Science Victoria Magazine

December's edition of Science Victoria explores advances in therapeutic interventions, from drug discovery to genomics to equitable refuge from extreme heat - just in time for summer!

Studying the night sky has a very long history in Victoria, from First Peoples' use of the stars for meteorology, navigation, and story-telling, through to measuring dark matter in Stawell, and everything in between. This month we look at the ongoing work in Victoria to further understand everything beyond Earth’s atmosphere, as well as how our changing climate is affecting glaciers, ice sheets and cloud formation in the Southern Ocean.

On the 23rd of May this year, the Victorian Government announced that commercial logging of native forests would cease in Victoria at the end of 2023 – six years ahead of the scheduled close.

Victoria is home to tens of thousands of native plant species, but as at June 2023, 1,618 of these are under threat of extinction in our state (FFG Act Threatened List, June 2023). As the impacts of climate change are increasingly felt, there is a risk that this number will rise unless we act. In this edition, we look at the value of our flora, how we can support ecosystems in a changing climate, and whether the European model of seasons is unsuited to our part of the world.

Since the first plastics were synthesised in the 1800s, a problem has been quietly brewing for the world: what do we do with all the plastic waste? With more than 50% of all plastic ever made having been produced between 2004-2023, the scale of the problem is increasing at an exponential rate. In this edition, we look at some of the problems micro- and macro-plastics are causing, and what needs to be done both now and long term to solve these problems that we have created.

The wide range of subject areas in STEMM is matched with an equally vast range of different roles available in a career in STEMM, whether it be an astrophysicist, anaesthetist, nuclear engineer, nurse, coastal geomorphologist, statistician, botanist, data scientist, chemist, or an aerospace engineer. In this edition, we take a look at a small selection of the many different careers in STEMM fields.

With Victoria’s healthcare transformation towards predictive and preventative medicine, coupled with a growing population nearing 8 million by 2032, we face a pivotal moment in shaping a proactive system that empowers individuals while protecting the population. In this edition, we look at some of the considerations for a healthier future for Victoria and Victorians.

Clean water is essential for all animal and plant life, and human settlement depends on its availability and relies on its placidity. In this edition, we look at the water cycle in Victoria, our usage of water, and our treatment of waste relating to water - sewage and chemical contamination - especially in the face of climate change.