Cantabrians' health dipped then improved after quakes

Publicly released: Fri 1 Feb 2019 at 0001 AEDT | 0201 NZDT

New Zealand Medical Journal

People living in Christchurch for the 22 February 2011 earthquake experienced ebbs and flows in their physical and mental health in the years after the quake. Researchers using data from the Ministry of Health's New Zealand Health Surveys from Read more about Cantabrians' health dipped then improved after quakes - Scimex

Minimal risk of firefighting foam chemical in eels

Publicly released: Fri 1 Feb 2019 at 0001 AEDT | 0201 NZDT

New Zealand Medical Journal

Chemicals from firefighting foam have been reported around airports around New Zealand, but the levels in a Taranaki stream pose little threat to humans, according to University of Canterbury researchers. They were addressing concerns that Read more about Minimal risk of firefighting foam chemical in eels - Scimex

Didn't finish those antibiotics? Short courses may be just as good

Publicly released: Fri 1 Feb 2019 at 0001 AEDT | 0201 NZDT

Australian Prescriber

Short courses of antibiotics lasting just five days may be as effective as standard ones for most common infections, according to Australian experts. This is not just good news for those of us that struggle to remember to take the last few tablets Read more about Didn't finish those antibiotics? Short courses may be just as good - Scimex

Doctors’ conscientious objection to abortion can affect women’s health

Publicly released: Thu 31 Jan 2019 at 1459 AEDT | 1659 NZDT

BMC Medical Ethics

Some Victorian health professionals who conscientiously object to abortion are breaking the law by not referring patients to another professional who doesn’t object, new Victorian research has found. Media Release. From:The University of Read more about Doctors’ conscientious objection to abortion can affect women’s health - Scimex

EXPERT REACTION: Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission

Publicly released: Thu 31 Jan 2019 at 1453 AEDT | 1653 NZDT

The findings of the Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission set up by the South Australian Governor in 2018 have been made public today. Below experts respond to the Commission's report and recommendations. Attachments:. Web page. Royal Commission Read more about EXPERT REACTION: Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission - Scimex

Aquaculture experts to deliver vision for north Australian industry

Publicly released: Thu 31 Jan 2019 at 1329 AEDT | 1529 NZDT

Leading Australian aquaculture researchers will team up with key industry players to deliver a vision for a commercially viable aquaculture industry across northern Australia, in the latest Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Read more about Aquaculture experts to deliver vision for north Australian industry - Scimex

End-of-life Law for Clinicians online course

Publicly released: Thu 31 Jan 2019 at 1301 AEDT | 1501 NZDT

Some people receiving end of life care may not receive adequate pain and symptom relief when some clinicians who, unsure of the law, under-medicate due to concerns about legal liability. A new free online course, End of Life Law for Clinicians, aims Read more about End-of-life Law for Clinicians online course - Scimex

People needed to sleep for science

Publicly released: Thu 31 Jan 2019 at 1150 AEDT | 1350 NZDT

The effect of sleep on learning is the focus of a study by University of Queensland researchers. The aim is to gain a better understanding of how overnight sleep can influence learning new words. Media Release. From:The University of Queensland. The Read more about People needed to sleep for science - Scimex

The Aussie plants facing extinction

Publicly released: Thu 31 Jan 2019 at 1131 AEDT | 1331 NZDT

Australian Journal of Botany

New research by the Threatened Species Recovery Hub has identified the top 100 Australian plant species at risk of extinction. Dr Jennifer Silcock from the University of Queensland said knowing which plants are at greatest risk gives us a chance to Read more about The Aussie plants facing extinction - Scimex

For dieters, breakfast may not be the most important meal of the day

Publicly released: Thu 31 Jan 2019 at 1030 AEDT | 1230 NZDT

The BMJ

Did you skip breakfast this morning or do you consider it the most important meal of the day? Australian researchers have found that when it comes to weight loss, the breakfast skippers might be on to something. They grouped a host of studies that Read more about For dieters, breakfast may not be the most important meal of the day - Scimex

