In sharp contrast to the seed-eating songbirds he studied for his PhD, Flinders graduate Toby Galligan is now on a mission to save birds that live off the bodies of the dead.

After completing his PhD on the evolutionary ecology of Darwin’s small ground finch in 2010, Dr Galligan (pictured) took up a position with the UK-based  Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), with the task of helping to protect vultures from chemical poisoning in Nepal and India.

Among the world’s most misunderstood creatures, South Asian vultures are now under significant threat – with three species listed as critically endangered – due to their susceptibility to diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug which is administered to ailing cattle in South Asia.

While vultures can consume bacteria-infested carcasses without repercussion, they have a particular sensitivity to diclofenac so when they feed on contaminated cattle carcasses their kidneys become clogged with uric acid, leading to visceral gout, renal failure and certain death.

Alongside a global network of conservation experts known as SAVE (Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction), Dr Galligan and the RSPB are trying to halt the decline in vulture populations and provide an environment free from diclofenac and similar toxic drugs.

Dr Galligan said that despite a ban on the manufacture, sale, importation and use of veterinary diclofenac by the Indian, Nepali, Pakistani and Bangladeshi governments, the drug still remains the cure-all of choice among untrained veterinarians, which make up the majority of veterinarians working in these countries.

“Diclofenac came onto the market in the ‘90s and by 2000 the population of oriental white-backed Gyps vultures declined by 99.9 per cent – that is, one in every 1000 birds survived – which is an unprecedented rate of decline – even faster than the decline of the dodo,” Dr Galligan said.

“While the South Asia governments banned the manufacture and use of veterinary diclofenac in the early 2000s, many pharmaceutical companies circumvent the ban by selling diclofenac for human use in 30ml vials, which contain the right size dose for treating cattle,” he said.

Dr Galligan said SAVE and the RSPB were now trying to promote a vulture-safe alternative to diclofenac, known as meloxicam, among livestock owners, untrained vets and pharmacists, and was also advocating for a ban on the 30ml human-intended vials.

A number of “vulture safe zones” have also been set up to conserve the remaining Gyps populations, with a focus on raising community awareness and thereby clearing the environment of contaminated vulture food. In addition, the three critically endangered Gyps species are being bred in captivity for future release.

However Dr Galligan said the battle was far from over, with more research to be carried out on the susceptibility of the elusive red-headed vulture to diclofenac poisoning.

“Very little is known about the ecology, biology and threats to this species but what we do know for certain is that, like the three Gyps, the red-headed vulture is critically endangered and rapidly declining.

“I’ll be leading a satellite telemetry study of mature red-headed vultures so we can learn more about their ecology and if one of our tagged vultures dies, we will be able to locate the carcass and perform a post mortem which will provide the best evidence of the possible cause of decline.

“When we know what is causing the decline in this species, we can either incorporate it into existing conservation action for Gyps vultures or design specific conservation action.”

Sea lions ©SATC

Like whales, sea lions are contributing to marine ecosystems in the most fundamental way possible, research by a Flinders graduate has found.

Dr Trish Lavery, who established that Southern Ocean sperm whales offset their carbon emissions by defecating iron on phytoplankton, has found that the digestive mechanisms of Australian sea lions mean that they too are making vital nutrients available to the first tier of the marine food chain.

Her research, published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE, found that the sea lion gut has a characteristic microbiome, or bacterial profile, that is high in types of bacteria able to metabolise iron and phosphorus.

“While bacteria are net consumers of nutrients in energy-poor environments, in nutrient-rich environments like the surface of a faecal particle, bacteria can make soluble more vital nutrient elements from faecal matter than they require for their own growth,” Dr Lavery said.

“This leads to leaching of these nutrients into the surrounding waters where they can become available for free living phytoplankton microbes.”

Dr Lavery said the sea lions may therefore help to keep nutrients where they can be incorporated into the food chain.

“The bacteria in Australian sea lion faeces may limit nutrient sinkage to depth and enhance the persistence of nutrients in the photic zone where they are available to support primary production by phytoplankton.”

And for creatures whose cold marine environment makes a layer of protective fat a valuable asset, Dr Lavery also found evidence that the metabolism of sea lions is actually geared towards obesity.

Her study found a ratio of crucial bacteria similar to that in previous studies of obese humans and obese mice.

“This suggests that the gut microbiome may confer a predisposition towards the excess body fat that is needed for thermoregulation within the cold oceanic habitats foraged by Australian sea lions,” she said.

The $8 million Biology Discovery Centre under construction at Flinders is to have its own population of penguins.

As well as contributing to research into reasons for the decline of Little Penguin numbers in the wild, having penguins on-site will play a major role in the University’s teaching programs in animal behaviour.

Biologist Professor Sonia Kleindorfer said it is expected that 10 penguins will live in a specially designed enclosure in the Animal Compound, adjacent to the new building.

