AUSTRALIA'S BEST GROMMETS TO HEAD TO NARRABEEN FOR THE RIP CURL GROMSEARCH PRES. BY FLIGHT CENTRE.
WestConnex To Destroy Over 800 Trees In Sydney Park, St Peters And Alexandria
Clean Air For NSW Consultation Paper
AGL Fined $124,000 In Land And Environment Court
Testing How Species Respond To Climate Change
January 10, 2017Predicting how species will respond to climate change is a critical part of efforts to prevent widespread climate-driven extinction, or to predict its consequences for ecosystems.
Usually, the current climatic range of a species is used to predict where it will occur under future climate change scenarios.
However, this approach overlooks two important factors that may affect species' responses to climate change:- Species may be able to change the climatic range they can inhabit through evolution
- Species within an ecological community may respond differently to climate change, meaning the competitors, predators, pathogens and parasites that a given species encounters under the new climatic conditions may also change.
In a new study, published in Global Change Biology, scientists from the Universities of Bristol, James Cook University, and Melbourne University in Australia tested the response of the tropical rainforest fly Drosophila birchii to a changing climate by transplanting flies in hundreds of cages along mountain gradients in north-eastern Australia, and measuring their reproductive success at different elevations.
The team placing the cages used to transplant the rain forest flies.Credit: Eleanor O'Brien
Mountains are useful for exploring the effects of climate change because they show predictable changes in temperature and humidity with elevation: In general, sites at low elevations are warmer and drier than higher elevation sites.
By testing the success of many D. birchii families transplanted along elevation gradients, the team were able to measure genetic variation in responses to the thermal environment, which indicates the potential for thermal tolerances to evolve. They found that all families showed similar responses, indicating low levels of genetic variation in temperature sensitivity, and therefore little potential for climatic tolerances to evolve.
The team also compared the response of flies in cages (which experienced the local temperature and humidity, but not interactions with other species) with the abundance of D. birchii in wild populations at the same sites along mountain gradients (where other species were also present), to test whether interactions among species affect responses to climate change.
The reproductive success of D. birchii in cages was lowest at cold, high elevation sites and increased at warmer sites towards the bottom of mountains. Of particular interest however, was that the change in abundance of D. birchii in wild populations along mountain gradients differed from that of D. birchii success in cages. D. birchii was most common at intermediate elevations, with abundance declining at colder sites towards the summit, but also at warmer sites towards the bottom of mountains, where flies in cages thrived.
This suggests that different factors restrict the distribution of D. birchii at either end of its range. Low temperatures prevent expansion of D. birchii at higher elevations, whereas it appears that other species, which were absent from the transplant cages, limit the spread of D. birchii into warmer sites in nature.
Understanding how interactions among species in ecological communities will change as a consequence of climate change is a critical part of predicting the consequences for ecosystem function, and will be a focus of the team's future work.
Eleanor K. O'Brien, Megan Higgie, Alan Reynolds, Ary A. Hoffmann, Jon R. Bridle. Testing for local adaptation and evolutionary potential along altitudinal gradients in rainforest Drosophila: beyond laboratory estimates. Global Change Biology, 2017; DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13553
January 10, 2017
Predicting how species will respond to climate change is a critical part of efforts to prevent widespread climate-driven extinction, or to predict its consequences for ecosystems.
Usually, the current climatic range of a species is used to predict where it will occur under future climate change scenarios.
However, this approach overlooks two important factors that may affect species' responses to climate change:
- Species may be able to change the climatic range they can inhabit through evolution
- Species within an ecological community may respond differently to climate change, meaning the competitors, predators, pathogens and parasites that a given species encounters under the new climatic conditions may also change.
In a new study, published in Global Change Biology, scientists from the Universities of Bristol, James Cook University, and Melbourne University in Australia tested the response of the tropical rainforest fly Drosophila birchii to a changing climate by transplanting flies in hundreds of cages along mountain gradients in north-eastern Australia, and measuring their reproductive success at different elevations.
The team placing the cages used to transplant the rain forest flies.
