Einstein a Go Go

In the studio on Sunday the 8th of May were Dr Shane, Dr Alicia, Dr Ray and myself – Dr Krystal.

In a social experiment, I let listeners vote on Facebook for the story I would present today – and the winner was the asteroid story, just pipping bacteria in a close race. Last month Dr George Williams, a paleontologist from the University of Adelaide, was elected to the Australian Academy of Science for his research into asteroids. The Acraman asteroid hit South Australia around 580 million years ago, with an energy equivalent to 5.2million megatons of TNT and left a crater 90km across. The force of this impact had a catastrophic effect on the global environment, and may have created harsh conditions that inspired the evolution of new and complex life.

Dr Ray told us the news that the US navy is going green. By 2020 the navy aims to have at least half of its energy supplied from non-fossil fuels.  Many of the innovative technologies required to reach this goal already exist and the challenge is how to implement them. For example marines are using solar blankets, consisting of lightweight roll-up solar panels, to charge GPS and radio equipment. They have already flown an F18 Hornet on a mixture of aviation fuel and biofuels made from non-food sources. By setting an ambitious target the US Navy is demonstrating that a large scale move to non-fossil fuels is achievable. Also an increased application of alternative energy technologies may drive down costs and encourage more innovation in the use of non-fossil fuel energy sources.

Dr Alicia was feeling a bit sleep deprived this week, and had a look into the optimal levels of sleep required for brain function. A study published in the journal Sleep shows that changes to sleeping habits can effect cognitive function later in life. Subjects were asked about their sleep patterns and underwent a set of cognitive tests, examining things like memory, reasoning and vocabulary. The study showed that women with the highest scores had around seven hours sleep, whilst the highest scoring men average between 6-8 hours of sleep. Overall the findings suggest that 6-8 hours of sleep is ideal to retain cognitive function.

Pluripotent stem cells are adult stem cells that have the ability to become any other cell in the body and have been promoted as an alternative to embryonic stem cells. However Dr Shane reported on a study that showed that pluripotent stem cells taken from mice, transformed into skin cells, and then transplanted back into the same individuals were rejected by the immune system. The problem is that the reprogrammed stem cells produce a protein normally only present during development, so the adult immune system responds as if it’s a foreign object, leading to immune rejection of the cells. This new finding identifies a new challenge in the development of stem cell therapies.

The Royal Botanical Gardens are a fabulous place for a picnic, but also home to a range of research projects, our guest in the studio Professor David Cantrill explained. David is the Chief Botanist and Director of the National Herbarium of Victoria, which is hidden amongst the greenery and joggers at the gardens.  The Herbarium is home to over 1.2 million species of dried plants that serve as an historical archive and record of biodiversity in Australia. The Herbarium also hosts the Victorian Conservation Seed Bank, which was set up in conjunction with the Kew Millenium Seed Bank Partnership that aims to bank 25% of the world’s wild plant species by 2025. Also at the Herbarium has a library of botanical illustrations, as photographs have yet to replace the annotated detail of a botanical drawing. David also told us about a citizen science project called “Climate Watch” that invites people to record and report their observations on the natural environment. By collecting a long term data set on when plants flower, if birds are migrating and where certain species of animals and plants are spotted, “ClimateWatch” helps understand the effects of climate change on the natural world. So if you’re concerned about the environment and can keep an eye out for what’s going on in your local area, then consider getting involved!

Every wonder who is responsible for the weather?  Today in the studio we spoke with Andrea Pearce, a weather forecaster from the Bureau of Meterology. The weather forecast is based on hundreds and thousands of observations collected from all around Australia and around the world. Victoria has 84 automatic weather stations, an amazing density of observations per square kilometre across the state. These stations measure conditions such as air pressure, temperature,  moisture and wind speed, and are combined with observations from ships, buoys, planes and satellites all around Australia. All these data are fed into computer models that apply a variety of physical equations to produce the weather forecast. Victorian weather forecasters aim to predict temperatures within an accuracy of 2 degrees Celsius, which can be quite challenging considering Melbourne’s changeable weather patterns. The synoptic chart seen on the television is a two-dimensional map, representing a far more complex three-dimensional atmosphere. In the southern hemisphere the wind in a high pressure system moves anti-clockwise and the isobars are far apart indicating calm winds. However winds move in a clockwise direction in a low pressure system with isobars closer together indicating increased wind strength. With so much data to collect, analyse, model and interpret in a such a short amount of time the weather forecasters of the Bureau of Meteorology work 24 hours around the clock – cause the weather doesn’t stop and neither do they!