Pairs of Little Penguins from the Granite Island Penguin Conservation group and the Adelaide Zoo will be lent to Flinders, and it is hoped that the School of Biological Sciences will eventually be able to breed up its own colony.

A number of the Flinders penguin colony will join lizards and songbirds in the Centre’s three-storey ecosystem or “eco-dome”, which will be connected to the first-floor animal behaviour laboratory.

The animal burrows in the ecosystem will be wired for sound and visuals and the live feeds transmitted to the laboratory, while built-in scales will allow animals to be weighed without being handled.

“Students will be able to learn how to do statistical analysis and data presentation non-invasively, and while they’re doing it they get to watch the animals, which will complement their field trips,” Professor Kleindorfer said.

“We’ll be combining teaching principles about animal welfare, best practice and non-invasive observation.”

Teaching in the new building will begin at the start of Semester 2 in July, while the dome is due to be ready for its animal occupants in October.

Other parts of the Centre will be dedicated to teaching in molecular biology and microbiology. Professor Kleindorfer said the top floor of the Centre, which will offer training for postgraduate research students, will house other experimental animals, such as insect colonies.

The design and landscaping of the larger penguin pond in the Animal Compound will have input from Flinders biology student Simon Brown, who also happens to be an architect and the designer of Melbourne Zoo’s award-winning penguin enclosure.

The refurbishment of the Animal Compound will include a new walkway that will allow school groups to tour the facility, which also houses aviaries, aquaculture fish tanks, a native plant garden, and a glass house dedicated to sustainable food production and plant pathology research.

Professor Kleindorfer said most of the species that will occupy the ecosystem are endangered.

“A big part of the reason for having the penguins here is to enhance our collective awareness of the plight of creatures we generally don’t see.”

Having spent the past five years researching the endangered pygmy bluetongue lizard, Dr Melissa Pettigrew felt it was time to “mix things up”.

In April 2011 the then Flinders University student submitted her thesis on the conservation of Australia’s pygmy population – and in that same week boarded a plane to China on a nine-month stint to save the Siberian tiger from human impacts.

“My PhD was in conservation biology so I thought it would be a good opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge that I gained through my research of lizards to the conservation of Siberian tigers,” Dr Pettigrew (pictured, at the Chinese/Russian border) said of her volunteer efforts.

“I also work with koalas so I guess it was a good chance to mix things up a bit,” she said.

During her stay in China, as part of the Australian Youth Ambassador program, she worked with the Wildlife Conservation Society to tackle the growing issue of human wildlife conflict.

“In China there are a lot of poor rural communities which rely on cattle farming as their source of income but snares are set in the reserve and surrounding area to catch and kill deer so they can be sold primarily on the black market,” she said.

“Unfortunately the snares reduce the ungulate (hoofed animal) population which is the primary food source for the tiger population.

“Tigers are therefore now preying upon cattle to substitute their diet and this unfortunately creates human-tiger conflict.”

Her main work in China involved snare removal campaigns and improving a scheme which provides compensation to farmers whose cows have been eaten by tigers.

“I spent a lot of time physically removing the snares from the reserves and surrounding areas – it was partly to conserve the deer population but about one tiger a year gets killed by a snare and that’s a lot considering there’s only 18 to 25 Siberian tigers left in China,” she said.

Despite working on the conservation of two very different animals, Dr Pettigrew said there were several skills she learnt throughout her thesis which she was able to apply in China.

“During my PhD I learnt a lot about how to get funding so that really helped when I was over there, and I also learnt how to write for publications so hopefully one of the articles I wrote on human wildlife conflict in China will be published in an international journal later this year.

“My background in conservation definitely helped but it was still a huge learning curve to work on the other side of conservation, where you have to weigh up the livelihood of farmers and their families versus the protection of an endangered animal.”

Dr Pettigrew, who officially graduated with her PhD from Flinders last month, says she is unsure whether she will pursue her work with lizards or tigers, but for now she is happy to continue her much-loved job as a koala keeper at Cleland Wildlife Park.

“Sometimes I get asked what my favourite animal is but I don’t have a favourite – to me it’s more about the conservation of the species rather than the species itself.”

Dr Gavin Prideaux excavating the skull of an extinct kangaroo, Thylacoleo Caves, Nullarbor Plain, WA.

Some of the State’s foremost fossil experts will be pushed to their limits by some very knowledgeable kids during the SA Museum’s Palaeontology Week, which runs from March 24 to April 1.

The Flinders University Palaeontology Society will be running a quiz show aimed at 12 to 17-year olds on March 30 as part of Palaeontology Week’s program of exhibitions, displays, presentations and other events.