Credit: Eleanor O'Brien
Mountains are useful for exploring the effects of climate change because they show predictable changes in temperature and humidity with elevation: In general, sites at low elevations are warmer and drier than higher elevation sites.
By testing the success of many D. birchii families transplanted along elevation gradients, the team were able to measure genetic variation in responses to the thermal environment, which indicates the potential for thermal tolerances to evolve. They found that all families showed similar responses, indicating low levels of genetic variation in temperature sensitivity, and therefore little potential for climatic tolerances to evolve.
The team also compared the response of flies in cages (which experienced the local temperature and humidity, but not interactions with other species) with the abundance of D. birchii in wild populations at the same sites along mountain gradients (where other species were also present), to test whether interactions among species affect responses to climate change.
The reproductive success of D. birchii in cages was lowest at cold, high elevation sites and increased at warmer sites towards the bottom of mountains. Of particular interest however, was that the change in abundance of D. birchii in wild populations along mountain gradients differed from that of D. birchii success in cages. D. birchii was most common at intermediate elevations, with abundance declining at colder sites towards the summit, but also at warmer sites towards the bottom of mountains, where flies in cages thrived.
This suggests that different factors restrict the distribution of D. birchii at either end of its range. Low temperatures prevent expansion of D. birchii at higher elevations, whereas it appears that other species, which were absent from the transplant cages, limit the spread of D. birchii into warmer sites in nature.
Understanding how interactions among species in ecological communities will change as a consequence of climate change is a critical part of predicting the consequences for ecosystem function, and will be a focus of the team's future work.
Eleanor K. O'Brien, Megan Higgie, Alan Reynolds, Ary A. Hoffmann, Jon R. Bridle. Testing for local adaptation and evolutionary potential along altitudinal gradients in rainforest Drosophila: beyond laboratory estimates. Global Change Biology, 2017; DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13553
New Approach For Assessing The Social Impacts Of Mining
Fish Kill Costs BlueScope Steel
Weekly Rainfall Update
Issued 10 January 2017 by BOMKey points- The monsoon trough extended over northern Australia, producing heavy falls in parts of the Kimberley, Top End and northern Queensland.
- A low pressure system embedded on the monsoon trough brought locally heavy falls to the north tropical coast of Queensland.
- The highest weekly total was 822 mm at South Johnstone in northern Queensland.
Weekly rainfall totals
For the week to 10 January 2017, rainfall was recorded across all of northern Australia - from the Pilbara and the central interior of Western Australia, in much of the Northern Territory; also in the central west, northern and the central coast of Queensland.
Rainfall was also recorded in the southern, central and eastern districts of South Australia; northeastern Victoria; northeastern Tasmania and much of eastern New South Wales.
For more rainfall details, go to www.bom.gov.au/climate/rainfall/
Issued 10 January 2017 by BOM
Key points
- The monsoon trough extended over northern Australia, producing heavy falls in parts of the Kimberley, Top End and northern Queensland.
- A low pressure system embedded on the monsoon trough brought locally heavy falls to the north tropical coast of Queensland.
- The highest weekly total was 822 mm at South Johnstone in northern Queensland.
Weekly rainfall totals
For the week to 10 January 2017, rainfall was recorded across all of northern Australia - from the Pilbara and the central interior of Western Australia, in much of the Northern Territory; also in the central west, northern and the central coast of Queensland.
Rainfall was also recorded in the southern, central and eastern districts of South Australia; northeastern Victoria; northeastern Tasmania and much of eastern New South Wales.
For more rainfall details, go to www.bom.gov.au/climate/rainfall/
Myna Action Group
Pittwater Natural Heritage Association (PNHA)
Indian Mynas - what a pest - like flying rats. Can you help distribute our new flyers about our Northern Beaches Indian Myna Action Group?
