Interviewed by Mx newspaper… Apparently a celebrity comedian made some “rood” comments about kangaroo genitals … they called me to check the facts!
click image for readable format
Navigation
Kangaroos are upside down, down under!
Student Feedback for Biology 2013
Just for interest I pasted the student feedback “what did you like best about this subject” question into a wordcloud package (Tagxedo: http://www.tagxedo.com/). Makes a pretty picture.
Student feedback Biology Semester 1, 2013
National Health and Medical Research Council funding
We were thrilled to learn that our application to the NH&MRC for research funding has been successful.
Prof Marilyn Renfree , Prof Geoffrey Shaw , A/Prof Andrew Pask, Emeritus Prof Jean Wilson, Doctor Hongshi Yu. Hypospadias and control of urethral closure $707,950
Hypospadias, the ectopic opening of the penile urethra, is a common defect in humans, affecting 1 in every 125 live males born in Victoria each year. However, the cause(s) of over two-thirds of these cases cannot be explained. Our studies using marsupials show that this process is mediated by 5alpha-androstanediol, a hormone with previously undetermined physiological function. This study will provide novel data on the interactions of the genes and hormones that result in defects of phallus development.
Gnu now 30 years old
GNU is now 30 years old today. GNU is a collection of free software that sits on top of the Linux kernel to provide the operating system and applications. ![[ Celebrate 30 years of GNU! ]](https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/misc/GNU_30th_badge.png){kind=icon}
More press coverage for our Ultrasonography paper
Some of the German press have made quite long articles on our ultrasonography study. Here are links to PDFs :
Here is a web link to a shortened online version of one. http://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/inhalt.biologie-klettern-in-der-gebaermutter.0ec501e8-9ae9-4282-84d7-278165daaa32.html.
Parabolic reflector to boost 3G phone/dongle signal in remote areas
I work in remote areas sometimes, where 3G internet and phone connections are too weak to use. My solution was a simple, DIY, parabolic reflector. By pointing the reflector towards the nearest tower there is a significant boost in signal strength. In the situation of my remote area work, we are over 50 km from the nearest antenna (and the antenna is over a ridge). There is no usable signal most of the time without the reflector, but we can get acceptable 3G download speeds using the reflector (weather conditions permitting – I guess we need a bounce from clouds or something of the sort to get the radio signals over the ridge). Continue reading
Posted in IT
Comments Off on Parabolic reflector to boost 3G phone/dongle signal in remote areas
Wallabies do ‘Australian crawl’ in the womb
ABC News picked up our ultrasound paper:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2013/03/18/3718274.htm
and
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-19/wallabies-do-27australian-crawl27-in-the-womb/4580586
Posted in academic, media, research, wallabies
Tagged Marsupials, papers, publication, research, science
Comments Off on Wallabies do ‘Australian crawl’ in the womb
The climb to the pouch begins in utero
Tammar wallaby seconds after birth climbing to the pouch
We have visualised the short pregnancy of a small species of the kangaroo and wallaby family of marsupials, the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii), for the first time by high-resolution ultrasound. The study has shed light on a number of developmental events that are likely to be fundamental to all marsupials. These include a very rigid program of embryonic and fetal development with very little variation in pregnancy length, specialised movements of the endometrium that roll the embryo around the uterus before attachment, and climbing movements of the tiny fetus up to three days before birth. This latter finding is one of the earliest developmental behaviours observed in a mammal and prepares the immature young for the journey to its mothers pouch. Continue reading
Posted in academic, media, research, wallabies
Tagged image, Marsupials, papers, publication, research, science
Comments Off on The climb to the pouch begins in utero
Solar Eclipse, Cairns Nov 14th 2012
We went to Cairns for the Total Eclipse of the Sun. With a forecast for intermittent cloud along the coast, we got up at 1AM and drove 3 hours inland where there was a good chance for clear skies. There was a very thin layer of high cloud, but it did not spoil the viewing. Click the photo below to get to an album of images or click HERE for a slideshow or go to this page for a little more information .
 |
| Total solar eclipse, Cairns Nov 14 2012 |
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7421-7136
