CSIRO Media Releases 1997

• 31 December - Australia seen as world oceans leader- Australia is in a unique position to lead the world in ocean research and management says the nation's top marine scientist on the eve of the International Year of the Oceans, 1998. [97/266]
  
• 30 December - Mapping the way to a bigger prawn - CSIRO researchers have produced the world's first prawn gene map, which is the first step in assisting prawn farmers to grow bigger, faster growing prawns. [97/265]
  
• 29 December - Avoid the festive "crash": patience makes you slimmer- CSIRO dietician Manny Noakes says the biggest mistake most people make when they diet is that they want to lose weight "now". [97/264]
  
• 26 December - Visionary science projects for Australia's future - The CSIRO Chief Executive has announced a series of demonstration projects to be undertaken by large CSIRO research teams. [97/262]
  
• 25 December - Cosmic crumbs" may have the numbers" - Tiny 'dwarf' galaxies may dominate the Universe, CSIRO astronomers suggest. [97/263]
  
• 23 December - Australian drug should handle new Hong Kong flu - An Australian-designed influenza drug based on CSIRO research should be able to treat the new Hong Kong influenza outbreak. [97/261]
  
• 23 December - A big year for Christmas Beetles- Christmas beetles are with us again, and it's a big year for this scourge of eucalypt trees. [97/260]
  
• 23 December - Eat the right food - and help save Australia's water- Australia should "rate" its food to show consumers how efficiently or inefficiently water is being used to grow it, an eminent CSIRO water scientist says. [97/259]
  
• 21 December - Satellite images pinpoint fire risk, ferocity- Every day this summer, CSIRO supplies fire fighters throughout Victoria and South Australia with extraordinarily detailed satellite images showing regions most at risk of bushfires. [97/258]
  
• 19 December - TV ALERT: World's richest undersea gold strike- The discovery by CSIRO scientists of the richest gold, silver, copper and zinc sulphide deposit ever found on the ocean floor has led to the granting of what are believed to be the world's first deepsea exploration titles for these minerals. [97/257]
  
• 19 December - CSIRO in world's richest undersea gold strike- The discovery by CSIRO scientists of the richest gold, silver, copper and zinc sulphide deposit ever found on the ocean floor has led to the granting of what are believed to be the world's first deepsea exploration titles for these minerals. [97/255]
  
• 18 December - Boosting business performance- CSIRO research has demonstrated scope for dramatic gains in business performance across a range of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Australia. [97/256]
  
• 18 December - TV ALERT: Cattle: Latest weapon against cancer?- CSIRO livestock researchers are exploring extracts of cattle cartilage as a possible potent new weapon in the war on cancer. [97/254]
  
• 18 December - Cattle: Latest weapon in the war on cancer- CSIRO livestock researchers are exploring extracts of cattle cartilage as a possible potent new weapon in the war on cancer, the Chief of CSIRO Tropical Agriculture, Dr Elizabeth Heij, has announced. [97/253]
  
• 16 December - Researchers devise new weapon against toxic blooms- CSIRO scientists have achieved a major advance in the global war on toxic algae - a clay-like compound which they say can stop algal blooms in their tracks and sharply lower the risk of poisons entering the water supply and environment. [97/252]
  
• 15 December - Giant new telescope proposed- A giant telescope one kilometre square that can see back to the origins of the galaxies will be discussed at an international conference in Sydney tomorrow. [97/251]
  
• 14 December - Grassfires: Science combats flames and fallacies- Misinformation and myth can cost firefighters and the community dearly, says CSIRO's Phil Cheney. [97/250]
  
• 14 December - Towards greenhouse-friendly buildings- Australian buildings are becoming more comfortable, cleaner and greener thanks to a technology revolution which includes natural ventilation, intelligent glazing, low-energy building materials - and better ways to choose and design your house. [97/248]
  
• 12 December - Foodbowl region "risks becoming desert"- Large areas of northern NSW face the threat of desertification within the next decades, say CSIRO researchers. [97/249]
  
• 10 December - African big-headed ant threatens Kakadu- An introduced ant has infested Darwin in the Northern Territory, and poses a serious biological threat to World Heritage Kakadu National Park. [97/246]
  
• 9 December - CSIRO Medal recognises wheat pioneer- Dr Jim Davidson, a wheat breeder a CSIRO Plant Industry, has been awarded a 1997 CSIRO Medal in recognition of his key role in the development of a new wheat industry for Australia's high rainfall zones. [97/245]
  
• 9 December - QEM*SEM goes overseas, wins medal- International and local recognition have come to CSIRO's QEM*SEM, the world's leading image analysis system for mineral samples. [97/244]
  
• 9 December - Scientists hailed for $5 billion gold discoveries- The achievements of an Australian scientist and his team whose research has so far contributed to the discovery of more that $5 billion worth of gold were today recognised with the award of a CSIRO Medal. [97/243]
  
• 9 December - World first poultry vaccine technology wins gold- CSIRO researchers have developed a prototype vaccine against a scourge of the world's poultry industry, infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). [97/242]
  
• 2 December - Scientists prepare to reap the wind- As the global hunt for greenhouse-friendly power intensifies, Australian scientists have developed a world lead in one of the most promising among the renewable energy sources - wind harvesting. [97/241]
  
• 27 November - Sustainable energy is no pipedream says Pearman- Australia is on the road to building a sustainable energy economy, thanks to a spectacular array of emerging energy-saving and greenhouse-friendly technologies, the nation's leading atmospheric scientist told Federal Parliamentarians today. [97/240]
  
• 27 November - The World's bugs: coming to a computer near you- Scientists from CSIRO Entomology have joined forces with CSIRO Publishing to create a new, colourful and exciting multimedia. Insects: Little Creatures in a Big World brings the world of insects, and insects of the world, into your desk-top computer.[97/239]
  
• 27 November - Scientists help to unveil huge gold field- A vast new gold province, covering thousands of square kilometres of central South Australia, is being gradually unveiled with the help of a revolutionary geological exploration technique. [97/238]
  
• 26 November - CSIRO measures up Australia- When it comes to accurate chemical measurements, few countries in the world measure up. This has serious implications for drug testing in sport, ensuring the quality of our food and minerals exports remain high, and measuring pollution in our water and air. [97/237]
  
• 26 November - Making up for lost time- These days there's no excuse for being late - Australia is running on time with the rest of the world. [97/235]
  
• 25 November - Huge potential in Australia's gas resources- Vast resources of offshore natural gas will provide the mainstay of Australia's energy mix over the next century, as well as helping to curb greenhouse emissions. [97/236]
  
• 23 November - Scientists see through sand- The vast sandy deserts of Australia are poised to yield up their mineral secrets to a unique airborne radar system, AIRSAR (Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar. [97/232]
  
• 21 November - Excavator to lift logs, save soil- A new way of moving sawn logs promises to minimise damage to forest soils and water. [97/234]
  
• 20 November - Student discovery sparks worldwide attention- A university student working with CSIRO has made a discovery that has astonished astronomers around the world. [97/233]
  
• 17 November - Big savings for summer crops says CSIRO- Adding "friendly" bacteria to summer crops can save farmers money and improve yields, according to CSIRO. [97/231]
  
