Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) are engineered restriction enzymes designed to target specific DNA sequences within the genome. Assembly of zinc finger DNA-binding domain to a DNA-cleavage domain enables the enzyme machinery to target unique locus in the genome and invoke endogenous DNA repair mechanisms. Who discovered ZFNs? In 2003, MathewRead More →
An uncovered Petri dish near an open window became contaminated with mold. Fleming realized that the bacteria near the mold were dying. He isolated the mold and identified it as Penicillium genus, which he found to be effective against all Gram-positive pathogens. How did they discover penicillin? In 1928 DrRead More →
Baiame Cave is of state significance for its association with the main figure depicted in the cave, believed to be Baiame, who is understood by some Aboriginal people across NSW to be the creator, the ‘Father of All‘, the most important ancestor and law-maker. When was Baiame cave? Baiame Cave—TheRead More →
Indium was discovered by the German chemists Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymus Theodor Richter in 1863. Reich and Richter had been looking for traces of the element thallium in samples of zinc ores. A brilliant indigo line in the sample’s spectrum revealed the existence of indium. How much indium is leftRead More →
the discovery of primary (“essential”) hypertension can be ascribed to Frederick Mahomed, who in the early 1870s, as a medical resident at Guy’s Hospital in London, measured blood pressure (BP) in the general population. Where was the blood pressure cuff invented? The first modern sphygmomanometer (from the Greek “sphygmos”, pulse;Read More →
In 1789 Gottfried Leibniz published a paper announcing his invention of the binary code. Did the first computer use binary? The Binary System of numeration is the simplest of all positional number systems. … The first electronic computer – ENIAC which stood for Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator – wasRead More →
Discovered by accident in 1994, the cave paintings adorning the walls of Chauvet Cave in France are among the oldest and most beautiful figurative art in human history. Where can the Chauvet Cave be found? Chauvet–Pont d’Arc, painted cave in southeast France considered to be one of the greatest PaleolithicRead More →
The spectacular peaks of the Aoraki/Mount Cook region have attracted climbers from all over the world for the last 100 years and climbing Mt Cook (NZ’s highest peak – 3,724 metres) is a long, physically demanding and serious challenge for experienced mountaineers. When was Mt Cook climbed? 25 December 1894Read More →
Dalton’s experiments on gases led to his discovery that the total pressure of a mixture of gases amounted to the sum of the partial pressures that each individual gas exerted while occupying the same space. In 1803 this scientific principle officially came to be known as Dalton’s Law of PartialRead More →
Deinonychus was a carnivore. It lived in the Cretaceous period and inhabited North America. Its fossils have been found in places such as Montana, Colorado and Wyoming. How many years ago did the Deinonychus live? Deinonychus, (genus Deinonychus), long-clawed carnivorous dinosaurs that flourished in western North America during the EarlyRead More →