Highlights 2009 - Biology

Fiddler crabs offer safe sex for favours

Wednesday 4 November 2009. ANU Media Release

Male Fiddler Crabs will quite happily protect a female neighbour, but do so partly in exchange for sex, according to a new study.

Related publications:
ABC Science Female crabs 'exchange sex for protection'
ABC News in Science Love thy neighbour even if he's crabby

Drought tolerant plant gene discovered

Monday 2 November 2009. ANU Media Release

An international group of plant scientists, led by Dr Gonzalo Estavillo and Professor Barry Pogson at The Australian National University have discovered a subtle mutation in Arabidopsis, a small, rapid growing plant, which may have important and far reaching implications for establishing drought resistance throughout the plant kingdom.

Australasian Science Prize

Thursday 29 September 2009. ANU Media

Dr Michael Roderick from the ANU Research School of Biology and the Research School of Earth Sciences, was awarded the 2009 Australasian Science Prize for climate change research into water evaporation rates in Australia and around the world.

Related publications:
ANU Media Future rainfall atlas created

Australian Learning and Teaching Council Award

Thursday 29 September 2009. CEDAM ALTC.

Dr Gwen Allison (and colleagues from the ANU Medical School) have won an ALTC award for �Programs that Enhance Learning� for the Medical School Research Projects Initiative.

Discovery to help stem malaria's drug defiance

Friday 25 September 2009. ANU Media Release.

The discovery of exactly how the malaria parasite resists the effects of the drug chloroquine could lead to a resurgence in the use of this one-time 'wonder drug' to combat the global malaria problem.

Journal article:
Science 25 September 2009: Vol. 325. no. 5948, pp. 1680 - 1682 Chloroquine Transport via the Malaria Parasite's Chloroquine Resistance Transporter

Related publications:
ABC Science Malaria drugs may get new lease of life

Echidnas had recent amphibious ancestor

Tuesday 22 September 2009. ANU Media Release.

Only 30 million years ago Australian and New Guinean echidnas had an amphibious, platypus-like ancestor, according to a new study. The results of the study are published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Journal article:
Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci USA.
Molecules, morphology and ecology indicate a recent, amphibious origin for echidnas.

Related publications:
ABC Science Echidna ancestors swam with platypuses

Female fish agree bigger is better; human research may be next

Thursday, 17 September. 2009. Source: smh.com.au, Richard Marcey.

SIZE may matter, Australian scientists have found. In possibly the first study of its kind, Australian National University biologists found that female mosquito fish prefer males with large genitals.

Journal article:
Biology Letters. Females prefer to associate with males with longer intromittent organs in mosquitofish

Pigeon Wings Sound the Alarm

Wednesday, 2 September. 2009. Science NOW Daily News, Michael Torrice.

When birds make noise, it's not always with their throats. In hummingbirds and manikins, for example, special feathers flutter and vibrate to produce tones and whistles, which impress potential mates and scare off competitors. Now researchers have found that pigeons use wing noise to warn the flock about approaching enemies--the first example of a nonvocalized alarm call in birds.

Journal article:
Proc. R. Soc. B Flights of fear: a mechanical wing whistle sounds the alarm in a flocking bird

Related publications:
BBC News Pigeons' wings sound the alarm

Audio file:
A pigeon’s normal, leisurely takeoff, and the alarm whistle, louder and faster. (Hear both, in order, here.)

ARC Future Fellowship Success

Monday, 31 August, 2009. Source: RSB Newsletter.

The Research School of Biology has enjoyed spectacular success in the inaugural ARC Future Fellowship round. Five of the twenty-one Fellowships awarded to ANU were from the Research School of Biological Sciences: Owen Atkin, Lindell Bromham, Warwick Hillier, John Rathjen, and Spencer Whitney.

Move over mum - reptile nest sharing common

Monday, 31 August, 2009. Source: ANU Media Release

Reptiles are not known to be the most social of creatures. But when it comes to laying eggs, female reptiles can be remarkably communal, often laying their eggs in the nests of other females. A new study from The Australian National University suggests that this out-of-character behaviour is more common in reptiles than was previously thought.

Nanotubes help to solve desalination problem

Monday, 24 August, 2009. Source: ANU Media Release

A team of researchers from The Australian National University have discovered a way to remove salt from seawater using nanotubes made from boron and nitrogen atoms that will make the process up to five times faster.

