Icy Martian crater snapped by Mars Express spacecraft — a Christmas poem - Science News - ABC News. 'Twas just before Christmas*And Mars Express looked below.Not a creature was stirringBut hang on, was that snow? In April this year, as it orbited MarsThe satellite's camera first spiedA giant expanse of water iceFilling a crater 82 kilometres wide. The very centre of Korolev craterIs 2 kilometres deep, we found.Despite the thin Martian atmosphereIt's frozen all year 'round. This constant deep-freeze comes down to simple thermodynamics, said Australian National University astronomer Brad Tucker. The bottom of Korolev crater sits well below the surrounding surface of the planet, which "creates an atmospheric bubble of sorts, able to withstand the Martian summer". As cold air sinks into the crater, it forms a cool insulating shield that stops the ice below from heating up and being whisked away in Mars' thin atmosphere.
The European Space Agency's Mars Express has a whole slew of scientific findings under its belt. "The most famous are on Mercury. So what now for Mars Express? Comet discoverer Robert McNaught calls it a night on stellar career in Outback Australia. Posted about 3 hours agoThu 20 Dec 2018, 8:29pm Robert H McNaught is in the enviable position where he can close his eyes and pinpoint the greatest moment in his career. "I had dreamed of that moment since I was a kid," said the Scottish astronomer, now much more renowned as a recently-retired stalwart of Australia's Siding Spring Observatory. On the night of January 19, 2007, the man who is now the world's greatest comet discoverer watched as one of the brightest comets in living memory came into picture-perfect view in the sky.
"It was the brightest comet observed by any astronomer around the world in the past 50 years," he said. It was so bright for the next two days you could see it with the naked eye in daylight. By night it was "spectacular". In astronomical terms, Mr McNaught had hit the jackpot, and "it was just fabulous". From blob to spectacle "That night I would have normally shut down my equipment due to the bright moon, but I observed anyway," he said of that night. Half-brown, half-white lamb produced from genetic quirk in crossbreeding - ABC Rural - ABC News. When hobby farmer Linda Gleeson saw the unusual colourings of her ewe's new lamb, she simply thought it was "cute". But after showing friends who grew up on rural properties, she was shocked to find that the half-white and half-brown colouring was quite unique.
"I went out to dinner with some friends who were both sheep farmers when they were kids. And I showed them the picture and one got really excited and sent it away to all her brothers who are still sheep farmers on big farms around NSW," she said. Experts say the lamb's half-white and half-brown colouring is unusual. ABC Coffs Coast: Melissa Martin It's all in the genes The lamb is a crossbreed; her mother is a dorper and her father is a wiltipoll. While it was not uncommon for dorpers to have some darker markings, it was usually only around the head. "I certainly have never seen one that is half-half," sheep and wool lecturer at the University of New England, Emma Doyle, said.
Dorper sheep traditionally have a black head and white body. Dogs and cats protect babies against allergies and asthma — and the more pets, the better - Science News - ABC News. Do you go crazy for cats or do you prefer a pooch or two? Whatever you choose, owning a menagerie of pets while bringing up a baby seems to bestow lifelong benefits on the child. key points Key points: Being around animals in your first few years of life is linked with lower allergy ratesSwedish survey found a dose-dependent relationship between the number of pets a child lived with as a baby and protection against asthma, eczema and hay feverHaving pets early in life is thought to train the immune system through exposure to more microbes and pieces of bacteria A Swedish study found the more pets in a household in early life, the less likely a child will go on to develop conditions like asthma, eczema and hay fever.
For instance, kids aged 7-9 years that shared a house with four pets when they were a baby were half as likely to have a recent allergy compared to their pet-free counterparts: 17 per cent compared to 33 per cent respectively. allergy study rundown The paper, at a glance. Tasmanian researchers discover new corals in dense 'underwater garden' on ocean mountains. Updated about an hour agoWed 19 Dec 2018, 4:51am An "underwater garden" with more than 100 unnamed species of corals, lobsters and molluscs has been discovered on undersea mountains south of Tasmania. Scientists onboard the CSIRO research vessel Investigator have explored the Tasmanian cluster of the ridges known as seamounts in Australia's Tasman Fracture and Huon marine parks. The researchers surveyed 45 seamounts using new technology to study the rocky habitats. Nic Bax from the Marine Biodiversity Hub at the University of Tasmania said there were more than 100 seamounts in the region.
