Cold regions clean-up

October 25, 2009 by Einstein a Go Go

Guest 1: Dr Kathryn Mumford,  Particulate Fluids Processing Centre (PFPC), University of Melbourne.

Topic: Cold regions clean-up.

Kathryn Mumford designs remediation systems primarily to biodegrade fuel contaminants in situ, although they may also be applied to heavy metals such as copper, lead and zinc. In particular, her work focuses on contaminants located in cold regions such as Antarctica and Alaska where she spends a lot of her time working.

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Direct podcast download: Einstein-A-Go-Go-20091025.mp3

Tissue engineering and modelling our gut brains

October 18, 2009 by Einstein a Go Go

Guest 1: Dr Andrea O’Connor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Melbourne. Andrea discussed her research into tissue engineering. She is creating new materials for growing tissues for regenerating damaged tissues following trauma or surgery.

Guest 2: Dr Anthony Fernando, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne. Anthony is using mathematics to model and understand how nerve cells colonise the developing gut.

Scientists Give Flies False Memories — By directly manipulating the activity of individual neurons, scientists have given flies memories of a bad experience they never really had, according to a report in the October 16th issue of the journal Cell. (ScienceDaily)

Scientists Remove Amyloid Plaques From Brains Of Live Animals With Alzheimer’s Disease — A breakthrough discovery by scientists from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, may lead to a new treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease that actually removes amyloid plaques, considered a hallmark of the disease, from patients’ brains. (ScienceDaily)

The scientific Nobel Prizes for 2009 have been awarded:

  • The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ”for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase”. (more info)
  • The Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome”. (more info)
  • The Nobel Prize in Physics “for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication” and “for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit – the CCD sensor”. (more info)

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Direct podcast download: Einstein-A-Go-Go-20091018.mp3

Wild @ Melbourne Museum

October 17, 2009 by Einstein a Go Go

Melbourne Museum is set to launch Wild: Amazing animals in a changing world, an exhibition featuring more than 700 mammals, birds and reptiles from all around the world.

Explore this wonderful diversity and discover which animals are thriving and which are merely surviving.

Experience Victorian environments such as alps, grassland, wetlands. See them larger than life, faster than life and see the hidden connections which link living things. Discover why biodiversity is under threat and get clues about how we can create a more hopeful future.

Daily, Starts 13 Nov 2009
Science and Life Gallery
http://museumvictoria.com.au/wild

What to do with CO2

October 11, 2009 by Einstein a Go Go

Guest 1: Wendy Zukerman, science communicator.

Wendy Zukerman is a Melbourne-based science journalist. She writes for The Australian, Popular Science Magazine (Australia) and ABC (Science) Online. She is currently hosting a science program on JOY FM called “The Petri Dish” (which is ending soon), and has appeared on BBC with Dr. Karl.

She completed Biomedical Science/Law (hons) at Monash University in 2008 and now writes a myth busting blog at http://www.wendyzukerman.com/.

Guest 2: Clare Anderson, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Melbourne.

Topic:  carbon dioxide capture and storage. Clare Anderson has recently finished her PhD in the field of carbon dioxide capture using membranes. Clare is now working as a Research Fellow at the CO2 CRC running CO2 capture pilot plant trials using solvent absorption technology.

Guest 3: Michael Simioni, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Melbourne.

Topic:  carbon dioxide capture and storage. Michael Simioni is currently completing his PhD in the field of membrane/solvent hybrid systems for the capture of carbon dioxide. His research aims to reduce the capital cost of such carbon capture systems while also reducing their size.

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Direct podcast download: Einstein-A-Go-Go-20091011.mp3

The science of bubbles

October 4, 2009 by Einstein a Go Go

PFPC Speakers on Einstein a Go Go – October 2009. The Particulate Fluids Processing Centre (PFPC) is an Australian Research Council (ARC) Special Research Centre. We bring together researchers from the Departments of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Mathematics & Statistics and the School of Chemistry at The University of Melbourne to work together to understand how particles in fluid interact with each other and with the fluid around them. This may not sound “earth-shattering” but the application areas of our basic science are many, varied and exciting. A small selection of our work will be highlighted by our researchers.

Studio guest: Adam Brotchie, PhD student in Sonochemistry & Sonoluminescence.

Adam is doing a PhD in the School of Chemistry investigating how ultrasound can lead to sound-induced growth and collapse of micro-sized bubbles (acoustic cavitation) in liquids. The collapse of these tiny bubbles generates extremely high temperatures which can mediate chemical reactions (sonochemistry) and cause light emission (sonoluminescence).

Telephone guest: Jennifer Henry, our New York correspondent.

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Direct podcast download: Einstein-A-Go-Go-20091004.mp3

Managing sleep and cerebral palsy

September 27, 2009 by Einstein a Go Go

Guest 1: Anna Price, PhD scholar at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

Research topic: long-term outcomes and impacts of infant sleep intervention.

