Fresh Science

They say vitamins are good for our health. But what if we could use vitamins to treat infections as well? Ashleigh Paparella at the University of Adelaide has discovered a new class of vitamin-like molecules that can be used to treat life-threatening ‘golden staph’ bacteria.

Food waste has reached ‘pastrygate’ proportions, with government, industry and households throwing away enough pies, pastries and cakes to fill 24 Sydney Opera Houses in one year, an Adelaide economist has shown. Christian Reynolds, of The University of South Australia, estimated that over 629,000 tonnes of pies, pastries and cakes were discarded in 2008, with…

Bacteria prove fuel for thought as an Adelaide researcher reveals their ability to clean up petroleum waste and produce electricity. Krishna Venkidusamy, of The University of South Australia, has developed microbial fuel cells that use bacteria to break down diesel and produce power, opening up the possibility of a green solution to Australia’s petroleum pollution…

Underage drinkers and border-control fraudsters may need to think twice about hoodwinking security as a South Australian psychologist reveals some people have an enhanced ability to match faces with photos. Dragana Calic, of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), found that some trained participants were much better at matching faces to passport-style photos than…