We also discovered that the weather can affect your mood. Dr Alicia was feeling a bit cheated by the recent cold snap in Melbourne and has investigated whether the “winter blues” are a meteorological myth or a scientific state. Seasonal Affected Disorder, aptly names SAD, is a recognised state of clinical depression that occurs only in winter and resolves when better weather arrives. SAD is linked to an imbalance in the production of two key hormones, melatonin and serotonin, which are produced in response to light and dark. Typically SAD is treated with bright light therapy, that boosts the body’s production of serotonin.  Also a lack of sunshine in winter may lead to vitamin D deficiency, as the body needs sunlight to convert vitamin D into its active form. An Australian study showed vitamin D supplements in winter can enhance mood and reduce the symptoms of depression.

Today’s tunes were all from the Big Scary LP Four Seasons – Spring, Summer and Autumn.

In the studio on Sunday the 8th of May were Dr Shane, Dr Jen, Chris KP and myself – Dr Krystal.

I was treated to a science-fest last week when I attended the Australian Academy of Science annual conference. Sixteen scientists were inducted into the academy and each spoke about their amazing and outstanding contribution to science. I was completely overwhelmed by choice about what to talk about on the show – so I’ve decided to let “Einstein a gogo” fans decide. Vote for which story you would like to hear next week: bacterial communities, catalysts for biofuels, marine conservation or an asteroid that inspired life. The question is on my facebook page so log-in and vote now!

Debate over taking action on climate change continues to rage – and one common perspective is that the impacts of a changing climate won’t be felt for decades. However Dr Jen told us that a study published in Science this week provides evidence that crop yields are lower that than they should be due to changes in our climate. Temperature changes over the last 30 years  have resulted in severe losses in corn and wheat production, representing millions of tonnes of food. This clearly shows that changes to our climate are already having a direct impact on our planet.

Chris KP posed an interesting question – To find out which part of the brain detects spontaneity, which group of professional people would you study? We guessed actors, politicians or sales people – but at the Max-Plank Institute they chose jazz musicians. Improvised or memorised music was played to jazz musicians and they were asked to judge which piece was spontaneos, whilst researchers imaged their brains. This experiment revealed increased brain activity in the amygdala region as the musicians judged the music, indicating this part of the brain is involved in detecting spontaneous behaviour.

On the subject of brains, Dr Shane told us that easily distracted people have larger brains. Specifically, a study has shown the volume of grey matter in the left superior parietal lobe of the brain is larger in people who tend to pay less attention. When this area of the brain was suppressed using a hand-held magnet, distracted behaviour increased. The team is now undertaking the reverse experiment to see if stimulating this part of the brain with an electrical current leads to improved levels of attention. Will a zap to the head help you focus? Stay tuned.

We were joined in the studio by Dr Vipul Bansal from the School of Applied Science at RMIT. His research looks at how to make microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, to produce nanoparticles. The synthetic production of nanoparticles incorporates metals into large complexes, and can only be achieved using very high temperatures and pressures. However many microbes have the enzymes to conduct this chemistry at standard ambient temperature and pressure. This represents a more efficient, cleaner way of making nanoparticles. But what can nanoparticles be used for? Dr Bansal and his team are developing a nanochip biosensor that can be used for low-cost and ultra-fast detection of malaria. They’re working on a non-invasive patch which is applied to the finger and is able to directly analyse the blood for the presence of malaria. The patch will contain microneedles that shine a laser into the bloodstream to detect hemozoin, a molecule produced and released by malaria during infection. This will provide a more rapid test for malaria, which is also more sensitive than currently used techniques.

Other second guest was oceanographer Dr Diana Greenslade from the Bureau of Meteorology, who specialises in tsunami and ocean wave prediction. She told us that tsunamis are caused by underwater earthquakes, which frequently occur where two tectonic plates meet. These regions, known as subduction zones, occur when one plate slides under the other and pushes it up, which also shifts the water up. This causes a wave at this site of initiation, which is only half a metre high, but can be hundreds of kilometres wide. In fact, if you were out at sea you may never even notice a tsunami had begun. However as the wave moves toward land and hits shallow water, the same amount of energy has to fit into a smaller amount of space and so the tsunami strengthens and the wave gets higher as it approaches the shore.

