University of Queensland research is opening up a new insight into the lives of the mightiest of all dinosaurs, and it isn’t pretty.

A reconstruction showing the jaw of a Tyrannosaurus rex with the avian infection. Image: Chris Glen

UQ palaeontologist Dr Steve Salisbury, together with American colleagues, has found Tyrannosaurus rex and its close relatives suffered from a deadly infectious disease similar to one that occurs in birds today.

Dr Salisbury said the evidence came from unnatural holes in the back of their lower jaws. The research has been published in scientific journal PLoS ONE.

“Some of the world’s most famous T. rex specimens have these holes in their jaws, including ‘Sue’ at the Field Museum in Chicago,” he said.

Dr Salisbury said tyrannosaurs were known to have marks on their heads from biting each other, presumably during territorial disputes or mating, but the holes he and his colleagues were interested in were at the back of the jaws, too far back to be bite marks.

“These holes don’t show any of the normal characteristics of bite marks,” he said.

“It’s as if someone took to the jaws with a hot poker. Some specimens look like Swiss cheese.

“We now believe that these holes are caused by an infectious disease called trichomonosis.”

He said trichomonosis was a modern avian disease caused by a parasite and is most prevalent in pigeons, which are generally immune.

“Birds of prey are particularly susceptible to trichomonosis if they eat infected pigeons,” he said.

Dr Salisbury and fellow researchers Ewan Wolff, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Jack Horner and David Varricchio from Montana State University, examined many T. rex fossils as part of their study including ‘Sue’, the most famous and complete specimen of all.

Dr Salisbury said the link in disease was not surprising given the evolutionary relationship of dinosaurs to birds, but the discovery represented a major step forward in understanding of disease history in birds and their dinosaurian precursors.

Dr Salisbury said the disease appeared to be quite common in tyrannosaurs and would have been deadly to those that were infected.

“Fighting and specifically head-biting would have been an ideal mechanism for spreading the disease among tyrannosaurs. We can see similarities with what has been happening to Tasmanian devils recently, where a malignant and debilitating oral cancer is being spread by animals fighting and biting each other’s faces,” he said.

To learn more about Dr Salisbury’s work, visit his laboratory’s webpage.

By Andrew Dunne

UQ research has found when it comes to camels, staying cool may be the key to reproductive success.

Male camels in central Australia

Emeritus Professor Gordon Grigg, from UQ’s School of Biological Sciences, and a team of colleagues working in Central Australia, have found male camels have an ability to drop their body temperature which may help them last longer in rutting displays.

“Rutting involves very energetic daily display ‘fighting’ during which bulls contest ownership of a herd of females,” Professor Grigg said.

“By starting each day cooler, a bull can postpone heat stress, compete for longer, win more contests and potentially sire more offspring.”

He said the ability of camels to drop body temperature in the mornings, invoking hypothermia, was once thought to be only a mechanism for conserving water in very hot and dry conditions.

“But what we saw cannot be for saving water as we saw it only in winter, only in bulls during rut and they had water freely available and used it routinely,” he said.

“So we speculate that by lowering their minimum temperature each morning during rut, bulls increase their chance of winning a harem.

“By starting the day cool, a bull will enhance his capacity to store heat generated by the strenuous activity, thus prolonging the onset of heat stress.

“A bull that can sustain a contest for longer is more likely to win it and, so, control a herd of females and get more matings.

“That is, the daily hypothermias we observed could have a direct bearing on reproductive success.”

Professor Grigg said the rutting habits of male camels were fascinating as competing bulls perform elaborate, ritualised and intense competitive behaviour including posing and strutting side-by-side, inflating and exposing the dulaa (a sac-like extension of the palate), jostling, exhibiting flehmen (curling the upper lip), running together and fighting.

Professor Grigg was joined by Jürgen Heuke and Birgit Dörges (University of Braunschweig), Jocelyn Coventry (veterinarian), Alex Coppock (cattleman) and School of Biological Science colleagues Lyn Beard and Simon Blomberg for the project. Their findings have been published online in scientific journal Biology Letters.

By Andrew Dunne

PhD student Jereme Spiers with a bottle of Serenascent

Serenascent, which smells like cut grass and claims to make the wearer happier and less stressed, was launched by the State Treasurer and Minister for Employment and Economic Development, Andrew Fraser.

Mr Fraser congratulated researchers Dr Lavidis and retired pharmacologist Associate Professor Rosemarie Einstein for their seven-year research project.

Dr Lavidis said he first had the idea for Serenascent on a trip to Yosemite National Park in America more than 20 years ago.

“Three days in the park felt like a three-month holiday,” he said.

“I didn’t realise at the time that it was the actual combination of feel-good chemicals released by the pine trees, the lush vegetation and the cut grass that made me feel so relaxed.

“Years later my neighbour commented on the wonderful smell of cut grass after I had mowed the lawn and it all clicked into place.”

Dr Lavidis said the aroma of Serenascent worked directly on the brain, in particular the emotional and memory parts known as the amygdala and the hippocampus.

