Natalie Parletta, PhD - Page 3 of 8 - Freelance Science Writer Natalie Parletta, Freelance Science Writer

Spying around corners just got a lot easier

Objects that are out of sight could now be captured with an ordinary digital camera, according to new research published in the journal Nature.

UV light may help birds navigate forests

It’s not only beauty that varies with the eye of the beholder. Unlike humans, birds can detect ultraviolet (UV) light – and it may help them navigate forests by enhancing the contrast of the foliage

Is anything private in the digital age?

Most of us think we have control over our online privacy with the security settings of social platforms – and some less trusting people opt out of social media altogether.

Feeding the planet: a call for radical action

A report released in The Lancet heralds the launch of a concerted effort to generate urgently needed solutions for feeding our growing population

Chips off the old block: most potatoes suffer depression

A large proportion of the world’s potato crops are suffering from severe depression, according to researchers.

Cosmos Magazine – Winter 2018 print issue

Ag science gets the feminine touch

Fiona Simson’s election as the first female president of the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) in 2016 reflects the revolution under way in agricultural science.

Rice is a major source of arsenic exposure

Researchers have verified that rice – grown and cooked in water – is a key food source of inorganic arsenic.

Barbecued meat: avoid char and limit drips to reduce cancer risk

Barbecue-cooked meat represents a significant cancer risk, according to Danish researchers.

Mechanical engineers have revealed the extraordinary complexities involved in cooking perfect fried rice. Making an authentic stir-requires quickly tossing ingredients in a wok over extremely high temperatures up to 1200 degrees Celsius

Cosmos Magazine

Major study finds smaller role for genes in ageing

A surprising new study combined family trees from over 400 million people and discovered that genes play a considerably smaller role than previously thought in how long people live.

The Refresh

Human training for happier dogs

I should have known when she yanked me off of my feet, face first into the mud as we walked to the car. I was leaving a dog sanctuary on Cockatoo Lane in South Australian countryside with my new adopted dog, Gemma.

Health Agenda Magazine

Robots to the rescue

For people with autism, a chat in a cafe could be a confusing and overwhelming experience. You might be distracted by the multiple conversations taking place and the loud sounds of the coffee machine. You might not understand the non-verbal cues of the waitress or the expression on her face.

Essential Kids, Sydney Morning Herald

Harnessing the power of video games to teach children empathy

Violent video games have long been blamed for increased aggression and decreased empathy in the teenagers who play them – but thankfully the news is not all bad.

The QUO

Championing children to reduce food waste

If you were to visit a primary school in Sydney’s Canterbury-Bankstown area, be careful not to throw a half-eaten apple or banana away. You might be reprimanded by a “food fighter” –

The QUO

Conversations to save the planet

In an impassioned appeal, emeritus professor Robert Manne wrote in 2015, “Unless by some miracle almost every climate scientist is wrong, future generations will look upon ours with puzzlement and anger

Ensia

Innovators look to “accidental crops” as a nutritious, environmentally friendly and free food source

Philip Stark was on a long run in the hills above Berkeley, California, when he started thinking differently about the wild green plants around him.

Cosmos Magazine

Researchers listen to their guts and go for glory

Inspired by acoustic sensing technology devised to pick up the munching sounds of termites, scientists have created a belt to record the internal gut rumblings that would normally cause embarrassment at dinner parties.

Cosmos Magazine

Turtles are disappearing – and that could spell disaster

These slow, gentle creatures have inhabited the Earth and its oceans for more than two million years. They’ve outlived the dinosaurs. But turtles have met their match in modern humans –

UniSA Enterprise Magazine

Secrets to staying young

Much like enjoying a vintage wine – something soft and rounded on the palette, warm, rich in flavour and mellow – our ideal of ageing is that it should be full of opportunities to relax, reflect and reap the rewards after a lifetime of hard work and family commitments.