"People often say we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the deep sea," Professor Bax said. "Some of these parts have never been seen before and people might never see it again. " Voyage chief scientist Alan Williams from CSIRO said the researchers used a high-tech camera system two metres above the seafloor in depths to nearly two kilometres. "We call it the purple coral. Sydney girl with cerebral palsy takes first steps after controversial operation. Updated about 2 hours agoTue 18 Dec 2018, 10:58pm A young Sydney girl who doctors said would be in a wheelchair or walker for life has learned to stand and take her first independent steps. Isabella Lombardo, 6, has proudly told the ABC she can stand for "80 seconds" by herself. "It's a bit scary and exciting at the same time," Isabella said.
"Soon I want to walk all by myself without Mumma even touching. " Isabella has a form of cerebral palsy called spastic diplegia and needs a wheelchair, walking frame or someone's assistance to move around. In December 2016, her parents took her to the United States for a controversial operation called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR), where a surgeon cut parts of the abnormal nerves connecting muscles to the spinal cord, and by cutting those signals the muscles can relax. By December 2017, then aged five, she was walking with canes, riding a modified bicycle, and running in her walker. Topics: health, diseases-and-disorders, cerebral-palsy, sydney-2000. Vast stretch of underwater Ice Age sand dunes preserved as stone - Science News - ABC News.
A vast stretch of submerged ancient sand dunes, found off the east coast of Australia, have scientists scratching their heads. Key points Key points Dunes similar in shape and extent to those on Fraser Island drowned 12,000 years ago surprisingly well preservedMost dunes today have sand made of quartz but the ancient dunes contained calcium carbonate grains that cemented together after being exposed to rainThis helped the dunes remain intact when they disappeared under the water The dunes are remarkably preserved, despite being drowned by rising seas.
Scientists think this is because they turned to stone before disappearing under the waves 12,000 years ago. And they are like an ancient version of the World Heritage-listed Fraser Island sand dunes nearby. The 70km stretch of dunes, discovered on the sea floor between Fraser and Moreton islands, has stumped scientists, who say such ancient structures should have been destroyed by rising water. Supplied: Tiago Passos/University of Sydney. Woodman Point memorial remembers the nightmare of Spanish flu after World War I. Updated yesterday at 7:19amSat 15 Dec 2018, 7:19am As Australian soldiers returned from World War I, a new nightmare confronted them — one of the most deadly infectious diseases the world has ever known. Key points: The Boonah ship was infected with Spanish flu off the South African coastPeople on board were placed into quarantine before being transferred back to WAMore than 30 people died of the disease while being treated at Woodman Point The Spanish influenza emerged in its most fatal strain in 1918 and went on to cause the deaths of at least 50 million people — with some estimates much higher.
In comparison, what was known as The Great War caused the deaths of about 16 million people. There are few commemorations to remember the devastating pandemic. But at Woodman Point, south of Perth, a quarantine station has been restored to serve as a reminder of Australian servicemen and nurses who died of Spanish flu. The flu strikes Spanish flu did not start in Spain, but was identified there. How an Australian helped identify America's 'worst serial killer' Samuel Little. Updated about an hour agoSun 16 Dec 2018, 1:43am It was a confession of pure evil, a stunning moment, and Bundaberg-born forensics specialist Angela Williamson was thrilled.
Key points: Samuel Little confessed to more than 90 murders The killings took place across at least 14 states, stretching back nearly half a century Only 36 of the murders Little confessed to have been verified so far It was in May, in southern California. The US Department of Justice senior policy adviser was sitting with her FBI colleague Christie Palazzolo watching on a TV, while in an adjoining interview room a Texas ranger named James Holland tried to win the confidence of a 78-year-old murderer serving three life sentences.