They are for people in cafes and coffee shops, explaining why not to feed these birds and how to get involved in their control. Just take a few and hand out where ever you can. Cafe staff are usually glad of the help. Contact us on pnhainfo@gmail.com for more information and have a look athttps://www.facebook.com/MynaProblems/
Indian Mynas are displacing our native birds. They often nest in and around shops where their food source is. I took this one down this morning in Avalon (no chicks or eggs but I disturbed the female). There were literally hundreds of tiny bits of plastic in the nest which makes you think that all this plastic would be swilling down the stormwater drains into the sea.
Pittwater Natural Heritage Association (PNHA)
Indian Mynas - what a pest - like flying rats.
Can you help distribute our new flyers about our Northern Beaches Indian Myna Action Group?
They are for people in cafes and coffee shops, explaining why not to feed these birds and how to get involved in their control. Just take a few and hand out where ever you can. Cafe staff are usually glad of the help. Contact us on pnhainfo@gmail.com for more information and have a look athttps://www.facebook.com/MynaProblems/
Indian Mynas are displacing our native birds.
They often nest in and around shops where their food source is. I took this one down this morning in Avalon (no chicks or eggs but I disturbed the female). There were literally hundreds of tiny bits of plastic in the nest which makes you think that all this plastic would be swilling down the stormwater drains into the sea.
Planning Reforms To Boost Housing Supply
Coalition Has Still Not Returned Planning Powers To The Community
New Planning Law Changes Make NSW Mine Approvals Faster With No New Protections For Community Or Environment
Community Group’s Court Action Forces Stricter Environmental Protections For Queensland Coal Seam Gas Project
Invitation To Nominate Significant Places To The National Heritage List
Variation To AGL Environment Protection Licence
$10 Million To Protect Koala Habitat
New NSW Education Standards Authority
A new education authority will focus on supporting quality teaching and learning to improve results for NSW students.
From January 2017, the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) will build upon the work of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Education Standards (BOSTES) and take responsibility for:
- setting the NSW K-12 curriculum
- accreditation of teachers, registration of schools and home schooling
- delivering High School Certificate (HSC)
- approving tertiary teaching degrees, including minimum entry standards and a pre-graduate literacy and numeracy test.
Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli said NESA will have an increased focus on developing evidence-based policy to improve student achievement and driving quality teaching.
“NESA will ensure increasing efforts are redirected to support quality teaching and learning in our classrooms,” Mr Piccoli said.
Macquarie University Among First In The World To Receive Eye Camera For The Early Detection Of Alzheimer’s
5 January, 2017: Macquarie University
- MQ Health and Edith Cowan University are the first in NSW and WA to have access to a camera that can screen for pre-clinical Alzheimer’s via a non-invasive retinal imaging scan, in a single visit. Early detection currently requires multiple clinical visits, is invasive and often expensive, and involves analysis of brain and spinal cord fluid as well as advanced metabolic imaging.
- The NASA-inspired technology could also be used to identify other disorders, such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy, as well as monitor response to treatment.
Researchers at Macquarie University’s MQ Health and Edith Cowan University will be the first in New South Wales and Western Australia, respectively, to have access to a retinal-scanning camera that can identify a protein in the brain called beta-amyloid, known to be an indicator of Alzheimer’s disease.
Professor of Neurobiology at Macquarie University in Sydney, and Foundation Professor of Ageing and Alzheimer’s disease at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Ralph Martins, and his retinal imaging team, will use the hyperspectral camera to develop an eye test for the screening of Alzheimer’s disease within the population. This test will be in the form of a single visit, label-free, non-invasive retinal imaging scan and has the potential to become the new gold standard in screening for Alzheimer’s.
The current gold standard for identifying biological markers of Alzheimer’s disease include positron emission tomography (PET) for brain amyloid imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. Both PET amyloid imaging and CSF analysis can detect Alzheimer’s disease 15-20 years before clinical onset. However, both of these approaches are either expensive and invasive and not widely available which preclude them from routine clinical use – hence the need for alternate screening options.
“We know that many people fear Alzheimer’s as they get older, and that an Alzheimer’s diagnosis can be devastating for those who learn they have developed the disease, as well as their loved ones,” said Professor Martins. “There is a real demand within the community for it to be possible to detect Alzheimer’s early, and in a relatively simple, non-invasive way.
