Lifting the veil on the Geological Dark Ages: The search for Hadean Crust on Earth. The project involves detailed field and isotopic study of some of the oldest known rocks and minerals to develop the first comprehensive picture of the earliest growth of the Australian continent. The data will reveal the timing and processes of continent formation and shed new light on the enigmatic early period of the Earth's evolution.
Growing galaxies: a consistent view of star formation across cosmic time. The project aims to contribute to the answer to a fundamental question: how galaxies, including our own, evolved over the Universe's history. The project plans to develop sophisticated spectral models and use them to extract crucial information on star formation, stellar populations, interstellar gas and dust properties from modern galaxy surveys at different cosmic epochs using a consistent framework. These imaging and sp ....Growing galaxies: a consistent view of star formation across cosmic time. The project aims to contribute to the answer to a fundamental question: how galaxies, including our own, evolved over the Universe's history. The project plans to develop sophisticated spectral models and use them to extract crucial information on star formation, stellar populations, interstellar gas and dust properties from modern galaxy surveys at different cosmic epochs using a consistent framework. These imaging and spectroscopic surveys would be complemented with measurements of the total gas reservoir of galaxies, obtaining a full census of the baryons in galaxies. Together, these may deliver significant insights into how the growth of galaxies, driven by the fuelling, efficiency and outputs of star formation, depends on galaxy properties in the local and distant Universe.Read moreRead less
Unraveling the evolution of galaxies and black holes with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder. The Australian Pathfinder for the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope will provide an unprecedented view of the Universe at radio wavelengths. The project will use this telescope to measure star formation and black hole activity in the distant Universe in order to understand the growth and evolution of galaxies.
Unveiling the haloes of Andromeda and the Milky Way. This project aims to understand galaxy formation and the astrophysical properties of dark matter. Continual merging with smaller systems powers the development of large galaxies. The ghostly remnants of these cannibalised satellites encode the build-up of mass in a galaxy and trace the underlying gravitational field. This project will use astronomical imaging technology to study ultra-faint stellar streams in the outskirts of our Milky Way and ....Unveiling the haloes of Andromeda and the Milky Way. This project aims to understand galaxy formation and the astrophysical properties of dark matter. Continual merging with smaller systems powers the development of large galaxies. The ghostly remnants of these cannibalised satellites encode the build-up of mass in a galaxy and trace the underlying gravitational field. This project will use astronomical imaging technology to study ultra-faint stellar streams in the outskirts of our Milky Way and its twin sister Andromeda, revealing their assembly histories and the precise properties of their dark matter haloes. These quantities are fundamental experimental benchmarks for testing modern cosmological models.Read moreRead less
Unlocking secrets of fertility restoration for hybrid breeding in crops. Hybrid varieties give higher and more stable yields than conventional lines, but a cost-effective system to make hybrid seed on a commercial scale is still missing for economically important crops like wheat or barley. By elucidating the mode of action of a new type of restorer gene plus exploiting ancient or exotic wheat and barley collections this project will reveal aspects of largely understudied mechanisms underlying f ....Unlocking secrets of fertility restoration for hybrid breeding in crops. Hybrid varieties give higher and more stable yields than conventional lines, but a cost-effective system to make hybrid seed on a commercial scale is still missing for economically important crops like wheat or barley. By elucidating the mode of action of a new type of restorer gene plus exploiting ancient or exotic wheat and barley collections this project will reveal aspects of largely understudied mechanisms underlying fertility restoration in wheat and barley. The expected outcomes of the proposed research have the potential to deliver new tools for hybrid seed production programs in wheat and barley. Higher and more stable yields from hybrids will ensure food security in the face of an uncertain climate and growing human population.Read moreRead less
The hidden secondary metabolite biosynthetic potential of fungi. This proposal aims to develop synthetic biology tools to allow rapid access to the hidden metabolites encoded in fungal genomes and discover how they interact with plant and animal hosts. Genome sequencing reveals that fungi harbour vast hidden potential for biosynthesis of bioactive small molecules. The lack of tools to efficiently access this hidden potential has hindered the ability to develop this uncharted chemical diversity f ....The hidden secondary metabolite biosynthetic potential of fungi. This proposal aims to develop synthetic biology tools to allow rapid access to the hidden metabolites encoded in fungal genomes and discover how they interact with plant and animal hosts. Genome sequencing reveals that fungi harbour vast hidden potential for biosynthesis of bioactive small molecules. The lack of tools to efficiently access this hidden potential has hindered the ability to develop this uncharted chemical diversity for pharmaceutics and agriculture, and understand their biological roles in pathogens. Expected outcomes include sources of bioactive molecules and better management of fungal diseases in crops and humans.Read moreRead less
Group dynamics, Allee effects and population regulation in cooperative breeders. Understanding population dynamics is crucial for effective conservation biology. In many cases breeding is limited by high density, but in social species the opposite is true, exposing small groups to high extinction risk. However, analyses of population dynamics in social species is rare, limiting our ability to effectively conserve such species.