Drones could be the key to safer beaches for swimmers, surfers, snorkelers—and sharks.
An intensive trial monitoring New South Wales beaches has shown that drones mounted with cameras can reliably detect the big fish.
All posts by Lydia Hales
Mangroves’ message from the grave
Mangroves help fight climate change but they’re at serious risk from its effects. That’s one of the findings from a study of a massive mangrove dieback that occurred in late 2015.
Local fishermen reported mangroves were dying along hundreds of kilometres along the Gulf of Carpentaria coastline, an area known for its barramundi fishing and high value commercial fisheries.
This caught the attention of Dr Damien Maher of Southern Cross University, who is interested in the chemistry of mangroves—how they store carbon in their soils, remove planet-warming nitrous oxides from the atmosphere, and neutralise ocean acidification by releasing alkaline chemicals into nearby waters.
2016 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science
For complete profiles, photos and videos, and more information on the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science, visit www.science.gov.au/pmscienceprizes
Radar in a suitcase; rain gardens to grow food and stop floods; earthquake-proofing ports—The Australia-Indonesia Centre
The Australia-Indonesia Centre are its supporters are funding collaborative research in energy, health, infrastructure, urban water, and food and agriculture. Here are some highlights.
Growing food and stopping floods with rain gardens
Small urban ‘rain gardens’ are popping up all around Australia and Indonesia to keep waterways free from pollutants, stop flooding and erosion, and to grow food.
Although they may look similar to a normal garden, beneath the surface rain gardens are a sandwich of layers of sand, gravel, roots and microbes through which polluted water passes and clean water exits, which can then be used for irrigation or washing.
Continue reading Growing food and stopping floods with rain gardens
Hearing voices is normal; lenses a thousandth of a hair-width; harnessing the Internet of Things; and more—Swinburne University of Technology
Researchers at Swinburne University of Technology are working on:
Prehistoric volcanoes to prospect for metals
The remains of volcanoes from billions of years ago are helping scientists identify both bygone continental boundaries and new places to find mineral resources in Australia.
Continue reading Prehistoric volcanoes to prospect for metals
Honey for your wounds?
The benefits of using medical-grade honey to treat and prevent infection in wounds has been confirmed by Sydney researchers.
Dr Nural Cokcetin tested more than 600 Australian honey samples and documented the antibacterial activity, which strongly corresponds to the levels of methylglyoxal (MGO), one of honey’s most active ingredients.
When boron nitride outshines gold and silver
Ultra-thin boron nitride outshines gold and silver when used to detect contaminants in smart sensing technology.
It is 100 times more effective at detecting dangerous materials in our food and environment than noble metals.
Traditionally, detection surfaces of these devices have been made using gold and silver. But covering these metals with a microscopically thin layer of boron nitride greatly enhances their performance.
The findings are by a team from Deakin University’s Institute for Frontier Materials, Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science and China’s Wenzhou University. Continue reading When boron nitride outshines gold and silver
Aussie kit detecting threat of toxic algal blooms
Toxic algal blooms can now be detected up to two weeks before they become a serious health hazard, thanks to an early warning system developed through an Australian university-industry partnership. Continue reading Aussie kit detecting threat of toxic algal blooms