“These two areas form the limbic system that controls the sympathetic nervous system,” he said.

“They are responsible for the ‘flight or fight’ response and the endocrine system, which controls the releasing of stress hormones like corticosteroids. The new spray appears to regulate these areas.”

By Jan King

A national survey conducted by UQ researchers has found that the majority of same-sex attracted Australians reported marriage to be their personal preference for relationship recognition.

UQ research shows same sex couples want to marry

The findings dispel the myth that most same-sex couples do not wish to marry or are content with de facto status, and form part of the larger Not So Private Lives survey.

The study is the first national survey to investigate same-sex attracted Australians’ preferences for various forms of relationship recognition since the introduction of de facto status for same-sex couples at a Federal level.

Findings showed that the majority (54.1 percent) of same-sex attracted participants selected marriage as their personal choice and close to 80 percent felt marriage should be an option for same-sex couples in Australia.

Researcher Sharon Dane, from UQ’s School of Psychology, said marriage was still the personal choice of the majority, irrespective of the current legal status of participants’ same-sex relationships.

“Importantly, the majority showing a personal preference for marriage was even more substantial among those currently in a state or municipal civil partnership or an overseas civil union,” Ms Dane said.

“This suggests that alternatives to marriage, such as civil unions, can be important for those who do not wish to marry but are clearly not a substitute for the many who do.”

By Melinda Kopanakis

Judy Watson

A new form of scientific collaboration was unveiled at UQ when Indigenous artist Judy Watson exhibited her latest works in October.

Ms Watson was artist-in-residence at the Heron Island Research Station in February 2009, her visit coinciding with the official reopening of the facility, which was destroyed by fire in 2007.

Staged at the UQ Art Museum, Judy Watson: Heron Island explored findings made by scientists the artist met during the residency and featured graphs about ocean acidification, changes to sea-surface temperature, El Niño weather patterns and global warming.

“Watson turned her attention to what scientists are saying is happening in the marine environment, with works ranging from an extraordinary ‘freshwater lens’ – a large blue-green brass sculpture suspended in the gallery space – to a series of brilliantly coloured etchings, paintings, works on paper, video and a sound work,” museum Director Nick Mitzevich said.

Heron Island number 13

The exhibition built on previous projects, particularly the Indigenous use of native plants, but also the idea of a subterranean water source.

“I was fascinated by the idea of a lens-shaped body of fresh water that lies beneath the coral cay above the salt water, the fresh water helping to sustain the plant life and the island ecology,” Ms Watson said.

“The freshwater lens is an amazing resource, whose purity is threatened by rising sea levels and storm surges, so even though it’s something you can’t actually see, I decided it would be the perfect floating sculptural form.”

Story by Michele Helmrich, video courtesy Judy Watson and Maria Barbagallo

UQ PhD candidate and nutritionist Christine Houghton is investigating whether broccoli could help in the fight against diabetes.

PhD student Christine Houghton is exploring the health benefits of broccoli

Ms Houghton’s research focuses on sulforaphane – a substance produced when broccoli sprouts are cut or chewed that has been found to protect against heart disease, some types of cancers and act as an anti-ageing agent.

“Sulforaphane essentially talks to the DNA within your cells and can help to optimise several of your body’s natural defence systems,” Ms Houghton said.

“Studies have found that sulforaphane influences about 200 genes of the cell’s defence system.

“Regular consumption of broccoli or broccoli sprouts is a simple way to activate your body’s own protective mechanisms which naturally decline as we age or are unwell.”

Ms Houghton is currently trying to find out exactly how much sulforaphane is produced in 500mg of encapsulated broccoli sprout powder.

Using this product, she hopes to start a clinical trial this year for patients with impaired glucose tolerance.

“Evidence in invitro and animal studies indicates that sulforaphane can reduce the complications of diabetes, with improved biochemical markers evident,” Ms Houghton said.

Ms Houghton is completing her PhD through the School of Human Movement Studies, and discussed the potential health benefits of sulforaphane at the 2009 Australasian Academy of Anti-Ageing Medicine Conference in Melbourne.

A turtle hatchling on Heron Island

Research is uncovering the true cost of how baby turtles make their dash from hatching in the dunes to the relative safety of the ocean.

Zoologist Dr David Booth, from UQ’s School of Integrative Biology, said his research was aimed at discovering how much energy the hatchlings needed to reach safe deep water.

“Having run the gauntlet of air and land predators to make it to the sea, the tiny voyager must also evade hungry fish patrolling the beaches in its bid for freedom,” Dr Booth said.

Curious to know how much energy the youngsters needed to reach safe deep water, Dr Booth measured the hatchling’s oxygen consumption and found they had enough energy reserves to survive 10 days at sea without feeding.

Basing his research at UQ’s Heron Island Research Station, Dr Booth took advantage of the unique laboratory facilities that are within metres of a green turtle nesting beach.

“At hatching time, I corralled the nest in order to catch several youngsters as they reached the sand’s surface about 100 metres away from the lab before they could reach the sea,” he said.

