Monthly Archives: June 2011

Macquarie climate change project to share in $4.2 million of research funding.

The Australian Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) announced a project by Macquarie University researchers as one the successful applicants to share in $4.2 million of funding. Awarded in the category of Terrestrial Biodiversity, the project will determine future invasive plant threats under climate change. […] … learn more→

Lab-grown meat would \’cut emissions and save energy\’

Meat grown using tissue engineering techniques, so-called ‘cultured meat’, would generate up to 96% lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventionally produced meat, according to a new study. The analysis, carried out by scientists from Oxford University and the University of Amsterdam, also estimates that cultured meat would require 7-45% less energy to produce than the […] … learn more→

Lay out the welcome mat: naturopathy has come in from the cold

Use of complementary medicine (CAM) is widespread but often condemned by medical practitioners as being baseless or quackery. But some practices that fall under the umbrella of CAM do have a basis in evidence and may even offer lessons to medical doctors. What is naturopathy? Naturopathy is a health practice defined by its principles and […] … learn more→

Growing goat herds signal global grassland decline

After the earth was created, soil formed slowly over geological time from the weathering of rocks. It began to support early plant life, which protected and enriched it until it became the topsoil that sustains the diversity of plants and animals we know today. Now the world’s ever-growing herds of cattle, sheep, and goats are […] … learn more→

SensaSlim and me: how criticism of a weight-loss spray landed me in court

On March 18, 2011, I submitted my first complaint about the promotion of SensaSlim to appropriate authorities – the Complaint Resolution Panel (CRP) which hears complaints about alleged breaches of the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code 2007, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which administers the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission […] … learn more→

US Education pathway – paved with Gold?

The educational pathway taken by the United States is paved with some glaring failures. Despite this, US policies remain an El Dorado for Australian reformers. The Rudd Government’s warm embrace of former New York City education chief Joel Klein epitomises the flow of ideas. A new opportunity for Australia to borrow, or learn from, the […] … learn more→