Australian University News & Information Service

Griffith medicine students at health cutting edge

anthonyg — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:06:19 +0000

Griffith’s Felicity McIvor will be among the first medicine students to benefit from a wealth of cutting-edge facilities at the new Griffith Health Building and Gold Coast University Hospital. The eleven-floor Griffith Health building will be completed in 2013, opening the doors to an interdisciplinary learning environment that will also give students the opportunity to [...]

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World-first Huntington’s study

anthonyg — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:00:52 +0000

ECU researchers are leading a world-first study which could change the way Huntington’s disease is treated. Participants in the 18-month study, which is in its final testing stage, are undergoing a regular program of brain-training exercises, gym training and social stimulation. Testing at the halfway stage showed significant improvements including: Participants deteriorating 50 per cent [...]

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New approach to ‘spell checking’ gene sequences

anthonyg — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:57:37 +0000

A PhD student from CSIRO and The University of Queensland has found a better way to ‘spell check’ gene sequences and help biologists better understand the natural world. The student, Lauren Bragg, is a member of the Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, which sits within UQ’s School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences. Along with her co-authors, [...]

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Researchers make progress in understanding breast cancer

anthonyg — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:55:04 +0000

A University of Queensland researcher has discovered nine new genes that drive the development of breast cancer, taking the tally of all genes associated with breast cancer development to 40. Published recently in Nature journal, the study is part of an international initiative to sequence the genomes of a variety of cancers. Professor Sunil Lakhani [...]

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Quantum computer leap

nigelk — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:46:32 +0000

The main technical difficulty in building a quantum computer could soon be the thing that makes it possible to build one, according to new research from The Australian National University. Dr André Carvalho, from the ARC Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology and the Research School of Physics and Engineering, part of the ANU [...]

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Revolutionising climate change research

nigelk — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:41:21 +0000

Scientists have developed a new diagnostic tool that will enable better understanding of global climate patterns. By distinguishing whether debris in glacial deposits originates from climatic or rock avalanche processes, the development allows for more accurate data to inform paleoclimate reconstructions of climate models. The development, detailed in Geology last month, represents a breakthrough in [...]

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The killer dinosaurs of south-eastern Australia

nigelk — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:38:49 +0000

At least seven different killer dinosaurs once lived in what is now south-eastern Australia, a new study has found. Research published in PLoS ONE describes the findings of scientists and volunteers from Monash University and Museum Victoria who uncovered a higher than expected biodiversity of meat-eating, theropod (bird-like) dinosaur fossils from between 105 and 120 [...]

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Older mums putting health at risk

nigelk — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:27:08 +0000

Delayed childbearing for an increasing number of women is putting them at higher risk of serious illness and complications, a new study has found. A study of Victorian women, published in The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology also observed complications associated with older women giving birth placed greater demand on health [...]

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Young Aussies think twice about taking risks

nigelk — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:24:47 +0000

Nearly 4000 students across Queensland are taking part in a QUT health program that is making teenagers think twice about taking risks. Year nine students at 37 south-east and central Queensland schools are learning to prevent injury from alcohol use and actions including riding without a bicycle helmet and being a passenger of a risky [...]

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Cost biggest reason for avoiding the dentist

nigelk — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:22:19 +0000

New research from the University of Adelaide shows that more than two-thirds of Australians who avoid going to the dentist do so because of cost. The research results – now published in the Australian Dental Journal – place cost well ahead of fear, lack of time, lack of interest and other main reasons for avoiding [...]

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