• 17 November - Indian Ocean has its effect on our climate- The Indian Ocean may be as important to Australia's climate and rainfall as the infamous Pacific 'el Niño', according to CSIRO climate scientists. [97/230]
  
• 11 November - Bedding's worms save apples and pines- A million hectares of apple trees in China, and a million hectares of pine forest in Australia, have been saved from insect pests by humble nematodes worms. [97/229]
  
• 9 November - Jakarta Conference to come to grips with El Niño- Climate scientists from around the world have been called together by Indonesian Minister for Research and Technology, Dr Habibie, to assess the el Niño Effect, as Indonesia suffers prolonged drought, and fires continue to burn in the tropical forests. [97/228]
  
• 7 November - Predicting bushfire behaviour- Understanding how fires behave - particularly the fires that ravage bushland in the height of summer - is the subject of Project Vesta, a major six-year study about to get underway in Western Australia. [97/227]
  
• 6 November - Building a better mousetrap- What drives a mouse plague, and what can you do to reduce its impact? CSIRO is finding out and researchers will be at the Australian National Field Days, Orange, NSW (11 - 13 November) to talk about it. [97/226]
  
• 5 November - Top tips mean big savings for sheep farmers- Without spending a cent, sheep farmers across Australia's high rainfall areas can save millions of dollars each year in the battle against parasites. [97/225]
  
• 5 November - Getting to the root of sugar yield decline- New research is showing that sugar cane farming systems which consider the health of soils and roots can increase sugar yields by 5 - 10 percent - reaping Australia's sugar industry an extra $40 million each year. [97/224]
  
• 4 November - Fishers boost understanding of remote prawns- Cooperation between prawn fishers in North Western Australia and scientists has provided valuable information on an emerging species. [97/223]
  
• 4 November - Rare birds and water savings in Adelaide- Rare native birds have joined well-established birdlife at the Urrbrae Wetland, little more than a year after it was created in the heart of suburban Adelaide. [97/222]
  
• 4 November - Climate change, El Nino - Special CSIRO Web Site- Is the world really warming up? Are humans to blame? How reliable are the predictions of future climate. [97/221]
  
• 1 November - Undersea explorers find volcanic link- An international team on the CSIRO research vessel Franklin has found dramatic evidence of undersea eruptions in the Bismarck Sea occurring at the same time as the 1994 Rabaul eruption. [97/220]
  
• 30 October - Cattle quads in million-to-one surprise- Researchers from the Tropical Beef Centre at Rockhampton were amazed recently when one of their cows gave birth to live heifer quadruplets - possible the only case of a successful live birth of cattle quads known to have happened in Australia. [97/219]
  
• 29 October - Australian trees march into the tropics- Australian science is playing a leading role in supporting forest sustainability in our region. CSIRO in particular is at the forefront in helping tropical countries manage their forest resources says Dr Sadanandan Nambiar of CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products. [97/218]
  
• 28 October - Play to our strengths, urges CSIRO Chairman- In an age where intellectual property is becoming more important than physical property, Australia needs to play to its national strengths, says CSIRO Chairman Mr Charles Allen. [97/217]
  
• 28 October - Media Alert- Acting Prime Minister the Hon. Tim Fischer will launch Better Management of Soil Nutrients, and Water in Tropical Plantation Forest. [97/216]
  
• 24 October - Solar boats to churn pool in head to head clash- Speeding solar-powered boats will churn the waters of Dickson Pool on Saturday morning, in Australia's first Model Solar Boat Challenge. [97/215]
  
• 23 October - Australia - just another South Sea Bubble- The healthy growth of Australia's multimillion dollar marine tourism industry could become just another South Sea Bubble if support from science and technology is not maintained, a National Science Briefing was told in Canberra today. [97/214]
  
• 22 October - Cheaper, cleaner travel with new car share system- City travellers in Australia will soon be able to save time, money and reduce urban air pollution by using the world's most advanced car-pooling system. [97/213]
  
• 22 October - Ocean health under study from space- Australian marine scientists are using satellite colour images to measure the productivity and health of Australia's oceans. [97/212]
  
• 21 October - Australian cotton gears for U.S. invasion- Australian cotton varieties, which in recent years have earned a world reputation for quality and yield, are to go on sale to farmers in the heartland of "King Cotton"' the cotton-growing areas of the southern United States. [97/209]
  
• 20 October - China, Australia to fight environmental decline - CSIRO and scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have teamed up in a project to fight land and water degradation.
  
• 20 October - Fuelling Australia's ride on the sheep's back - "Chiswick", CSIRO's Pastoral Research Laboratory, which today celebrates its 50th Jubilee, is the home of a scientific revolution that has made Australia a world leader in sheep and wool production. [97/208]
  
• 17 October - Turning mines back into living landscapes- Insights gained by science into the vast and sometime mysterious workings of the Australian landscape are helping the nation's miners develop a world lead in the restoration a damaged areas to their full function and beauty. [97/207]
  
• 16 October - European wasps - get used to them- ACT residents should be on the lookout for European wasps as spring approaches, warn CSIRO Entomology and Canberra Urban Parks. [97/210]
  
• 16 October - Confronting Australia's $6 billion challenge- Insect pests and weeds between them inflict more than $6 billion in damage on Australia's economy every year - a sum which far outweighs the total export earnings of the gold industry. [97/206]
  
• 15 October - Aboriginal tradition and CSIRO help beat hunger- Thousands of years of aboriginal tradition combined with modern CSIRO forestry science, the work of African researchers and Australia's native trees have helped create a world example of how to beat famine. [97/205]
  
• 13 October - Big fish may help beat toxic algae- Big predatory fish may hold an important key to controlling Australia's algal bloom problems, according to CSIRO research currently under way on Queensland dams. [97/204]
  
• 9 October - Avoiding artificial rainforests- Rainforests in the right place are highly desirable - but there are some locations where you just don't want things that look like rainforests to grow, according to Peter Hick of CSIRO Exploration and Mining. [97/203]
  
• 7 October - Underwater volcanoes target of research voyage- Media representatives are invited to a function on board "RV Franklin", on Thursday 9 October from 4:30 to 6:00pm. The CSIRO research vessel will be berthed at the Pinkenba No. 1 Wharf, Brisbane and sails on 10 October for Papua New Guinea waters. An international team of scientists will explore submarine volcanoes, in search of mineral deposits. [97/202]
  
• 7 October - Watchdog will spot underground riches- Exploration for mineral wealth from the air is poised for a leap into the 21st century with the development by Australian scientists of the world's most sophisticated airborne prospecting instrument. [97/201]
  
• 6 October - New CSIRO Minerals Laboratory in Victoria- The Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Mr John Moore, today joined forces with Sir Arvi Parbo to open a new minerals research laboratory in Clayton, Victoria. [97/200]
  
• 6 October - CSIRO oil flow meter licensed for worldwide sales- A revolutionary flow meter developed by CSIRO, could save the Australian oil industry many millions of dollars in capital, operating and maintenance costs, following its licensing to major international oil engineering and services company. [97/199]
  