Sam Arman, a Flinders postgraduate and organiser of the Stirton Factor – named after an influential American palaeontologist and using a format that borrows from the ABC’s Einstein Factor – said the guest academics will be tested on their wider knowledge of palaeontology by a brains trust of young enthusiasts.

Flinders palaeontologist Dr Gavin Prideaux said that the event, now in its tenth year, helps to fill an important gap.

“Almost every five to six-year old loves dinosaurs and knows a bit about fossils, but if that early interest in palaeontology persists there’s not really anywhere for older school students to go,” Dr Prideaux said.

“It’s an important week – tens of thousands of people go through the Museum’s doors, and it’s really an opportunity to showcase what palaeontology is about, and a good opportunity for us to talk about our research to school groups and other interested people.”

As part of the regional program, Dr Prideaux will be visiting Naracoorte on March 25 to assist in presenting an open night at the Naracoorte Caves complex, incorporating a tour of the Caves, the on-site laboratory and the Wonambi Fossil Centre, with its reconstructions of the fossil fauna.

On the following day, Dr Prideaux will talk to local high school students about the Caves, which, he says, are South Australia’s only World Heritage Site and constitute a remarkable repository of historical animal life and responses to climate change.

Flinders University is a sponsor of Palaeontology Week.

Growing up on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, Guido Parra (pictured) has been fascinated with sea creatures for as long as he can remember.

Now, at the age of 38, he is applying his academic expertise to better protect Australia’s marine mammals from the threats of habitat degradation, pollution and other human impacts.

“I pretty much lived at the beach when I was a child so I’ve always been fascinated with marine creatures, especially the larger ones,” the Flinders University lecturer in marine mammals, birds and reptiles, and animal behaviour, said.

“I’ve always had an inquisitive mind and got pleasure from discovering how things work, so when I finished university my motivation was to find out new things about marine mammals and apply that knowledge to solve conservation problems,” he said.

Since migrating to Australia in 1999, Dr Parra has dedicated most of his professional life to researching the ecology, behaviour and evolution of Australian dolphins, including the rare humpback and snubfin dolphins – and more recently the South Australian common and bottlenose dolphins.

Breaking new ground in a relatively unknown field of work, Dr Parra has provided most of the current scientific information behind the conservation and management of Australian humpback and snubfin dolphins, including abundance, population structure, habitat use, movement patterns and threats.

He is now involved in a new partnership with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) to gather critical baseline information about the ecology of common dolphins using aerial surveys, distance sampling, population genetics and spatial modelling.

Funded by the Australian Marine Mammal Centre, the project will provide insights into the ecology and vulnerabilities of common dolphins in South Australia to changes in environmental conditions and anthropogenic activities, with data expected to be available later this year.

The study is the first stage of a long-term commitment to whale and dolphin research in South Australia as part of the state’s new Cetacean, Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab (CEBEL), a joint initiative of Flinders, SARDI and Marine Innovation South Australia.

Dr Parra, who is leading the Flinders-based lab with colleague Dr Luciana Möller, said wildlife agencies were currently unable to provide effective management solutions for the common dolphin given the lack of basic information about the species.

He said research was critical to the preservation of dolphins and the wider marine ecosystem.

“South Australia’s coastal, estuarine and marine environments sustain some of the most biologically diverse marine mammal fauna in Australia,” Dr Parra said.

“As top marine predators, dolphins play an important role in the structure and functioning of these marine ecosystems so it’s very important we look after them if we want to preserve the functionality and biodiversity of marine ecosystems.”

Dr Parra’s marine research has received one of 10 Flinders Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Early Career Researchers, an annual program which aims to recognise and reward individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the University since finishing their PhD.

Professor David Day, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)

Research expertise and successful engagement with business has placed Flinders University at the forefront of a Federal Government scheme aimed at commercialising research.

Flinders has secured seven Researchers in Business (RIB) Grants worth $332,393 from the Federal Government’s Enterprise Connect program, making it the third-ranked research organisation in Australia after the CSIRO and the University of Queensland.

RIB grants support the placement of researchers from universities or public research agencies into businesses, to help develop and implement a new idea with commercial potential.

Twenty-five universities have received RIB grants through the Enterprise Connect program between its start in early 2009 and December 2011.

Five Flinders University researchers from the School of Chemistry and Physical Sciences and the School of Biological Sciences are currently involved in seven projects with local and interstate companies across a range of sectors that include cosmetics, agriculture, food, health, and floor and plastics manufacturing.

While details of the research cannot be revealed for commercial reasons, Professor David Day (pictured), the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), said the program is proving highly successful in its aims of accelerating the adoption of new ideas and technologies and increasing competitiveness in business.

“Some of the work being done by the Flinders researchers is around the development of ways to  refine and streamline of existing products and processes, while other research is devoted to assessing the viability of new products for use in new applications,” Professor Day said.