“We need a reliable, and more readily accessible, sensitive biological marker to make early diagnosis possible in order for therapeutic interventions to be effective.
“Having access to these cameras gives us the real potential to explore the identification of a protein in the brain called beta-amyloid, known to be linked to Alzheimer’s, that can be viewed in the eye well before the onset of memory impairment,” explains Professor Martins.
The NASA-inspired technology allows non-invasive localisation of structures and biological molecules in the retina using their specific spectral signatures. At present, this feature is not available in other commercially available retinal cameras.
Professor Martins explains that the eyes are critical in understanding brain function and that the camera could identify other disorders, such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy. Importantly, the camera could also have applications in the monitoring of patient response to new, and future, therapies.
“The human eye, specifically the retina, is a central nervous system tissue sharing the same embryological origin and vasculature. Being the only extension of the central nervous system that is not encased in skull, it also allows for non-invasive visualisation of neural integrity,” said Professor Martins.
“For example, cerebral pathology is reflected in the eye in CNS disorders such as stroke, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease and have been used for their prediction, diagnosis and prognosis.”
In addition to his work at Edith Cowan University, at MQ Health Professor Martins continues his longstanding work in understanding and combatting Alzheimer’s disease under MQ Health’s new model.
“The newly formed MQ Health, with its world class facilities and drive to connect clinical research to better patient outcomes, is vital to the success of projects like this one,” said Professor Martins.
“At MQ Health, I’m proud to work alongside some of the nation’s best researchers, clinicians and academics to translate discoveries into best practice to improve care for current and future patients.”
Optina Hyperspectral Camera at MQ Health
Let Kids Plan How They Live And Play
January 10, 2017: Fran Strachan - UNSW
UNSW researchers Linda Corkery and Kate Bishop are calling for radical change in the way we design cities for our younger citizens.
Linda Corkery and Kate Bishop
You’ve both been involved in numerous consultations with children around urban planning. How does it work?
LC: It’s better to think of it as co-design rather than simply consultation. We use a range of techniques depending on their age, including inviting them to draw their vision of a playground or outdoor space. Even very young children have plenty to contribute to a design process. Stockland, one of the biggest residential developers in Australia, recently involved kindergarten-age children in one of their design processes. So we are starting to see it happen, but not as routinely as we’d like.
What are the most common things children draw?
KB: Real grass, trees, sunshine and open sky. What’s most interesting is that a child might draw a park with swings and climbing frames but when you talk to them it’s not about the play equipment. It’s the human connections they develop in those parks that are meaningful, like picnics with their family.
When did “child-friendly cities” become a priority for built environment professionals?
KB: Well, I’d argue that it’s still not enough of a priority. The concept of child-friendly cities was first introduced by UNICEF in the early 2000s and before that the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child championed children’s participation in all social processes that affect their lives. Despite this, we haven’t seen a shift to involving children in urban planning and design.
Why has change been so slow?
KB: It requires a huge attitudinal shift towards recognising children as citizens in their own right who need to be considered at all levels of urban design. Building playgrounds and skate parks and saying “here you go” just isn’t enough. We need to shift our thinking around the presence of young people in cities and provide for them.
LC: We also need to view children as being capable and competent. As a society we often demonise young people or treat them as vulnerable and fragile.
As our cities become more overpopulated, do you think outdoor spaces will become increasingly important?
KB: Definitely. We’ll see more of our private lives happening in public spaces because our front and backyards are diminishing. Many of the opportunities to go and play outside have gone. There will be more pressure on public space to do more, for more people.
LC: And unfortunately, some large-scale, inner-city residential developments have body corporate by-laws that restrict kids’ use of shared outdoor spaces, with signs like “No Children or Dogs”.
What should urban planners and designers be doing differently?
KB: They need to stop thinking that, because they once were kids and have kids, this alone qualifies them to know what children want. Our own reference points are not enough to understand how children today are experiencing life. We need to talk to them.
LC: And public consultations need to be more extensive and inclusive. Communities as a whole often feel that developments get pushed through without their involvement, let alone children and young people having a say.