• 3 October - Spiders, Mobile phones and nanomachines at science conference- The structure of a spider toxin, the debate about electromagnetic radiation and a revolutionary diagnostic device will be among topics discussed at the Australian Society of Biophysics 21st Annual Conference starting today, Friday, October 3, at Biochemistry Building at the University of Melbourne. The conference will run from 9.30 Friday, October 3 to 3.15 Sunday, October 5. [97/198]
  
• 2 October - Oil flares don't turn turtles- The bright orange flares of burning gas which light up the night sky like beacons over Western Australia's Northwest Shelf oil and gasfields do not appear to be harming the breeding turtle population, indicating that offshore energy production and turtles can co-exist. [97/197]
  
• 1 October - Mineral research provides a haven for rare wildlife- Two CSIRO mineral scientists who usually have their hands dirty working on new coal or magnesium technology are showing that individuals can make a difference to their local environment. [97/195]
  
• 30 September - Eco-cattle can make dollars and sense- A team of CSIRO scientists are calling for a more balanced approach to conservation and beef cattle production by farmers involved in large scale property management. [97/196]
  
• 24 September - Fight against cotton pests takes a new step- A naturally occurring insect virus which kills the cotton bollworm has been genetically 'marked' so that scientists can track its movements in the environment. [97/194]
  
• 24 September - Peninsulas give rare animals a last chance- Coastal peninsulas around Australia are becoming fortresses against the final extermination of the continent's most endangered animals. [97/193]
  
• 24 September - CSIRO spinoff firm in world market drive- A revolutionary new editing system for the film, video and multimedia industry is to be launched on the world market by Canberra-based high tech firm MediaWare Solutions (MWS). The Minister for Communications and the Arts, Senator Richard Alston, will launch the product today. [97/192]
  
• 22 September - New seedless dried grapes- CSIRO researchers have developed a new variety of drying grape - with a distinct muscat flavour and no seeds. [97/191]
  
• 19 September - Insects poised to spread rabbit bane- Australia's rabbits face a major blow with confirmation from CSIRO scientists that at least ten species of insects are now capable of spreading the Rabbit Calicivirus (RCV) among wild rabbit populations. [97/190]
  
• 18 September - Magic maps that never date- Next time the service crew come to fix your drains or power lines, they may use a satellite. [97/189]
  
• 17 September - Australia's global opportunity in ocean care- The world's oceans face growing damage from human activity - and Australia is well positioned to became a leader in international efforts to restore them, according to the nation's senior marine scientist, Dr Nan Bray. [97/186]
  
• 16 September - Caution urged on tuna stocks- Southern Bluefin Tuna stocks are unlikely to recover to pre-1980 levels by the year 2020 if current catch rates continue, a CSIRO scientific report says. [97/188]
  
• 16 September - We need to 'stop fiddling on the edges'- "We need to stop fiddling on the edges, and create vigorous, stable farming practices in which profitable production rests firmly on sustainable processes." [97/187]
  
• 16 September - Healthy food choices - more a gut feeling- For thousands of years humans have relied on their 'gut feelings' - our sight, smell, taste and touch - to determine what foods are good for us and what are not. Even or hearing plays a part in telling us what is crisp and fresh. [97/184]
  
• 15 September - Food industry can help slim the fatter Aussie- Australians are stacking on a collective 6000 tones more lard every year - yet despite a worldwide hunt for a cure for obesity, no magic bullets have yet emerged. [97/183]
  
• 12 September - CO2: The uncontrolled experiment proceeds- Human activities are changing the global cycling of carbon between land, oceans and atmosphere, according to CSIRO's Dr Graeme Pearman, Chairman of the Fifth International Conference on Carbon Dioxide. [97/182]
  
• 10 September - How much greenhouse CO2 can the ocean absorb?- Five years of measurements by Australian, French and Japanese oceanographers are beginning to reveal the role of the Southern Ocean in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. [97/181]
  
• 10 September - Measuring the threat to our groundwater- Most of Australia's precious groundwater is at risk of contamination in one way or another - the key issue is how vulnerable is the groundwater which particular communities, industries or ecosystems rely on. [97/179]
  
• 9 September - Protecting ozone layer earns 'best-of-best' award- An Australian scientist has received international recognition for his work in protecting the Earth's ozone layer. [97/180]
  
• 9 September - El Nino 'threatens the region'- Drought and weather patterns caused by El Nino are already having a severe impact on countries in Australia's immediate neighbourhood, the Chief of CSIRO Land and Water, Professor Graham Harris said today. [97/178]
  
• 8 September - Finished your lunch? now eat the wrapper...- CSIRO scientists in Adelaide have discovered that the kind of 'resistant starch' now being used to make environmentally-friendly packaging can also boost health-giving bacteria in the human bowel and may one day help save thousands of Australian lives. [97/176]
  
• 8 September - Seeds without sex- CSIRO research could make male plant parts in crops redundant, and dramatically lift grain production around the world. [97/175]
  
• 5 September - El Nino threat of toxic algal blooms- A warning that the current El Nino event may unleash a plague of toxic algal blooms in Australia's rivers and drinking water reservoirs has been issued by the nation's senior land and water scientist. [97/177]
  
• 3 September - Rebuilding the Australian Outback- How Australia's vast rangelands work, what makes them fall apart and how to bring them back again are the subject of a major new book, the result of 30 years of research by CSIRO scientists. [97/174]
  
• 2 September - Options for controlling the villain of our rivers- Many people regard carp as the villain of our rivers, for these fish are believed to be expanding their distribution at an alarming rate, muddying the waters, and damaging the aquatic habitat for other species. [97/173]
  
• 1 September - Bigger weaners mean a bigger wool cheque- Increasing the liveweights of weaner sheep before summer can bring significant gains to the wool cheque, according to recent research conducted through the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Premium Quality Wool. [97/171]
  
• 28 August - Car parts exports head for $3 billion- Vehicle parts researched, designed and made in Australia are on track to overtake wool, iron ore and wheat as export earners within seven years if current industry growth rates are sustained, parliamentarians were told in Canberra today. [97/170]
  
• 28 August - Creating the world's lightest family car- CSIRO is to help the Ford Motor Company create the world's lightest family car. [97/168]
  
• 28 August - Australian innovation: teamwork on the Web- A new Australian developed software system will soon be helping project teams, corporate high fliers and students to work or learn in teams from their homes on the World Wide Web. The new system, Web Grouputer, will be on show for the first time at the IT industry's Showcase at Darling Harbour tomorrow, August 29. [97/169]
  
• 27 August - CSIRO and the new green army - One of Australia's most important military training areas will look less like a battlefield following a major scientific collaboration to conserve its soils and vegetation. [97/167]
  
• 27 August - "Speed-of-light" motor for future car - The car of the future could run on sunlight-powered motors embedded in its wheels, following the outstanding performance of a novel Australian-designed electric motor. [97/166]
  
• 26 August - Aussie natives beat the fungal rotters - Australian native plants are proving a goldmine in the quest by scientists for benign natural substances to repel plant diseases and reduce the use of chemicals in the nation's food supply. [97/165]
  
• 22 August - Boost for Australia's fine wool clip -The modern Australian Merino has the ability to grow a finer, whiter fleece and at the same time produce more high quality wool, a major research project has shown. [97/164]
  
