World leading ANU scientists recognised among nation s best
25 May 2021
A plant biologist and geochemist from The Australian National University (ANU) have both been recognised for their outstanding contributions to their fields of science.
Professor Dorrit Jacob s work is diverse, covering everything from how certain molluscs produce pearls, to how diamonds form deep inside the Earth s mantle.
She s a pioneer in the emerging field of biomineralisation - or how living organisms produce minerals - and recently joined ANU as the first female director of the Research School of Earth Sciences.
Professor Barry Pogson s innovative research has helped us better understand how plant cells communicate with each other about changes in their environment, paving the way for more drought resilient crops.
In spite of decades of research, cancer remains an enigma. Conventional wisdom holds that cancer is driven by random mutations that create aberrant cells that run amok in the body. In a new paper published this week in the journal BioEssays, Arizona and Australian researchers challenge this model by proposing that cancer is a type of genetic throwback, that progresses via a series of reversions to ancestral forms of life.
Pearls of Wisdom: tidal shifts in the sector Posted April 24, 2021 | By Arabella Roden • Editor ARABELLA RODEN examines the tidal shifts in the pearl sector as it confronts the unique challenges of an uncertain future.
As organic gemstones, pearls are uniquely susceptible to variations in the natural environment. At the same time, the pearl trade is as vulnerable as any to disruptions in market conditions; perhaps even more so, given that it operates across international borders, from often-remote oyster farms in the Asia-Pacific region, to its chief trading hubs in Hong Kong and Japan and final consumers in Mainland China, Europe, and the US.
Their findings, suggesting that this inner inner core might indicate a second, extreme cooling event sometime in our world s past, are detailed in a new study recently published at the online scientific site, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.
Dr. Joanne Stephenson, lead author and PhD researcher in the Research School of Earth Sciences at the Australian National University explained that investigating the structure of the inner core can aid in understanding more about the Earth’s history and evolution.
“Traditionally we’ve been taught the Earth has four main layers: the crust, the mantle, the outer core and the inner core, she said in a University press release. The idea of another distinct layer was proposed a couple of decades ago, but the data has been very unclear.”