Meet brownies and ice creams that are good for you

What if your brownie could deliver three healthy serves of vegetables? Or your ice cream could help boost your daily fruit and veggie intake?

These sweet treats aren’t usually associated with healthy eating, but researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) have found a way to turn them into "nutrient-packed powerhouses" designed to help thousands of Australians battling a painful and debilitating condition.

Almost half a million older Australians suffer from slow healing venous wound ulcers, a condition known as 'Leaky Legs', which is a persistent weeping of lymphatic fluid through the skin.

The condition is associated with a depletion of nutrients and places individuals at risk of malnutrition including protein deficiency.

Recovery can be helped by good nutrition, so encouraging older people to get enough nourishment and protein is key to speeding up the healing process.

Scientists from ECU's Nutrition & Health Innovation Research Institute (NHIRI) have teamed up with Australia’s largest not-for-profit provider of in-home aged care, Silverchain, to start trials with weekly food box deliveries.

This way they can eat “supercharged” and delicious whole foods, not supplements or ultra-processed extracts. For example, one average sized chocolate brownie contains three serves of vegetables,” ECU senior lecturer and head of the Future Foods and Digital Gastronomy lab Dr Liezhou Zhong said.

The team uses cutting-edge food science, combined with the expertise of professional chefs, to incorporate fruit and vegetables into the tasty treats.

“We want to make it easier for people to have a healthy diet," Dr Zhong said. "So we developed our ‘future foods’ ice cream and brownies by packing more fruit and vegetables into a regular serving size, but also a high-protein content, to promote good health and support healing.”

Other "delicious and appealing options" on the menu, such as lime cheesecake gelato, vegetable soups and muffins, have been carefully developed and selected to align with food preferences of the participants.

"If patients experience the benefits first-hand, this may be an easy and practicable way to improve their overall diet quality in the long term, which is essential for wound healing, reducing hospital readmissions and keeping people healthier at home," ECU’s Professor Josh Lewis said. .

The project is a collaboration between ECU’s NHIRI, Silverchain, Curtin University, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital and is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Image: BookyBuggy

Hobart to celebrate deep Antarctic links

The Tasmanian capital of Hobart has multiple links with the continent of Antarctica, being one of only five premier Antarctic gateway cities in the world. 

Hobart serves as the primary operational, logistical, and scientific base for Australia's engagement with the frozen continent and has one of the highest concentrations of polar and Southern Ocean scientists globally. 

It was also the final staging post for legendary explorers like Sir Douglas Mawson and Roald Amundsen.

The city will celebrate its links that week with the Australian Antarctic Festival, in what Destination Southern Tasmania CEO Alex Heroys describes as another key winter event for Tasmania.

“The Antarctic Festival returns to Hobart from August 20-23, celebrating Tasmania's unique connection to Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, Heroys said.

“The Festival will transform Hobart's waterfront with a diverse program of expert talks, films, exhibitions, family activities, live entertainment, Antarctic-inspired food and drink, bringing Australia's Antarctic story to life.”

One of Hobart's favourite Friday night events will be transformed into an Antarctic experience when the Brooke Street Pier Hobart Twilight Market joins forces with the Australian Antarctic Festival on Friday night.

“For one night only, the popular waterfront market will embrace the spirit of Antarctica, with more than 40 stalls offering Antarctic-inspired food and drink, artisan products, books, family activities and polar-themed experiences,” said Lara Colrain, CEO of the Mawson’s Huts Foundation. 

“Visitors may even encounter a wandering penguin or hear a choir performing songs reminiscent of those that entertained and inspired early Antarctic expeditioners during long winters in the far south.”

The Aurora Flavours Trail, meanwhile, will feature Antarctic-inspired hospitality experiences at participating venues across the city. Many events are free, making the festival an accessible winter event for both locals and visitors.

https://www.mawsons-huts.org.au/australian-antarctic-festival/

Hobart festival aims to push the boundaries

From garlic to folk music, Tasmania is home to dozens of quirky festivals.

One of the zaniest, the Beaker Street Festival, returns to Hobart from August 6-17 marking its 10th year with the theme:The Second Act.

Over the past decade, the festival has grown from a niche science experiment into a nationally recognised cultural event, drawing interstate audiences for immersive, ideas-led programming set against Tasmania’s winter landscape.

The 2026 edition consolidates into two focused weekends, anchored by distinct precincts and experiences. 

The festival continues to blend hard science with social experience, positioning Hobart as a winter meeting place for thinkers, travellers and curious audiences nationwide.

Antarctica will be a key focus with Hobart showcasing its gateway-to-Antarctica status. 

Tickets are on sale now for the Festival's first event, VAST: Where Sound Meets the Cosmos.

This immersive work is an Australian-exclusive premiere aiming to transform Hobart’s oldest theatre, the Theatre Royal (above), into a 360° soundscape, combining performers, instrumentalists and spatial audio for "a journey into the universe". 