The man — Samuel Little — had no more appeals to lodge. Heart disease and diabetes had taken their toll on the former boxer who had spent much of his life travelling the US living in his car. Investigators had nothing to lose. A transfer to Texas and many weeks of interviews followed. Does listening to music really help you to fall asleep? - Science News - ABC News. It's evening and my three-year-old son is overtired, the hour well past his bedtime. After some negotiation and much protest, we go to his room. I read a Dr Seuss book, watch him carefully arrange his fluffy toy friends in bed, give him a drink of water, tuck him in, and turn off the light. "Let's listen to some music," I say, switching on the digital radio and taking a seat in the armchair beside him.
It's code, of course. "Listen to some music" means "go to sleep". Ten hacks for a good night of sleep But it's not just my son who nods off — I do too. Initially, I put it down to sheer exhaustion; the cumulative effects of parenting a spirited toddler. But then I wonder: is there more to it? The kids at my son's day care have naptime in the afternoons, and this includes the playing of music. The educators say it helps them relax. We've used lullabies to soothe young children for thousands of years. One of the earliest recorded lullabies is etched into a 2000-year-old Babylonian tablet. Cosmonauts armed with knives and cutters hack into Soyuz space capsule in search of hole.
Updated Wed at 3:42amWed 12 Dec 2018, 3:42am You need steady hands when you're hurtling around the Earth at 27,000 kilometres per hour in a pressurised spacesuit holding a knife and hacking a hole in a Soyuz capsule from the outside. An unexplained hole in the Soyuz capsule was detected back in AugustIt was filled with cloth and a sealantCosmonauts wanted to inspect their handywork from the outside and return samples to Earth Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Sergey Prokopyev weren't locked out and trying to get back in, they were looking for remnants of a hole that caused a leak in the capsule back in August. To do that they had to messily cut into the heat shield on the outside of the habitation module and peel it back to expose where the hole had been sealed with epoxy from the inside, all while it was docked to the International Space Station (ISS). "I'm really afraid to cut the cable.
It should be somewhere here," Mr Kononenko says at the height of the six-hour operation. Even fish get the bends, and it's 'worse than in humans' - Science News - ABC News. When a scuba diver comes up from the deep too quickly, the rapid decrease in pressure can give them a case of "the bends". Key points Key points: Fish get sick from rapid decompression just like divers get 'the bends'This can happen when they are wrenched from deep waters to shallow by a fish hook, or by going through a damThe impacts could affect fish populations but fish-friendly solutions can be implemented Bubbles of gas build up in their body, causing pain and other potentially fatal effects.
The same thing can happen when a fish is wrenched from the deep, said Brett Pflugrath of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington, who studies decompression sickness — or barotrauma — in fish. Rapid decompression can also cause a fish's swim bladder — a pocket of air inside a fish that is used to control their buoyancy — to blow up and cause problems. And according to Dr Pflugrath, when fish get their version of "the bends", it's a lot worse than in humans. Supplied: Brett Pflugrath. Multiple sclerosis stem cell breakthrough gives patients new hope.
By medical reporter Sophie Scott and Specialist Reporting Team's Kay Steadman Updated 53 minutes agoTue 11 Dec 2018, 8:50pm As a 31-year-old mother of two, being told to prepare for life in a wheelchair was not part of Andrea Zorbalas's life plan. Key points: Andrea Zorbalas received the devastating MS diagnosis and committed to Russian treatment out of desperationBut then a new doctor and an Australian trial offered new hopeNinety per cent of the patients in the stem cell trial at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital did not relapse But in late 2010, when the words "you have multiple sclerosis" came out of her doctor's mouth, her life changed forever.
"It was devastating," Ms Zorbalas said. "I had a young family to look after. "The doctors said that I basically had 10 years before I was in a wheelchair because the MS was so aggressive. " "I booked the tickets and had the date set," Ms Zorbalas said. Six days of chemotherapy wiped out each patient's immune system. The facts of MS: Meteor lights up the sky over Mexico City. Updated about 11 hours agoMon 10 Dec 2018, 10:05am Mexican stargazers have been treated to the ultimate curtain-raiser for the stunning cosmic light show expected to brighten the night skies later this week.
