The history of Biology at ANU
We remember some achievements and memorable occasions over the years, along with some institutional and personal stories and photos.
Biology at ANU began in 1958, with the establishment of the Department of Botany at Canberra University College (CUC). The Department of Zoology followed in 1959, and when the CUC amalgamated with ANU in 1960, the two departments became part of the ANU Faculty of Science.
1967 was a big year for biology at ANU, with the opening of the Department of Biochemistry and the establishment of the Research School of Biological Sciences (RSBS), part of the Institute of Advanced Studies.
In 1991, the Departments of Botany and Zoology merged to become the Botany and Zoology Division (BoZo), and the Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BaMBi) was inaugurated.
The three separate schools – BoZo, BaMBi and the RSBS – merged in 2009 to become the Research School of Biology, with four divisions: Ecology and Evolution, Biomedical Science and Biochemistry, Plant Sciences, and the Biology Teaching and Learning Centre.
- RSB 50th Anniversary
ANU has a long history of pioneering research into alpine trees. The work Professor Ralph Slatyer undertook in the 1970's was used to show that the tree line was defined by temperature, not altitude, which explains why Australia has a lower tree line than most other countries.
- RSB 50th Anniversary
Carboxysomes are polyhedral protein micro-compartments in cyanobacteria which concentrate CO2 and increase the efficiency of carbon fixation. In 1993, RSBS researchers Dean Price, Murray Badger and Susan Howitt determined the genetic sequence encoding for the proteins that form the protein shell of a carboxysome.
- RSB 50th Anniversary
The early years of Biological Sciences at ANU are documented in 'The Making of The Australian National University' by Stephen Foster and Margaret Varghese.
- RSB 50th Anniversary
Legumes are an interesting plant to study due to their symbiotic relationship with nitrogen fixing bacteria called Rhizobia, which are housed within specialised root structures called nodules. The work of ANU researchers has been very important for our understanding of symbiosis, nodule formation and nitrogen fixation.
- RSB 50th Anniversary
In 1978, Adrienne Hardham, Brian Gunning and Joanne Hughes published several papers about the mechanics of root meristem function and cell division in Azolla plants. This work was instrumental in understanding the process of cell division and differentiation in Azolla, and the the growth and development of plants.
- RSB 50th Anniversary
The transformation of green, photosynthetic algae from their original simple aquatic life to advanced terrestrial plants was a key event in the history of planet Earth. An early achievement of RSBS was the identification of the extant representatives of the algae that accomplished this major evolutionary advance.
- RSB 50th Anniversary
Opuntia stricta (Prickly Pear) was introduced into Australia around 1840, but became a pest of epidemic proportions in the first two decades of the 20th century.
- RSB 50th Anniversary
In the 1990s, Ian Morgan was working on retinal neurotransmitters, including dopamine, in RSBS. Every now and then, he came across a paper suggesting that dopamine could slow eye elongation and prevent myopia. This led to the discovery of a fascinating story.
- RSB 50th Anniversary
In 2000, Mandyam V. Srinivasan and colleagues showed that honeybees use the optical bypassing of the environment to measure distance. Srinivasan’s group trained bees to fly to food though a 6m tunnel lined with optical patterns. The bees overestimated the distance, communicating to other bees a distance of 200m.