• 21 August - TOPOG: Out of the woods and into the world - A sophisticated computer program used to plan the disposal of sewage effluent from a forest recreation area near Canberra, is to be launched on the World Wide Web on August 25. [97/163]
  
• 21 August - Native tree may prove a drought-buster - A large, free-standing tree scattered sparsely across the otherwise arid pastoral landscape of northern Australia has emerged as a potential drought-beater, offering major benefits for the cattle industry, the environment and yielding timber replacing rainforest species. [97/162]
  
• 20 August - Plan to store over a million tonnes of salt - Millions of tonnes of salt could be stored in specially designed ponds in irrigation areas, according to a new CSIRO proposal which would preserve rivers and freshwater lakes from the threat of salinity. [97/161]
  
• 18 August - Killer worms meet their nemesis - Australia's sheep flocks are threatened by increasing numbers of worms resistant to traditional drug treatments, but a CSIRO project supported by the International Wool Secretariat (IWS) may hold the answers to farmers' fears. [97/159]
  
• 18 August - CSIRO maintains its cutting edge science - CSIRO has maintained its reputation for basic scientific research at a time when Australian science as a whole has been losing international visibility, according to an independent study. [97/160]
  
• 14 August - Major milestone for clean green energy - Australia's clean green energy source of the future, the ceramic fuel cell, has achieved a key milestone with its first successful demonstration of a 5 kilowatt unit - enough to supply power for several homes. [97/153]
  
• 13 August - CSIRO report on gas leak in NSW River - CSIRO scientists have concluded that gas bubbling to the surface of the Cataract river, near Wollongong in NSW, is much more likely to come from sandstone layers that from a coal seam being mined below. [97/157]
  
• 12 August - "It's the ecology, stupid" - Action to sustain Australia's fresh water resources has become a life-and-death matter for the Australian landscape, according to Professor Graham Harris, Chief of CSIRO Land and Water. [97/158]
  
• 12 August - National Centre for Petroleum and Mineral Research - CSIRO and the Government of Western Australia's most ambitious scientific initiatives - the National Centre for Petroleum and Mineral Resources Research. [97/156]
  
• 12 August - Greater care needed on mouldy food - the fungi which produce those interesting colours on stale food not only make it unsightly and unpalatable - they can also produce highly toxic substances which may damage your health and undermine your immunity to other infections. [97/155]
  
• 11 August - Green light for mineral and environment satellite - The mineral wealth of the world is poised to open up for Australian mining companies with the advent of a powerful new spaceborne prospecting tool - the Aries-1 satellite. [97/129]
  
• 11 August - Gordon: a new rust resistant winter wheat - A new wheat variety will breathe fresh life into winter wheat production because of its resistance to rust, according to CSIRO and the Australian Wheat Board. [97/154]
  
• 4 August - Integrated pest management lagging in Australia - Australia is only implementing integrated pest management at the most rudimentary level, according to Dr Joanne Daly, Program Leader of Pest Management at CSIRO Entomology. [97/152]
  
• 4 August - Gene shears in cutting edge anti-aids trial - CSIRO's revolutionary "gene shears" technology has entered clinical trials in adults the first step in developing a potential treatment for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which causes AIDS, the chief executive of Gene Shears Pty Ltd, Dr Leigh Farrell announced today. [97/150]
  
• 31 July - New technologies lead to revolution in agriculture - A broad range of new technologies are the drivers that will turn agriculture into a high-technology business, according to visiting US investment broker, Sano Shimoda. These technologies will create new opportunities as well as challenges for farmers here in Australia and all over the world. [97/151]
  
• 30 July - Eucalypt veneers - quality uncovered - The lustrous beauty of Australian hardwood is shown to great advantage, when it is used as high quality decorative veneers. Panels and mouldings are two of the latest products to come from the humble Australian gum tree. [97/149]
  
• 29 July - Milk extract may heal wounds and smooth wrinkles - Researchers have found that Cleopatra might have been right all along - some of the chemicals found in milk could be very good for your skin. They may even speed up the healing of wounds. [97/148]
  
• 28 July - Rethink required on pest management - New technologies, such as biopesticides, transgenic plants and new chemistries must be integrated with traditional methods if pest and weed management is to be effective in the long-term, according to CSIRO Entomology. [97/147]
  
• 23 July - New way to clean up oil spills - A powder made from finely ground Australian clay - sprayed from the air - could be the secret weapon needed to clean up large oil spills at sea. [97/145]
  
• 20 July - Are pine forests a threat to groundwater? - Municipalities around Australia should be closely watching a CSIRO research project in pine plantations in the Mt Gambier (South Australia) district. [97/144]
  
• 14 July - Foods that arm you against heart attacks - CSIRO has developed a technique for testing how well different food extracts work at keeping heart cells beating in time. [97/143]
  
• 9 July - Student discovery: exploded stars 'cosmic compasses' - Exploded stars in our Galaxy line up with the Galaxy's magnetic field like cosmic compasses, a student working with CSIRO's Australia Telescope has found. [97/141]
  
• 8 July - Fastflo cracks international market - CSIRO's Fastflo mathematical software for scientists and engineers has today been launched on the international market by the UK firm Numerical Algorithms Group Ltd (NAG). [97/140]
  
• 8 July - Kapalga: world's largest fire experiment on show - A national conference highlighting fire problems in northern Australia will showcase the world's largest fire experiment. [97/139]
  
• 8 July - Bushfire 97 Conference Stories - fire experiment, woody weeds and building damage. [97/138]
  
• 4 July - New poster available on endangered insects of the ACT - A poster entitled "Disappearing Insects of Native Grassland" has just become available and will be offered free to ACT schools. [97/137]
  
• 4 July - Few Australians think life is getting better: poll - More than fifty per cent of Australians think life is getting worse, and only one in eight believes it is getting better, according to a survey commissioned by CSIRO. [97/136]
  
• 3 July - Astronomic giant begins observations - A vast new radio telescope three times larger than the Earth itself is now producing its first images of the distant universe with a clarity many times greater than anything seen by astronomers before. [97/135]
  
• 1 July - Australian medical sheepskins ease the pressure - Hospital patients will recover more quickly, suffer less and the health system can save hundreds of millions of dollars due to a uniquely Australian scientific development, the Australian Medical Sheepskin [97/132]
  
• 1 July - CSIRO marmoset colony for Monash - CSIRO's marmoset colony will be transferred later this year to a specially designed facility at Monash University. [97/134]
  
• 1 July - CSIRO boost for chemical and drug industry - CSIRO has formed a new Division, Molecular Science, to meet the needs of the $20 billion chemicals and plastics industry and the $2.5 billion pharmaceutical industry. [97/133]
  
• 26 June - Marine pests on the rampage - Marine pests are likely to cause as much damage to Australia's marine environments as rabbits and feral cats do on land, and are more persistent than oil spills, a National Science Briefing was told in Canberra today. [97/131]
  
• 24 June - CSIRO welcomes Stocker report release - The Chief Executive of CSIRO, Dr Malcolm McIntosh, has welcomed the release for debate of the Stocker report on national scientific priority matters by the Minister for Science, Mr Peter McGauran. [97/130]
  
• 24 June - Is life in Australia getting better, or worse? - Leading researchers will discuss how we define and measure national progress at a major conference in Canberra on July 3 and 4, 1997. [97/128]
  
