Fresh Science

Dr Mostafa Rahimi Azghadi – Senior Lecturer, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, James Cook University Smart robot learns to detect and spray weeds A smart robotic tool that automatically identifies and kills weeds in their natural environment may reduce the $5billion impact that weeds currently have on Australia’s economy. James Cook University scientists developed the tool…

Small Australian sharks have been exposed as bigger homebodies than previously thought, in a study that took an existing chemical tracking technique and made it work for Great Barrier Reef sharks. The study found that the travel history of the Australian sharpnose shark was written in their blood—with chemical ‘fin-prints’ showing they tended to stay…

Barramundi are giving hope to our climate-vulnerable seafood future, with Queensland researchers finding that our beloved fish dinner can show resilience to warmer waters and decreased oxygen levels. “Warmer water means less available oxygen for breathing, and more energy required to sustain basic bodily functions,” explains Geoffrey Collins, a PhD student at James Cook University…

While we have a good understanding of the science behind physical threats to the Great Barrier Reef – runoff, ocean acidification, rising temperatures – we have much less information about the human side. How do Australians see the Reef? Do they consider it under threat? What would move them to protect the Reef? Jeremy Goldberg…