Testing our knowledge on the dawn of animal life: evidence from the fossil record against modern ecological and morphological analogues. The Cambrian 'Explosion', half a billion years ago, is regarded as one of the most important events in the history of the Earth, when most major animal groups first appear in the rock record, and for which South Australia has recently become a significant source of spectacular fossils. However, important questions remain regarding their Ediacaran roots, the spe ....Testing our knowledge on the dawn of animal life: evidence from the fossil record against modern ecological and morphological analogues. The Cambrian 'Explosion', half a billion years ago, is regarded as one of the most important events in the history of the Earth, when most major animal groups first appear in the rock record, and for which South Australia has recently become a significant source of spectacular fossils. However, important questions remain regarding their Ediacaran roots, the speed of evolution at the time, and the environments in which the radiation took place. Studying the fossil evidence in the light of present-day ecological frameworks, and in comparison with modern behavioural and morphological analogues, as well as living relatives, can help us better assess our understanding of this first radiation of animals.Read moreRead less
Islands of rocks: geckos as a model system to understand patterns of biodiversity, endemism and speciation in the Kimberley. Australia is renowned for its diversity of lizards, yet a plethora of new "cryptic" gecko species continue to be discovered. The project will densely sample the complex Kimberley to understand the evolution of its geckos, which will shed light on true levels of species diversity and the geological and environmental history of this biodiversity hotspot.
A molecular/morphological view of animal evolution based on marsupials. This project aims to provide high-accuracy methods of evolutionary inference extendable to nearly all other organisms. It aims to research the evolution of animal diversity and calibrate evolutionary timescales on a case study of marsupial mammals, and differentiate between internal and external factors that govern animals’ ability to adapt and diversify. The project will collate a large, open-source three-dimensional catalo ....A molecular/morphological view of animal evolution based on marsupials. This project aims to provide high-accuracy methods of evolutionary inference extendable to nearly all other organisms. It aims to research the evolution of animal diversity and calibrate evolutionary timescales on a case study of marsupial mammals, and differentiate between internal and external factors that govern animals’ ability to adapt and diversify. The project will collate a large, open-source three-dimensional catalogue of the evolving marsupial skeleton, which could provide a detailed and publicly accessible narrative of the evolutionary past and future adaptability of Australian marsupials. The proposed development of methods to quantify the effect of past and present biodiversity crises (e.g. environmental change) is expected to inform longer-term conservation planning.Read moreRead less
Ecology, morphology and the diversification of Australian lizards. This project aims to determine the factors driving the spectacular radiation of lizards in Australia. To date, most investigations of lizard anatomy have focused exclusively on external characteristics. This project will examine the underlying internal anatomy to investigate whether morphological innovation is associated with enhanced rates of ecological, life-history and species diversification. The project expects to shed light ....Ecology, morphology and the diversification of Australian lizards. This project aims to determine the factors driving the spectacular radiation of lizards in Australia. To date, most investigations of lizard anatomy have focused exclusively on external characteristics. This project will examine the underlying internal anatomy to investigate whether morphological innovation is associated with enhanced rates of ecological, life-history and species diversification. The project expects to shed light on the evolution of Australia’s most diverse vertebrate lineage, and provide comparative data with which to interpret the lizard fossil record in Australia, and the range declines and relative extinction risks of native lizard species.Read moreRead less
Advanced studies of QCD and the strong interaction. This project will significantly advance our knowledge of the subatomic structure of the universe. It will maintain excellence and strength in an area where Australia has built an outstanding international reputation over the past decade. It will place Australia at the cutting edge of fundamental and computational science research and it will maintain and grow strong international links. It will produce Australian graduates and research associa ....Advanced studies of QCD and the strong interaction. This project will significantly advance our knowledge of the subatomic structure of the universe. It will maintain excellence and strength in an area where Australia has built an outstanding international reputation over the past decade. It will place Australia at the cutting edge of fundamental and computational science research and it will maintain and grow strong international links. It will produce Australian graduates and research associates of high quality, who will benefit from participating in these state-of-the-art studies and from the advanced training in modelling, high-performance computer simulation and visualisation. This training will have major economic benefits for and provide strong links to Australian industry.Read moreRead less
The Essence of QCD Vacuum Structure. This first-principles study of quantum field theory will elucidate an outstanding mystery of modern particle physics. Understanding confinement is recognized as one of the top 10 Physics Questions to Ponder for a Millennium or Two. In support of the National Research Priorities, new scientific data visualization techniques will be transferred to industry, facilitating smart information use. Further economic benefits are realized through the training and devel ....The Essence of QCD Vacuum Structure. This first-principles study of quantum field theory will elucidate an outstanding mystery of modern particle physics. Understanding confinement is recognized as one of the top 10 Physics Questions to Ponder for a Millennium or Two. In support of the National Research Priorities, new scientific data visualization techniques will be transferred to industry, facilitating smart information use. Further economic benefits are realized through the training and development of expertise in high-performance parallel computing, promoting an innovation culture and economy. The opportunity for young Australian Honours and Postgraduate students to work at the forefront of nuclear and particle theory is an obvious social benefit.