Almost half of Australian mothers report a problem with their baby’s sleep in the second six months of life. In the preschool years, sleep problems are associated with maternal sleep deprivation, and in turn, with maternal depression. More recently, sleep has also been linked with obesity. New research suggests that the amount children sleep in early childhood can predict whether they are overweight or obese in later childhood.

My PhD project follows up children involved in an earlier study which showed that a program designed to help parents manage their babies’ sleep in the second six months of life was effective, cost-effective, acceptable to parents and feasible to run in the community. Despite the program’s success, there is concern in the community that early sleep programs can damage children’s later emotional health. In 2009, the children from the original study turn 6. By following them up, we are ideally placed to address 2 key aims: whether (1) the sleep program has long-term effects on children’s later mental health (the focus for my PhD) and (2) treating sleep problems in infancy reduces overweight/obesity later in childhood.

 

Guest 2: Emily Ridgewell, PhD scholar at Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.

Research topic: cerebral palsy.

Many children who have cerebral palsy wear ankle-foot orthoses (ankle braces) to control abnormal movements and to improve their ability to perform everyday activities. These ankle braces are custom made for each child and are made out of rigid plastic, extending over the calf, ankle and foot, and are worn inside shoes. The precise alignment of the ankle brace is known to affect some aspects of walking and has been suggested to be crucial to achieving optimal functional outcomes.

My PhD project is investigating whether ankle brace alignment can be optimised to improve walking function and balance abilities in these children. This will further our understanding of how ankle brace alignment can affect the biomechanics of the body and may lead to implementation of improved treatment regimes. Most importantly it will ensure that these children are receiving the best possible outcomes according to evidence based practice.

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Direct podcast download: Einstein-A-Go-Go-20090927.mp3

Tackling cancer and correcting colour blindness

September 20, 2009 by Einstein a Go Go

Guest 1Wayne Gertz, Museum Curator and Palaeontology enthusiast.

Wayne discussed the exciting discovery of a brand new dinosaur species in Australia.

Guest 2Dr. Paul Ekert, Group Leader of the Cell Biology Laboratory at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute

“My research focuses on how certain growth factors send signals to cells to regulate cell survival. Growth factors are proteins that form an essential method of communication between the external environment of a cell and the internal workings of cells. Cells have specific receptors on their surfaces that can “detect” the presence of these growth factors and turn these into specific messages that regulate the behaviour of cells. For example, people who have lost blood generate a growth factor called EPO which tells blood stem cells to proliferate and make more blood cells. Cyclists in the Tour du France inject this growth factor to tell their blood stem cells to make more blood. Other growth factors, such as ones we are interested in, are detected by blood stem cells and send other messages like “you are OK, you can continue to live” and “we need more of you, divide” or “we need some specialist cell types, change into those”. In this context we have specific interests in the way these growth factors regulate certain genes, in particular genes that regulate cell survival, and also a certain family of genes called Hox genes, that appear to be important in determining the nature of the growth factor message that the cells sense. From the perspective of human health, these genes and pathways are often abnormal in certain cancers, in particular some leukaemias.”

Guest 3Sam Davison, actor.

Sam discussed his solo physical theatre piece about Copernicus and his motivations for exploring the man behind one of astronomy’s greatest findings.

‘COPERNICUS’ by Sam Davison.

@ SkyDome Theatre, Melbourne Planetarium, Scienceworks: 2 Booker Street Spotswood.

Season: Wednesday 16 September – Saturday 4 October (Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays).

What led an unassuming churchman to overthrow thousands of years of science and astronomy in one single act? Set amongst the spectacular 180° star-filled skies of the Melbourne Planetarium’s SkyDome, Copernicus is a solo physical theatre piece by Melbourne artist Sam Davison taking audiences on a dreamlike voyage inside the mind of the brilliant, yet shy, Polish renaissance astronomer. Copernicus is a truly immersive sensory experience, complimented by the raised stage of the Planetarium, reclining 45 degree angled seats, multimedia, special effects and richly layered surround sound.

Scientists Cure Color Blindness In Monkeys — Researchers from the University of Washington and the University of Florida used gene therapy to cure two squirrel monkeys of color blindness — the most common genetic disorder in people. Writing online September 15 in the journal Nature, scientists cast a rosy light on the potential for gene therapy to treat adult vision disorders involving cone cells — the most important cells for vision in people.  (ScienceDaily; wikipedia)

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Direct podcast download: Einstein-A-Go-Go-20090920.mp3

The consequences of low birth weight, and the nitty-gritty of physiotherapy

September 13, 2009 by Einstein a Go Go

Guest 1: Liz Westrupp, PhD scholar at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

Research topic: Adult psychiatric outcomes of very low birth weight survivors

Introduction: Since the 1970s, survival rates of very low birth weight (VLBW) children have increased dramatically. Childhood studies have identified strong associations between birth weight and a variety of behavioural and psychiatric outcomes, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, mood and anxiety disorders, autism and other negative psychosocial outcomes. However the evidence is less clear as to whether these problems persist into adulthood. Furthermore, research to date has failed to adequately examine factors that increase the risk for psychopathology, and protect individuals from developing these mental health problems.

