Adventure Ausrama Blog

There is nothing worse than parking in a shopping center car park, doing your shopping, then coming out to find another driver has reversed out and scraped your rear "bumper" A compulsory radar reversing system should be introduced for all vehicles. VicRoads is doing something about this. Their maintenance fleet has been fitted with radar-based reverse braking technology. The main target is not vehicle damage: it is injuries to employees who are hit when trucks are reversing. No less than 18 workers were struck from 2003 to 2012. The system detects anything directly in the reversing path of a vehicle. All new motor vehicles are now fitted with such technology in Europe, the US and Japan. Where is Australia with regard to this? It can prevent injuries, save lives and last but not least stop unwanted damage.  Insurance companies could even offer lower premiums as a result. VicRoads will share its trial data with others involved in the transport industry. I...

Australian scientists attempt to understand the aging process. In a partnership with Harvard University, the University of New South Wales has found a way to stop aging. Though it has been achieved on mice it has already been applied to humans. Young youthful genes are turned on while older ones are turned off. Done in the right way, the process can halt and even reverse aging. The triggers are naturally occurring molecules and proteins. Change is made in the muscles and improvement begins in a week. Hopefully, drugs containing the triggers can be developed. At least this is what the researchers are planning. Tests on humans have shown great promise so far. An extra plus for the "treatment" is that it is anti-inflammatory. Such diseases as inflammatory bowel disease could be sent into remission. It makes one wonder, however, why findings aren't applied generally much sooner. Leader of the project, Professor David Sinclair a specialist in the fiel...