Science Updates is a weekly email alert from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
== CHARLES DARWIN BIRTHDAY SPECIAL ==
Charles Darwin, the father of evolution was born 200 years ago today. We celebrate the man and his theory that turned the world upside down and continues to inspire discussion and debate.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/2447/0/
INDEPTH: THE EVOLUTION OF SEX
Are modern relationships shaped by the romantic notion of love and fidelity or much greater evolutionary urges?
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7566/0/
OPINION: IS HUMAN EVOLUTION OVER?
Professor Steve Jones argues that the human race is in decline.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7567/0/
FROM THE VAULT: EVOLUTION PHOTO ESSAY
Brush up on your understanding of evolutionary theory.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7568/0/
UNLEASHED: DARWIN AND AUSTRALIA (Unleashed: 12/02/2009)
Darwin's time in Australia may have had as significant an impact on the development of the man, as his shorter time in the Galapagos may have had on Darwin the scientist, writes Michael Pickering.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7569/0/
UNLEASHED: EVOLUTION FOR EVERYONE (Unleashed: 12/02/2009)
What makes evolutionary theory so powerful is the pattern of this explanation, which is the same in the cultural domain as it is in the biological domain.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7570/0/
RADIO NATIONAL: CHARLES DARWIN TURNS 200
Tune in to Radio National as the world celebrates the extraordinary legacy of the 'godfather' of evolution. You'll be surprised, challenged and engaged.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7571/0/
== DR KARL: 'FAT-FIGHTING' LEMONS HAVE SOUR TWIST ==
You know fruit is good for you, but does a lemon really have incredible fat-fighting potential? Dr Karl has been putting the squeeze on the facts.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7572/0/
== VIDEO: ACE DAY JOBS: CRIMINOLOGIST ==
Isabel Logan works on crime scenes for everything from burglaries to car thefts, fires, armed robberies, assaults and deaths. Watch Ace Day Jobs to find out how she helps the Australian Federal Police solve crimes.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7573/0/
== TOP STORIES FROM NEWS IN SCIENCE == http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/1759/0/
AUSTRALIANS 'UNPREPARED' FOR FIRE'S FURY
Australians remain unprepared to deal with bushfires despite a long history of loss and devastation from natural disasters, according to some of the country's leading bushfire researchers.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7574/0/
Read more: FLEE EARLY OR STAND YOUR GROUND: EXPERT (News in Science: 10/02/2009)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7575/0/
FLUID LENS TO GIVE BACK YOUTHFUL VISION
People with failing eyes could one day have their old lenses removed and new plastic ones injected to restore their original sight, say researchers.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7535/0/
RED BOOSTS ATTENTION, BLUE CREATIVITY
The colour red boosts attention to detail in tasks such as memorisation, while blue encourages creativity, according to a new study.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7576/0/
MARTIAN VOLCANO COULD SHELTER LIFE
The lopsided nature of the solar system's biggest volcano, Olympus Mons, strengthens the case that life is hiding in the Martian surface, according to a new study.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7577/0/
== IN THE SKY THIS WEEK ==
The last quarter Moon is Tuesday February 17. Venus is easily recognized as the brightest object in the Western evening sky, and is now a distinct crescent shape in small telescopes. Venus will rapidly grown in size in telescopes over the next few weeks, and drop lower to the horizon. Comet Lulin is now just visible to the unaided eye under dark skies. On February 15 and 16 Lulin will be within a binocular field of the bright star Spica. Saturn is now rising well before midnight and can be easily seen as the second brightest object above the north-eastern horizon, almost midway between the bright stars Regulus and Spica. In the morning, Mercury can be seen clearly just below the 'teapot' of Sagittarius, with Mars and Jupiter below. On Wednesday February 18 Mars and Jupiter are very close. Next week there will be a spectacular line-up of the Moon, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/1764/0/
