Click here to read the answers to callers questions.

Recently on ABC Newcastle Radio, Professor Penny Sackett was interviewed on a number of important scientific issues, such as the certainty of climate change, the importance of studying science and her role as Chief Scientist for Australia.

After the interview, a few listeners called in with some curly science questions. Not being one to shy away from a challenge, Penny promised to have the answers online as soon as possible. And here they are!

Penny’s team has provided a short answer to each of the questions, an academic reference and a link where you can find out more. If you want to listen to the entire interview you can listen to the podcast below and if you have any more curly questions, save them up for Penny’s next on-air appearance!

    1. Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others?

It’s all to do with the unique chemistry of our bodies. Scientists have discovered that there are particular chemicals made by the human body, some of which attract mosquitoes, and some that repel them. However, scientists are still unsure what causes these mixtures to be a certain way or to change (such as age or diseases).

Reference:

Logan, J. (2008) Why do mosquitos “choose” to bite some people more than others? Outlooks on Pest Management, 19 (6), pp 280-283.

For more information, check out: http://www.researchinformation.co.uk/pest/sample/S14-1906.pdf

   2. Why does growing broad beans change the level of nitrate in the soil?

Broad beans are part of a group of plants known as legumes. These plants have root nodules in which they host bacteria known as “diazotrophs,” which have the ability carry out nitrogen fixation, taking nitrogen gas (N2) out of the air and converting it to forms of nitrogen usable by plants as fertiliser (nitrate or ammonia). It’s actually quite neat!

Reference:

Vessey JK, Pawlowski, K and Bergman B (2005). “Root-based N₂-fixing symbioses: Legumes, actinorhizal plants, Parasponia sp and cycads”. Plant and soil 274 (1-2): 51–78. doi:10.1007/s11104-005-5881-5

For more information, check out: http://www.ildis.org/Leguminosae/

    3. Do some plastic wraps leak dangerous chemicals into our food?

Food Standards Australia New Zealand acknowledges that, in certain conditions, chemicals in packaging can migrate to the food product but tend to do so in very low levels. One such chemical is Bisphenol A, more commonly referred to as BPA. 

Recent studies have explored the association between BPA build-up and heart disease, diabetes and changes in liver enzymes in adults. This seems to indicate that the smaller the individual the greater the potential health impact of BPA. 

Evaluations conducted by FSANZ indicate that the level of BPA found in commonly occurring Australian food packaging is still safe, however FSANZ continues to liaise closely with national and international regulators and industry to ensure that new evidence is assessed. 

References:

Melzer D, Rice NE, Lewis C, Henley WE, Galloway TS (2010) Association of Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration with Heart Disease: Evidence from NHANES 2003/06. PLoS ONE 5(1): e8673. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008673

Von Goetz N, Wormuth M, Scheringer M, Hungerbuhler K (2010) Bisphenol A: How the Most Relevant Exposure Sources Contribute to Total Consumer Exposer. Risk Analysis 30(1): 473 – 487

For more information, check out: http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/scienceandeducation/factsheets/factsheets2010/bisphenolabpaandfood4701.cfm

Listen to the podcast here

Listen to speeches from the forum

Listen to the panel discussion

These podcasts were provided by Monash University, Australia’s most internationalised university. For more information, visit www.monash.edu.au/

Have you ever wanted to see what DNA actually looks like? Well try this great experiment, which shows you how to isolate the DNA of a strawberry…

Strawberry DNA Isolation

This author of this article is the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology.

ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology

The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology focuses on the discovery and characterisation of the molecular components and control mechanisms that drive energy metabolism in plant cells. The Centre operates in three major university nodes across Australia: the University of Western Australia (Perth), Australian National University (Canberra) and the University of Sydney.

The Centre combines world-leading expertise and experience in organelle biology (chloroplasts, mitochondria and peroxisomes) with complementary expertise in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, biochemistry and physiology. Four research programs within the Centre work towards identifying the mechanisms by which subcellular energy metabolism and communication systems control plant growth and development.

Research is carried out using four cutting-edge technology platforms on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana to identify the key regulatory factors that control the biogenesis of organelles and their role in energy metabolism. This knowledge contributes to resources and knowledge for improving plant performance, particularly in marginal environments and in response to climate change, thereby providing the means to enhance the yield and nutritional value of a range of agricultural products.
Visit www.plantenergy.uwa.edu.au for further information.

The data shows that more and larger fires can be predicted if we cannot change the trajectories of global warming. The Chief Scientist will explore the ways in which science can help us predict the frequency of bushfire weather in the future, as well as avoid or adapt to more frequent and more intense fires in the future.

While bushfires are part of Australia’s natural environment, we can help damaged ecosystems so they adapt more quickly after fires by enhancing their resilience through ecological engineering.

Science can also help with human recovery – not only helping rebuild infrastructure and redesigning suburbs so that homes and other buildings are less at risk from bushfires, but also with the recovery of people after a fire. Both the physical and emotional scars left by bushfires are potent and debilitating. It is hoped that science can assist many on their long and difficult recovery from trauma.

The full speech can be viewed or listened to below:

Our future climate – living with fires now and into the future