Indholdsfortegnelse for 87.4 Oct-Dec 2016 i AQ: Australian Quarterly

Where to now for Australian Medical Research… For each of these vaccines and medicines on the market then, now and in the future, we have to thank translational research: the expensive and time consuming process of taking basic science to its practical application. Australian medical research is world class but very few Australians know that. The reality is that despite the relatively small size of our population and economy, Australia has globally significant early research, and our medical research community is considered to be a rich source of potential new discoveries to address the world’s unmet medical needs. 1915 World War I demonstrates that Australia can’t rely on overseas sources for life-saving medicine. The Government pledges to establish a federal serum um institute. 1918 CSL moves into its site in…

One problem with these sorts of criticisms is that it is often hard to pin down exactly what their scope is. Take the charge of ‘playing God’. It sounds like a very bad idea for humans to ‘play God’, but the charge is often thrown around carelessly, and is particularly likely to be heard when new technologies are introduced. When In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) techniques were first pioneered in the 1970s many conservatives, especially religious conservatives, criticised its use on the grounds that this amounted to playing God. There have been over five million IVF births since then and the charge of playing God is rarely, if ever, heard in association with IVF these days. But if the use of IVF is no longer to be considered to be a…

Generously sponsored by CSL, the Florey Medal is one of Australia’s most prestigious science awards, recognising the life’s work of some of Australia’s most remarkable scientists. In 2014 AIPS and CSL created the Young Florey Medal. This honour provided a counterpoint to the Florey Medal’s focus on lifetime achievement, by identifying and recognising a young scientist undertaking life-changing research. The second Young Florey Medallist will be awarded this year. To celebrate CSL’s ongoing support of innovative research, AQ caught up with three previous Florey Medallists to find out their views on the current research landscape in their various areas of biomedical research and human health advancement. Professor Colin Masters, from the University of Melbourne won in 2002 for his work on isolating and characterising the primary pathway causing Alzheimer’s disease.…

On the other hand, 15,000 GW is a relatively small number as it is 5000 times less than the average solar power hitting the planet’s surface. And remarkably, it is six times less than the solar power utilised by all plant life on Earth for phoitosynthesis.2 By far, the plant kingdom has already beaten the human race to the punch in terms of the sheer magnitude of solar collection achieved. Yet this means that maintaining our current levels of consumption in a sustainable manner requires harnessing only 0.02% of the light at the surface of our planet. So do we really need nuclear power? Is nuclear sustainable? Given the awesome potential of renewable energy, is there an economic place for nuclear power? Why is nuclear power globally in decline at…

Statistically, 1 in 3 girls born in 2011 can expect to live to 100.1 This probable longevity focuses our attention more and more on how we will be able to maintain a good quality of life in the latter 25-30 years of this elongated lifespan. When considering this, uppermost in people’s list of anxieties is the progressive loss of a functioning and creative brain. Since the incidence of dementia rises to 1 in 3 people by age 85, the fear has a stark statistical reality. This loss of cognitive ability, especially in learning and memory, saps the sufferer’s ability to perform daily tasks and, more importantly, deprives them of the insight and awareness necessary to fully enjoy humour, love, beauty, music and memories of past, present and the anticipated future.…