Numerical simulation of the fish-like swimming of linked bodies. Although Zoologists have made detailed observations of swimming fish there are still many unanswered questions about how they swim. We do not know how the fins and undulating body work together to produce the high speed of the tuna, or the fast turns of a fish escaping danger. We see dolphins swim through the sea's surface but we don't know if they do that because it is much more efficient. This project is designed to simulate arb ....Numerical simulation of the fish-like swimming of linked bodies. Although Zoologists have made detailed observations of swimming fish there are still many unanswered questions about how they swim. We do not know how the fins and undulating body work together to produce the high speed of the tuna, or the fast turns of a fish escaping danger. We see dolphins swim through the sea's surface but we don't know if they do that because it is much more efficient. This project is designed to simulate arbitrary fish motion and give answers to these and other questions concerning swimming. It may also help humans to swim more efficiently and provide simulation tools for the design of robotic undersea vehicles.Read moreRead less
Advanced fluid mechanics modelling of complex leukocyte-endothelial interactions. This project adopts an interdisciplinary approach toward understanding the mechanical interactions between blood cells and vessel walls, under different hydrodynamic conditions. Outcomes will have downstream benefits to vascular biology in relation to diagnosis of problems such as atherosclerotic plaques. These vascular problems are associated with several major health problems including coronary heart disease, h ....Advanced fluid mechanics modelling of complex leukocyte-endothelial interactions. This project adopts an interdisciplinary approach toward understanding the mechanical interactions between blood cells and vessel walls, under different hydrodynamic conditions. Outcomes will have downstream benefits to vascular biology in relation to diagnosis of problems such as atherosclerotic plaques. These vascular problems are associated with several major health problems including coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes and kidney dysfunction.Read moreRead less
Fluid mechanical and biological studies of a stem cell bioreactor. The project has generic benefits toward the improvement of cell and tissue based approaches to diseases which involve replacement of dysfunctional, injured or missing tissues. This is currently a global effort with the overall aim of improving medicine by improving methods in biological sciences. The development of improved bioreactors and other biotechnologies will also have commercial benefits toward the development of effici ....Fluid mechanical and biological studies of a stem cell bioreactor. The project has generic benefits toward the improvement of cell and tissue based approaches to diseases which involve replacement of dysfunctional, injured or missing tissues. This is currently a global effort with the overall aim of improving medicine by improving methods in biological sciences. The development of improved bioreactors and other biotechnologies will also have commercial benefits toward the development of efficient production systems to replace existing systems which are labour intensive and time consuming. Read moreRead less
Postgenomic perspectives on human nature. The rapid growth of biological knowledge and the need for societal reflection on this knowledge and its applications in Australia and overseas make it increasingly urgent that the humanities and social sciences draw on a biologically credible vision of human nature. We will study how non-scientists understand human nature and compare their ideas to those of scientists from a range of different disciplines. We will examine what current biology reveals abo ....Postgenomic perspectives on human nature. The rapid growth of biological knowledge and the need for societal reflection on this knowledge and its applications in Australia and overseas make it increasingly urgent that the humanities and social sciences draw on a biologically credible vision of human nature. We will study how non-scientists understand human nature and compare their ideas to those of scientists from a range of different disciplines. We will examine what current biology reveals about the biological basis of human characteristics and develop an account of human nature that is defensible in the light of that knowledge.Read moreRead less
Biohumanities: Philosophical, Historical, and Socio-Cultural Studies of Contemporary Bioscience. Improving understanding of the meaning and implications of contemporary bioscience, especially genetics and molecular biology, through bioliterate research in the humanities and social sciences, and conversely through better assimilation of bioscience and its significance by the humanities and social sciences. The research will be conducted in close collaboration with the Australian scientific commun ....Biohumanities: Philosophical, Historical, and Socio-Cultural Studies of Contemporary Bioscience. Improving understanding of the meaning and implications of contemporary bioscience, especially genetics and molecular biology, through bioliterate research in the humanities and social sciences, and conversely through better assimilation of bioscience and its significance by the humanities and social sciences. The research will be conducted in close collaboration with the Australian scientific community and will be disseminated back to the scientific community, to the humanities and to the Australian public. The project will bring to Australia the strengths of the applicant's existing collaborations with leading research centres in this field in the USA, UK and Canada.Read moreRead less
