Thursday, 23 October 2008 08:00pm

The Tuberculosis Resurgence

New and deadly forms of Tuberculosis are threatening Australia. The deadliest of them all is a strain called XDR-TB (extensively drug resistant TB). One person inflicted with this terrible bacterium has already been found in Australia, and doctors fear it won't be the last. Potentially deadly, TB is an insidious disease which has been present in humans for at least 10,000 years, but failure to adequately treat this ancient bacterium has allowed it to mutate into a virulent strain. Dr. Maryanne Demasi travels to the north of Australia to meet a doctor dealing with the problem on the frontline.

Attack Of The Heavy Metal Invaders
Australia welcomes tourists, but frankly there are some we can do without. Take the Siberian Sea Squirt - he likes heavy metal, drinking with his mates, and once he hits an Australian port, he has a tendency to overstay his welcome. We'd like to keep him out, but have we accidentally rolled out the red carpet for the worst kind of freeloader? A group of Australian researchers believe so, and they've just discovered the missing link in the international quandary of what to do about invasive species in harbours. Dr. Jonica Newby reveals what it is and highlights what every boat owner can do about it.

The Ultimate Mammal Family Tree
Imagine a family tree for all the mammals alive on earth today. What would that tell us about how we are all related? What would be revealed about our shared evolutionary history? An international collaboration of zoologists has finally come up with the ultimate family tree and there are a few surprises about how we got to be here. Dr. Paul Willis shakes the family tree to see what falls out.

Dr Angela Moles’ Secret World Of Plants
Fired by a passionate curiosity, Dr Angela Moles has travelled the world collating fundamental information about the way plants grow. But now, two years and 75 study sites later, Dr Moles is aiming to produce computer programs to predict how landscapes may alter in the wake of global climate change.

Catalyst will be repeated on ABC2 – Friday, October 24 at 5:35pm