategy: political scientist
The latest Federal Budget is an election strategy to neutralise further political fallout from recent blackflips and Opposition criticism of irresponsible spending, says political scientist Professor Clive Bean, from Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
"Basically the Rudd Government is promoting the Budget as fiscally responsible, ... 12-May-2010
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Australian researchers identify a new disease
Researchers at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) and the Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital have identified a previously undiagnosed condition and successfully treated it by performing an experimental stem cell transplant.
Having spent her late teenage years in and out of hospital Katie Pulling had almost given up hope. “It was ... 17-May-2010
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New blood test for newborns to detect allergy risk
A simple blood test can now predict whether newborn babies are at high risk of developing allergies as they grow older, thanks to research involving the University of Adelaide.
Professor Tony Ferrante, an immunologist from SA Pathology and the Children’s Research Centre at the University of Adelaide, says the new marker may be the most significant ... 21-May-2010
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Rising motorcycle toll calls for tougher licensing
Inexperience and inadequate training before being issued a licence are among key issues in the increasing number of serious and fatal motorcycle road accidents, according to a University of Adelaide road safety researcher.
Dr Matthew Baldock, Research Fellow with the University’s Centre for Automotive Safety Research, says motorcyclists have a ... 31-May-2010
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Anxiety is a killer distraction on our roads
Anxiety is a killer distraction on our roads
Driving while stressed can be as distracting and dangerous as talking on your mobile phone, according to a study by Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
Ides Wong, from QUT's Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q), studied 75 drivers aged 17 to 47 to investigate the ... 01-Jun-2010
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New program takes family approach to combating childhood obesity
A new Australian healthy eating and childhood obesity prevention program targeted to parents and their preschool children is being evaluated by Deakin University health researchers.
The researchers, Dr Helen Skouteris, Professor Marita McCabe, Professor Boyd Swinburn and Ms Briony Hill, are calling for parents of preschool children aged two to ... 02-Jun-2010
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Multi Million Dollar Regionalisation Mistake
The State Government’s First Home Owners Grant boost for Queensland’s regions is a flawed policy that will push up house prices and discourage regionalisation. Economist Richard Katter, from THG, says the grant will “stimulate the housing markets in the short term leading to house price growth and a decrease in housing affordability”.
“The ... 02-Jun-2010
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Nuclear security finely balanced: ANU expert
The global nuclear security order is in an unprecedentedly fragile state according to an expert from The Australian National University.
Dr Andrew Phillips from the School of International, Political and Strategic Studies believes the United States’ recent re-commitment towards global nuclear disarmament offers a glimmer of hope in very ... 22-Jun-2010
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Fishers caught out
The livelihoods of tens of millions of fishers in the world’s richest coral reef region, the Coral Triangle, are at risk from the combined impact of collapsing fish stocks, environmental decline and coastal development.
A new study focusing on a group of islands in the Philippines by Dr Michael Fabinyi of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral ... 22-Jun-2010
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Desalination project wins Saudi Government award
An award-winning research project at the University of New England is breaking new ground in improving the efficiency of water desalination plants.
The project, conducted by a Saudi Arabian student at the University of New England, has been recognised as outstanding by the Government of Saudi Arabia, where 70 per cent of drinking water is produced ... 22-Jun-2010
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War correspondents on verge of extinction
The traditional war correspondent will be replaced either by local ex-military reporters, or by citizen journalists who can survive in increasingly dangerous war zones, according to a researcher at The Australian National University.
In his forthcoming paper Reporting War, Waging Peace: The Impact of New Media Technologies, former BBC and ABC TV ... 28-Jun-2010
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Resilience helps disadvantaged schools achieve success
With individual school performance in the spotlight, Deakin University researchers want to know how students in socially disadvantaged schools develop the resilience they need to deal with challenging circumstances and achieve success.
“We know that social disadvantage due to poverty, poor health, unemployment, and educational underachievement is ... 01-Jul-2010
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Physics unlocks 2700 year-old mummy's secrets
The perennial fascination of ancient Egyptian mummies is being used by Queensland University of Technology researcher Dr Stephen Hughes to teach children about the application of physics to the field of archaeology.
Dr Hughes has produced an education kit for teachers about his experience of "unwrapping" the secrets of a mummy of a young woman ... 15-Jul-2010
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$31 million biotech centre to benefit crops, food, energy
Australia's crop and food industries will benefit from a new $31 million biotechnology Centre of Excellence to be headquartered at the University of Adelaide's Waite Campus.
The University has today been awarded $19.25 million in federal funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC), with an additional $12 million of support from partner ... 16-Jul-2010
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Campaign draws community attention to human trafficking
A campaign to focus community attention on human trafficking and slavery is being launched by the University of Technology Sydney’s Anti-Slavery Project this week.
