next ANZAAS Science Talk, Melbourne
All welcome, free, tell your friends! Free refreshments after the talk
Wednesday 15th October 2025, 6:30 pm
At Bio21 Institute, 30 Flemington Rd, near corner with Park Drive, Parkville
Professor Ros Gleadow
Monash University
“The poisonous plate of climate change”
Food production is already being impacted by global heating. The impact on the composition of plants – and our food – is less widely known. Rising atmospheric CO2 directly and indirectly may lead to reduced nutritional value of plants, affecting everything from insects to koalas. Many crops that we eat naturally make hydrogen cyanide as a defence against pests. Cassava, an important staple globally, can cause neurological disorders such as konzo, and even death, especially in children, if it is not processed correctly before consumption. Sorghum leaves are toxic to grazing animals when it’s hot and dry. I Will discuss why such plants often become more toxic with climate change, and offer some solutions.
Professor Gleadow’s research on plant defence has reshaped our understanding of plant biology and the impact of climate change on plant nutritional value. She showed that in addition to providing a defence against herbivores, production of cyanide releasing chemicals is critical for how the plants manage the uptake and use of nitrogenous fertilisers.
Her research has led to a series of projects that aim to reduce the amount of cyanide in human and animal diets, with several industry-sponsored and collaborative projects with health and agricultural scientists from Africa and the Pacific Islands. Her latest initiative is to establish the International Working Group for Safe Cassava, seeking new ways to make this important staple crop safer for human consumption.
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Forthcoming talk:
Wednesday 19th Nov Professor Ros Gleadow Monash University “The poisonous plate of climate change”
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We are pleased to acknowledge the support by CSL and Bio21 for the ANZAAS Melbourne science talks series
Further Info: David Vaux davidlaurencevaux@gmail.com
http://www.anzaas.org.au/victoria/
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Click HERE to see past ANZAAS Science Talks
David Mitchell September 2025
Cosmic Rays – Celestial Bullets
Christopher Fairley August 2025
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Anette “Peko” Hosoi July 2025
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Ricky Johnstone June 2025
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John Long May 2025
Secret Life of Sharks – Lessons in Evolution and Survival
Peter van Wijngaarden March 2025
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Tony Heyes November 2024
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David Vaux August 2024
Cell death: Bench to Bedside
Peter Cowan July 2024
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Richard Olive May 2024
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Rachelle Buchbinder March 2024
Hippocrasy, how doctors are betraying their oath
Daniel Mathews November 2023
Topology and the shape of space
Beth Ebert October 2023
Improving early warnings of epidemic thunderstorm asthma
David Komander September 2023
Playing Tag with Ubiquitin
David Vaux August 2023
A short history of cancer genes
Chris Greening May 2023
The atmosphere as a hidden energy source for life
Jim Goding March 2023
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Paul Lasky November 2022
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Heather Mack September 2022
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Helen Green August 2022
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Mahdi Jalali July 2022
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Alan Duffy May 2022
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Cameron Simmons October 2021
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Madhu Bhaskaran September 2021
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Green Steel: Can we decarburise steel production?
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