How would you like to see Sydney develop as a child-friendly city?
KB: We have willing councils who have adopted processes for developing child-centred environments but they’re reliant on individuals championing the cause. We need to replace this approach with an institutional culture that regularly sees children involved in co-designing the projects that affect their lives.
LC: Our book title is designing cities “with” children, so we can go “beyond” simply providing the stereotypical environments.
Designing cities with children and young people: Beyond playgrounds and skate parks, co-edited by Dr Kate Bishop and Associate Professor Linda Corkery, from UNSW Built Environment, will be published by Routledge in 2017.
Remote Australians Connected To Healthcare
January 10, 2017: CSIRO
The tyranny of distance is a major barrier for remote Australians seeking medical assistance for chronic disease.
Almost 50 per cent of Australians suffer chronic diseases such as cancer, mental health or diabetes and a further 13 million are at risk of developing chronic disease.
Access to primary healthcare practitioners who can deliver lifestyle interventions is key to addressing these challenges, but Australians living in remote and regional areas are disadvantaged by limited access to professional medical help.
Now, a new partnership between CSIRO's Data61 and regional allied health network Health Team Australia (HTA) will help address inequities in rural and remote areas by providing an easy to use telehealth solution, expected to connect up to 20,000 patients with online healthcare professionals.
An alliance between HTA and Coviu, a CSIRO Data61 project, will see Coviu's real-time communication online video platform rolled out to HTA customers across Australia from November last year.
The new video consultation service will extend existing healthcare solutions and services from professionals such as exercise physiologists, dieticians, psychologists, mental health nurses and occupational therapists.
HTA's new online service will be offered to patients via a range of partners across Australia.
Non-profit YMCA in Victoria, NSW and the ACT has already begun delivering these services to metropolitan communities and are now extending their health plan and coaching services to those that don’t have access to a local YMCA.
HTA spokesperson Andrew Mahony is excited about the impact the partnership will have on rural and remote communities.
"Coviu gives health professionals direct access to the lives of remote patients so they can prescribe a health plan that is meaningful to their lives and relevant to their situation," Mr Mahony said.
"It enables us to provide individuals and organisations in rural and remote areas with evidence-based support and on-demand access to allied health experts.
"Coviu gives people the opportunity to stay in their community for longer as they age and continue to play a meaningful role in the community."
Coviu Project Director, Dr Silvia Pfeiffer, said the platform was designed to seamlessly integrate into existing workflows, allowing practitioners to live-share medical data and images.
"Approximately 10 per cent of the Australian population is spread across 90 percent of its area, and these people have poor access to medical specialists that's taken for granted in large metropolitan areas," Dr Pfeiffer said.
"There is a real need to make video consultations a standard delivery mechanism of health services across Australia. Coviu does so in an affordable manner with the tools that clinicians need."
An analysis of Medicare statistics from 2016 showed that less than 4 per cent of health practitioners in private practice currently provide telehealth services to their patients.
Data61 CEO Adrian Turner said this was an example of how Australian start-ups are working with industry to transform the health sector and deliver new services to Australians.
"By collaborating with industry partners we can help deploy digital technologies on a national scale, providing cost effective and tailored health services to all Australians," Mr Turner said.
Byzantine Skeleton Yields 800-Year-Old Genomes From A Fatal Infection
The skeleton of a woman who died 800 years ago on the outskirts of the ancient city of Troy in modern Turkey has yielded the first record of maternal sepsis in the fossil record. DNA locked inside the calcified nodules, found at the base of the chest and extracted by researchers, yielded the complete genomes of the pathogenic bacteria likely responsible for the woman's death. Credit: Gebhard Bieg
January 10, 2017: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Eight hundred years ago, in a hardscrabble farming community on the outskirts of what was once one of the fabled cities of the ancient world, Troy, a 30-year-old woman was laid to rest in a stone-lined grave.