“All of the projects are demonstrating the value of breaking down the divide between the business and research sectors and, through sustained access to the expertise of university researchers, are bringing tangible benefits to the participating companies.”

Ms Coraline Chapperon

Climate change models must be reworked in a bid to save some of the world’s smallest and slimiest creatures from extinction, a Flinders University PhD candidate warns.

Biological Sciences postgraduate student Coraline Chapperon says any future policies for global warming must consider mobile organisms on rocky beaches – such as snails – and their capacity to survive the predicted rise in extreme conditions such as heatwaves.

She said the majority of current global warming research is mistakenly driven by air temperature which does not reflect the body temperature of most animals.

“A lot of current global warming research uses air temperature as a proxy for animal body temperature – so if it’s 31 degrees at the beach they’d say all the animals at the beach are 31 degrees but that’s not the case,” Ms Chapperon said.

“Even the same rock surface varies in temperature at a very small spatial scale at one time which is more pertinent to the biology and ecology of intertidal animals than air temperature,” she said.

“As such, we need to consider factors like rock temperature and the individual physiology and behaviour of animals in our climate change models, and look at it on a much smaller scale.”

To prove how crucial individual animal body temperatures are to global warming policies, Ms Chapperon has spent the past three years investigating the temperature and behaviour of snails and their ability to cope in extreme conditions.

As part of her research she took a series of thermal images of marine snails and rocks in two topographically different habitats, a rock platform and a boulder field, over the course of a summer and autumn at Marino Rocks to quantify variances in body temperature and snail behaviour.

She found that temperatures between microhabitats separated by just a few centimetres, such as crevices and underneath rocks, actually varied more than habitats separated by up to 250 metres, and that rock and snail temperatures were strongly connected, suggesting snail body temperatures are largely determined by the temperatures of the rocks they are crawling on.

Ms Chapperon said that while snails have limited physiological abilities to adapt any further to climate as they have already reached the upper limit of their “thermal tolerance window”, her research suggests they may be able to modify their actions in order to survive locally.

However, she said more research was needed to determine whether these “thermoregulatory behaviours” could actually buffer the warming climate.

“Despite their limited physiological abilities, snails have certain behavioural qualities that help them cool down when it is warm, such as aggregating or moving underneath rocks.

“But this is a relatively unknown area of research and that’s why further studies are needed to see whether their ability to find refuge in cooler microhabitats could compensate for their lack of physiological ability.”

Ms Chapperon’s snail studies have earned her one of Flinders Best Student Paper Awards, a new initiative which aims to showcase excellence in student research across the University.

Four species of freshwater native fish brought to the brink of extinction by drought are being re-released into the lower Murray wetlands, and thanks to Flinders University research, they have an improved chance of survival.

The fish have been bred in captivity at Flinders University from animals rescued from their habitat before it dried out in 2007.

At the initial release of 1,ooo southern pygmy perch near Hindmarsh Island, the Premier, Mr Jay Weatherill, said that their return is a significant milestone in the environmental recovery of the lower Murray and Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region.

Genetic research by Professor Luciano Beheregaray and his team has enhanced the prospects for reestablishment of the southern pygmy perch (pictured) and three other endangered species.

The research, which was funded by a Linkage Grant from the Australian Research Council (ARC), involves Dr James Harris and other researchers from Flinders with five industry partners: the SA Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the SA Murray Darling Basin Natural Resource Management Board, the SA Museum, Native Fish Australia and PIRSA Fisheries.

As Director of the Molecular Ecology Group at Flinders, Professor Beheregaray’s research has attracted over $3 million in funding in the past two years, including four major projects funded by the ARC.

Professor Beheregaray said that using techniques similar to those used to establish paternity in humans enabled the fish to be bred so as to avoid inbreeding.

“We set up breeding groups separate from each other, and we are reintroducing equal numbers of the families from each group into the wild,” Professor Beheregaray said.

“Because of the small numbers – up to 80 of each species – retrieved from the wild, this is really their only shot at reestablishment, so we have to get it right. Genetics plays a crucial role in informing how the captive breeding program is managed.”

As well as their own intrinsic importance to biodiversity, the fish will act as a valuable indicator of the health of the water system, both in terms of water quality and flow.

A second, more complex part of the fish genome is being used to identify genetic lines that provide more natural resistance to environmental hazards such as disease.

“If you have fish that are unable to fight an outbreak of disease, then an entire family can be wiped out in one season,” Professor Beheregaray said.

And by sampling and analysing the fish that successfully survive in the wild, the researchers will gain a better understanding of the genetic variations that they want to preserve and promote in captive populations.

Professor Beheregaray said while most of his current ARC funding is focused on projects related to freshwater ecosystems, genetic and genomic research in the Flinders Molecular Ecology Group extends to marine creatures including sharks, dolphins and whales, as well as giant tortoises, lizards, wombats and butterflies.

