Fresh Science

Perth researchers have discovered that the strongest males lose their breeding edge over weaker males when there is more competition. “Males of the Australian quacking frog, found only in south west WA, use their strong forearms for mating with females,” explains Dr Bruno Buzatto, an ARC Early Career Research Fellow at The University of Western Australia.…

Tuesday 3 June 2014 Dr Francis Torres, a physicist at the University of Western Australia, has developed the mirror device at the heart of a new amplifier technology, which uses an interaction between a high-powered laser and mirror motion to magnify subtle metal, temperature and biological vibrations so they are more easily detected. “Our idea…

Farmers have lent their voices to restoration efforts of a land once considered Darwin’s evolutionary blank canvas. Mandy Trueman, a Perth ecologist, interviewed farmers in the Galapagos Islands to gather historical details that might help efforts to conserve the island’s special biodiversity, much of which has been lost to agricultural clearing and introduced species. “I…

Barely the size of a lentil, a charismatic sea creature may prove a barometer for climate and ocean health. Liza Roger, of The University of Western Australia, has found that two species of tropical sea butterflies have suffered from thinning shells over the last 46 years, linked to increased carbon dioxide levels and ocean acidification…