The mechanism of water splitting in photosynthesis. Sunlight reaching the earth is used by the vast body of plants and algae living in surface waters and on the land to drive photosynthesis. One of the most fundamental contributions that photosynthesis provides to the Biosphere is the gaseous oxygen produced by its water-splitting chemistry - ~300 gigatons of O2 are released into the atmosphere per year. However, the mechanism behind water-splitting is not precisely known. We will use a range o ....The mechanism of water splitting in photosynthesis. Sunlight reaching the earth is used by the vast body of plants and algae living in surface waters and on the land to drive photosynthesis. One of the most fundamental contributions that photosynthesis provides to the Biosphere is the gaseous oxygen produced by its water-splitting chemistry - ~300 gigatons of O2 are released into the atmosphere per year. However, the mechanism behind water-splitting is not precisely known. We will use a range of unique experimental approaches to determine the molecular mechanism of the photosynthetic water-splitting chemistry. The understanding of this reaction will provide the molecular blueprint for the development of efficient biocatalysts to generate H2 and O2 from water.Read moreRead less
The Late Pleistocene Peopling of East Asia and Associated Climate-Environment History. This project will contribute to an environmentally sustainable Australia through understanding the long-term history of climate change centred on the monsoon weather system and the scale and magnitude of environmental change and its long-term impacts on human inhabitants in East Asia and Australasia. It helps to safeguard Australia by enhancing our capacity to interpret and engage with our region through great ....The Late Pleistocene Peopling of East Asia and Associated Climate-Environment History. This project will contribute to an environmentally sustainable Australia through understanding the long-term history of climate change centred on the monsoon weather system and the scale and magnitude of environmental change and its long-term impacts on human inhabitants in East Asia and Australasia. It helps to safeguard Australia by enhancing our capacity to interpret and engage with our region through greater understanding of societies and cultures. It will improve understanding of the long-term history and relationships of major groups of people across our region. Many benefits will derive from scientific, educational and cultural exchange between Australia and our neighbour China.Read moreRead less
Evolvability and the Evolution of Complexity. Anyone engaging in a moment's reflection on the striking richness, diversity, and complexity of the biological world is faced with the question: how did it get here? Though natural selection is central to answering this question, important new work has identified various conditions that make some lineages of organisms "evolvable": capable of changing in ways that radically expand the range of further possible changes. This project will clarify and in ....Evolvability and the Evolution of Complexity. Anyone engaging in a moment's reflection on the striking richness, diversity, and complexity of the biological world is faced with the question: how did it get here? Though natural selection is central to answering this question, important new work has identified various conditions that make some lineages of organisms "evolvable": capable of changing in ways that radically expand the range of further possible changes. This project will clarify and integrate these various conditions using empirical examples and simple models. The resulting work from this project will provide a clearer general understanding of what biological complexity is, and how science has compelling candidates for understanding how it evolves.Read moreRead less
The contribution of South Asia to the peopling of Australasia. This project focuses on the human fossil record from three regions critical to understanding the origins of our species, Homo sapiens. Australia is crucial in view of its diverse array of "gracile" and "robust" human remains of Late Pleistocene/early Holocene age. Equally important are South and Southeast Asia as they lined the tropical route between Africa, our species' Late Pleistocene homeland according to the Out of Africa theory ....The contribution of South Asia to the peopling of Australasia. This project focuses on the human fossil record from three regions critical to understanding the origins of our species, Homo sapiens. Australia is crucial in view of its diverse array of "gracile" and "robust" human remains of Late Pleistocene/early Holocene age. Equally important are South and Southeast Asia as they lined the tropical route between Africa, our species' Late Pleistocene homeland according to the Out of Africa theory, and Australia. Osteological and archaeological evidence of the selection pressures that operated on earlier hunter-gatherers will be employed to explain the observed patterns of morphological evolution throughout the study region.Read moreRead less
Origin of animal sensory and nervous systems: a case study in cell type evolution. The origin of the nerve cell and the nervous system allowed the first animals to interact with their biotic and abiotic environment in rapid and complex ways. These capabilities are the primary agents for success in the animal kingdom, underpinning the ability to capture food, avoid predation, and find a mate. These same nerve cells have bestowed on the human brain cognitive abilities that have driven our biologic ....Origin of animal sensory and nervous systems: a case study in cell type evolution. The origin of the nerve cell and the nervous system allowed the first animals to interact with their biotic and abiotic environment in rapid and complex ways. These capabilities are the primary agents for success in the animal kingdom, underpinning the ability to capture food, avoid predation, and find a mate. These same nerve cells have bestowed on the human brain cognitive abilities that have driven our biological and cultural evolution. Despite the phenomenal importance of the nerve cell, we know almost nothing about its origin and early evolution. This basic research project seeks to make a major contribution towards addressing this gap in knowledge.Read moreRead less