“By comparing genetic patterns across several species from the same region, we can assess the impact of factors such as climate change and habitat fragmentation in the genetic diversity of populations,” he said.

“This is critically important information for conservation efforts because genetic diversity is the fundamental level of biodiversity.”

Flinders herpetologist Professor Michael Bull has been named as one of four finalists for the title of Scientist of the Year in the South Australian Science Excellence Awards.

Teams of Flinders University biologists led by Professor Bull (pictured) have been studying the pygmy bluetongue, the gidgee skink and the sleepy lizard for more than three decades, and he has been named as principal investigator of no less than 19 successful project grants from the Australian Research Council since 1977.

The projects have resulted in numerous discoveries about the extraordinary life cycle and habits of the sleepy lizard, including its tendency to pair with a mate for life. His work was featured on David Attenborough’s Life in Cold Blood in 2008.

More recently, Professor Bull’s research into the habits and social life of the pygmy bluetongue has been contributing to programs to conserve colonies of the lizards in South Australia’s mid-North.

Consultant ophthalmologist Dr Celia Chen, a Flinders University scientist and Flinders Medical Centre clinician, is a finalist in the Science Excellence Awards category for PhD Research Excellence in Health and Medical Sciences.

She was nominated for research that tested an intervention to dissolve the clot-causing Central Retinal Artery Occlusion, with results suggesting that the technique could reverse vision loss if given early enough after diagnosis.

The winners will be announced on November 3 at a gala dinner at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

On the back of a groundbreaking scientific discovery, researchers from Flinders University are pushing ahead with a plan to create super-rice that could potentially combat nutrient deficiencies in third-world countries.

PhD student Bianca Kyriacou – under the guidance of Flinders’ Associate Professor James Stangoulis – is leading a research mission to increase the iron content of rice grains in a bid to eradicate nutrient deficiencies, such as anaemia, in under-developed countries.

So far, her breakthrough research has produced a genetically modified rice grain containing up to four times more iron than conventional rice using the plant’s own abilities to acquire more iron from soil, which is in turn transported to the grain.

With the ‘proof of concept’ stage an official success, Ms Kyriacou said the next step is to grow subsequent generations of the iron-rich rice to determine whether the plant is capable of producing the same results year after year.

“We’ve proved it’s possible to modify the plant so that it can extract more nutrients from the soil but what we now need to do test is the hereditability, so whether subsequent generations of the plant are capable of producing the same results year after year,” Ms Kyriacou, 26, said.

“Agronomic tests will also need to be conducted to see how well the plants perform outside a controlled greenhouse environment, as well as whether the modifications impact yield and grain quality.

“Eventually, we’ll carry out animal tests to see if they can absorb more nutrients from the grain before hopefully producing a product for human consumption.”

Ms Kyriacou said her research – a collaboration with all three universities in SA and the University of Melbourne – was unique in that it does not ‘trick’ the plant into thinking it lacks iron.

“The plant already has the ability to extract nutrients for its own benefit but we have human requirements from these plants so what we’ve done is modify the expression levels of the plant gene to enhance its natural transport mechanism of carrying nutrients from soil to grain,” Ms Kyriacou said.

“This whole chain of events makes the plant do what it’s already capable of doing – we’re just improving the efficiency of that process.”

As an extension of her project, scientists from the International Rice Research Institute will begin field trials in the Philippines next month using a similar super grain.

Associate Professor Stangoulis, a leading plant biologist, said the breakthrough could provide a solution to iron deficiencies affecting an estimated two billion people worldwide.

“Many under-developed nations depend on rice for up to 80 per cent of their caloric needs, therefore many people in these areas are prone to iron deficiency,” Associate Professor Stangoulis said.

“That’s why a high-iron rice could significantly improve nutrition for people who rely on rice as their main source of diet.”

Ms Kyriacou agreed the research, funded by the Australian Research Council and HarvestPlus, was a big coup for SA.

“This is world-class research coming out of Flinders, putting us on the international map for research that could potentially benefit millions around the world,” she said.

A laboratory dedicated to forensic DNA research to be opened at Flinders today (Friday, August 19) will increase South Australia’s capacity in research and postgraduate education in forensic science.

The new laboratory is fitted with special “clean rooms” that incorporate filtered air systems, allowing DNA to be handled and analysed without the risk of contamination with equipment similar to that of an operational forensic laboratory.

The Forensic DNA Laboratory will be opened by the CEO of the SA Department of Justice, Mr Jerome McGuire.

Forensic biologist and the inaugural Justice Chair in Forensic DNA, Professor Adrian Linacre (pictured), said that the facility would permit valuable research on DNA to be carried out by both Flinders and Forensic Science SA.  He said that while similar laboratories are operated by Forensic Sciences SA in central Adelaide, they are dedicated to operational casework.