• 23 June - Dollars and sense at Flushing Meadows tree harvest - Human waste is the fertiliser for a new fast-growing crop which will bring in money, help save Australia's rivers from pollution, and take the pressure off our native forests. [97/127]
  
• 23 June - Cleaning the steppes of Central Asia - Australian aerospace technology is to help clean up heavily contaminated nuclear sites in Central Asia. [97/125]
  
• 20 June - Australian technology edge for Defence - Australian micro-manufacturing expertise will give the technological edge to the next generation of defence communication, electronic surveillance and radar system hardware, the Minister for Defence Industry, Science and Personnel, Mrs Bronwyn Bishop said today. [97/126]
  
• 19 June - Micro-machines - manufacturing of the future - Electric micro-motors will soon be driving devices smaller than a pinhead as they move through the human body to diagnose or heal a specific ailment and transmit results to a doctor's data recorder, according to CSIRO's Dr Mike Murray, Chief of the Division of Materials Science and Technology. [97/124]
  
• 19 June - War on toxic algae escalates - Research results announced in Parliament House, Canberra today will help set national strategies to combat the menace of toxic blue-green algae in the nation's fresh water rivers and reservoirs. [97/123]
  
• 18 June - Greenhouse effect not all bad? - CSIRO scientists have shown that increased carbon dioxide in the air, primarily responsible for green house warming, makes plants grown faster and improves their ability to cope with drought and salinity. [97/122]
  
• 16 June - New research to begin on Patagonian Toothfish - Early research in the development of the Patagonian Toothfish fishery provides the best opportunity to develop a valuable and sustainable resource in deep waters around Macquarie Island, says CSIRO's Dr Keith Sainsbury. [97/121]
  
• 16 June - Art and Science come together at CSIRO - Virtual sculpture 'growing' within a computer-generated environment is just one of the possible creations of CSIRO's new artist-in-residence. [97/118]
  
• 15 June - Real Aussies prefer science to sport - Australian would rather learn about scientific discoveries from the media than about sport or political news, according to the results of a new national opinion survey announced by the chief executive of CSIRO, Dr Malcolm McIntosh. [97/120]
  
• 12 June - CSIRO cleans up rural effluents - CSIRO and Australian Meat Technology Pty Ltd have developed a simple and reliable method to remove nutrients from rural effluents. [97/119]
  
• 11 June - Rock art dated at over 17,000 years old - Australian scientists have pioneered a revolutionary method for dating ancient rock paintings that will shed fresh light on human prehistory worldwide - and may also provide clues to when Australia was first settled. [97/115]
  
• 11 June - Greybacked canegrub - a biological solution - Over 40 sugarcane farmers have agreed to test a new biological insecticide for the greybacked cane grub, one of the worst pests of the Australian sugarcane industry. [97/116]
  
• 10 June - Australian advance in skin cancer detection - A unique Australian technology that will greatly improve the of early detection of skin cancers and help save the lives of melanoma victims will be launched in Sydney today. [97/114]
  
• 10 June - Scientists discover how plants 'eat' - The fundamental mystery of how plants feed themselves has been solved by an Australian-led team, in a scientific advance that has won world acclaim. [97/112]
  
• 6 June - North Australian lead on food for Asia - Northern Australian science has a vital role to play in the sustainable development of the Asia-Pacific region, says the new Chief of CSIRO Tropical Agriculture, Dr Elizabeth Heij. [97/113]
  
• 5 June - Australia's world lead in land, water science - Australia is superbly placed to become a world leader in land and water science at a crucial period in human history, says the new Chief of CSIRO Land & Water, Dr Graham Harris. [97/111]
  
• 5 June - Counting the true costs of soil degradation - Australian farms affected by soil degradation could be losing tens of thousands of dollars off their land values. [97/110]
  
• 4 June - Australian scientists create a nanomachine - A team of Australian researchers has made a scientific advance of world significance by building a functioning nanomachine - a device with moving parts that are only molecules in size, the Minister for Science, Mr Peter McGauran has announced. [97/109]
  
• 3 June - CSIRO, Japan in multi-million dollar R&D coal deal - Australian technology is set to aid Japanese coal mining operations around the world. [97/107]
  
• 2 June - Predicting salt's next assault - CSIRO scientists have pioneered a reliable way to predict future attacks by dryland salinity, the Minister for Science, Mr McGauran Announced today. [97/105]
  
• 2 June - Astronomers in galactic challenge - Scientists using a telescope of the Australian National University have challenged findings from the Hubble Space Telescope. [97/106]
  
• 29 May - Astronomers spot 8 billion year-old stars - An Australian-led international team of astronomers has detected a supernova - an exploding star, brighter that 10 billion suns, towards the very edge of space and time. [97/103]
  
• 21 May - CSIRO/AusAID projects for Indonesia - CSIRO announced today a major new program to help build Indonesia's mineral, forestry and livestock industries. [97/101]
  
• 20 May - Breakthrough on the energy of the future - CSIRO scientists working with Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd (CFCL) have helped put Australia among the world leaders in energy with the successful demonstration of the working 1.5kW ceramic (or solid oxide) fuel cell, the Minister for Science Mr Peter McGauran announced today. [97/100]
  
• 16 May - Fine-tuning rice for high yield, high profit - CSIRO and NSW Agriculture researchers have devised a way to maximise rice yields which can increase industry profits by millions of dollars each year. [97/99]
  
• 15 May - Finding the magic footage - Australian researchers have found the needle in the film and sound haystack. New software called WebFlix makes it possible to rapidly pinpoint a precise segment of film from thousands of hours of footage. [97/98]
  
• 14 May - Sludge, sludge, glorious sludge - CSIRO has negotiated world wide marketing rights for its new treatment of the water used to wash wool. [97/97]
  
• 12 May - Who's been eating my cyanide? - big prospects for poison-munching bugs - CSIRO scientists have isolated strange bacteria which thrive on a diet of cyanide - and the researchers say the tiny bugs could help in environmental clean-ups, and could save the mining industry money. [97/96]
  
• 12 May - Ancient Australian desert food gives life in Africa - Aboriginal desert food is now saving lives in sub-Saharan Africa. Jock Morse, a botanist with the CSIRO's Austtralian Tree Seed Centre is working with Aboriginal communities in central Australia, in a project which combines modern scientific methods and traditional knowledge handed down for thousands of years. [97/95]
  
• 10 May - Ultrafine particles mean trouble world-wide - Australia's atmospheric scientists are tackling one of the world's major urban problems - ultrafine particles in the air. [97/94]
  
• 9 May - DNA Fingerprinting: when the price is right - DNA fingerprinting is a simple and accurate way for Merino ram breeders to record pedigrees. However, it is currently too expensive for the average stud breeder. [97/92]
  
• 8 May - Traps set for river sediments on sea-floor - Scientists will be closer to understanding the downstream effects of large rivers which carry heavy loads of sediments and nutrients, following an international research voyage beginning today (Thursday). [97/93]
  
• 7 May - Bat lyssavirus update - national surveillance boosted - Australia is better prepared to detect future cases of Australian bat lyssavirus in people and animals, following a Health Department funded national training course held by CSIRO last week. [97/91]
  
