Fresh Science

Rocky asteroids were formed by collisions between giant, fairy floss-like dust clouds as our Solar System formed, according to planetary geologist Lucy Forman. Working at Curtin University, Lucy used computer modelling to understand what happens when two fluffy clouds of space dust collide, calculating the resulting heat and pressure released between the dust particles. And…

Perth molecular biologist Dr Charlotte Oskam has found herself at the centre of debate over whether Lyme disease exists in Australia with her research into the hidden bacterial world of ticks. Charlotte has been searching Australian ticks for the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which causes Lyme disease in the Northern Hemisphere—a debilitating condition many believe is…

While coral reefs around the world are feeling the heat, little-known reefs in Australia’s Kimberley region are prospering, despite living in some of the toughest conditions—and scientists aren’t yet sure why. The discovery has particular significance this summer with fears of a severe coral bleaching event to hit our northern waters—the result of steadily rising…

The tropical corals of Rottnest Island appear to be thriving at the extreme limits of their geographical position despite lower and more seasonally variable water temperatures. Claire Ross, a PhD student at The University of Western Australia, measured two reef-building species of stony coral at Rottnest Island just off the coast of Perth, the southernmost…