“This laboratory provides Forensic SA with a research environment that will enable their staff to concentrate on research projects without the distractions of casework. They also get access to supervisors and other academic expertise,” Professor Linacre said.

Professor Hilton Kobus, a former head of Forensic Sciences SA, who is now based at Flinders, said that the laboratory represented another significant step in the Flinders-State government forensic science partnership.

“We’re almost unique in Australia in the closeness of the collaboration, and we’re coming together in bigger and more visible ways,” Professor Kobus said.

Funding to refurbish the laboratory in the Physical Sciences building comes from the Burgoyne Fund, which was established with income derived from the invention at Flinders by Emeritus Professor Leigh Burgoyne of FTA paper, now a world-wide industry standard for storing DNA samples.

A Flinders University-led expedition involving the WA Museum has found the fossilised remains of a prehistoric bird, possibly a wedge-tailed eagle, in a cave on the Nullarbor Plain. The bird is more than 780,000 years old.

Flinders’ palaeontologist, Dr Gavin Prideaux (pictured), said the almost complete skeleton was unearthed amidst dozens of bird bones in a cave known as Leaena’s Breath Cave – about 70 kilometres on the WA side of the border with South Australia.

“We’ve only ever found one partial eagle fossil before so, given how complete this specimen is, it would be an exciting discovery,” Dr Prideaux said.

“We’ll need to get the specimen back to Flinders University to determine whether it is, indeed, an eagle and, if so, whether it is the same species as the modern wedge-tailed eagle or something new,” he said.

“It may be new given that it is at least 780,000 years old and probably much older. Surrounding these larger bones are literally hundreds of songbird bones, a situation mirrored through the rest of the deposit.

“This cave has been acting as a bird death trap for at least a million years, which is just one thing that makes this one of the most interesting and unique palaeontological sites in Australia.”

The discovery was made on only the second day of the field trip which is a collaboration between Flinders University and the Western Australian Museum.

Video and blogs of the expedition can be found at:

http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/cave/videos

http://www.flinders.edu.au/cave/

http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/cave/bloggers/gavin-prideaux

Picture credit: Clay Bryce, WA Museum

Dr Kirsten Benkendorff has won the 2011 Dorothy Hill Award from the Australian Academy of Science for her cancer research with marine molluscs.

Now working at Southern Cross University, Dr Benkendorff (pictured) researched the anti-cancer extracts from the Australian whelk while at Flinders.

She is currently trialling the potential development of the extracts as a novel alternative medicine.

Dr Benkendorff was presented the award, given to female researchers in the Earth sciences including reef science, ocean drilling, marine science and taxonomy in marine systems, at a ceremony in Canberra last week.

The web-making strategies of spiders, the sexual proclivities of squid, the effects of human tourism on bottle-nosed dolphins and the fight-back by the iconic Darwin’s finch against a voracious parasite are among the phenomena that will be described at a national conference on animal behaviour at Flinders University from April 11 to 13.

This year the annual conference of the Australasian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour brings together a record number of papers from biological scientists specialising in the how and why of animal behaviour, with  115 presenters and more than 160 participants  expected from across Australia and New Zealand, and some coming from as far as Pakistan and Thailand.

Conference organiser and Flinders bird biologist Dr Jeremy Robertson said the three-day conference has been organised with a single stream of 10-minute presentations to enable scientists and students to gain maximum exposure to the latest research findings.

The focus of the papers over the three days will move from the mechanisms of animal behaviour through to the adaptive value of behaviour and finally to evolutionary history.

Several Flinders researchers will report on their work, including Dr Robertson and Professor Sonia Kleindorfer, whose poster presentation will describe the latest developments in the struggle by Darwin’s finches on the Galapagos Islands to survive against an imported parasite, a fly-larva that eats hatchlings alive.

Mortality rates among the chicks reached as high as 90 per cent, but the finches, the pinup species of the theory of evolution, have rallied by evolving new behaviours - revealed in film footage taken by the Flinders researchers - to counter the infestations.

The conference program has caught the eye of the BBC’s Natural History Unit, and a producer for the TV documentary series Survival is travelling to Adelaide to attend the conference.

The full program is available at http://www.assab.org/meetings/information-assab-2011/

Researchers from Flinders University and the SA Museum will have increased scope to work together under an agreement signed by the two organisations today.

Flinders and the Museum will enhance their research opportunities by collaborating on funding applications and by jointly undertaking projects that draw on their respective strengths.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) – signed by Flinders’ Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor David Day (pictured, left), and Museum Director, Professor Suzanne Miller (pictured, right) – the two organisations will jointly fund scholarships for higher research degree students and research positions in areas of mutual interest. The MOU also facilitates reciprocal access to libraries and research facilities.