Like others in the Byzantine era graveyard, the woman's bones bore the unmistakable signs of a hard agrarian existence. But something else caught the attention of Henrike Kiesewetter, an archaeologist affiliated with Project Troia at Tüebingen University, as she curated the skeleton: two calcified nodules, each the size of a strawberry, nestled at the base of the chest, just below the ribs.
"The preliminary thought was that these were tubercles arising from tuberculosis," says Caitlin Pepperell, a University of Wisconsin-Madison expert on the evolution of pathogens and a professor of medicine and medical microbiology. A bacterial infection, tuberculosis is characterized, often, by the growth of calcified nodules in the lungs or other tissues. DNA, elemental and microscopic analysis of the round white stones, however, ruled out tuberculosis as well as urinary or kidney stones as possibilities.
Cracking open the nodules, researchers discovered extraordinarily well preserved microfossils, mineralized 'ghost cells,' that closely resembled bacteria from the genus Staphylococcus, a family that includes the highly pathogenic species S. aureus.
The nodules and the DNA locked inside their concentric layers of calcium were sent to McMaster University's Hendrik Poinar, an expert in ancient DNA whose lab is known for its prowess in extracting and reconstructing genetic material from ancient archaeological and paleontological remains.
"Amazingly, these samples yielded enough DNA to fully reconstruct the genomes of two species of bacteria, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Gardnerella vaginalis, which infected the woman and likely led to her death," says Poinar.
Writing in the journal eLife, a team led by Pepperell and Poinar provides a molecular portrait of the fatal infection. The work lends insight into the everyday hazards of life in the late Byzantine Empire, sometime around the early 13th century, as well as the evolution of Staphylococcus saprophyticus, a common bacterial pathogen.
"Calcification made little tiny suitcases of DNA and transported it across an 800-year timespan," says Pepperell of the nodules that formed while the woman was still alive, encasing the bacterial pathogens in calcium and preserving their genetic material. "In this case, the amount and integrity of the ancient DNA was extraordinary. One typically gets less than 1 percent of the target organism."
The nodules, says Pepperell, also contained human DNA of the woman and what looks to be her male fetus, but between 31 and 58 percent of the preserved DNA came from the bacteria responsible for the woman's infection. "There was something really interesting about the way this material was preserved," says Pepperell. "The quality of the (genetic) data is unparalleled."
The physical evidence, she says, suggests the cause of the woman's death, which occurred in the waning decades of the Byzantine Empire, was chorioamnionitis, a bacterial infection of the placenta, amniotic fluid and membranes surrounding the fetus. In addition to the woman's DNA, and that of the bacteria causing her infection, researchers identified ancient Y chromosome DNA, likely that of a male fetus. "Quite a few women died from complications during pregnancy and childbirth," notes Kiesewetter, a co-author of the eLife report.
Finding a case of maternal sepsis in the fossil record, notes Poinar, is unique: "There are no records for this anywhere," he says. "We have almost no evidence from the archeological record of what maternal health and death was like until now."
The ability to extract DNA from ancient materials and, in this case, reconstruct the genomes of microorganisms responsible for a fatal infection, help fill in the picture of rural daily life eight centuries ago.
The strain of Staphylococcus saprophyticus, explains Pepperell, is different than the kind that typically infects humans today, and is more closely aligned with strains found in livestock. "The Troy isolate is in this really interesting position between the cow and human-associated staph. It looks like the bug that caused her disease was in a different niche than what we see associated with human infections today."
The genetic blueprint for the Staphylococcus saprophyticus bacterium, she notes, adds to "a pretty short list of ancient bacteria -- cholera, tuberculosis, leprosy, plague -- for which we have DNA."
Some strains of Staphylococcus bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, are commonly found on human skin where they typically pose no health risk. But the bacterium can cause serious and even fatal infection if it penetrates deeper into the body.
Staphylococcus saprophyticus, on the other hand, can be acquired from the environment. "The strain from Troy belongs to a lineage that is not commonly associated with human disease in the modern world," Pepperell explains, noting that the historical record indicates Byzantine peasants typically lived with their livestock. "We speculate that human infections in the ancient world were acquired from a pool of bacteria that moved readily between humans, livestock and the environment."