According to organisers, many people in Australia know about some forms of human trafficking, but greater awareness is needed of the many forms that human trafficking and enslavement ... 16-Jul-2010
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Spotlight on new technology for monitoring livestock
Spotlight on new technology for monitoring livestock
A trans-Tasman symposium at the University of New England last Thursday reviewed the current applications and future potential of new communications and remote sensing technology in helping graziers manage their livestock.
Dr Mark Trotter, the organiser of the symposium – the 1st Australian ... 21-Jul-2010
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Family Business Owners Shelve Retirement Plans
The “baby boomer” owners of Australia’s two million family business operations are shelving retirement plans and aren’t going anywhere! The exit strategy for many of the ageing owners of the $1.5 trillion worth of family-owned businesses is in disarray as available cash for buy-outs evaporates.
While retirement is on hold, succession planning and ... 12-Aug-2010
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World’s most needy miss out on development aid argues Deakin academic
Australians are generous with their overseas aid but Deakin University’s Chair in International Development, Professor Mark McGillivray, has challenged the basis on which billions of dollars in development aid is allocated by the World Bank and other international aid agencies.Professor McGillivray, who is based at the University’s Alfred Deakin ... 13-Aug-2010
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How corals fight back
Australian researchers are a step closer to understanding the rapid decline of our coral reefs, thanks to a breakthrough study linking coral immunity with its susceptibility to bleaching and disease. The discovery was made by Caroline Palmer, Bette Willis and John Bythell, scientists from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for ... 17-Aug-2010
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GPs can help close the gap: report
Better identification of Indigenous patients in general practices would improve their access to Medicare benefits such as health checks that could help ‘Close the Gap’, yet many GPs don’t consider ethnicity to be relevant to quality of care, according to a study from The Australian National University. The study, commissioned by the Australian ... 27-Aug-2010
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Qld property holds its ground
Two years on from the beginning of the Global Financial Crisis, Queensland’s residential property market has ridden the wave of economic uncertainty and come out the other side with prices now back at pre-crisis levels.
However, the Real Estate Institute of Queensland’s (REIQ) June quarter median house report shows continued tough market ... 29-Aug-2010
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Heart disorder hits national epidemic proportions
A growing epidemic of the world’s most common heart rhythm disorder is resulting in an alarming number of hospital admissions in Australia, according to cardiology researchers.
A research team led by Professor Prash Sanders, from the University of Adelaide and the Cardiovascular Research Centre at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, found that hospital ... 30-Aug-2010
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Levy not law will save the whales
Conservationists would save more whales from the harpoon if the whale-watching public and industry were willing to pay a levy that could be used to persuade those countries currently engaged in whaling to stop, says QUT green economist Associate Professor Clevo Wilson.
Professor Clevo Wilson, from Queensland University of Technology's (QUT) School ... 06-Sep-2010
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An aspirin a day keeps the doctors away
Researchers at the George Institute for Global Health in Sydney say that in four years, an aspirin a day can prevent 54 deaths, 40 strokes and 40 non-fatal heart attacks for every 1,000 people with kidney disease.
The study results are based on data from an international study of over 18,000 people with high blood pressure aged between 50 and 80, ... 09-Sep-2010
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Twins help researchers to find genes for blindness
Several studies from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) have found new genes that affect eyesight, all thanks to twins.
In Australia, there are approximately 293,000 blind and visually impaired people.
Dr Stuart MacGregor from QIMR’s Genetics and Population Health Division said, “Using data collected from over 1,000 sets of ... 13-Sep-2010
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Unmanned drones to watch over Australia’s marine mammals
Unmanned aircraft have been zooming around Shark Bay for the past week in Australia’s first trial to see whether these military style drones can help us manage and conserve our marine mammals.
Murdoch University’s Dr Amanda Hodgson, funded by the Australian Marine Mammal Centre, has enlisted the help of Insitu Pacific and their ScanEagle Unmanned ... 27-Sep-2010
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Peak phosphorus still a threat to food security, despite new report
Researchers investigating a coming peak in world phosphate production have urged caution on the revising up of estimates of reserves in a new report.
The long-awaited estimates of World Phosphate Reserves & Resources, recently released by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), suggests the availability of more mega ... 28-Sep-2010
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Location, location, location - in an SMS
Researchers at RMIT University’s School of Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences have developed a method for embedding GPS coordinates in an SMS message.
The technique, known as geotagging, can transmit a mobile phone’s current position, or a remote location selected from a map.