Professor Day said the MOU “further strengthens our relationship with the SA Museum and will underpin an expanded collaborative research effort”.

“In bringing our respective research strengths together in funding applications to the Australian Research Council, for example, we hope to increase our success rate and broaden the nature and scope of the projects on which we can work together,” Professor Day said.

Flinders and SA Museum have undertaken a number of joint research projects in the past with current examples including investigating the response of the endangered Slater’s Skink to changing environmental conditions in Central Australia in a bid to discover information that might aid the lizard’s conservation. Another joint project is examining ways in which the risk of extinction to five endangered fish species in the Murray-Darling Basin – which have been hard hit by extended drought and environmental degradation – can be reduced.

Professor Miller said “there has been a very good relationship between the South Australian Museum and Flinders University for several years with many highly successful joint research projects”.

“The Museum is delighted that we are now formalising this relationship and is looking forward to strengthening our partnership with the University, with stronger ties in science, public programs and events. We look forward to a very rewarding partnership with Flinders University,” Professor Miller said.

The MOU will also provides for potential opportunities to jointly market, promote and sponsor lectures, seminars and exhibitions.

As ten early career researchers are recognised for outstanding individual achievement, Flinders University has announced three new initiatives to support academics seeking to boost their research activities and to attract international research collaborations.

The Flinders University Conference Travel, Re-entry and Visiting International Research Fellowships are designed to kick-start new research projects and collaborations with substantial funding for academics who are carers, researchers returning from parental leave, and for University Schools wanting to invite research scholars from overseas.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor David Day said the new initiatives join a number of other recent measures, including the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Early Career Researchers, which are building a supportive research environment.

“The Fellowships herald a new way of thinking about research at Flinders to encourage promising researchers and academics to stay on or even come back into the fold,” Professor Day said.

“They form part of the University’s broader goal – to support a research environment that is about more than just funding for specific research projects,” he said.

“That means, for example, taking into account that some researchers have carer responsibilities, or providing relief from teaching duties, or giving Schools the scope to invite international researchers to exchange ideas and build long-term relationships.”

The recipients of the 2010 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Early Career Researchers – Dr Stephen Clarke, Dr Roman Dronov, Associate Professor Amanda Ellis, Dr Michael Gradisar, Dr Charlie Huveneers, Associate Professor Eva Kemps, Dr Luciana Möller, Dr Rachel Popelka-Filcoff (pictured), Dr Damien Riggs and Dr Ruth Sladek – will each win a $2500 prize to develop research networks.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Barber said the Awards, launched last year, acknowledge outstanding contribution to the University.

“This year’s winners were selected from a very competitive field across all four faculties,” Professor Barber said.

“Each of the recipients is making a mark in their field of endeavour, attracting important research funding and developing a growing reputation in the research world,” he said.

“We hope they serve as an inspiration to their colleagues which, with the new Fellowships, will encourage all academics, at any stage of their careers, to consider new research activities and to be part of a growing, vibrant research culture at Flinders University.”

Application forms with full details of the Fellowships will be advertised to all researchers through the Research Services Office.

Flinders University is experiencing strong demand for its courses in 2011, resulting in increased offers this year, and there are still places available.

Along with high demand for the University’s suite of health-related courses such as medicine, health sciences, medical science, nursing, midwifery and paramedic degrees, there has been significant interest in the teacher education degrees, new courses in Law (Hons), Education and the revamped group of Science degrees.

A total of 3846 offers (up from 3395 offers in 2010) were made in the first round of offers this week.

Further offers to prospective students will be made in coming weeks, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor(Academic) Professor Andrew Parkin urged anyone considering tertiary study in 2011 to submit a late application.

“A wide range of our undergraduate courses remain open for qualified applicants” he said.

These include the Bachelor of Arts and degrees in international studies, information technology, behavioural science (psychology), science and engineering.

Interested students should contact the Admissions/Prospective Students Office by phoning 08 8201 3074 or 1300 657 671 (local call cost), or email admissions@flinders.edu.au.

Professor Parkin said the University was pleased with the strong demand for its courses in 2011 and its ability to offer a substantially increased number of places to qualified applicants.

“Our offers in January 2011 are up 13 per cent compared with the corresponding 2010 period,” Professor Parkin said.

“This has been founded on an 11 per cent increase in applications to Flinders courses, including a gratifying 14 per cent increase from school leavers.

“On the basis of this student interest Flinders looks forward with confidence to the more deregulated higher education landscape beyond 2011 arising from Federal Government policies.

“Flinders is well placed to continue to grow as a strong contributor to the economic, social and intellectual development of South Australia, including metropolitan Adelaide, the Hills and Fleurieu regions, the Riverland and the Greater Green Triangle in particular.

“Flinders also has a growing profile in the Northern Territory as well as continuing strong student recruitment nationally.”

