Silicon back in the race for quantum computers

The odds that a futuristic quantum computer will be built of silicon have received a boost, thanks to new technology recently invented by researchers in the Centre for Quantum Computer Technology (CQCT).

They’ve made a silicon chip that can control and observe individual electrons and they are now using this chip to make quantum test chips.

The potential speed and power of a quantum computer is known to far exceed even the biggest supercomputers of today. What is still unclear though is the best method to build one...

Smarter air traffic control could save 500 kg of fuel and reduce airport noise by 35% for a typical Boeing 747 flight between Sydney and Melbourne according to a team of Canberra-based researchers.

They’ve developed a unique air traffic simulator which produced these estimates. The UNSW sponsored research, which has been funded by the Australian Research Council and subsequently by AirServices Australia is now being trialled with the support of Eurocontrol (the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation).

They hope the system will transform the management of airspace – saving fuel, reducing carbon emissions and reducing ground noise.

Does my asinina look big in these genes?

The world’s fastest growing abalone—the tropical donkey’s ear abalone, Haliotis asinina—can be bred to grow rapidly and reliably for aquaculture, Queensland biologists have found. And that makes it potentially a high value alternative crop for struggling prawn farmers.

The researchers looked at whether they could speed up breeding of abalone for aquaculture using modern technology to identify and select genes that are activated in fast-growing animals. By linking the abundance of specific genes with fast growth rates, they have now shown their proposal is practical.

Turning on the atom laser

Nature embargo 9 am AEST Saturday 12 July 2008

The first practical atom laser is a step closer today thanks to Australian researchers.

The researchers have shown how to refuel the laser with ‘quantum foam’ allowing continuous operation. The results, reported today in Nature Physics, hold great promise for precision measurement in navigation, industry and mining and for fundamental tests of quantum mechanics.

Scientists hope to use this ‘atom laser’ as the basis for a swathe of new devices, some offering staggering improvements in measurement sensitivity.

“We discovered how to refuel the material, potentially allowing continuous operation of the atom laser,” says lead author, Nick Robins from the Australian National University.

Big babies and small families make evolutionary sense

Why don’t elephants (and humans) have thousands of little babies instead of one big one?

Sydney researchers have discovered and modelled the key factors responsible for offspring and family size.

Their model predicts what size offspring will be favoured by evolution. It will help conservation biologists understand what makes species endangered.

And it may help explain why human families tend to become smaller, rather than larger, as parents become richer and live longer.

Clue to anti-male gene action: an extra gene can stop boys being boys

Researchers at Prince Henry’s Institute in Melbourne have discovered how an extra copy of a gene halts the process of becoming a boy.

Their work may lead to earlier diagnosis and better management of a condition known as disorder of sex development (DSD) whereby one in 4500 babies is born with ambiguous or incomplete genital development, making it difficult for parents and doctors to identify whether the child should be raised as a boy or a girl.

We’re not protecting young car passengers as well as we could, according to researchers at Sydney’s Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute.

They’ve shown that the spine of a young child is significantly different from that of an adult in ways which could influence the risk of spinal cord injury and the results of crash testing. And they’ve called for new crash dummy designs that better mimic what happens to a real child in a crash.

“Our studies have found huge differences in flexibility and stiffness between young and mature spines. And in a collision, a younger, more flexible, spine is likely to place greater strain on the spinal cord inside,” says Elizabeth (Liz) Clarke, a researcher at the Institute.

Electrical communication in the brain works not only like a digital computer, but also like analogue tape. How this occurs has been unravelled by researchers at The Australian National University’s John Curtin School of Medical Research.

Their studies suggest that the brain operates in a much more sophisticated manner than being purely digital, and their insight could lead to a better understanding of brain disorders such as epilepsy.

The brain undertakes remarkably complex tasks orchestrated by more than 100 billion nerve cells. Each nerve cell can be considered as a communication device, like a telephone, connected to other nerve cells by cables known as axons.

Traditionally it was thought that the signals in the axons came in the form of all-or-none electrical impulses, called “action potentials”. And the analogy of the brain as a computer arose from the idea that the brain uses only this “digital” form of communication.

Change your sidestep, save your knee

Footballers and netballers may be able to reduce the risk of knee injuries simply by modifying the way they change direction, researchers at The University of Western Australia have found in research supported by the AFL.

The risk of athletes suffering an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is increased by particular techniques of direction change, they have shown. And modification of the way they do it may be enough to avoid injury.

“Athletes should not use techniques which involve leaning or turning their body in the opposite direction to where they want to end up, or placing their foot a long way from the body,” says biomechanist Alasdair Dempsey from the School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health. “These body postures are often what you see when an athlete suffers an ACL injury.”

Ocean warming on the rise (Tas/Vic) 3am Nature embargo

During the past four decades, the oceans have been soaking up heat, expanding and rising at a rate about 50 per cent faster than previously estimated by the IPCC, a team of Australian and US oceanographers has found.

The team’s research published in Nature today, corrects errors in ocean temperature data that had led to conflict between observed and simulated changes. The effect of major volcanic eruptions on ocean temperature can even be clearly seen in the data.

The results will give policy makers more confidence in the models and in predictions of future sea level rise due to ocean warming.

The Nature report contributes to a body of work supporting the climate models used for the IPCC projections. These and a suite of international observations indicated that the rate of sea level rise is tracking near the upper limit of IPCC projections. If that continued global mean sea level would rise by about 800 mm by 2100.

