Photo by Pixabay
Using zircon crystals, researchers have discovered the route of a massive ancient river that could help find new reservoirs of fossil fuels and suggest how modern rivers might change over time.
More than two thirds of the worlds’ major cities are located in coastal deltas. How they change over time can impact communities that live around them.
Continue reading Ghostly traces of massive ancient river revealedPhoto by Pixabay
Nanotech technique could revolutionise neurological treatments.
Light could replace invasive techniques to measure brain temperature– eliminating the need to place a thermometer in the brain when treating a range of neurological disorders.
Researchers from Victoria’ Swinburne University have teamed up with Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in Spain and Stanford University in the US to develop a technique for measuring sub-degree brain temperature changes using near-infrared light.
Continue reading Brain temperature can now be measured using lightPhoto by Laura Garcia .
Written by Akila Rekima and the University of Western Australia – UWA press release.
A research team at UWA is investigating the complex interactions of breast milk with allergens and baby’s gut immune system.
They’ve found that food-derived but also airborne allergens are present in breast milk. Some do give protection and reduce allergies later in life.
Their preclinical data and human birth cohorts analysis strongly suggest that egg-derived allergen protect against egg allergy. But they’ve also found that other allergens in breast milk such as house dust mite derived allergens may interfere with protection from allergies.
Continue reading New clues for allergy prevention by breast milkImage credit: Pixabay
Mathematics can help reduce poaching and illegal logging in national parks, researchers have found.
A team of applied mathematicians including Macquarie University’s David Arnold has developed an algorithm that predicts which areas inside park boundaries offer the greatest possibilities for criminals – and how rangers can most efficiently combat them.
Continue reading Stopping poaching by the numbersImage credit: Jim De Ramos
A new microscope-based method for detecting a particular molecule in the spinal cord could help lead to an accurate and independent universal pain scale, research from Australia’s Macquarie University suggests.
An accurate way of measuring pain is of critical importance because at present degrees of discomfort are generally assessed by asking a patient to estimate pain on a one-to-10 scale. The situation is even more acute in the treatment of babies, the very old and animals, where speech is absent.
Continue reading Hunting molecules that signal painImage Credit: @mikebirdy /Pexels
A new device turns electric vehicles into chargers for houses and stranded cars.
Researchers led by Seyedfoad Taghizadeh from Australia’s Macquarie University are looking to commercialise the technology, which may significantly increase the appeal of the vehicles.
Continue reading Device makes electric vehicle charging a two-way street
Cognition is influenced by siblings, researchers find.
Autistic children with autistic siblings have better cognition than those who are the only family member with the condition, researchers have found.
Importantly, the outcome does not depend on birth order.
Although previous studies have identified that having autistic siblings leads to better cognition for individual children with the condition, it was assumed that the order in which the children were born was a significant factor.
Continue reading Family matters in autism outcomesImage credit: Mehwish Nasim
Researchers have created an algorithm that distinguishes between misinformation and genuine conversations on Twitter, by detecting messages churned out by social bots.
Dr Mehwish Nasim and colleagues at the School of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Adelaide say the algorithm will make it easier for emergency services to detect major events such as civil unrest, natural disasters, and influenza epidemics in real time.
“When something really big is going on, people tweet a huge amount of useful information,” says Mehwish.
Continue reading Better emergency responses by removing social bots
We all rely on GPS to tell us where we are and where we’re going. The US government’s global network of 30+ satellites guides planes, ships, cars, tractors and much more. The latest GPS systems can provide mm- to cm-accuracy using advanced equipment and technique.
But GPS isn’t the only game in town. There are other global systems, and regional systems that we can tap into.
Curtin University researchers have explored the potential of regional navigation satellite systems (RNSSs) for Western Australian users. Two such systems are the QZSS operated by Japan and the IRNSS operated by India.
Continue reading Do you know exactly where you are?
Researchers from The University of Western Australia have developed a winning medicine formula that makes bad-tasting medicine taste nice, making it easier to treat sick children.
The UWA study published by the journal Anaesthesia tested 150 children and found that the majority of children who were given the new chocolate-tasting medicine would take it again, unlike the standard treatment, while they still experienced the same beneficial effects.
UWA Clinical Senior Lecturer Dr Sam Salman said the poor taste of many medicines, such as Midazolam, a sedative used prior to surgery, presented a real difficulty in effectively treating children.
Continue reading Kid-friendly chocolate formula helps the medicine go down
