Biological invasions are a ubiquitous global concern. Invasive species are non-native species that arrive in a new area, establish and increase in density and distribution to the detriment of the recipient environment. Such species that become invasive are a major threat to biodiversity. Unlike inanimate risks, living things establish, reproduce and often spread, leading to...

The Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) and the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) commissioned the Centre for International Economics (the CIE) to investigate and measure the importance of recent advances in the biological sciences to the Australian economy. This work followed an earlier similar report that presented results on the importance of recent advances...

This report aims to aid policy making and public discussion based on rigorous estimates of the current contribution of the core sciences. The Office of the Australian Chief Scientist commissioned the Australian Academy of Science to develop two complementary reports on the importance of recent advances in a selection of the sciences in the knowledge...

Clinical evidence has shown that physical exercise during pregnancy may alter brain development and improve cognitive function of offspring. However, the mechanisms through which maternal exercise might promote such effects are not well understood. The present study examined levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and absolute cell numbers in the hippocampal formation and cerebral cortex...

Recent reports in both the general and scientific media show there is increasing concern within the biomedical research community about the lack of reproducibility of key research findings. If too many results are irreproducible, it could hinder scientific progress, delay translation into clinical applications and waste valuable resource. It also threatens the reputation of biomedical...