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Advanced Studies of Non-Perturbative Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) and Relation to the Standard Model. The project is a high-precision study of nonperturbative quantum electrodynamics (QED). It will finally allow a detailed look into the inner workings of the "best theory we have". It will provide valuable guidance in understanding and constructing the "holy grail" of theoretical physics the so-called "theory of everything". It will place Australia at the cutting edge of fundamental theoretical ....Advanced Studies of Non-Perturbative Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) and Relation to the Standard Model. The project is a high-precision study of nonperturbative quantum electrodynamics (QED). It will finally allow a detailed look into the inner workings of the "best theory we have". It will provide valuable guidance in understanding and constructing the "holy grail" of theoretical physics the so-called "theory of everything". It will place Australia at the cutting edge of fundamental theoretical research. Australian graduate and undergraduate students will benefit from participating in this work and the state-of-the-art expertise that they will develop has a clear social and economic benefit for Australia.Read moreRead less
Advances in Nonperturbative Studies of Subatomic Physics. Fundamental research into physics always leads to unpredictable technological breakthroughs. Fundamental physics research has led to the development of transistors, world wide web, carbon dating, cancer treatments, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans, satellites and many applications too numerous to mention. The collaboration will allow Australia access to technologies, research infrastructure, expertise and intellectual knowledge that ....Advances in Nonperturbative Studies of Subatomic Physics. Fundamental research into physics always leads to unpredictable technological breakthroughs. Fundamental physics research has led to the development of transistors, world wide web, carbon dating, cancer treatments, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans, satellites and many applications too numerous to mention. The collaboration will allow Australia access to technologies, research infrastructure, expertise and intellectual knowledge that wouldn't be available otherwise. This will enable Australian institutions to pursue breakthrough science, to develop frontier technologies and to have a great impact in the international scientific community. It will also provide advance training in simulation and high-performance computing to postgraduates and research associates.Read moreRead less
Studies of nonperturbative quantum electrodynamics. In order to test fundamental quantum field theories, which underlie all physical phenomena from galaxy formation to the behaviour of biological system, it is necessary to be able to solve these theories in all regions of interest. In particular, solving theories in the nonperturbative regime has proven a difficult and challenging problem. The most successful theory that we have in physics is perturbative quantum electrodynamics, even though in ....Studies of nonperturbative quantum electrodynamics. In order to test fundamental quantum field theories, which underlie all physical phenomena from galaxy formation to the behaviour of biological system, it is necessary to be able to solve these theories in all regions of interest. In particular, solving theories in the nonperturbative regime has proven a difficult and challenging problem. The most successful theory that we have in physics is perturbative quantum electrodynamics, even though in the nonperturbative regime it is widely believed to be a trivial or pathological theory. We will build on exciting recent successes in this field and use advanced supercomputers to understand the detailed nonperturbative behaviour of quantum electrodynamics.Read moreRead less
Identification Of Genes For X-linked Mental Retardation.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$675,228.00
Summary
We propose to identify novel heritable causes of intellectual disability using 22 large and well-characterised families from Australia. In these families we have refined the location of the genetic defect to the chromosome X and excluded the contribution of all so far known genes. We will achieve this using the technology of massive parallel sequencing. At the completion of the project we will have identified novel causes of intellectual disability and devised tests to identify them.