Meteor visible above Mexico City and Acapulco Estimated to have been travelling at 20,000kphEarly light show seen ahead of Geminids meteor shower A bright green ball of light shot over Mexico in the early hours of Saturday morning, dazzling onlookers below. The meteor could be seen hurtling through the skies over Acapulco and Mexico City. Acapulco Astronomical Association president Rodolfo Cobos Arriaga told local masthead El Sol de Acapulco the meteor could have been travelling at about 20,000 kilometres per hour. He said the exact dimensions of the meteor were tough to determine, but speculated it could have had a diameter of 500 metres, making it big enough for those below to "appreciate the flash of light".
Genetic blood condition haemochromatosis provides a positive spin-off for blood banks. Updated about 6 hours agoSun 9 Dec 2018, 2:52am In her teens, Tara Harrison was so exhausted she missed out on almost a full year of school. Key points: Haemochromatosis is a genetic condition where the blood has too much ironIt causes low energy and muscle aches, and can lead to cancerThe treatment is to regularly donate blood, which rids the body of the excess iron Diagnosed with a genetic blood condition at the age of 14, she struggled to get out of bed and have the energy to keep up with her Year 9 studies. "I was really tired … school was hard, classes were hard," she said. "I didn't have the energy to do anything. " Ms Harrison suffers from haemochromatosis — a condition in which her body absorbs too much iron. But, unlike other chronic health problems, her disorder has had a positive spin-off for others. To manage her condition, she regularly gives blood to rid her body of the excess iron.
From 'Celtic curse' to 'super donors' "They donate very regularly and very frequently," he said. Animals living in cities are adapting faster than humans in the evolutionary race for survival - RN. Australian researchers discover unique cancer biomarker - Health - ABC News. Henry Sutton pioneered modern batteries and television so why have we forgotten 'Australia's Edison'? ISS robot accuses astronaut of being mean. Biggest black hole collision yet detected by new gravitational wave discovery - Science News - ABC News.
The Siberian unicorn shared its last days with early humans. Now we know why it died out. Things that cause cancer are all around us, if you believe the news — how worried should we be? - Health - ABC News. New HIV cases in WA hit 10-year low, credited to popularity of PrEP medication. How fake news can exploit pictures to make people believe lies. Fisherman claims discovery of bizarre creature with smiling face caught during deep sea trawl. Storm Bay salmon farming approvals prompt scientists to resign from planning panel. Spectacular cosmic pinwheel is a 'ticking bomb' set to blast gamma rays across the Milky Way - Science News - ABC News. Multiple sclerosis patients could get better quality of life through new world-first therapy. How mindfulness can help busy parents cope with information overload. Is eating vegan really the best diet for the planet? I tried it for a month - Science News - ABC News. Dinosaur history shapes future of drought-ravaged Eromanga.
Kilogram definition changed to a scientific formula to define the exact weight. Chart of the day: Half the world's deaths are from four preventable factors - Health - ABC News. Scientist who discovered 'Oumuamua space object says it is not an alien probe. Japanese encephalitis joins Zika, dengue and malaria on travellers' danger list for Indonesia. Winning watch design for colourblind brother sees schoolboy set to visit NASA. Blue light at night can disrupt your body clock, but it's not all bad - Health - ABC News. Tapping your fingers to pacing: What is stimming? Gluten-free foods fail to meet Australian standards in about one in 40 cases - Science News - ABC News. Maggots in 'teabags': Is it time to resurrect this ancient solution to antibiotic resistance and wound care? Samsung releases bendable smartphone tablet hybrid but other tech companies are in the fold. The Government is worried you're not getting enough sleep.