It works by placing location identifiers in the ... 29-Sep-2010
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Critically low blood sugar warning sounded by study
A new study published today by Sydney-based The George Institute for Global Health has found that people with type 2 diabetes who suffer episodes of critically low blood sugar levels (severe hypoglycemia) are at greater risk of suffering subsequent vascular problems such as a heart attack, stroke and kidney disease, as well as non-vascular problems ... 06-Oct-2010
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Rough diamonds still to be found
It’s a well-known property investment philosophy – buy the worst house in the best possible street.
And across Queensland there remain plenty of rough diamonds to choose from, but buyers need to be realistic and be able to afford to invest the time, and the money, usually required to restore the sparkle to these hidden gems.
The Real Estate ... 08-Oct-2010
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New sensor set to revolutionise crop monitoring
In what is a world first, the University of New England’s Precision Agriculture Research Group has completed its initial trials of a new type of crop sensor: the “Raptor”.
The Raptor is attached underneath a low-flying aircraft and enables rapid scanning of crop biomass over entire paddocks. This “active system” works by directing rapid pulses of ... 15-Oct-2010
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QUT athletes' Delhi medal haul: uni finishes 14th on tally
It's been a golden, silver and bronze Commonwealth Games for Queensland University of Technology (QUT) athletes in Delhi, with the university effectively finishing 14th on the medal tally.
QUT students, including victorious Hockeyroos captain Madonna Blyth, are bringing home a swag of medals - three gold, one silver and four bronze. The total ... 15-Oct-2010
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Herbicide resistance discovered in our worst weed
Scientists at the University of Adelaide's Waite Research Institute have discovered new cases of herbicide resistance in annual ryegrass, the most serious and costly weed of Australian cropping.
For the first time, researchers have found that annual ryegrass has developed resistance to paraquat, the second most important "knockdown" herbicide used ... 18-Oct-2010
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Death of old-growth forests could mean greater changing climate
Researchers at Curtin University have found that the effects of climate change and logging on old-growth forests could actually increase the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Director of Curtin’s Biodiversity and Climate Institute, Associate Professor Grant Wardell-Johnson, said this could make the effects of climate change more severe ... 26-Oct-2010
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Holographic balance bands: fact or fiction?
In an Australian-first study, RMIT University researchers are investigating the efficacy of a sporting aid that has become a worldwide phenomenon, the holographic Power Balance wristband.
The team of researchers from the Discipline of Chiropractic in RMIT’s School of Health Sciences has begun trials to test one of the key claims made by promoters ... 26-Oct-2010
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Bees reveal nature-nurture secrets
The research team was led by Professor Ryszard Maleszka of The Australian National University’s College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, working with colleagues from the German Cancer Institute in Heidelberg, Germany. Their work has uncovered the extensive molecular differences that occur in the brains of two types of genetically identical, ... 02-Nov-2010
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Postgraduate study showcased at expo
With recent research revealing the median salary of coursework masters graduates is more than 50 per cent greater than the average weekly wage*, the University of Newcastle will host an expo showcasing postgraduate study options.
Tomorrow (Tuesday), the Postgraduate Study Expo in Newcastle will showcase almost 90 postgraduate study options offered ... 08-Nov-2010
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Alzheimers clues found in middle-aged adults
The neurological decline that leads to Alzheimers disease may begin in middle-age and can be predicted with a simple-to-administer test, according to new research from The Australian National University.
The study, led by Professor David Bunce of the Centre for Mental Health Research at ANU and Brunel University, London, has revealed that some ... 10-Nov-2010
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One size doesn’t fit all with weight loss
The complex issue of weight loss will be a step closer to being unravelled with the help of a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researcher.
PhD health psychology researcher Stuart Leske said there was no single secret to weight loss to help the almost 20 per cent of Australian adults who were considered obese, having a Body Mass Index ... 10-Nov-2010
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Rats to robots - brain's grid cells tell us how we navigate
Rats and robots can tell us how the brain maps out familiar environments and navigates in them, Queensland University of Technology robotics researchers have found.
Michael Milford, a postdoctoral fellow from QUT's School of Engineering Systems, said researchers around the world were working on autonomous robots that can intelligently navigate in ... 12-Nov-2010
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Cancer and Indigenous Queenslanders
Researchers at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research have completed the first comprehensive study of cancer occurrence and deaths in Indigenous Queenslanders.
Dr Suzanne Moore from QIMR’s Cancer and Population Studies Group said this is the first study to research Indigenous cancer rates across all of Queensland. “Previously, studies had ... 17-Nov-2010
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Newcastle at genetic research forefront
The University of Newcastle is set to lead the way in genetic research with the arrival of a new technology that will deliver unprecedented accuracy.
The Faculty of Health has purchased a state-of-the-art DNA analysis system, an Affymetrix GeneTitan scanner, thanks to a Genome Wide Association Studies special initiative grant worth $552,000. The ... 18-Nov-2010
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Learner drivers are not all logbook cheats
Contrary to belief, most Queensland learner drivers do not appear to be lying in their logbooks to fast-track through the new graduated licensing program, according to new research by Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
Bridie Scott-Parker, from QUT's Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q), said despite claims ... 18-Nov-2010
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Bread Bakers - Salt Shakers?