== STARSTUFF PODCAST: IRAN'S SPACE SHOT FUELS FEAR IN WEST ==
International concern after Iran launches a satellite into orbit; Discovery's mission to the International Space Station delayed by fuel problems; and NASA getting serious over a new lunar lander.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/4567/0/
== ABC HEALTH & WELLBEING == http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/1765/0/
== FEATURE: TALKING SEX ==
Negotiating sexual boundaries is tough, even when you're an adult, but for teenagers and young people it's even more difficult.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7531/0/
== CATAPULT == http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/2337/0/
== YOUNG GUNS: VEGIES FOR THE URBAN JUNGLE ==
Jo Szczepanska has designed a way for every flat dweller to have fresh vegies. Listen to the podcast of her story and discover how a simple idea can make a difference.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7578/0/
== TRANSCRIPTS NOW ONLINE ==
THE BIG BUZZ-NESS OF SMALL BRAINS (All In The Mind: 07/02/2009)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7560/0/
EPIGENETICS (Science Show: 07/02/2009)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7579/0/
THE DISCOVERY OF P ELEMENTS (Science Show: 07/02/2009)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7580/0/
AMPHIOXUS – TOOLKIT GENES (Science Show: 07/02/2009)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7581/0/
DARWIN AND SHOW BUSINESS (Science Show: 07/02/2009)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7582/0/
PHILOSOPHY IN THE MOUNTAINS - ARNE NAESS (Philosopher's Zone: 07/02/2009)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7583/0/
ASSISTED DEATH (Background Briefing: 08/02/2009)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7559/0/
ECONOMIC FICTION - HOW HOMO SAPIENS COULD STOP CLIMATE CHANGE (Ockham's Razor: 08/02/2009)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7584/0/
STAN BROCK (Sunday Profile: 08/02/2009)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7585/0/
STROKE TREATMENT BEING BLOCKED (Health Report: 09/02/2009)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7558/0/
IRENA ENTERS THE ARENA (Future Tense: 12/02/2009)
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7586/0/
== COMING UP ON ABC RADIO == http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/1773/0/
THE SCIENCE SHOW - Celebrating Charles Darwin
Saturday 14 February, 12.05pm & Monday 16 February, 7.05pm RN
With no knowledge of the gene or genetics, Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection has formed the basis of a whole branch of science and our thinking of how the world works. We hear from two of his relatives as they reflect on Darwin's work, and from two of science's great thinkers, Richard Dawkins and the late Stephen Jay Gould who discuss their visions of the evolutionary process.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/902/0/
ALL IN THE MIND and THE PHILOSOPHER'S ZONE - Darwin: special one-hour program
Saturday 14 February, 1.05pm & Monday 16 February, 1.05pm RN
The human animal is a complex beast - we mate, fight, emote, and socialise in curious ways. Charles Darwin's theories continue to provoke controversy over how and why we behave the way we do. Join leading evolutionary scientists and philosophers in this one hour special, as presenters Alan Saunders and Natasha Mitchell consider how Darwin radically influenced the life of the mind. From philosophical and historical excavations of Darwinian thought, to contemporary adventures of Darwin in the doctor's surgery, the vagaries of consumer behaviour, and horrors of homicide.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/3298/0/
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/904/0/
OCKHAM'S RAZOR - Mirror neurons and empathy for pain
Sunday 15 February, 8.45am RN
Professor John Bradshaw from Monash University discusses how some people when observing distress and pain in others experience it themselves. Or why, when we see people yawn we are compelled to do the same thing. Amputees speak about feeling pain in their phantom limb and interestingly it is felt only in a lower loss never an upper limb. So where does empathy for pain come from?