"Results from the osteological analyses of the Late Byzantine burials from Troy fit well to a picture of a rural population," says Kiesewetter of the burials amid the ruins of the city best known as the setting of the Trojan War as told in Homer's epic poem the Iliad. Degeneration of the spine and joints, found in more than half of the skeletons from the time, are believed to portray a life of hard labor in the fields.
"People were struggling with physical strains and infectious diseases and only a few lived beyond the age of 50," explains Kiesewetter. "Many newborns did not survive infancy and almost all skeletons of children show signs of malnutrition and infection." Rampant tooth decay in the population, she adds, may have been the result of a rural diet rich in fruit such as figs and dates.
The preservation of the bacterial DNA, like the infection itself, was likely an artifact of the woman's pregnancy, Pepperell notes. "The placenta is very prone to calcification as there is a lot of movement of calcium to the fetus. The biomineralization process can occur very quickly."
Alison M Devault, Tatum D Mortimer, Andrew Kitchen, Henrike Kiesewetter, Jacob M Enk, G Brian Golding, John Southon, Melanie Kuch, Ana T Duggan, William Aylward, Shea N Gardner, Jonathan E Allen, Andrew M King, Gerard Wright, Makoto Kuroda, Kengo Kato, Derek EG Briggs, Gino Fornaciari, Edward C Holmes, Hendrik N Poinar, Caitlin S Pepperell. A molecular portrait of maternal sepsis from Byzantine Troy. eLife, 2017; 6 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.20983
Australia Post Celebrates The Year Of The Rooster
9th January 2017
To celebrate the Year of the Rooster, 28 January 2017 to 15 February 2018, Australia Post is releasing two Lunar New Year stamps.
As the tenth sign in the Chinese Zodiac, the Rooster symbolises confidence, resourcefulness, courage and persistence.
$1 - Christmas Island Lunar New Year - Year of the Rooster, 2017
Creating this year's Lunar New Year range in line with traditional Chinese design and customs, Australia Post Philatelic Manager Michael Zsolt said the products, including a postcard, give everyone an opportunity to send wishes of good fortune and health to family and friends, both here and overseas.
Completing her tenth stamp issue in the Lunar New Year series of twelve, Hong Kong-born Dani Poon said she used paper cut motifs, a popular form of Chinese art, to represent the Rooster in the $1 stamp. The Chinese calligraphic character for the Rooster is shown in the $3 stamp.
"The Chinese assign the Rooster as a proverbial mascot to the five virtues – civil responsibility, marital fidelity, courage, kindness and confidence. Those qualities are illustrated in the minisheet story – the Rooster coaxes the fearful hidden sun out from her hiding place. The puffed-up chest of the Rooster in the $1 stamp sums up the Rooster's positive personalities. The Rooster is also traditionally related to the chasing away of evil spirits, by calling the sun out and bringing the light to life," Dani said.
Famous people born in the Year of the Rooster include Britney Spears, Cate Blanchett and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
A highlight of this stamp issue is a special silk minisheet pack, finished with purple foil detailing and where one of the three sheets in the pack is printed on silk. A 24 carat gold Year of the Rooster minisheet in a presentation case is also a highly collectable part of the range.
Collectors and those celebrating the Chinese New Year will be interested in a limited edition (8,888) Chinese New Year Dragon postal and numismatic cover featuring a $1 Perth Mint coloured coin.
Other products associated with this stamp issue are a minisheet, zodiac sheetlet, first day cover, stamp pack, postcard, prestige booklet, customisable $1 stamp in the Personalised Stamps™ range, gutter strip of 10 x $1 stamps with design, domestic and international postage paid envelopes and a Lunar New Year of the Rooster postal and numismatic cover.
The Christmas Island Lunar New Year: Year of the Rooster 2017 stamp issue is available from 10 January 2017 at participating Post Offices, via mail order on 1800 331 794 and online at auspost.com.au/stamps while stocks last. Personalised Stamps™ can be ordered atauspost.com.au/pstamps. The Christmas Island Lunar New Year: Year of the Rooster 2017 stamps are valid for postage in Australia.