Less than half of bread products in Australian supermarkets have acceptable salt levels, according to data released today by Sydney based, The George Institute for Global Health.
The startling report also reveals that salt levels in Australian bread products have not changed since 2007 despite the government’s ‘Food and Health Dialogue’ focusing ... 23-Nov-2010
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Safe sex saves schoolies from chlamydia
The safe-sex message is failing to get through to young people, prompting Queensland University of Technology (QUT) health experts to warn teens a night of unprotected passion can have life-changing consequences when it comes to starting a family.
The warning comes as carefree teens celebrate Schoolies Week and researchers from across the globe ... 24-Nov-2010
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Wet season killer bug in the spotlight
With the early onset of the wet season this year the incidence of a deadly infectious disease linked to increased rain is expected to soar.
There’s no better time, then, for the world’s experts on this bug to converge on Townsville to share their latest research and treatment strategies.
More than 260 scientists, doctors and students from more ... 26-Nov-2010
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Largest Australian skin cancer study
Researchers at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) are embarking on the largest skin cancer research study ever conducted in Australia. The QSkin study will invite more than 200,000 men and women to participate in a study in an effort to refine our understanding of the factors that underlie skin cancer risk.
Queenslanders have the ... 29-Nov-2010
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Oceans where fish choke
Australian marine scientists have expressed disquiet over the continued worldwide spread of large, dead zones in the ocean.
Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and Associate Professor Mark McCormick of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies have recently published scientific articles, which raise concern about the impact of large areas of ... 30-Nov-2010
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Sunscreen can prevent melanoma
For the first time, researchers at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) have shown that daily sunscreen use can prevent melanoma in adults.
We have always been told to apply sunscreen to prevent skin cancer but until now the effectiveness of sunscreen’s protection against melanoma has been highly controversial.
“This is the first ... 06-Dec-2010
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Aussies say science knocks sport for six
Australians are more interested in science than sport and feel that politicians are failing to listen to the advice of the nation’s scientists, according to the latest ANUpoll, released today.
The latest ANUpoll looked at public attitudes about science. It found that far from being a nation of sports obsessives, Australians would prefer to hear ... 07-Dec-2010
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Media conference: carbon price experts
As world leaders meet in Cancun for climate negotiations and the Australian government prepares to introduce a carbon price, experts from Europe will tomorrow share their own experiences and offer some lessons to Australia.
The media conference will feature Professor Katherine Richardson of the University of Copenhagen and Associate Professor ... 07-Dec-2010
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Facing a future of heatwaves: study
With Australia facing its third wettest year on record and the world on track to be the hottest year in a decade, extreme weather conditions are set to continue, according to a study led by Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
In fact, Australians are being warned to brace for more killer hot weather in the future with a study of the 2009 ... 08-Dec-2010
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Conditions ideal for investors
Reduced demand for investment properties is providing ideal conditions for buyers, according to the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ).
Over the September quarter, median unit and townhouse prices held steady in most areas of the state, while demand for properties usually targeted by investors and first home buyers reduced markedly as ... 10-Dec-2010
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Aussie consumers develop a taste for ethical eating
How much a part do ethics play in Australians’ food choices? Do we care about how animals have been treated in the production of our food, or how much jet fuel has been burned in moving food from paddock to plate?
These questions and more will be answered by a University of Adelaide project starting in 2011, looking at the ethical reasons that ... 10-Dec-2010
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Drivers ignore the deadly risks of speeding
Timely Christmas warning to slow down
Speeding drivers admit they are more concerned about calculating the risk of being caught than the risk of being hurt - with most fearing a speeding fine over injury or death, a study by Queensland University of Technology has found.
Dr Judy Fleiter, from QUT's Centre for Accident and Road Safety Research - ... 15-Dec-2010
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Getting young athletes on track
A James Cook University researcher is part of a team conducting innovative research into when and why young athletes become aware of performance enhancing drugs and what influences their attitudes.
Dr Stephen Moston, Senior Lecturer in the Psychology at JCU, JCU sessional lecturer Dr Terry Engelberg and Associate Professor James Skinner from ... 15-Dec-2010
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Christmas travellers, see world icons not world hospitals
If you’re heading overseas this Christmas, the best present you can buy for yourself is health care that makes sure you come home healthy and happy, travel medicine expert Dr Deborah Mills said.
Research shows 50 percent of travellers fall ill during their trip, Dr Deb said.
“The world has some great sights, but also some dangerous germs. Most ... 22-Dec-2010
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