A technique which measures the variation in bone density within spinal bones may improve the ability to identify people at special risk of breaking their backs, Curtin University physiotherapist Andrew Briggs has found.

The method—developed by Briggs and colleagues from the Department of Medicine at the University of Melbourne and the Institute for Medical and Veterinary Sciences in South Australia—involves modifying the analysis of routine bone density x-ray (DXA) scans for bone thinning or osteoporosis to provide an assessment of bone density distribution in the back.

University of Western Sydney student Chendur Palaniappan analysed his own tears to find clues to producing better and longer lasting lubricants to help millions of people with painful dry eyes. And the secret is in how proteins and oils interact, he found.

The stresses of modern life–smoke, air conditioning, staring at television and computer monitors without blinking—cause eyes to become sore and irritated. This condition, known as “dry-eye”, is the world’s fastest growing eye complaint. Globally one in five people, including half those over 65 suffer from the condition. It is difficult to treat because it has so many causes. And if left untreated it can lead to infection and blindness.

The three researchers are amongst 16 early-career scientists presenting their research to the public for the first time thanks to Fresh Science, a national program sponsored by the Federal and Victorian Governments.

The first three Fresh Science 2008 stories released 10.00 am Tuesday 17 June were:

Fin tips reveal the secret of underwater flight: Ten times faster than an Olympic swimmer (ACT)

Certain small reef fish use wing-like fins to ‘fly’ underwater, allowing them to cruise at speeds equivalent to tuna, a team of Australian and US researchers has found. The design of the fins has drawn the attention of underwater submersible designers and the US Office of Naval Research.

The future of foot-and-mouth disease control: new test makes vaccines an option (Vic)

Researchers at the CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory have developed a new test for foot-and-mouth disease that involves no infectious viral material; and can differentiate between infected and vaccinated animals. This ‘DIVA’ test could transform how foot-and-mouth disease is controlled in future, because it’s so inexpensive and safe.

Soy milk shouldn’t put you off peanuts (Vic)

Drinking soy milk or soy-based formula does not trigger peanut allergy in children, researchers from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute have found. Their work challenges the results of an influential previous study.

“Our results show that parents who choose to give their children soy products are not increasing their risk of becoming allergic to peanuts. It’s a myth,” says PhD student and epidemiologist Jennifer Koplin who played a key role in the research.

About Fresh Science

Sea slug love drugs... Our brains learn better at night... Tuna research in 350-tonne waterbed... Slime wars, female mice turn male, useful tornadoes and orchids' sneaky sex tricks...

Here are some of the stories of fresh science we heard about in 2007.

What's fresh in science in 2008?

- Alasdair Dempsey, The University of Western Australia
- Andrew Briggs, Curtin University of Technology
- Catia Motta Domingues, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research
- Chendur Palaniappan, University Western Sydney
- Christopher Fulton, Australian National University
- Daniel Falster, Macquarie University
- Elizabeth Clarke, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute
- Janine Muller, Victorian Department of Primary Industries
- Jennifer Koplin, The University of Melbourne
- Louisa Ludbrook, Prince Henry’s Institute of Medical Research
- Maarten Kole, Australian National University
- Marcel Dinger, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland
- Nick Robins, ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Atom Optics, Australian National University
- Sameer Alam, University of New South Wales and the Australian Defence Force Academy
- Susan Angus, The University of Melbourne
- Tim Lucas, Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries

What is Fresh Science?

Fresh Science is a national competition that identifies new and interesting research being done by early-career scientists around the country. The stories are released to the media before, during and after National Science Week in August.

Sixteen scientists are selected from more than 80 nominations. They are flown to Melbourne for a day of media training after which they present their work to the media, school students, the general public, scientists, government and industry over the course of three days in what's described by some as a boot camp in science communication.

Previous Fresh Scientists have attracted national and international interest resulting in hundreds of media stories, including national television news. Details of previous winners, their press releases and media coverage can be seen on this website.

Now in its eleventh year, Fresh Science is a national event, which brings together scientists, the media and the public. It is designed to:

The Fresh Scientists will also have the chance to win a one-year subscription to NewScientist magazine and a one-week internship with The Australian newspaper.

When is it?

Fresh Science 2008 will be held in Melbourne from Monday 16 June to Thursday 19 June

Stories will be released to the media during and after the event. Fresh Scientists will be expected to be available for media interviews in the weeks immediately following the event. They may also have the opportunity to present in their home state during National Science Week, which runs Saturday 16 August to Sunday 24 August 2008.

Can I enter?

Nominations are closed for 2008. If you are a scientist who was awarded a PhD less than five years ago, have a significant peer-reviewed scientific achievement and think you can tell an interesting story in everyday language, then check out the 2008 selection criteria here and look out for the call for nominations for Fresh Science 2009. Nominations will open early in 2009.

How did Fresh Science start?

The original ScienceNOW! organising committee was concerned about the lack of an effective national forum to bring together scientists, the media and the general public, so, in 1997, they started one. It was based on a couple of simple premises: Australia needed to improve and expand its science reporting. It also needed a way for its best young scientists to present their work before an audience much broader than their peers.

The founding chairman of ScienceNOW! was Ian Anderson: science writer, journalist and the first Australasian editor of New Scientist. Read more at In memoriam.

Cleaner flights, smaller footprint

Does my asinina look big in these genes?