Science & Technology

Australia’s got ICT talent — how do we make the most of it?

It is finally dawning on private and public sectors that information and communications technology (ICT) is an enabling technology. ICT is relevant to companies — whether making drugs, mining coal, building a bridge or providing banking services — and government agencies, such as the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), operators of an urban railway systems and (obviously) Social Security and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DTSO)

By Writing|2022-03-01T12:39:20+11:00December 29th, 2021|Science & Technology|Comments Off

The lottery of genetics

It’s Saturday morning, which means pancakes. After a long drive out to the quiet suburbs of regional Victoria, I arrive too late for the pancakes — but I am where I need to be. Down a wide street, past an oval with cricketers, is the home of Sandra and her family. Underneath a precious family portrait, one of Sandra’s ‘short kids’ smiles to welcome me. I’m taking Sandra out to lunch to discuss how she and her family became known to medical specialists the world over, and how her remarkable story has made it into this book

By Writing|2021-12-16T14:11:27+11:00December 16th, 2021|Health, Science & Technology|Comments Off

Genomics in general practice

In recent decades, there has been an extraordinary technological revolution underway in which the very building blocks of life, our genetic codes, are increasingly well understood and even manipulated by rapidly advancing scientific techniques. Meanwhile, the humble local general practitioner (GP) is still the backbone of most health systems around the world, a trusted source of advice and health care in the community, and is likely to play a growing role in communicating the significance of new genetic technologies

By Writing|2022-03-01T12:40:07+11:00December 16th, 2021|Health, Science & Technology|Comments Off

Artificial intelligence and mental health

When we began to reflect on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) for mental health care, immediately there were a whole range of concerns that leapt out at us. How on earth could a non-living digital device be of value to any human being experiencing mental health issues? Isn’t another human being absolutely essential to provide the compassion and understanding of fellow human beings’ emotions, thoughts and feelings, and intimate troubles of life

By Writing|2022-03-01T12:30:21+11:00December 16th, 2021|Health, Science & Technology|Comments Off

Scientific Leadership in the Modern World

One of the basic human drives is to find out more about ourselves and the world in which we live. This desire for knowledge goes back to the birth of civilisation, but it is only in relatively recent centuries that a modern scientific approach has developed

By Writing|2022-01-28T12:02:26+11:00December 14th, 2021|Arts, Culture & Society, Science & Technology|Comments Off

Artificial intelligence in healthcare

It may surprise you, but the first dreams of artificial intelligence did not arise in the basements of an MIT engineering lab, or the cosy rooms of an Oxford college. In fact, these dreams did not arise at any modern university or institution. The Iliad, Homer’s epic about the Trojan War, provides the oldest surviving record of a description of artificial intelligence

By Writing|2022-03-01T12:38:30+11:00December 14th, 2021|Health, Science & Technology|Comments Off

Australia’s future depends on a strong science focus today

We are often told in public commentary that the Australian economy is in transition — that we need to use our talents and skills to cope with changes in demand for commodities, and develop high value-add goods and services for local and interna- tional markets. The question is: what would it take to make that transition?

By Writing|2021-12-29T15:53:24+11:00December 14th, 2021|Science & Technology|Comments Off

Australia can nurture growth and prosperity through biology

One of the 20th century’s most famous scientists, physicist Ernest Rutherford, explained: ‘When we have found how the nucleus of atoms is built up we shall have found the greatest secret of all — except life

By Writing|2022-03-01T12:42:55+11:00December 14th, 2021|Science & Technology|Comments Off

Genetic screening

The explosion of knowledge in relation to the genetic basis of multiple conditions means that screening for the risk of preventable disease as well as for the risk of having a child with a genetic condition is increasingly possible. Genetic screening is defined as a systematic attempt to identify and counsel as many people at genetic risk in a population as possible, whether or not they have a genetic family history

By Writing|2021-12-29T10:12:16+11:00December 14th, 2021|Health, Science & Technology|Comments Off

Introduction to human genetics

No field of medicine has changed in so dramatic a fashion as has been the case with human genetics. It is only 40 years ago this year that the first human gene was isolated. Back then, identifying a single chemical in the human genome took days. Now it is possible to sequence the three billion chemicals in the genome in a similar time. In this chapter, the basic terminology and principles of genetics are outlined. Some of the major leaps forward in gene technology are also explained, and how these have really opened the window to our understanding of human genetics. It may seem a bit confusing for someone who has not learnt about genetics before, and we have outlined some key terms and rules of genetics

By Writing|2022-03-01T12:43:44+11:00December 14th, 2021|Health, Science & Technology|Comments Off