Australia Archives

Obesity and inflammation: A recipe for depression in women

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Dr Pasco and team are unmasking a link between metabolically unhealthy obesity and depression.

A team led by Dr Julie Pasco, Professor of Epidemiology at Deakin University and Barwon Health, Australia, analysed data from the longitudinal Geelong Osteoporosis Study over 16 years. The researchers discovered that metabolically unhealthy obesity, defined by low-grade inflammation in combination with obesity, puts women at higher risk of developing depression. These novel findings highlight inflammation as both a key […]

University workplace health promotion programmes: Getting the balance right

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Workplaces have a role to play in their employees’ health and mental wellbeing. Health promotion programmes are supposedly designed with this in mind, admittedly with other priorities. But how effective are they, and do they measure up to accepted guidelines? Dr Hayden McDonald of Australia’s Torrens University and colleagues examined workplace health promotion programmes at leading Australian universities – diverse […]

New approaches to high-resolution geological simulations

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Geological models using Mishra and Haese’s workflow have improved predictions of fluid flow and fluid–rock reactions.

Geological and reservoir modelling are critical for geological exploration, resource extraction, and geoengineering projects. Current workflows and datasets record geological variations on metre or decimetre scales. However, many relevant geological structures exist at sub-centimetre scales. Dr Achyut Mishra and Professor Ralf Haese at the University of Melbourne, Australia – part of the international research consortium GeoCquest – have developed a […]

Urban Drone Operation: How wind in cities could affect air taxis of the future

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Dr Abdulghani Mohamed studies gusts encountered by flying vehicles such as drones or air taxis in proximity to buildings.

In cities, many companies are now considering urban air mobility vehicles, from drones for parcel delivery to air taxis for travel. However, gusts of air, especially around buildings, can create pockets of wind with different properties, which could cause areas of turbulence and affect the stability of the aircraft. A research team led by Dr Abdulghani Mohamed, senior lecturer at […]

Multiple benefits of molasses nutrient blocks for cattle: Helping the fight against climate change

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Peter Windsor and colleagues are researching the challenges of increasing productivity and disease control for smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia and beyond, and suggest using molasses nutrition blocks as one potential solution.

In Southeast Asia, with its burgeoning economies, smallholder livestock production is in a promising transition stage, yet overall remains inefficient. Dr Peter Windsor, Professor Emeritus at the Sydney School of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney, Australia, and a team of researchers in Laos, have adapted the humble feed block into an effective multi-intervention livestock development strategy that could […]

Adaptive experiments: Machine learning can help scientific discovery

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Cheng Soon Ong develops statistical machine learning methods and applies machine learning-guided design to biology.

Machine learning can help scientists design experiments. Scientific discovery relies on experiments that build our understanding of natural phenomena, and traditionally has been based on trial and error. Depending on the goal, different machine learning strategies can be used for adaptive experiments: active learning, maximising information gain, Bayesian optimisation, bandit approaches, and reinforcement learning. Cheng Soon Ong, machine learning scientist […]

Retrocausality: How backwards-in-time effects could explain quantum weirdness

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Dr Rod Sutherland has developed a model of retrocausality, which might pave the way for solving long-standing mysteries in physics.

Since the earliest days of quantum theory, physicists have struggled to reconcile the apparently nonlocal, faster-than-light interactions demanded by quantum mechanics with the strict laws of relativity. Dr Rod Sutherland at the University of Sydney, Australia, believes that the answer to this problem lies with ‘retrocausality’ – a concept which would allow quantum measurements to influence events in their past. […]

Co-existence of hepatosteatosis and skeletal muscle fat infiltration

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Accumulation of fat in the liver (hepatosteatosis) and muscle (myosteatosis) affects normal physiological functioning, leading to poorer health outcomes. But what is the concurrence of these two conditions in the general population, and are there common underlying mechanisms? Professor Julie Pasco and colleagues at Deakin University and Barwon Health in Australia investigate these metabolic alterations in a population-based study providing […]

Botulinum neurotoxin type A resistance: An emerging problem

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Botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT-A), often referred to as ‘Botox’, is commonly used to treat medical conditions and increasingly in cosmetic procedures. However, long-term use and high doses of BoNT-A may lead to immunoresistance, limiting its future therapeutic benefit. A panel of experts including Dr Mary Dingley, Cosmetic Medicine Centre, Australia, is addressing this emerging issue. Its published recommendations offer a […]

New molecules help battle antimicrobial resistance

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Professor Jonathan Wade and Dr Wenyi Li focus on alternatives to antibiotics including researching peptides and modifying them in a technique called polymerisation to fight the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance.

The overuse of antibiotics over the years has made them less effective in fighting infectious diseases and has led to the emergence of superbugs that are resistant to many different antibiotics. Professor John Wade and Dr Wenyi Li at the University of Melbourne, Australia, together with their collaborators, focus on the development of new antimicrobials to combat infections caused by […]