Full program details are still under embargo but you can find more info here:  https://www.beakerstreet.com.au/

European vineyards worst hit by climate change

Europe’s wine regions have experienced the most significant climate shifts among global viticultural areas, a new study published in PLOS Climate reveals.

The Public Library of Science is a non-profit organization that publishes academic journals.

The research, conducted by a team of scientists led by Elizabeth Wolkovich, analysed climate exposure across 749 globally-distributed vineyard locations using over 500 grape-growing regions. 

It found that European wine regions have recorded the most extreme increases in warming metrics, particularly in the frequency of hot days and maximum temperatures during the growing season, trace journal the drinks business reported.

The study assessed 10 climate metrics relevant to viticulture - including daily minimum, maximum and mean temperatures during budburst, the growing season and harvest, as well as the number of hot days exceeding 35°C. 

It compared recent climate conditions (1981–2020) against pre-industrial baselines (1901–1940) to quantify the effects of human-caused climate change on winegrowing.

Southern and western Europe showed the highest levels of climate exposure across nearly all metrics.

In particular, the number of extremely hot days in these regions increased by nearly five times compared to pre-industrial levels. The average temperature during the growing season has also risen by more than two standard deviations in key European vineyard areas.

The study found that while climate change is impacting all wine regions globally, the severity and nature of that exposure differ. 

For instance, North American regions generally saw lower relative increases in extreme temperatures and hot days than their European counterparts.

These warming trends present growing challenges for viticulture. 

Changes to average and extreme temperatures during the growing season can alter grape phenology, including earlier ripening and shifts in harvest timing, which in turn may affect grape composition, wine style and regional identity.

Although the study does not offer prescriptive adaptation strategies, the authors emphasise that these observed changes are consistent with anthropogenic climate change, and suggest that many of the world’s most historic and prestigious wine regions are already undergoing unprecedented climatic shifts.

The findings underscore the need for wine producers, particularly in Europe, to assess and implement long-term strategies to address evolving climate risks, including grape varietal selection, vineyard management adjustments, and potential shifts in regional production norms.

Image: Vineyards in Catalonia. Silvia Arellano, Scop.io 

A week of science - and silliness - in Hobart

Hobart will once again embrace science and fun when the Beaker Street Festival turns Tasmania's capital into a meeting place for bold thinkers and adventurous spirits from August 12-19.

Beaker Streets is promoted as being "where science collides with art, music, and adventure, where conversations flow over cocktails, and where unexpected encounters spark new ways of seeing the world".

The festival - now in its eighth year - "has cemented its place as Australia’s most dynamic festival of science and culture," organisers say.

The schedule includes big ideas, deep discussions, and mind-expanding experiences - all set against the raw beauty of Tasmania’s winter landscape.



“Beaker Street Festival is all about making connections with interesting people, taking part in immersive experiences, and gaining new perspectives,” says festival founder and creative director Dr Margo Adler.

“If you have an idea in your mind of what a science festival is, it's not that.”

You can sign up for program announcements and early ticket access at www.beakerstreet.com.au.

The full festival program will be announced May 22. Stay tuned. 

Discover the reason for a tent sauna on Hobart's waterfront

A pop-up sauna on the Hobart waterfront is just one of the many quirky elements to the 2024 Beaker Street festival in Tasmania.

The festival of science and ideas has announced a "future first" program, enabling guests to dive into the mysteries of the Antarctic, stargaze in the CBD, or dip their toes into the science of wellness, as well as devour food that could help conquer climate change.

Beaker Street organisers today unveiled an expanded precinct for the annual week-long celebration, which held be held from August 6-13 and will feature over 70 events. 

Hobartica - Antarctica in Hobart - will include polar plunge pools and saunas, while Future 
Foods dining experiences will look at what we might be eating down the track in 2050. 

Founder and festival director Dr Margo Adler says: “In curating the festival, we delve into today’s most exciting research and urgent challenges. 

"The result is a compelling mix of thought-provoking entertainment, unexpected experiences, and mind-expanding conversations, which welcomes everyone into science.”

The eighth year of the festival will see a precinct spanning Hobart’s cultural and entertainment hubs and taking in City Hall, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, The Old Mercury Building, Hope & Anchor Tavern, Mawson Place, and pubs, bars, and restaurants around the waterfront and CBD.

The festival’s events kick off on Tuesday, August 6, culminating with a weekend of festivities from August 9-11. 

There is also an opportunity to engage in a two-night immersive getaway at Piermont Retreat on Tasmania's East Coast, from August 11-13. 

Beaker Street Festival is produced by Beaker Street, a not-for-profit cultural organisation and registered charity, and is supported by Events Tasmania, City of Hobart, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and National Science Week.

See www.beakerstreet.com.au

Image: Dearna Bond