For an interview with designer Dani Poon, visit the Australia Post Collectables website auspostcollectables.com.au. The Australia Post Collectables website is a central resource for stamp collectors and philatelic enthusiasts across the globe.
Have Your Say On The Redevelopment Of Cockle Bay Wharf
15.12.2016: Departmental Media Release - Department of Planning and Environment
A concept proposal for the redevelopment of Cockle Bay Wharf will be on exhibition from today for community consultation.
The Department of Planning and Environment is keen to hear the community’s views on DPT & DPPT Operator Pty Ltd’s proposal for 241-249 Wheat Road, Cockle Bay.
Key elements of the proposal for a concept plan and demolition works include:
- demolition of existing site improvements
- up to 12,000m2 of public domain space
- building envelopes for a tower base and a tower up to 235 metres high
- a maximum gross floor area of 85,000m2 for commercial and 25,000m2 for retail development.
A spokesperson for the Department of Planning and Environment said the local community always has an opportunity to share their views.
“Community consultation is an integral part of the planning process and the applicant will have to respond to the feedback we receive,” the spokesperson said.
“This feedback is taken into consideration as part of the assessment.
“It’s easy to participate by going online and we encourage everyone to take a look and have their say.”
To make a submission or view the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), visit www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au.
Submissions can be made from Thursday 15 December 2016 until Tuesday 14 February 2017.
People wishing to make a submission are encouraged to use the online form if possible.
The form can be found at www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/page/on-exhibition.
Written submissions can also be made to:
Department of Planning and Environment
Attn: Director – Key Site Assessments
GPO Box 39
Sydney NSW 2001
The application and EIS are also available to view in person at:
Department of Planning and Environment: Information Centre, Level 22, 320 Pitt Street, Sydney
City of Sydney Council: Customer Service Centre, Level 2, Town Hall House, 456 Kent Street, Sydney.
Have Your Say On The Redevelopment Of Harbourside Shopping Centre
15.12.2016: Departmental Media Release - Department of Planning and Environment
A concept proposal by Mirvac Projects Pty Ltd to redevelop the Harbourside Shopping Centre in Sydney is on exhibition for community consultation.
The Department of Planning and Environment is keen to hear the community’s views on the proposal, which seeks to provide a new retail shopping centre, residential apartment tower and public domain improvements at 2-10 Darling Drive.
Key elements of the proposal include:
- a network of open space areas and pedestrian links
- building envelopes for the base of a tower and a tower up to 166.35 metres above sea level
- a maximum gross floor area of 87,000m2 for residential and non-residential uses.
This concept proposal does not seek approval for any construction works on site.
A spokesperson for the Department of Planning and Environment said the local community always has an opportunity to share their views.
“Community consultation is an integral part of the planning process and the applicant will have to respond to the feedback we receive,” the spokesperson said.
“This feedback is taken into consideration as part of the assessment.
“It’s easy to participate by going online and we encourage everyone to take a look and have their say.”
To make a submission or view the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), visit www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au.
Submissions can be made from Thursday 15 December 2016 until Tuesday 14 February 2017. People wishing to make a submission are encouraged to use the online form if possible.
The form can be found at www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/page/on-exhibition.
Department of Planning and Environment
Attn: Director – Key Site Assessments
GPO Box 39
Sydney NSW 2001
The application and EIS are also available to view in person at:
Department of Planning and Environment: Information Centre, Level 22, 320 Pitt Street, Sydney
City of Sydney Council: Customer Service Centre, Level 2, Town Hall House, 456 Kent Street, Sydney.
Surf Photo And Surf Video Of The Year
Entries are open for the Nikon Surf Photo and Surf Video of the Year categories for the 2017 Australian Surfing Awards incorporating the Hall of Fame. There is a heap of Nikon Camera gear to be won. Click through below to enter NOW!
LINK - http://bit.ly/1UmTUoc
Photo: 2016 Nikon Surf Photo of the Year by Leroy Bellet