Frog and reptile finder wins top accolade

Wednesday,19 August, 2009. Source: ANU Media Release

An ANU researcher whose discovery of an unknown tree frog species shed new light on the relationship between hybridization and the evolution of new species won a Eureka Prize.

Related publications:

Australian Governement
[2009 ABRS Eureka Prize for Early Career Species Discovery]

Dr. Conrad Hoskin's profile

Coral genome to be sequenced

Wednesday 12 August 2009 . Source: coralcoe.com.au

David Miller of James Cook University and Eldon Ball of ANU, the Research School of Biiology, are leading a project to sequence a coral genome using Illumina high throughput sequencing technology. Other members and former members of the School involved in the project include David Hayward, Sylvain Foret and Rob Saint (RSB). [...]

New H1N1 funding for ANU researchers

Thursday 9 July 2009. Source: ANU Media Release

ANU scholars have received more than $710,000 for H1N1 influenza research in new funding from the Federal Government. The money from the National Health and Medical Research Council will support projects including potential rapid alert systems, tracking disease spread and limiting the diffusion of influenza. Among the recipients is Dr Lisa Marie Alleva of the Research School of Biology.

New leadership and professorial appointments at ANU

Thursday, 7 May, 2009. Source: ANU Media Release

Professor Andrew Cockburn has been appointed Director of the recently-formed ANU College of Medicine, Biology and the Environment and Professor Kiaran Kirk has been appointed Director of the ANU School of Biology.

ANU RSB women scientists up with the best

Wednesday, 6 May, 2009. Source: ANU Media Release

ANU (specifically, RSB) has more women Fellows in the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) than any other institution after an eco-physiologist was elected to the ranks of the nation's top scientists.

�Homebody' plants most common in south: Scientists

Monday, 16 February, 2009. Source: ANU Media Release

Southern plants rarely adapt to live in new habitats despite millions of years of evolutionary diversification, according to an international research team. Scientists from Australia, New Zealand, South America, the USA and Switzerland have studied the ancestry of 11,000 plant species from the Southern Hemisphere in the most detailed analysis of flora evolution conducted in the [...].