Study: This study will determine the rate and nature of psychopathology in an extremely vulnerable group of individuals – those born very small. More importantly, this study will describe the evolution of psychological disturbance in this population, and explore which factors are contributing to the development of these problems and which are protective. This information has considerable relevance to future generations of thousands of children born very small and immature each year. It is envisaged that the findings will form the basis for the development of preventative programs that will be evaluated in future randomised controlled trials.

Findings: Findings were consistent with extensive research evidence showing strong associations between birth weight and childhood attention deficits, behaviour problems and psychiatric outcomes. This is the first longitudinal research to show that VLBW adults are more at risk of having several psychiatric disorders and that childhood behaviour problems childhood behaviour problems and psychiatric disorders tend to persist into adulthood in this population.

Guest 2: Sarah Ballard,  physiotherapist. Sarah discussed how physiotherapy treatments actually heal your aches and pains and the variety of techniques that can be used. 

Other stories:
– ice skating on Europa,
– slime mould robots,
– the psychology of dogs, babies and hardware stores.

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Direct podcast download: Einstein-A-Go-Go-20090913.mp3

A cellular show – mitochondria and chromosomes

September 6, 2009 by Einstein a Go Go

Today’s show featured guests from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

Guest 1: Elena Jane Tucker, PhD scholar at the MCRI.

Research topic: Mitochondria

Every cell of our bodies contains mitochondria which can be considered the “powerhouse” of cells, responsible for converting food into energy. Sometimes mitochondria don’t function properly and this causes disease. Mitochondrial disease can manifest in a wide variety of symptoms such as muscle weakness, strokes, seizures, heart defects, brain abnormalities and frequently death. The genetic cause for disease in a large proportion of patients is unknown. This suggests that there are genes involved that we have not yet discovered. My PhD is a “Next-Generation Sequencing” project which involves sequencing 100 putative disease-causing genes in 100 patients. This project is aimed to provide genetic diagnoses to the patients and families involved and also to discover new genes with a role in the function of mitochondria.

Guest 2Amy Herlihy, PhD scholar at MCRI.

Research topic: Klinefelter syndrome (KS)

 “Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is a common genetic condition (47XXY) affecting males, caused by an additional X chromosome. The most common features of KS are small testicles, infertility and low testosterone, but can also include breast development and social and learning problems. These features vary greatly between individuals. The prevalence of this condition is estimated at 1:650 males, which is very common for a genetic condition. In Australia, this means approximately 15,000 males have KS. Despite this, up to 70% of individuals are never actually diagnosed, which is the equivalent of more than 11,000 men in Australia. 

Of those who are diagnosed, it often occurs in childhood because of learning problems, and also during adolescence because of breast development. However, the majority of those diagnosed don’t find out until later when they undergo infertility investigations with their partner. Even for these individuals, who might be considered at the “less severe” end of the spectrum, testosterone treatment and other interventions can have profound positive effects. The biggest unknowns for KS are how life is for this large undiagnosed proportion – current medical knowledge would suggest these men are unnecessarily experiencing symptoms which are readily treatable. 

This project asks a number of questions – What is it like to be diagnosed with KS? What is the psychosocial impact of living with the condition? Would early diagnosis of individuals with KS allow for treatments to be implemented at the most appropriate times, resulting in better quality of life in both childhood and adulthood? If yes, should we consider population-based genetic screening for this condition, to ensure it is detected at an appropriate age? What would be the potential risks and benefits of such a program? Such screening programs raise many ethical and social issues that must be carefully considered. Advances in reproductive and medical technology continue to change these considerations. 

This study uses questionnaires and interviews to better understand how KS impacts on people. At the moment, limited information is available to individuals with KS, their families and partners. We hope to use the results from this study to provide more resources about KS, including genetic counselling guidelines.”

Other stories were:
– the search for water on the moon,
– yet another reason to avoid obesity,
– a study which correlates physical strength or beauty with anger and even the use of force,
– Einstein A Go Go’s New York correspondent phones in amid Michael Jackson fever to discuss myths surrounding the King of Pop.

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Direct podcast download: Einstein-A-Go-Go-20090906.mp3

Radiothon shows – Aug 16 & 23

August 16, 2009 by Einstein a Go Go

radiothon09http://www.rrr.org.au/radiothon/

I Will Subscribe! Radiothon 2009: August 14-23

Triple R is a non-profit organisation that relies on listener subscriptions and sponsors to operate. The station does not receive government funding, and our annual subscription drive, Radiothon, is absolutely critical to keep the station Stayin’ Alive.

Subscriptions can be made online. Subscribe during Radiothon to be in the running for great prizes in addition to receiving year-round discounts from participating businesses. And you also get to feel great for supporting independent community radio!

Thank you to all the people who subscribed to Einstein a Go Go!

 

Science from the disco era — http://www.sciencetimeline.net/1961.htm

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NB. There are no podcasts for the two radiothon shows.