The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory(LIGO)is ahuge,international,multi-billion-dollar collaborative effort which seeks to detect ripples in spacetime caused by the interactions of very massive objects by measuring changes in distances smaller than 1/10,000th the width of aproton.After enduring silence in the first decade of the 2000s,LIGO detected its first of several inspiralling black hole events and also aneutron star collision.Although these detections are asolid nod to Einsteinian physics,they also represent major advances in instrumentation,modelling,engineering,collaboration and our understanding of the evolution of the Universe.In the past three weeks,another detection has been announced,with signals seeming to suggest amerger of two unexpectedly massive neutron stars–potentially anew class of neutron star object.Planned upgrades and expansions to LIGO should give us an exciting decade of more discoveries with amuch higher quality of data. 查看详细>>

From the rise of artificial intelligence to identifying dark matter and developing innovative solutions to climate change,big things are happening in the fast-moving world of science.We spoke to five scientific minds about the next‘big thing’in their respective fields.It’s estimated to make up 85 per cent of all the matter in the universe,but scientists are still working to establish exactly what dark matter is.Professor Elisabetta Barberio heads up the Centre for Dark Matter Particle Physics,which is establishing alab 1000 metres underground in Stawell in Victoria,and aims to detect the mysterious substance.“It will be one of the biggest discoveries ever:what the universe is made of,”says Professor Barberio.Scientists in Italy claim to have detected dark matter at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory,but their observations could also be influenced by seasonal changes.That is why we need alab in the southern hemisphere where the tests can be repeated.“To see dark matter,we need to go very deep underground,to eliminate any‘noise’that comes from the cosmos,like cosmic rays,”says Professor Barberio.“We are the first facility of this kind in the southern hemisphere.”The scientists plan to run the tests in the next few years.For Professor Barberio,the results could be far-reaching. 查看详细>>

Since the 1970s,some countries have seen the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease–mostly heart disease and stroke–fall by 40 to 80 per cent.This was amajor yet often unheralded global public health achievement that underpinned substantial increases in life expectancy.Major drivers of these decades-long falls were reductions in smoking prevalence due to anti-tobacco campaigns,reduced fat in our diets,lower alcohol intake and improved screening,emergency care and treatment of these diseases.Australia was aleader in these kinds of public health interventions and also helped lead the worldwide decline in cardiovascular disease mortality and an increase in life expectancy.But our study has found cardiovascular disease mortality rates have almost stopped declining in many high-income countries,including Australia.In fact,we found that in some parts of the world,rates have even started to rise.This trend is concerning given the widespread high prevalence of risk factors such as obesity,and it has potential implications for future trends in life expectancy.We analysed trends in cardiovascular disease mortality,which is mainly comprised of heart disease and stroke,in 23 high-income countries since the year 2000;and found that cardiovascular disease mortality rates in people aged 35 to 74-years-old are now barely declining,or are increasing,in 12 of the 23 countries.The recent slowdown in cardiovascular disease mortality is happening across high-income countries with diverse epidemiological environments–that is,incidence,distribution,and control of diseases–and it’s English-speaking countries that appear to be worst affected.Cardiovascular disease mortality rates in both the USA and for Canadian females have increased in the most recent year,while in Australia,the United Kingdom and New Zealand annual declines in deaths from cardiovascular disease are now only 20 to 50 per cent of what they were in the 2000s.Each of these countries has very high levels of obesity.In Australia,close to one-third of adults are obese.These increases in obesity levels mean that asignificant portion of the population has been exposed to the cardiovascular disease risks associated with being overweight for several decades.Evidence shows aclear increase in cardiovascular disease mortality risks with increasing obesity.One study shows the risks for people who are extremely obese are similar to those for smokers.This suggests that obesity,or at least poor diet,may have been asignificant contributor to the slowdown in the decline of cardiovascular disease deaths.But obesity is only one of many risk factors for cardiovascular disease mortality.Others include high blood pressure,high cholesterol and diabetes.Obesity levels are low in Italy and France where the slowdown in cardiovascular disease mortality in recent years is among the most notable of all countries.Another possible explanation for the recent slowdown in mortality decline is that tobacco smoking rates have already fallen so low that additional declines in countries,like Australia,will be harder to achieve and have much less impact on mortality than in previous years.Cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of death in Australia,so this slowing decline in the reduction of deaths from the disease has major implications for life expectancy.Recent research shows that life expectancy increases in Australia are slower than in most high-income countries,and have stagnated over the past few years.The Australian Bureau of Statistics has significantly revised down its projections of future life expectancy increases,and Australia’s life expectancy increases to 2040 will be among the lowest of all high-income countries,according to amulti-country forecast.Our research shows that the effect of successful public health interventions on cardiovascular disease mortality over the past 50 years is diminishing.In order to combat this,significant investment in preventive health measures is needed,particularly those aimed at increasing physical activity,improving diet and reducing obesity.We also need to continue efforts to reduce rising inequalities in cardiovascular disease risk factors and to improve access to health care across the population.Failure to address these issues could confirm the end of the long-term decline in cardiovascular disease deaths and threaten future gains in life expectancy. 查看详细>>