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/910/0/
THE HEALTH REPORT - Drug dependence - part one
Monday 16 February, 8.30am RN
There's no doubt that dependence on any drug can devastate people's lives – and Australia has one of the highest rates of illicit drug use in the world, in fact we are leaders in both cannabis and amphetamine use. In part one of this feature Lynne Malcolm explores the effects and latest treatments of addiction to these drugs and some encouraging results from a study on the treatment of drug dependence and post traumatic stress disorder simultaneously.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/920/0/
FUTURE TENSE - The future of farming
Thursday 19 February, 8.30am & Friday 20 February, 12.30am RN
A few years ago the concept of vertical farming, purpose-build skyscrapers for food production utilising hydroponics, seemed like an idea out of science fiction but it's now being taken seriously. We'll also examine some trials underway in Australia into the potential of what's called soil-carbon farming, a process which promises better quality agricultural land while increasing the amount of carbon that is locked away into the earth. It therefore has an environmental as well as an agricultural advantage.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7172/0/
INNOVATIONS
Sunday 15 February (0830hrs UT), Monday 16 February (1330 & 1705hrs UT), Wednesday 18 February (0430hrs UT), Radio Australia
An organic material that stops intrusive sounds in their tracks; a wetlands project that's leading the way in stormwater recycling and investigation into a link between glandular fever and MS.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/1775/0/
== HIGHLIGHTS ON ABC TV ==
WILD CARIBBEAN - REEFS AND WRECKS
ABC1, 7:30pm Sunday, 15 February 2009
The warm waters of the Caribbean are ideal habitats for coral reefs, but this beautiful underwater landscape also has its dangers. The reefs help protect the coastline of the islands from the pounding seas and they also support a huge variety of marine life, with many fish and corals found nowhere else in the world.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7592/0/
STEPHEN FRY: THE SECRET LIFE OF THE MANIC DEPRESSIVE
ABC1, 9:35pm Monday, 16 February 2009
Stephen Fry looks at the different treatments available for manic depression, talking to experts and sufferers alike, and ponders whether he is willing, after all this time, to take that route himself.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7562/0/
CATALYST
ABC1, 8:00pm Thursday, 19 Feb 2009
Scientists taking on cowboys in a nerve-racking showdown for the heart and mind of the horse; exploring mountains of the deep; and navigating through rat's eyes.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/834/0/
BRINGING UP BABY
ABC1, 8:30pm Thursday, 19 February 2009
A strict regimen of four-hourly feeds or breast-feeding on demand? Constant physical contact between mother and child or leaving baby to sleep for eight hours a day in a pram in the garden? Controlled crying or responding to their every whim? For the past 100 years, new parents have been bombarded with volumes of highly specific - and contradictory - advice on how to care for their little bundles of joy. Bringing Up Baby takes three of the last century's most popular handbooks and asks six sets of parents to try them out. The series follows the expectant parents through the final stages of pregnancy, childbirth and the first six months of the infant's life.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7564/0/
SCRAPHEAP CHALLENGE
ABC2, 6:35pm weeknights
The Emmy nominated hit entertainment show where teams have just one day to build incredible machines using only materials they find on the scrapheap.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7588/0/
THE DA VINCI DETECTIVE
ABC2, 8:30pm Sunday, 15 February 2009
Dr Maurizio Seracini is the only real person to appear in Dan Brown's best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code. A pioneering scientist who has made his name by ingeniously adapting the latest medical and military technology to reveal the secrets of great artworks, he has used ultrasound and X-ray technology to revolutionise art historical beliefs. His discoveries have questioned the authorship and very existence of some of the world's greatest paintings. Now, he is set to change the art world's understanding of Leonardo da Vinci.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7589/0/
BODY HITS - ON THE LASH
ABC2, 8:00pm Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Binges, benders, lost weekends... all basic forms of modern day hedonism. This program examines the culture and science of legal and illegal excess, entering the minds and bodies of those who can't say no.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7590/0/
CHIMPANZEES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS
ABC2, 9:30pm Wednesday, 18 February 2009
With experts warning chimpanzees could be gone from the wild within 50 years, this powerful film examines the plight of captive chimps in North America and asks if humans have forever consigned them to a life behind bars.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/392686/686964/7591/0/
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