Science Updates is a weekly email alert from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
== INDEPTH: HOW TO BECOME AN ASTRONAUT ==
Don't fancy an office job? Ever wanted to cheat gravity? Being an astronaut could be the career for you, but getting a science degree is only part of the super-human challenge.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5048/0/
= PHOTO GALLERY: EXPLORING THE BIG BANG ==
Celebrate the beginning of the Large Hadron Collider experiment and enter the world of very small particle physics, and the questions it can answer in our photo gallery.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5049/0/
== DR KARL: THE BITE THAT'S WORSE THAN ANY BARK ==
Though a dog's bark can be worse than its bite, it's also worthwhile avoiding bites from humans. Dr Karl sinks his teeth into a painful subject.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5050/0/
== VIDEO: ACE DAY JOBS: INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER ==
Doug Buckle designs products with a 'wow' factor. Watch Ace Day Jobs to find out what it takes to become an industrial designer.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5051/0/
== SURFING SCIENTIST: THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX ==
Can you connect all nine dots by drawing four straight lines without lifting your pencil?
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5052/0/
== TOP STORIES FROM NEWS IN SCIENCE == http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/1759/0/
EXPLODING STAR SHOOTS GAMMA RAYS AT EARTH
A gigantic explosion of a star halfway across the universe long ago aimed a burst of gamma rays directly at earth, says an international team of scientists.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5053/0/
'BLUDGER' ANTS A BOON TO COLONY
They are capable of carrying up to seven times their body weight, but leaf cutter ants are slacking off for the greater good, says an Australian researcher.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5054/0/
NEW BACTERIA COULD MAKE CHEAPER ETHANOL
Genetically engineered bacteria could make cellulosic ethanol cheaper to manufacture, researchers report, in a finding that may unlock more energy from the waste products of farming and forestry.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5055/0/
BIRDS 'BEHAVE LIKE FOOTBALL FANS'
Rival groups of birds behave like football fans, shouting chants at each other and commiserating after a loss, according to a UK researcher.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5056/0/
== IN THE SKY THIS WEEK ==
The Full Moon is Monday 15 September. Venus and Mercury are easily seen in the twilight above the western horizon, and form a line with dimmer Mars. On Thursday 11 September Mars and Venus are exceptionally close. Thereafter Venus and Mercury head towards the bright star Spica, forming an attractive triangle by the end of the week. Jupiter is the brightest object high above the eastern horizon in the evening, and its moons look great in binoculars. Comet A1 McNaught can be seen in binoculars above the Southern Cross in the constellation of the Centaur. Although the comet is brightening, the full Moon makes seeing it a little more difficult.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/1764/0/
== STARSTUFF PODCAST: THE SCIENCE OF BLACK HOLES ==
More mysteries explained about the size of black holes. Also, the ageing Space Shuttle fleet's retirement plans could be put on hold as questions remain over its Orion replacement.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/4567/0/
== ABC HEALTH & WELLBEING == http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/1765/0/
== THE PULSE: RESTLESS LEGS ==
Do your legs itch and twitch at night? You've probably got restless legs syndrome, a mysterious condition that plagues one in 10 people.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/4962/0/
== TRANSCRIPTS NOW ONLINE ==
THE SURFING SCIENTIST - MARINE FUTURES (Catalyst: 04/09/2008)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5057/0/
BODY CLOCK (Catalyst: 04/09/2008)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5046/0/
REVEREND ROBERT EVANS (Catalyst: 04/09/2008)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5058/0/
CHRIS WEST (In Conversation: 04/09/2008)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5059/0/
FOETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDER: PROBING THE LABEL (All In The Mind: 06/09/2008)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5045/0/
ERUPTION OF SUMATRA'S MT TOBA (Science Show: 06/09/2008)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5060/0/
A PUNT ON THE CAM (Science Show: 06/09/2008)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/5061/0/
== COMING UP ON ABC RADIO == http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/1773/0/
THE SCIENCE SHOW - Living with Asperger's
Saturday 13 September, 12.05pm & Monday 15 September, 7.05pm RN
What do Einstein, Beethoven, Andy Warhol, Bill Gates, Bob Dylan, Peter Sellers, Woody Allen, Van Gogh, Mozart and Thomas Jefferson have in common? They all have suffered from Asperger's syndrome. How is it that so many brilliant people are successful while suffering from this form of autism? Film maker Stephen Ramsay applied the test to himself and with a positive result, went in search of others who live their lives with Asperger's syndrome.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/902/0/
ALL IN THE MIND - The power of plasticity
Saturday 13 September, 1.05pm & Monday 15 September, 1.05pm RN
The dogma used to be that the adult brain was a rigid, unchangeable organ, but that pessimistic perspective is now being radically advised. Psychiatrist Dr Norman Doidge journeyed into the labs and lives of the 'neuroplasticians' – scientific mavericks challenging the old neurological nihilism. Jeffrey Schwartz is one. They both join Natasha Mitchell to reveal how the human brain has underestimated itself!
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/903/0/
OCKHAM'S RAZOR - The mid 20th century home
Sunday 14 September, 8.45am RN
Bill Hall from Adelaide trained as a scientist but now writes for the antiques and collectables trade. Today he focuses on why the mid 20th century now appeals to retro collectors – the word 'retro' to collectors means 'reverting to the past'. He visits a home of that era and summarizes some of the technical highlights and manufacturing breakthroughs that are now making the period so collectable.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/910/0/
INNOVATIONS
Sunday 14 September (0830hrs UT), Monday 15 September (1330 & 1705hrs UT), Wednesday 17 September (0430hrs UT), Radio Australia
Cheaper fuel cells promise more reliable hybrid cars; medicos move closer to wonder cures as leukaemia link is unravelled and we meet the quiet hero of snoring therapy.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/1775/0/
THE HEALTH REPORT - The role of magnesium sulfate in the prevention of cerebral palsy
Monday 13 September, 8.30am & 8.05pm RN
Some research suggests that fetal exposure to magnesium sulfate before preterm birth might reduce the risk of cerebral palsy. A recent study investigated these claims and found that there was no reduction to the combined risk of moderate or severe cerebral palsy or death, although the rate of cerebral palsy was reduced among survivors. However, the data on this issue is still limited.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/920/0/
IN CONVERSATION - Parenting a child with Asperger's
Thursday 18 September, 7.35pm RN
How would you cope if your child had Asperger's syndrome? Carolyn Lightwing discusses her experiences living with her son Daniel, who has Asperger's.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/1468/0/
== HIGHLIGHTS ON ABC TV == http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/1773/0/
CATALYST
ABC1, 8:00pm Thursday, 18 September 2008
Predicting Alzheimer's before it occurs; the extraordinary search for polar dinosaurs and their prehistoric companions; and a world surf champion calculates the best body wave.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/252061/686964/4511/0/
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