• 7 May - Wool research: The best and latest on display - The best and latest in breeding technology and wool products will feature in this year's CSIRO display at Armidale's Wool Expo (9-11 May). [97/89]
  
• 6 May - Tracking the black gold - Australia's dwindling oil reserves could receive a significant boost from a revolutionary oil tracking method developed by CSIRO. [97/90]
  
• 5 May - Transgenic potatoes may mean cheaper chips - Australia's first harvest of revolutionary non-browning potatoes will take place near Adelaide today. CSIRO researchers have turned off the gene which causes potatoes to turn brown when they are cut or bruised. [97/88]
  
• 4 May - Megascience meets in Canberra - An OECD Megascience Forum Working Group met in Canberra this week. 'Megascience' refers to research efforts which are too big, too costly and too complex to be dealt with by single governments. [97/87]
  
• 29 April - Mining Technology benefits sugar industry - An instrument developed by CSIRO for measuring the soil content in sugar cane has the potential to significantly reduce the $30 million a year cost to the Australian sugar industry caused by processing farm soil in cane. [97/86]
  
• 29 April - Safeguard our institutions, reform our economy: Allen - Australia should guard and preserve its institutions, while continuing with economic reform, says CSIRO Chairman Charles Allen. [97/85]
  
• 28 April - Megascience being shaped in Canberra - The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Megascience Forum Working Group on Biological Informatics will hold its third meeting in Canberra starting tomorrow. [97/84]
  
• 28 April - R&D Managers need flexibility - Groundbreaking research is the result of allowing researchers flexibility, a concept which the bean counters in science management ignore at their peril. That's the message from a book launched today (Monday April 28) by CSIRO Chairman, Mr Charles Allen. Called Research, Development and Innovation, The authors describe it as a virtal 'how to' for encouraging innovative research for Australian industry. [97/83]
  
• 28 April - Science, the key to Australia's future - Media representatives are invited to attend the JE Cummins Memorial Oration for 1997 to be delivered on Tuesday 29 April 1997 at 7.00 pm at the Royal Society of Victoria, 8 La Trobe St., Melbourne by Mr Charles Allen AO FTSE, Chairman of CSIRO. [97/82]
  
• 27 April - Making Australia safer for sharks - Australia's largest freshwater fish is not the famous Murray Cod - it's actually Pristis microdon, the giant freshwater sawfish, which sometimes reaches a length of seven metres and weighs over a tonne. [97/81]
  
• 24 April - Australian world-first in pest control - An Australian research team has achieved a world breakthrough for the humane control of animal pests by using a virus to render mice infertile, the Minister for Science, Mr Peter McGauran, announced today. [97/80]
  
• 24 April - Pilot screw-worm facility opens in Malaysia - Australia's front-line defences against a potentially devastating parasite of humans and animals are being strengthened. A pilot facility to mass-rear sterile Old World screw-worm flies will be opened in Johor, Malaysia, and the Malaysian Minister for Agriculture. [97/79]
  
• 22 April - Extinct Marsupial makes its comeback - One of the world's rarest mammals, the western barred bandicoot, is poised for a return to the Australian mainland, where it is thought to have been extinct for more than half a century. The return of the bandicoot marks a new phase in the battle to turn the tide of extinctions which has seen 18 Australian native animals disappear in the last 200 years. [97/78]
  
• 22 April - World-class food research facility - CSIRO and the Australian Food Industry Science Centre(AFISC) in Victoria have agreed in principle to form a joint venture that will create one of the world's larges food research institutes, serving the nation's $60 billion a year food sector. The proposed joint venture will include laboratories and pilot plants in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. [97/73]
  
• 21 April - Science partnership yields clean, green paints - Australian scientists have gained a world lead in environmentally benign coatings for cars and trucks which is driving a revolution in the $US5b-a-year global automotive paints industry. Working in strategic partnership with US chemical giant Du Pont, researchers from the CSIRO Division of Chemicals and Polymers are pioneering a new range of coatings that are cleaner, 'greener' and more durable than today's car paints. [97/77]
  
• 19 April - Science soap opera - on the Web - An international trail-blazing science drama is being launched today on the World Wide Web. The stories in this soapie take a humorous look at the social lives of six scientists as they struggle to solve the mystery of the missing carbon sink. The characters are played by young scientists from CSIRO. [97/75]
  
• 17 April - Testing the waters, scientifically - Students from ACT schools are carrying out a scientific survey of soil and water quality in the Canberra region. Samples are being collected at selected sites from each ACT catchment, and will be analysed by scientist at CSIRO Land and Water, Black Mountain, Canberra. [97/74]
  
• 17 April - Linnaeus still lags behind Newton - Today's catalogues of stars and galaxies are effectively more complete and vastly better funded than catalogues of Earth's animal and plant life, according to Sir Robert May, Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government. [97/72]
  
• 15 April - Discovery unveils secrets of 21st Century Science - CSIRO, Optus and the ACT Government will today (Wednesday) launch Discovery, a public centre which showcases real Australian science in action, with the aim of building a more innovative society. [97/71]
  
• 15 April - Professor Sir Robert May: Press Conference - Media representatives are invited to a press conference to be held by Sir Robert May, Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government and Head of the UK Office of Science and Technology at 12.00 noon on Thursday 17 April at CSIRO Entomology, Black Mountain, Canberra. [97/70]
  
• 15 April - Inland bores may threaten native species - Bores, dams and troughs are a potential threat to biological diversity of native plants, animals and birds in arid and semi-arid Australia, a new CSIRO study has found. [97/62]
  
• 14 April - Greenhouse: what effects on Australia's crops? - Today's minor crop diseases may become a major threat to crops if the enhanced greenhouse effect occurs as predicted, says CSIRO's Dr Sukumar Chakraborty. [97/69]
  
• 12 April - Coal mining seeks greener pastures - Scars left by former coal mines in Queensland's Bowen Basin will vanish beneath a mantle of green, following a major advance in minesite rehabilitation by scientists at CSIRO Tropical Agriculture. [97/68]
  
• 12 April - CSIRO to unlock science secrets - Media representatives are invited to the launch of Discovery, a major new development in science for the people of Australia. The launch will be at 10am on Wednesday, 16 April, at CSIRO's Black Mountain laboratories in Canberra. There will be spectacular visual opportunities, and some of the most inventive minds in Australia will be available for comment. [97/67]
  
• 10 April - Scientists reject meat safety claims - Senior CSIRO scientists today rejected public claims by meat industry unions about the safety of meat produced in domestic abattoirs, saying they misrepresented the findings of a major scientific study. [97/65]
  
• 10 April - Harvest under way for transgenic cotton - Harvest has begun on Australia's first commercial crop of insect-resistant transgenic cotton, with clear signs that it has led to environmental and health benefits. [97/64]
  
• 10 April - Australia to lead on diversity of life: UK Scientist - Sir Robert May, Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government and Head of the UK Office of Science and Technology will visit Canberra next week to talk about the pressing need to catalogue the biological diversity of life on earth. [97/63]
  
• 9 April - Plantations to reduce greenhouse emissions - "Plantations grown for energy production could contribute substantially to lowering greenhouse gas emissions in both the USA and Australia" says Dr Howard Rosen of the US Forest Service. Dr Rosen, a wood products specialist, is visiting Australia to develop research links with CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products. [97/61]
  