The inappropriate use of antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs in Australia is continuing to fuel agrowing crisis of drug-resistant infections.And reports that the Federal Government is moving to crack down on unnecessary prescription repeats indicate that it’s willing to take steps to address the problem.But afar broader package of policy interventions is needed to help manage and contain the problem of drug-resistant infections.For example,research at the National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship(NCAS),based at the University of Melbourne,Royal Melbourne Hospital and Monash University,has found that many GPs simply don’t have access to key guidelines,which require paid subscriptions.“The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners(RACGP)Standards indicate that the use of guidelines,like the Therapeutic Guidelines,is considered standard practice.But in one of our pilot studies,one quarter of practices didn’t have access to them,”says Dr Jo-Anne Manski-Nankervis,a general practitioner and researcher at the University of Melbourne’s Department of General Practice. 查看详细>>

Share selection to:Australia will need an estimated 400 to 750 new schools to accommodate 650,000 additional students within the next decade,costing state governments up to A$11 billion,according to the Grattan Institute.In Victoria,as many as 200 new schools are projected to be needed in this timeframe.Increasingly schools are becoming community hubs,hosting arange of facilities like early learning centres and maternal child health services,like Doveton College(ELC-Year 9)in Melbourne’... 查看详细>>

Your brain runs on electricity.And,like electrical wires,your nervous system needs insulation.These nerves are covered by an insulating sheath called myelin that is vital to the normal functioning of our nervous system.But for those people affected by diseases like Multiple Sclerosis(MS),this insulating myelin is destroyed by the immune system–leading to significant nerve dysfunction as well as slowed or blocked nerve conduction between the brain and the rest of the body.MS affects the lives of more than 25,000 Australians and more than two million people around the world.While most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40,according to MS Australia,the disease can also affect younger and older people.Around three times more women than men are diagnosed.Finding new ways to regenerate myelin and prevent nerve death is key to revolutionising treatments for people with multiple sclerosis,and our research focuses on how the nervous system develops to find anew way to enhance myelin regeneration in the brain.ENHANCING MYELIN REGENERATION To understand some of these developments,it’s important to understand Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor(BDNF).BDNF is agrowth factor with neuroprotective properties–this means it supports the growth and health of your brain cells.It also promotes myelin formation during brain development,known as myelination.In the context of myelination,BDNF acts through apartner,or receptor protein on the surface of myelin producing cells which is called TrkB.This receptor is expressed by myelin producing cells known as oligodendrocytes.By stimulating the TrkB cell on oligodendrocytes we can improve the restoration of myelin after its destruction in the brain.To do this,we need to be able to specifically target TrkB and we can do this using what we already know about the molecular structure of BDNF.BDNF interacts with TrkB through aspecific sequence of amino acids which forms loop structures.So,we designed asynthetic peptide called TDP6 that mimics these loop structures of BDNF.Medicinal chemistry approaches can be applied to force TDP6 into the same shape as the part of BDNF that recognises TrkB.This means it should produce the same biological outcomes as BDNF,including stimulating myelin production. 查看详细>>