So in one way it’s easy to predict tsunamis, they occur where earthquakes happen; which is usually along subduction zones. What is more difficult is to predict is when they happen. The BoM has simulation models that predict the tsunami waves that result from earthquakes which take around 10-12 hours to run. So when an earthquake happens there isn’t enough time to run the model that predicts the tsunami’s effects. So the BoM have set up a scenario database for tsunamis by modelling the effects of an earthquake every 100 kms along the earthquake zone at four different strength magnitudes. This database contains over 2000 scenarios, so when an earthquake does occur, the simulations can be quickly used to predict and send out early warnings about tsunamis. Awesome!

Evolution was on Dr Jen’s mind and she told us of a story that confirmed what she had already suspected – that the main driving force of evolution on the planet is now human beings. The fastest rates of evolution seen on earth are in the plants and animals that have been exposed to human selective forces, a rate three times faster than those creatures exposed only to natural selection. An example of this is the tawny owl population of Finland. Previously the percentage of brown owls was around 12% and the rest were grey. The grey colour gave a survival advantage to owls as it provides camouflage with the snow. However changing temperatures has led to less snow coverage over the land and the percentage of grey owls has dropped, so that 40% are of tawny owls are now brown. This adaptation does show that some species are keeping up with change, but other animals and ecosystems are less resilient. It is difficult to predict which species are most at vulnerable to climate change, but it is clear that humans are having an enormous impact on the planet.

And if you’re fond of flames and want to know more about the chemistry of candles, check out “Faraday’s Candle” – An illuminating one-man show which based on Michael Faraday’s “The chemical history of a candle” The show is on at St Paul’s Cathedral in the City.Friday May 20th at 8pm and a matinée show on Saturday May 21st at 2pm.

Today’s tunes were:

Mirror in the Bathroom by The Beat

Mad Tom of Bedlam by Jolie Holland

Ever Fallen in Love by Nouvelle Vague

For me, the biggest news story of the week was the nationwide “Rally for Research” events. In Melbourne an estimated 4,500 people turned out to protest proposed cuts to National Health and Medical Research funding. The rain stopped, the crowd chanted “Cures not cuts!” and community came together to tell the Government that they value medical research. “Rally for research” events were held in every major city around Australia this week and more than 10,000 people have taken to the streets to tell polititians to protect research funding. We may have to wait till budget night to find out – but at the very least – I think the Government is paying attention now!

In sporting news Dr Alicia told us that female athletes with naturally high levels of testosterone may no longer be eligible to compete in international sporting events. The recent recommendation from the International Olympic Commission (IOC) follows on from the controversy in 2009 regarding South African runner Caster Semenya, who was asked to undertake gender testing to verify she was female. Testosterone testing aims to level the playing field, as increased testosterone levels can lead to enhanced muscle development. However the IOC is yet to announce what the cut off levels will be – and where do we draw the line? Do we ban people with a naturally high oxygen carrying capacity from running the marathon? An interesting and controversial issue which may play out at the London 2012 Olympic games.

With the retirement of the Hubble Telescope Dr Shane is eagerly awaiting construction of its successor - The James Webb Space Telescope. The 6.5m wide primary mirror dish of the telescope will be comprised of 18 hexagonal mirrors in a honeycomb array. The mirror pieces are made of beryllium, an incredibly light and strong material, though each piece will weigh around 40kg each. This week the first 6 mirror sections began testing at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. When completed, the James Webb Space Telescope will look further out  than we’ve ever looked before, into the dimmer reaches of space, seeking out exoplanets and examining the first galaxies ever to form.

PhD student Lauren Burns joined us in the studio to talk about her bio-inspired design of aircraft joints. The first aeroplanes to fly were made of wood, but metals such as aluminium alloy, soon took over. In a “back-to-the-future” approach modern planes are being made using composite materials, which are stronger and lighter – and have similar properties to wood. Lauren’s research examines the design principles of tree joints and applies them to the engineering problem of how to design better aircraft composite joints. Using this approach it may be possible to drive next generation improvement in aircraft structures. I love the idea of technology inspired by nature, a form of biomimicry which may lead to lighter, safer and more environmentally friendly aeroplanes!