	Fiddler crabs offer safe sex for favours Wednesday 4 November 2009. ANU Media Release Male Fiddler Crabs will quite happily protect a female neighbour, but do so partly in exchange for sex, according to a new study.	Related publications: ABC Science Female crabs 'exchange sex for protection' ABC News in Science Love thy neighbour even if he's crabby
	Drought tolerant plant gene discovered Monday 2 November 2009. ANU Media Release An international group of plant scientists, led by Dr Gonzalo Estavillo and Professor Barry Pogson at The Australian National University have discovered a subtle mutation in Arabidopsis, a small, rapid growing plant, which may have important and far reaching implications for establishing drought resistance throughout the plant kingdom.
	Australasian Science Prize Thursday 29 September 2009. ANU Media Dr Michael Roderick from the ANU Research School of Biology and the Research School of Earth Sciences, was awarded the 2009 Australasian Science Prize for climate change research into water evaporation rates in Australia and around the world.	Related publications: ANU Media Future rainfall atlas created
	Australian Learning and Teaching Council Award Thursday 29 September 2009. CEDAM ALTC. Dr Gwen Allison (and colleagues from the ANU Medical School) have won an ALTC award for �Programs that Enhance Learning� for the Medical School Research Projects Initiative.
	Discovery to help stem malaria's drug defiance Friday 25 September 2009. ANU Media Release. The discovery of exactly how the malaria parasite resists the effects of the drug chloroquine could lead to a resurgence in the use of this one-time 'wonder drug' to combat the global malaria problem.	Journal article: Science 25 September 2009: Vol. 325. no. 5948, pp. 1680 - 1682 Chloroquine Transport via the Malaria Parasite's Chloroquine Resistance Transporter Related publications: ABC Science Malaria drugs may get new lease of life
	Echidnas had recent amphibious ancestor Tuesday 22 September 2009. ANU Media Release. Only 30 million years ago Australian and New Guinean echidnas had an amphibious, platypus-like ancestor, according to a new study. The results of the study are published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.	Journal article: Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci USA. Molecules, morphology and ecology indicate a recent, amphibious origin for echidnas. Related publications: ABC Science Echidna ancestors swam with platypuses
	Female fish agree bigger is better; human research may be next Thursday, 17 September. 2009. Source: smh.com.au, Richard Marcey. SIZE may matter, Australian scientists have found. In possibly the first study of its kind, Australian National University biologists found that female mosquito fish prefer males with large genitals.	Journal article: Biology Letters. Females prefer to associate with males with longer intromittent organs in mosquitofish
	Pigeon Wings Sound the Alarm Wednesday, 2 September. 2009. Science NOW Daily News, Michael Torrice. When birds make noise, it's not always with their throats. In hummingbirds and manikins, for example, special feathers flutter and vibrate to produce tones and whistles, which impress potential mates and scare off competitors. Now researchers have found that pigeons use wing noise to warn the flock about approaching enemies--the first example of a nonvocalized alarm call in birds.	Journal article: Proc. R. Soc. B Flights of fear: a mechanical wing whistle sounds the alarm in a flocking bird Related publications: BBC News Pigeons' wings sound the alarm Audio file: A pigeon’s normal, leisurely takeoff, and the alarm whistle, louder and faster. (Hear both, in order, here.)
	ARC Future Fellowship Success Monday, 31 August, 2009. Source: RSB Newsletter. The Research School of Biology has enjoyed spectacular success in the inaugural ARC Future Fellowship round. Five of the twenty-one Fellowships awarded to ANU were from the Research School of Biological Sciences: Owen Atkin, Lindell Bromham, Warwick Hillier, John Rathjen, and Spencer Whitney.
	Move over mum - reptile nest sharing common Monday, 31 August, 2009. Source: ANU Media Release Reptiles are not known to be the most social of creatures. But when it comes to laying eggs, female reptiles can be remarkably communal, often laying their eggs in the nests of other females. A new study from The Australian National University suggests that this out-of-character behaviour is more common in reptiles than was previously thought.
	Nanotubes help to solve desalination problem Monday, 24 August, 2009. Source: ANU Media Release A team of researchers from The Australian National University have discovered a way to remove salt from seawater using nanotubes made from boron and nitrogen atoms that will make the process up to five times faster.
	Frog and reptile finder wins top accolade Wednesday,19 August, 2009. Source: ANU Media Release An ANU researcher whose discovery of an unknown tree frog species shed new light on the relationship between hybridization and the evolution of new species won a Eureka Prize.	Related publications: Australian Governement [2009 ABRS Eureka Prize for Early Career Species Discovery] Dr. Conrad Hoskin's profile
	Coral genome to be sequenced Wednesday 12 August 2009 . Source: coralcoe.com.au David Miller of James Cook University and Eldon Ball of ANU, the Research School of Biiology, are leading a project to sequence a coral genome using Illumina high throughput sequencing technology. Other members and former members of the School involved in the project include David Hayward, Sylvain Foret and Rob Saint (RSB). [...]
	New H1N1 funding for ANU researchers Thursday 9 July 2009. Source: ANU Media Release ANU scholars have received more than $710,000 for H1N1 influenza research in new funding from the Federal Government. The money from the National Health and Medical Research Council will support projects including potential rapid alert systems, tracking disease spread and limiting the diffusion of influenza. Among the recipients is Dr Lisa Marie Alleva of the Research School of Biology.
	New leadership and professorial appointments at ANU Thursday, 7 May, 2009. Source: ANU Media Release Professor Andrew Cockburn has been appointed Director of the recently-formed ANU College of Medicine, Biology and the Environment and Professor Kiaran Kirk has been appointed Director of the ANU School of Biology.
	ANU RSB women scientists up with the best Wednesday, 6 May, 2009. Source: ANU Media Release ANU (specifically, RSB) has more women Fellows in the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) than any other institution after an eco-physiologist was elected to the ranks of the nation's top scientists.
	�Homebody' plants most common in south: Scientists Monday, 16 February, 2009. Source: ANU Media Release Southern plants rarely adapt to live in new habitats despite millions of years of evolutionary diversification, according to an international research team. Scientists from Australia, New Zealand, South America, the USA and Switzerland have studied the ancestry of 11,000 plant species from the Southern Hemisphere in the most detailed analysis of flora evolution conducted in the [...].