Admin 'angels' free up emergency doctors and save healthcare dollars

Publicly released: Thu 31 Jan 2019 at 1030 AEDT | 1230 NZDT

The BMJ

An Aussie study of emergency doctors who use 'scribes' - medical or pre-medical students who cover admin such as taking patient notes, printing, and arranging tests and appointments - found that scribes increased doctors' productivity by 15.9 per Read more about Admin 'angels' free up emergency doctors and save healthcare dollars - Scimex

Dull feathers don't give fairy-wrens a low profile

Publicly released: Thu 31 Jan 2019 at 0900 AEDT | 1100 NZDT

The American Naturalist

The long-held belief that flamboyant feathers attract the girls but put you in danger from being spotted by predators has been challenged by new research on Australian fairy-wrens. A study led by the University of Auckland found 3D-printed models of Read more about Dull feathers don't give fairy-wrens a low profile - Scimex

Vaping could help you quit smoking, but there's a catch - you might not stop vaping

Publicly released: Thu 31 Jan 2019 at 0900 AEDT | 1100 NZDT

New England Journal of Medicine

If you're trying to quit smoking, you could have more luck with e-cigarettes than nicotine patches or gum, according to international research, but you might just be replacing one habit with another. The study provided 886 smokers with either an Read more about Vaping could help you quit smoking, but there's a catch - you might not stop vaping - Scimex

ANU researchers solve the riddle of our most unique fish

Publicly released: Thu 31 Jan 2019 at 0830 AEDT | 1030 NZDT

PLOS One

A great mystery around one of our most unique fish species - the Australian lungfish - has been solved by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU). Media Release. From:The Australian National University. A great mystery around one of Read more about ANU researchers solve the riddle of our most unique fish - Scimex

Study debunks autism intervention myths

Publicly released: Thu 31 Jan 2019 at 0600 AEDT | 0800 NZDT

PLOS One

Autism intervention is an area highly susceptible to misinformation. A new study has found that optimised-debunking interventions are effective in reducing support for practices not backed by research. Eighty-six people including early childhood Read more about Study debunks autism intervention myths - Scimex

How old are those Denisovan fossils?

Publicly released: Thu 31 Jan 2019 at 0500 AEDT | 0700 NZDT

Nature

Two papers on the ancient Denisovans - mysterious ancestors of modern humans - have provided information that suggests a timeline for their occupation in the Denisova Cave in Siberia, say Australian and international researchers. The first paper Read more about How old are those Denisovan fossils? - Scimex

Harnessing light for a solar-powered chemical industry

Publicly released: Thu 31 Jan 2019 at 0001 AEDT | 0201 NZDT

ACS Applied Energy Materials

New technology that harnesses sunlight to drive chemical reactions is paving the way for a more sustainable chemical manufacturing industry, one of the globe’s biggest energy users. Funder: ARC Future Fellowship. Media Release. From:RMIT Read more about Harnessing light for a solar-powered chemical industry - Scimex

Unscrambling the reasons Aussie birds lay coloured eggs

Publicly released: Wed 30 Jan 2019 at 1101 AEDT | 1301 NZDT

Royal Society Open Science

The colourful eggs laid by Aussie magpies can’t be explained by just one thing, Aussie researchers have found. The reason why bird eggs come in ranges of colours and patterns have long been debated, and Australian researchers set out to see if Read more about Unscrambling the reasons Aussie birds lay coloured eggs - Scimex

Aussie 'lovenator dinosaurs have a new cousin

Publicly released: Wed 30 Jan 2019 at 1101 AEDT | 1301 NZDT

Royal Society Open Science

Australian palaeontologists have discovered a new theropod - a type of dinosaur with three toes and hollow bones; which includes the tyrannosaur - in a town in rural NSW which belongs to a species very similar to the Australovenator and Allosaurus. Read more about Aussie 'lovenator dinosaurs have a new cousin - Scimex

Teen seabirds more vulnerable to fishing boats

Publicly released: Wed 30 Jan 2019 at 1101 AEDT | 1301 NZDT

Royal Society Open Science

Getting tangled up with fishing boats is a key threat to seabirds, and young birds within their first few weeks of leaving the nest may be particularly vulnerable. Spanish researchers tracked adult and juvenile Scopoli's shearwaters during their Read more about Teen seabirds more vulnerable to fishing boats - Scimex