Melbourne researchers flag potential for new hearing loss treatment using nanoparticles. ABC show Don't Stop The Music examines what learning an instrument can do for a child's brain development. Clever Goffin's cockatoos cut tools to the length they need to reach food - Science News - ABC News. Neonicotinoid insecticide causes bees to abandon their young at night: study - Science News - ABC News. The secret experiment to see what happens to all the office teaspoons. Antarctic parasite found in great numbers, changing scientists' view of marine ecosystem. Probiotics of the plant world: Why soil microbes are gaining worldwide interest. NASA's shoebox satellites on a history-making mission to Mars to catch InSight touchdown - Science News - ABC News.
Lizard research discovers native reptiles evolved to detect introduced predators. Mating season looking positive for highly endangered orange-bellied parrot. Purebred turkey bloodlines alive and well on King Island all thanks to a prized gobbler. Aftermath of the Kings Park bushfire sees stunning wildflowers rise from the ashes. Dr Harvey Washington Wiley, the 19th century chemist whose 'poison squad' pioneered food safety - RN. Foodwatch Newsletter. Genetic testing: SMA added to newborn heel prick in 'profound' change in medical screening. Scientists use stem cells and gene editing to make mice with two mums. How much DNA criminals 'shed' could unlock vital information.
Documentary sheds light on robbing of Indigenous remains 'in the name of science' Chart of the day: Plants rule the carbon weight of the world. Researchers study brain solving crossword puzzle questions. Mango peel could help clean up oil contamination, research finds. Scientists now know why this orange turned purple out of the blue. Spiders cover Greek town of Aitoliko in thick, cloud-like, silvery webs. Spotted handfish take to human-made ceramic spawning poles, exciting marine scientists. Einstein's general theory of relativity passed first test at what is now an Australian lawn bowls club. Scientists gave octopuses ecstasy to investigate our shared past of social behaviour - Science News - ABC News. Fossilised fat confirms Earth's oldest known animal - Science News - ABC News.
Genetic detectives link up ivory shipments and home in on African smuggling cartels - Science News - ABC News. Robotic skin technology has the power to transform soft objects into machines - Science News - ABC News. Cane toad DNA puzzle finally cracked - Science News - ABC News. Asian house geckos are all over your home, and there's not much you can do about it - Curious Brisbane. Common antidepressants could fuel the rise of superbugs, study finds. Super memory is a curse and blessing for just 60 people worldwide, including Rebecca Sharrock - Science News - ABC News. Charles Darwin University allegedly requested changes to description of Inpex in study. When trees make rain: Could restoring forests help ease drought in Australia? - Science News - ABC News. Sexual harassment in science won't end without 'serious systemic change', STEM women say - Science News - ABC News.
Ig Nobel Prizes: Nobody reads the instructions and the calories of cannibalism - Science News - ABC News. Blue devil fish discovery in deeper waters could signal adaption to climate change. Human survival cannot be left to politicians. We're losing our life support systems. Many pedestrian crossing buttons don't work during the day — but psychologists say push them anyway. How white blood cells could hold the key to understanding schizophrenia. Scientists fly into the eye of Hurricane Florence as it approaches US coast. Ageism tested by Flinders University research with classic optical illusion. New brain research facility uses virtual reality to help people with addictions. Biodegradable technology brings 'higher cotton yield at less cost to the environment' Koalas face extinction in New South Wales by 2050 due to land clearing, scientist warns. False killer whales sighted off Groote Eylandt as rangers set out to tag elusive dolphin species.
Mystery surrounds orange turning purple; government collects it for forensic testing. Five of the scariest antibiotic-resistant bacteria of the past five years. Lamb born in South Australia using frozen in-vitro embryo transfer - ABC Rural - ABC News. Static electricity: What causes it and how can we best fight the annual zap battle? Eureka Prizes 2018: World's most precise clock takes out science gong. Antarctic adventurers call for heavy-duty horsepower to aid ancient ice quest. A household pet becoming our next pest is 'just a matter of time' - Science News - ABC News. Fossil record points to 'major transformation' of Australian ecosystems in next 100 years - Science News - ABC News. New education program integrates Aboriginal culture into teaching maths and science.
The block universe theory, where time travel is possible but time passing is an illusion - Science News - ABC News.