Our second guest was Professor Ann Kelso, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza in Melbourne. This laboratory collects and analyses the ‘flu viruses that present in the population and makes recommendations on which viruses should be used in next year’s ‘flu vaccines. There are two key reasons key reasons constant monitoring of  the flu. Firstly, ‘flu is a tricky little virus that can evolve rapidly to avoid the antibodies our bodies make to defend us against them, so vaccines need to be updated every year or so. Secondly is that new genetic combinations of animal and human influenza viruses occasionally emerge, such as the “swine flu” virus in 2009. These new viruses are often quite unlike seasonal ‘flu and so people may have little immunity to them, which allows viruses to spread very rapidly and cause pandemics. And while Anne told us that the reference laboratories keep a library of samples representing all the ‘flu strains they collect – the one virus they’ve never isolated is man flu!

I was touched this week by the story of Susan Alberti, a well known Western Bulldogs member, whose daughter Danielle died of complications due to Type 1 diabetes. A pop quiz in the studio revealed that there are three types of diabetes, Type 1, Type 2, and gestational diabetes which occurs during pregnancy. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease, which occurs when a person’s own immune system seeks out and destroys insulin producing cells. The history of diabetes and the discovery of insulin is quite an interesting and controversial story. In the present day, new therapies are being designed to treat children at risk of developing type 1 diabetes with small amounts of insulin in a nasal spray. The aim is to expose the immune system to insulin and create a tolerant immune response that will prevent the destruction of insulin producing cells. Just another example of Australian medical research at work!

Today’s tunes were:

“My needle” by The Orbweavers

“Cup of Brown Joy” by Professor Elemental

“Bottle Rocket” by The Go! Team

And here’s the rest of the show….

There are some fascinating symbiotic relationships in nature and today Chris KP told us about a curious link between salamanders and algae. It has long been known that salamander eggs contain algae, giving them a green colour. However a new study has shown that the algae is actually inside the cells of the developing salamander embryo and is present living inside the tissues of animals throughout adulthood! Incredible!

Today we spoke with two guests on the phone – our first being Dr Debbie Abbs from the CSIRO talking about an atmospheric model which has been used to examine tropical cyclones. The model predicts that in the second half of this century there will be a decreased occurrence of tropical cyclones, however when one does occur it is more likely to be of increased severity. This has important implications for coastal communities in terms of building and planning guidelines, to ensure structures can withstand winds and water surge. As tropical cyclones are associated with high rainfall, development in flood prone areas will also need to be carefully considered.

Our second caller today was our New York correspondent Dr Jennifer Henry from the New York Academy of Sciences. As well as a terrific plug for the Brooklyn Daycare centre’s annual play, Dr Jennifer told us about research examining the link between music and brain developement which was presented at the “Music, Science & Medicine” conference. The research team looked at the effect of music on the stress response and brain development of newborn infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). They found that lullabys – songs which provide soothing music – alleviated stress leading to increased oxygenation, more quiet sleep time, faster weight gain and earlier discharge . Interestingly, it didn’t matter which language the song was in, or even if the singer was tone deaf; it was the slow tempo and simple repetitive rhythms that were crucial to the soothing effect.

Chris KP then gave us a terrific overview of the immune system of plants. They can’t run away so plants have evolved highly sophisticated molecular immune responses to ward off prey. The stomata of a plant is a pore essential for respiration, but it also represents a potential entry point for pathogens. However, plants have molecular sensors which can detect the presence of microbes and trigger stomatal closing. In a counter-attack measure, a species of Pseudomonas bacteria can produce a molecule called coronatine which actually stimulates re-opening of the stomata. It’s warfare at a microscopic level that makes me think twice about the placid looking nature of plants.

Today’s tunes were:

Space by Cathy Petocz

Tainted Love by Imelda May

The Rabbit Song by Boy and Bear

We were all fired up in the studio today  in response to cabinet leaks that confirmed the Government plans to cut medical research funding in the upcoming budget. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funds the bulk of Australia’s health research and cuts spell disaster for the future of medical research.

To protest cuts there will be a  “Rally for Research” on Tuesday the 12th of April at 12:45PM at the State Library, on Swanston St, Melbourne. Other rallies will also be held around the country, including Sydney and Adelaide.

If you would like to tell the Government that you support medical research, please join us! And if you would like to know more about how you can help protect research please go to discoveriesneeddollars.org to get involved.