• 8 April - World experiment delivers oceans of information - Australian and US oceanographers have successfully retrieved a series of underwater instruments from a depth of more than three thousand metres in sub-Antarctic waters. [97/60]
  
• 4 April - CSIRO expertise to fight emerging meat pathogens - The Meat Research Corporation has commissioned CSIRO scientists to find ways to improve food safety, as researchers come to grips with hazards posed by dangerous new micro-organisms. [97/59]
  
• 3 April - Legacy of a thousand bushfires - Australia's soil is even poorer than was thought, says CSIRO Land and Water researcher Jan Skjemstad. Much of our small supply of carbon - an essential element in fertile soil - is in the form of useless charcoal, resulting from tens of thousands of years of bushfires. [97/58]
  
• 31 March - Bacteria at work to extract metals - CSIRO has launched a major research initiative into the use of naturally occurring bacteria to extract base and precious metals from their ores. As environmental restrictions on the mining industry increase, interest is focussing on more environmentally friendly technologies. "Bacterial leaching has the potential to add to the suite of environmentally friendly processes for extracting metals from their ores," said Dr Martin Houchin, CSIRO's project manager. [97/51]
  
• 27 March - Revolutionary invention for insect identification - An invention for inflating the genitalia of insects is set to revolutionise insect classification. The CSIRO vesica everter, or "phalloblaster" as it is affectionately known, has been developed over two years by CSIRO Entomology and LWD Engineering. [97/57]
  
• 25 March - If you can't stand the fumes, stay out of the kitchen - Levels of the air pollutant nitrogen dioxide are often higher in the kitchen than anywhere else. This is the finding of CSIRO scientist, Dr Tom Beer, who has spent 20 weeks wearing a personal air pollution sampler. [97/56]
  
• 21 March - I'd like to see that! - A cure for the flu? A revolutionary contact lens that can be worn for a month? Magnets that clean water and sewage? A recyclable plastic banknote? Bullet proof plastic? How was it done? Ask a scientist at CSIRO'S Chemicals and Polymers Open Day next Sunday between 1:30 and 5pm. [97/53]
  
• 21 March - Minister to launch hunt for hidden galaxies - On friday the Minister for Science and Technology, Mr Peter McGauran, will launch a world-first search for thousands of 'hidden' galaxies when he flicks 13 switches at CSIRO's Parkes radio telescope. [97/47]
  
• 20 March - Protecting our BBQ Prawns - Aussie prawns are a popular item on menus around the world and new research will ensure they stay that way, by protecting them from the perils of disease. [97/52]
  
• 20 March - Ozone-eaters do the environment a good turn - CSIRO uses CFCS to study groundwater sustainability. In an ironic twist, CSIRO scientists in Adelaide are putting ozone-eating CFC chemicals to work to help study Australia's environment. [97/50]
  
• 20 March - Volcano's fire lights the way to Nickel riches - The fires of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano are casting new light on the quest for nickel deposits in Western Australia. The rich nickel deposits of Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields are found in huge ancient lava flows, according to Rob Hill's research group at CSIRO Exploration and Mining in Perth. The group in unravelling the processes which caused these deposits to form. The clues, it turns out, are in the volcano. [97/49]
  
• 20 March - CSIRO - Successfully capping Uranium Mine wastes - CSIRO is well advanced with development of a highly efficient technique for safely locking away extremely soft uranium mine tailings. The technique paves the way for early environmental rehabilitation of mine sites and increased competitiveness of Australian mines. [97/48]
  
• 18 March - I-spy: A revolutionary new tool for the science world - Cancer research will be among the many research areas to benefit from the development of a revolutionary new tool for the science world, which is expected to offer significant export opportunities for Australia. [97/55]
  
• 18 March - Health & welfare boost for Australian feedlot cattle - A revolutionary new vaccine is expected to boost cattle health and welfare, promoting a more sustainable and profitable feedlot cattle industry in Australia, as well as opening up major export opportunities for Australia's growing pharmaceutical industry. [97/46]
  
• 18 March - These melons are no lemons! - Apart from sweetness, what makes a good melon? This is what CSIRO Horticulture researcher, Dr Steve Sykes, asked eight years ago, before embarking on a breeding project to produce the delectable melons being tasted for the first time this week. [97/45]
  
• 14 March - CSIRO opens new $4.9 million animal health laboratory at AAHL in Geelong - The Hon John Anderson MP, Minister for Primary Industries and Energy & the Hon Peter McGauran MP, Minister for Science and Technology will open CSIRO's new animal health laboratory in Geelong on Friday, 14 March 1997 commencing at 2 pm. [97/54]
  
• 13 March - CSIRO helps Indonesia build science capability - CSIRO has been selected from a worldwide field to assist in the task of building Indonesia's national science management capability. The chief executive of CSIRO, Dr Malcolm McIntosh, announced today that a contract has been signed between CSIRO and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). [97/44]
  
• 12 March - Throwing light on the nature of gravity - An international bid to peer into the dark heart of a black hole, to witness the birth of neutron stars and reveal the nature of one of the most mysterious forces in the Universe will be underpinned by Australian technology. [97/43]
  
• 9 March - Dunk Island pioneers science-based tourism - Popular Queensland tourist resort Dunk Island is pioneering a new industry trend using science to make Australian tourism safer, more efficient, and more environmentally-attuned. [97/42]
  
• 7 March - New era in drug discovery - Australia's scientific effort to devise new drugs to combat conditions ranging from diabetes and cancer to HIV, hepatitis and wounds will stepped up as a result to two major developments. [97/41]
  
• 6 March - Healthy foods can cut the death rate - The Australian diet can help to save ten of thousands of lives every year and curb the nation's soaring healthcare costs, according to eminent nutritional scientist Professor Richard Head. [97/40]
  
• 6 March - Wine science yields vintage crop - Australia's wine industry is having a world-wide impact on wine-making and wine styles, thanks to a major investment in science and technology. [97/39]
  
• 5 March - The great gene debate - Gene technology - the superscience of the 21st Century - will come under the microscope at a major international workshop on benefits, risks and consumer implications, at Old Parliament House, Canberra next week (11-13 March.). [97/38]
  
• 4 March - Catching mites on the hop - An introduced tropical mite is set to save the Tasmanian hop industry - the basis of Australia's finest beers - from the ravages of a major pest, the two-spotted mite. [97/37]
  
• 26 Feb - Indonesians favour Aussie food - Higher-income Indonesians consider Australian food is equal to the best in the world, a CSIRO study has found. [97/35]
  
• 26 Feb - Quality to the very core - Australia's plantation eucalypts are becoming to the world's elite timber trade what our cabernet sauvignons are to international wine buffs. [97/34]
  
• 26 Feb - Fish studies reveal the good oil - CSIRO studies of more than 120 fish species found in Australian waters are confirming that when it comes to fish, some are better for your health than others. [97/33]
  
• 25 Feb - Sugar that grows white - A world advance by CSIRO scientists is poised to give Australia's $2 billion sugar industry an international competitive edge, based on a purer, whiter product. [97/32]
  
