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New bat virus key to Hendra?

Australian scientists have discovered a new virus in bats that could help shed light on how Hendra and Nipah viruses cause disease and death in animals and humans.

The new virus - named ‘Cedar’ after the Queensland location where it was discovered - is a close relative of the deadly Hendra and Nipah viruses.

However, CSIRO’s initial studies have discovered one surprising key difference - the Cedar virus does not cause illness in several animal species normally susceptible to Hendra and Nipah.

This tantalising difference may help scientists understand how to better manage and control its deadly cousins. The findings have been announced today in the journal, PLoS Pathogens, published by the Public Library of Science.

Read more here.

Australia to catch the wave and hang ten
(per cent that is)

We recently published a report that found that waves in the ocean could supply about ten per cent of Australia's electricity by 2050.

This is equivalent to powering a city the size of Melbourne.

The areas that could benefit from wave energy technology include Perth, the southern coastline and to a lesser extent the east coast of Australia. Tidal technology could supply niche areas such as north east Tasmania and the Kimberley region in Western Australia.

Although wave energy could supply about ten per cent of our energy by 2050, there are many economic, technological, environmental and societal challenges that will determine its place in Australia’s future energy mix.

Read more here.

The GI of rice- the long and short of it

Research analysing 235 types of rice from around the world has found its glycemic index (GI) varies from one type of rice to another with most varieties scoring a low to medium GI.

This finding is good news because it not only means rice can be part of a healthy diet for the average consumer, it also means people with diabetes, or at risk of diabetes, can select the right rice to help maintain a healthy, low GI diet.

GI is a measure of the relative ability of carbohydrates in foods to raise blood sugar levels after eating. When food is measured to have a 'high GI', it means it is easily digested and absorbed by the body, which often results in fluctuations in blood sugar levels that can increase chances of getting diabetes, and make management of Type 2 diabetes difficult.

Read more here.

The carbon sink in the Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean is an important carbon sink in the world – around 40 per cent of the annual global CO₂ emissions absorbed by the world’s oceans enter through this region.

Reporting this week in the journal Nature Geoscience, scientists from British Antarctic Survey and the CSIRO, reveal that rather than carbon being absorbed uniformly into the deep ocean in vast areas, it is drawn down and locked away from the atmosphere by plunging currents a thousand kilometres wide.

Winds, currents and massive whirlpools that carry warm and cold water around the ocean – known as eddies – create localised pathways or funnels for carbon to be stored. 

Read more here.