He said several new courses are among those experiencing strong demand.

“We are welcoming the first intake to new undergraduate courses in Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Education/Disability Studies, Laws and Legal Practice (Hons) and Science (Animal Behaviour),” Professor Parkin said.

“ATAR school-leaver entry scores for a number of courses such as Law, Law (Hons), Physiotherapy, Midwifery, Psychology, Nutrition & Dietetics, Paramedics, Speech Pathology, Science (Hons) – an enhanced program for High Achievers –and Engineering/Master Engineering are up over the 90 mark.”

Flinders has a variety of pathways for students wanting to begin their University studies: “ For those students who did not receive their first preference or received no offer there are options, such as commencing in one degree and later transferring to their degree of choice,” Professor Parkin said.

For further information refer to Study in 2011.

The impacts of humans, through protracted hunting, were probably decisive in the extinction of Australian megafauna around 40,000 years ago, but climate change and fire activity probably fuelled the process.

This is the finding of a study led by Flinders University’s Dr Gavin Prideaux which offers the most detailed insight into the nature of the extinction of Ice Age giants anywhere in the world.

Published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, the study’s potential for clarifying the variable impacts of hunting, fire and aridity on mass extinction is unparalleled.

Dr Prideaux, from Flinders School of Biological Sciences, said that determining the timing and cause of the Pleistocene extinctions remains one of the most charged topics in historical science, particularly given the putative roles of humans and climate change in the event.

“Australia was the hardest hit of all continents, apparently losing more than 90 per cent of larger species by around 40,000 years ago,” Dr Prideaux said.

“Causes have been intensely debated, with three strongly championed candidates emerging: human hunting, landscape burning by humans and increased aridity,” he said.

“Debates have consistently divided along party lines regarding the ‘ultimate cause’ with no empirical evidence to date emerging for the interplay of different factors in the extinctions.”

The study, which took 15 years to complete, with researchers from the Universities of Western Australia, Wollongong, Melbourne and the Australian National University, analysed bones excavated from the richest deposit of Pleistocene vertebrates known from the western two-thirds of Australia, in the aptly named Tight Entrance Cave in the southwest corner of the continent.

This is the only deposit on Earth known to have sampled a community for 100,000 years leading up to human arrival and beyond.

“First, we show that a diverse mammal fauna bounced back rapidly and thrived after a very harsh climatic phase 140,000 years ago, and that the extinctions preceded the last arid climatic phase that commenced 30,000 years ago. This rules out aridity as a primary driver,” Dr Prideaux said.

“Second, we reveal that bushfires intensified 30,000 years before the extinctions, undermining the primacy of landscape burning as a cause.

“Third, by showing that humans and doomed species coexisted for at least 9000 years we rule out a ‘blitzkrieg’ extinction scenario.

“We suggest that protracted hunting by humans, perhaps over 10,000 years or more, was the probably number one extinction driver, but environmental changes happening at the time probably exacerbated the situation. This has led us to conclude that one-factor explanations for the Pleistocene extinctions are very likely overly simplistic in Australia”.

Flinders University research projects into sleep apnea, superbug drug resistance and colorectal cancer are among 10 projects to receive $8.44 million in National Health and Medical Research Council funding announced today.

The largest grant – $2.99 million – was awarded to Professor Doug McEvoy from Flinders Clinical Effectiveness in the School of Medicine and his team of collaborators from the George Institute at the University of Sydney and international researchers, for a five-year trial to determine whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be a cause of premature cardiovascular disease.

“OSA affects 7 per cent of the population and is increasing with the global epidemic of obesity,” Professor McEvoy said.

“Our trial will compare the rate of cardiovascular events, such as stroke and heart attack, in OSA patients who are treated, with those not treated with a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device,” he said.

“The results may lead to a new medical approach to the prevention of cardiovascular disease.”

Among the other projects awarded funding are:

• A study to determine the association between the obstructive lung disease bronchiectasis and infection with Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus type 1 in the Indigenous people of Central Australia, led by Dr Lloyd Einsiedel, Research Fellow in the NT Rural Clinical School in Alice Springs.
• The development of an improved bowel cancer screening test without the need to collect a stool sample, based on the discovery of a molecule in the blood of patients with bowel cancer by Professor Graeme Young, Head of the Flinders Centre for Cancer Prevention and Control and his team.
• Investigations into proteins that confer resistance to the superbug, Golden Staph, with the aim of designing more effective antibacterial treatments, led by Associate Professor Melissa Brown from the School of Biological Sciences.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor David Day congratulated the recipients of the NHMRC.

“I’m delighted to see this increase in the amount of NHMRC funding awarded to important health research projects at Flinders,” Professor Day said.

“I’d particularly like to extend my congratulations to Professor Doug McEvoy and his team on winning this very substantial grant, the largest of the grants to Flinders.”