Search

Arthur Melville ('Mel') Thompson graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1938 with First Class Honours in Physics. After graduation he joined Australia's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research as one of the 'founding fathers' of the National Standards Laboratory and embarked on a life-time career in metrology. His work in precision electrical measurement, ratio-arms transformer bridges and techniques for defining and measuring small capacitances is internationally renowned. He conceived the design of a calculable-capacitor, the Thompson-Lampard capacitor, which led to a new theorem in electrostatics and provided the basis for an absolute determination of the unit of resistance with an increase in accuracy of an order of magnitude. Beyond the calculable capacitor his work had a major impact in electrical impedance measurement in general and on other fields of metrology such as dilatometry and thermometry. Mel Thompson was an inspirational leader and his work facilitated the development of many scientific careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) and the dingo (Canis dingo) are two of Australia's iconic mammals. Both are ingrained in the national psyche and well known internationally. For the red kangaroo, recognition has come despite the fact that the highest densities of the species occur well away from most of the human population. The dingo has achieved its status despite being present on the continent for perhaps as little as 3,000 years. This article considers the question of how, and why, these two animals became so elevated in the popular imagination and the scientific literature. It is a story of both the integers and consequences of scientific research, a story best told with a particular focus on the contribution made by one individual. Alan Newsome changed our understanding of the interactions between agriculture, introduced species and native wildlife, and was one of the first to understand the possibilities of enriching western science with Indigenous knowledge. He was a pioneer in explaining--particularly by reference to the red kangaroo in central Australia--the remarkable story of how Australian wildlife has adapted to survive some of the harshest conditions on the planet. His work across the landscape of the arid zone has had profound implications for management and conservation in Australia. This, then, is the story of three icons: the red kangaroo, the dingo and Alan Newsome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue of Historical Records of Australian Science explores some of the sciences that have contributed to our understanding of inland Australia, country variously known as desert, the arid zone, drylands and the outback. The sciences that have concentrated on deserts include ecology, geomorphology, hydrology, rangeland management, geography, surveying, meteorology and geology, plus many others. In recognition that desert science has surged ahead in the past few decades, we have invited contributors who describe various different desert initiatives. We use these case studies to open up the discussion about how Australians see their desert lands, how this has changed over time and how desert scientists from the rest of the world regard the distinctive desert country in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pioneering New South Wales vigneron James King (1797-1857) took a technical approach to his winemaking as he did to the pottery he established near his Hunter Valley property, 'Irrawang'. In the 1840s he began a correspondence with the famous German chemist and prominent advocate of a scientific approach to agriculture, Justus Liebig, whose ideas he promoted locally. Liebig analysed King's wines and compared them with European varieties. The two men later became personally acquainted when King journeyed to Europe in the mid-1850s. The Liebig connection was augmented by the presence at 'Irrawang' of two members of the Muspratt family, alkali manufacturers of Liverpool, both of whom had studied with Liebig and espoused his principles. Thus the master's influence on winemaking in colonial New South Wales was exerted indirectly through them and directly through his correspondence with King. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]