“I then fitted each hatchling with a lycra swim suit with a cord attached to a force transducer, before setting the youngster free in a seawater aquarium.”

Dr Booth said initially the animals swam very hard using their front flippers with their heads down, only switching to a “doggy paddle” as they came up for air before returning to fast front-flipper swimming.

“But as time drew on, the youngsters’ activity slowed,” he said.

“They spent more time doggy paddling and less time pulling with their front flippers until they eventually began taking the odd break after about 12 hours.”

Calculating the amount of energy the hatchlings consumed during their 18-hour swim, Dr Booth said the turtles carried almost 10 times as much energy in their yolk remnants as they needed to reach safety.

“So the youngsters aren’t at risk of running out of energy before making it to safety,” he said.

“They can probably survive 10 days in the open ocean before finding food.”

Dr Booth said the baby turtles were released into the ocean following the experiment. The experiment was conducted with the approval of the Environmental Protection Agency as well as UQ’s ethical research guidelines.

The research was published in The Journal of Experimental Biology.

By Andrew Dunne

UQ will participate in the new $60 million National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training recently announced by the Federal Government.

UQ is a member of a new groundwater research centre

Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, and Minister for Innovation and Research, Senator Kim Carr, said the new centre, led by Flinders University, was an investment in securing Australia’s water supplies.

Hydrology Chair Professor David Lockington will lead the UQ component, with his team focusing on the groundwater dynamics and biogeochemistry of key coastal environments from local to regional scales.

Other key UQ investigators will be Professor Ling Li, Associate Professor Catherine Lovelock, and Associate Professor Massimo Gasparon.

“Australia’s extensive coastline has an incredibly diverse range of terrestrial and shallow water conditions and habitats, which are home to complex and sensitive ecosystems of rich biodiversity, and are subject to major development pressure as well as climate change impacts,” Professor Lockington said.

The $60 million centre has $30 million in joint funding from the Australian Research Council and the National Water Commission, with $30 million in additional contributions from the 20 organisations involved. Partners include the University of New South Wales, the Australian National University, CSIRO, Geoscience Australia, and the governments of NSW and South Australia.

Former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor David Siddle welcomed the Australian Government’s recognition of the importance of groundwater research, and said UQ’s inclusion in the successful bid reflected on its high quality research into the coastal and marine interface.

By Jan King

A UQ researcher has gone backstage to some of Australia’s biggest music festivals to discover what makes them tick.

Screamfeeder perform during the Pig City concert at UQ in 2007

And the answer is the corporate dollar, but unlike days gone by, today’s music fans are comfortable with that situation.

Dr Nic Carah, a lecturer within UQ’s School of Journalism and Communication, studied the way corporations use music festivals to help build their brands, finding that, rather than alienating young people, these branding practices were embraced.

“Instead of being seen as an outsider of youth culture, they gain authenticity by being part of these events,” Dr Carah said.

He said while in the past some of these strategies may have been looked upon as suspicious, young people today understood marketing practices and accepted them as part of festival culture.

“Young people aren’t fooled by these tactics, they don’t get sucked in by them,” he said.

He said events such as the V Festival – a very overt branding exercise – were acceptable as long as there was value in it for the concert goer.

“If Virgin brings popular bands to a festival, then the audience is comfortable to use their phones and cameras to send texts and pictures to giant branded screens,” he said.

“The audience perceive they get something and the company develops brand value by associating itself with such an event.”

Dr Carah is working on a book about his research to be titled Pop Brands: branding, popular music and young people, which is expected to be published next year.

By Andrew Dunne

An Australian-first alliance between Queensland’s three largest universities will expand higher learning in a range of Asian and European languages.

Three Queensland universities have pooled together their language teaching programs

With $2.27 million in Australian Government funding, The University of Queensland, Griffith University and Queensland University of Technology will pool teaching of at least nine languages so their students can learn them as part of formal studies.

Students at all three institutions will be able to major in Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish. Provided they study at award level at one of the three universities, they will be credited as if they were studying at their own institutions.

The alliance is the first of its kind involving multiple languages and three Australian universities. It arises from a determination by the three vice-chancellors that major world languages must continue to be offered at university level in Brisbane, even though enrolments are in single digits at some institutions.

“If we applied accounting principles alone some of these languages would disappear from university curricula,” UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Greenfield said.
“However the three universities’ bottom line is that we can’t afford to see language scholarship atrophy in Australia’s third biggest capital city.”

“This alliance is the most comprehensive educational collaboration ever undertaken among our universities,” QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake said.
“Together we can provide a more sustainable and wide-ranging offering of languages to our students than is possible as individual universities.”

Griffith University Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian O’Connor said the initiative would build on the university’s existing strengths in Asian and European languages.

“This is a tangible move to cater for any student who wants to develop their passion for languages by providing access and opportunity to study where it suits them,” he said.

The alliance builds on recent initiatives by the universities to boost interest in language education, starting at the high school level. All three have offered bonus points to school leavers applying for university who have succeeded in a language other than English in year 12.