• 24 Feb - Fruit that no longer gives you the pip - A CSIRO scientist has discovered a gene which makes plants nip their seeds in the bud - a breakthrough she hopes will lead to new kinds of oranges, lemons and other fruit without seeds. [97/31]
  
• 21 Feb - Latest Rural Research Summer Edition - Australian lychees big potential
  In the past, Australian lychee growers have been unable to capitalise on the huge market for their produce because of inconsistent yields. Now researchers have found the key to achieving consistent yields and a new way of propagating for high density planting. [97/30]
  
• 20 Feb - First ever CSIRO Manufesto launched - A new antenna that can communicate with up to 20 satellites at once, new X-ray technology to aid tumour detection, and revolutionary contact lenses that can be worn for up to a month, will be unveiled today in Melbourne at MANUfesto, CSIRO's expo of technology. [97/28]
  
• 20 Feb - Fingering the Black Sheep - CSIRO scientists have devised a revolutionary way to finger the black sheep of the Australian flock - Merino rams which persist in passing on a few black or coloured fibres in an otherwise pristine national woolclip, reducing its market value by millions of dollars. [97/27]
  
• 18 Feb - Australian company commits $750,000 to new CSIRO vaccine technology - A revolutionary new animal vaccine technology is expected to open up major export opportunities for Australia's livestock and pharmaceutical industries under a new $2 million joint research project. Inovax, an Australian pharmaceutical development company, has committed $750,000 to a three year strategic alliance with CSIRO and the Pig Research and Development Corporation. The project to develop new vaccine technology for the pig industry was announced by the Minister for Science and Technology, Mr Peter McGauran today. [97/26]
  
• 17 Feb - Australia urged to back winners - The former chairman of CSIRO, Professor Adrienne Clarke, today called on the Federal Government to rethink its cut to the industry R&D tax incentive, because it had reduced Australia's international competitiveness as a centre for research. [97/25]
  
• 14 Feb - CSIRO to boost $47bn tourism sector - CSIRO today unveiled a comprehensive research program designed to give Australia's $47 billion-a-year tourism industry a world lead in environmental sustainability. [97/24]
  
• 12 Feb - Potential savings of millions from collaborative CSIRO/Telstra research - Telstra has the potential to save millions of dollars as a result of collaborative research findings announced by CSIRO and Telstra. The research has involved the identification of problem clay soils that may cause major stresses and transmission losses in buried optical fibre cable. [97/23]
  
• 10 Feb - Starch research leads to healthier foods - Research by Australian scientists has identified the potential of special starches to enhance the health benefits of ordinary foods. These starches are called resistant starch because they act like dietary fibre. [97/22]
  
• 10 Feb - Australian coals - clean and green - The coal industry and Commonwealth and State governments will provide $4.5 million for a project which will help Australian coal producers promote their coals into advanced power generation systems which reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. [97/21]
  
• 10 Feb - Earth in view as NASA and CSIRO share information - The US space agency NASA and CSIRO agreed this week to exchange environmental data obtained by satellite. [97/20]
  
• 7 Feb - Realising Australia's marine potential - Australia will take a step closer to realising the potential of its ocean territories when the Minister for Science and Technology, Mr Peter McGauran, opens the CSIRO Division of Marine Research in Hobart today. [97/19]
  
• 6 Feb - Australia in telescope three times larger than Earth - On Tuesday (11 Feb) Japan will launch into orbit the first space radio telescope, which will give astronomers pictures hundreds of times sharper than those from the Hubble Space Telescope. [97/18]
  
• 4 Feb - Research targets incurable prostate cancer - Scientists from CSIRO and Sydney's Prince of Wales Hospital report significant advances in the battle to treat incurable prostate cancer. [97/17]
  
• 4 Feb - Hypercars: driving towards future clean air - New technology will almost completely eliminate pollution released by motor vehicles is a message being given at the OUTLOOK '97 meeting. [97/16]
  
• 30 Jan - Fire-fighting? Get dressed for the job - Fire-fighting in forests is hot work, but heatstroke caused by the wrong clothing could be more dangerous. In a three year study of firefighters in action, researchers found that suppressing bushfires with hand tools generated about three times more heat than firefighters absorbed from fires. [97/15]
  
• 29 Jan - Gold Gold Gold - The first geological description of a significant new gold discovery in the Bismarck Sea off Papua New Guinea will be released at an international conference in Canberra commencing on 30 January. [97/14]
  
• 29 Jan - Spinoff Companies can expect success, says study - A study of forty two Australian companies has shown that 'spinoff companies' have a greater success rate than other new businesses. [97/13]
  
• 23 Jan - Superwheels give Aussie Athlete an edge - A set of revolutionary high-tech wheels are set to give Victorian wheelchair athlete Brett Macarthur a fresh turn of speed in Sunday's prestige wheelchair road race in Sydney. [97/12]
  
• 23 Jan - W.A. Scientist to head CSIRO Land and Water - CSIRO Deputy Chief Executive Dr John Radcliffe today announced the appointment of Mr Mick Poole as Acting Chief of CSIRO Land and Water. The new Division which comes into being on February 1 has been formed by the merger of the Division of Water Resources, the Division of Soils, and the Centre for Environmental Mechanics. [97/11]
  
• 21 Jan - Black smokers and sea-bed gold: research ship in Sydney - CSIRO research vessel, the RV Franklin, docks in Sydney on Thursday morning after a making spectacular discoveries in the Bismarck Sea, off Papua New Guinea. [97/10]
  
• 21 Jan - Middle East peace process calls on Australian cloud-seeding experience - A CSIRO cloud-seeding scientist is to play a key role in the Middle East peace process.Dr Brian Ryan of CSIRO's Division of Atmospheric Research has been asked to serve on a vital international committee set up to foster national co-operation between rainfall enhancement programs in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. [97/09]
  
• 16 Jan - Magnesium processing project: background - Australia's bid to become a major player in the global magnesium metal industry began with the discovery, by Queensland Metals Corporation in 1985, of a vast 63 square kilometre deposit of magnesite ore at Kunwarara in Central Queensland - the largest of its kind in the world. [97/6]
  
• 15 Jan - First transgenic cereals trialed - CSIRO Plant Industry researchers will today (Wednesday, 15 January) reap the first plot of transgenic cereals ever to be field trialed in Australia. [97/8]
  
• 14 Jan - Fastest Abalone on earth - Australia is poised to produce the world's fastest abalone - at least in terms of growth. [97/3]
  
• 9 Jan - Sparks in the wind tunnel show path of destruction - A unique vertical wind tunnel has been developed by CSIRO to help bushfire research. [97/5]
  
• 6 Jan - Poo for profit as townsfolk pull the chain - Residents of Griffith (NSW) have turned poo into profit as wheat and good quality fodder went off to market. [97/4]
  
• 3 Jan - Ocean breakthrough links temperature to rainfall - Marine scientists are close to cracking the code which links ocean surface temperatures in the tropical Indian Ocean to rainfall over southern and south-eastern Australia. [97/2]
  
• 2 Jan - A healthy diet? It's all in the faeces - Cattle producers need to know the protein content and digestibility of the diet of their grazing cattle. [97/1]

   

This information is maintained by Jenifer.North@cc.csiro.au
CSIRO National Awareness