Research Highlights

Media issued by The Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics           
A new research program is being supported by the  US Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with The Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG) and Vibha Agrotech Limited to apply transgenic technologies to enhance environmental stress tolerance in cereal crops. The research is part of the US government’s global  hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future. The collaboration will combine the ACPFG gene systems and technologies with the field evaluation and rice transformation capabilities of Vibha. A series of transgenic wheat and  rice lines will be developed that show enhanced tolerance to drought and salinity stresses.

Media issued by ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies          
A world-first study from the ARC Centre of  Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) has found that titanic forces in the Earth’s crust explains why the abundance and richness of coral varies dramatically across the vast expanse of the Indian and Pacific oceans. Scientists from CoECRS reveal that abrupt changes in the mix of coral species  are associated with earthquakes, volcanoes and jostling among the earth’s giant tectonic plates. The study shows that slow geological processes generate the patterns of reef biodiversity that we see today. This also explains why some coral species are more widespread than others. It is understood that rich coral communities arise from geological processes that take place over millions of years and they will be even harder to replace if lost due to global warming.

Media issued by The University of Melbourne        
ARC CEO, Professor Aidan Byrne, congratulates 2011 ARC Laureate Fellow  Professor Peter Hall from the University of Melbourne for his election to the  prestigious US-based National Academy of Science (NAS). Professor Hall has  been elected  in recognition  of his distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.  Professor Hall is a world-leading researcher in probability and mathematical  statistics, and in 2011, Professor Hall received his fourth ARC Laureate Fellowship to develop important advances in statistics, leading to new  statistical methodologies.