In this issue

	ECOS Issue 66

Wind erosion: the winnowing of our soils Reports on different aspects of erosion in Australia involving scientists from CSIRO, the Australian National University and the New South Wales Soil Conservation Service. (1) Defining the problem; (2) Where the dust comes from, and goes; (3) Fortuitous fertility; (4) Conserving soil in Mallee country; (5) The physics of wind erosion. Download Article

Greenhouse - and smart buildings
The CSIRO Division of Building, Construction and Engineering, Planning and Management Systems group is involved in discovering how new technologies can be integrated into buildings to make them energy efficient and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Separate section: 'The legacy of the metropolis'. This article concerns urban planning for cost effect arrangements of land, transport and communication networks to achieve the same results in existing cities.
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Kangaroos on the farm The CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology in Western Australia is monitoring kangaroos in the central wheatbelt to find if they can co-exist with farming. Download Article

Protecting a Kakadu floodplain from mining waste
Less than 40 kilometres south of the Magela Creek's confluence with the East Alligator River lies the Ranger uranium mine, a potential source of pollution from the waste products. Since the 1970s, researchers at the Alligator Rivers Region Research Institute have been studying the environmental effects of mining operations in the region in order to keep adverse impacts to a minimum after the mines have bee decommissioned.
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The tale of life: mapping genes and chromosomes Research into gene mapping in Australia and overseas has benefits in identifying human disease genes in chromosomes and animal breeding. The Human Genome Project in the US is directed by codiscoverer of DNA's double helix structure, James Watson. Download Article

More wood from the trees Staff from CSIRO Division of Forestry and Forest Products have been working with the forest industry on the Young Eucalypt Program as part of the forest management techniques which are being applied to eucalypt forests to improve their productivity. Download Article

Acoustics and the greenhouse effect Dr Walter Munk of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, California is using ocean acoustics to measure global warming of oceans. Mr Andrew Forbes of CSIRO Division of Oceanography is collaborating in the measurement of sound waves and the time taken to reach the different receiving stations. Download Article

Cutting out the cholesterol CSIRO Division of Food Processing have devised a simple process for the removal of cholesterol from dairy products. The process is now ready for commercial development. Download Article

Keeping the flavour The spinning cone column, based on pioneering work by the CSIRO Division of Food Processing, enables volatile substances to be removed from liquids without prolonged high temperatures or the use of enzymes, thus retaining the fresh flavour of wines and fruit juices. Download Article

Emergence of the foxtail palm
The foxtail palm, an attractive plant growing up to 15 metres only grows naturally in the Melville Range, Melville National Park, north of Cooktown, Qld. Poachers have been raiding the park for seeds, placing the species in danger. Horticulturalists are now growing seeds provided by CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology to provide a legal source of the seed.
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