Aussie Bird Count 2017: Birds In Pittwater - What's Here?
The Aussie Bird Count is a great way to connect with the birds in your backyard no matter where your backyard happens to be — a suburban backyard, a local park, a patch of forest, down by the beach, or the main street of town. It's organised by BirdLife Australia, our major bird conservation organisation.
You can count as many times as you like over the week, we just ask that each count is completed over a 20-minute period. The data collected assists BirdLife Australia in understanding more about the birds that live where people live.Go to https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/ for more information.Runs October 23-29
The Aussie Bird Count is a great way to connect with the birds in your backyard no matter where your backyard happens to be — a suburban backyard, a local park, a patch of forest, down by the beach, or the main street of town. It's organised by BirdLife Australia, our major bird conservation organisation.
You can count as many times as you like over the week, we just ask that each count is completed over a 20-minute period. The data collected assists BirdLife Australia in understanding more about the birds that live where people live.Go to https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/ for more information.
Runs October 23-29
NSW Must Follow Victoria And Ban The Bag
Sub Base Platypus Renewal Project Approved
East Antarctica Marine Protected Area Remains Priority For Australia
Thirty-Sixth Annual Meeting Of CCAMLR Opens Today
CEFC Backs Kennedy Energy Park Hybrid Solar Wind And Battery Project
Record Number Of Australian Bass Stocked In NSW
October 20, 2017: NSW DPIA record 429,000 Australian Bass have been stocked into dams across NSW throughout 2017.
NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Inland Fisheries Manager, Cameron Westaway said the record number of Australian Bass were produced at the Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, exceeded the 413,000 produced back in 2013.
“This year, DPI has stocked Australian Bass into 32 dams throughout the Central West, Hunter Valley, Northern Rivers, Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands,” Mr Westaway said.
“Australian Bass are a sought after sports fish with bait, fly and artificial lure. They travel to estuaries to spawn, between June and August, and stocking is the only way to maintain the Australian Bass numbers in our impoundments.
“All 413,000 Australian Bass were bred from wild fish caught when they were ready to spawn and breeding takes place under strict protocols to ensure the fish are of a high quality.
“Anglers will be able to catch these fish in three to five years providing significant social and economic benefits for the regions.”- 20,000 Australian Bass were stocked into Lake Lyell near Lithgow;
- 99,000 were stocked in Glenbawn Dam and 64,000 stocked in Glennies Dam in the Hunter Valley;
- 30,000 Australian Bass were stocked in Toonumbar Dam in the Northern Rivers;
- 81,000 Australian Bass were stocked into Lake Yarrunga in the Shoalhaven;
- 2,000 were stocked this week into Pejar Dam in the Southern Highlands.
Additional fish stocking will continue to occur throughout NSW, over the coming months, through the NSW Government’s $250,000 Dollar for Dollar program, where funding from fishing clubs and community groups are matched by the Recreational Fishing Trust, for the purchase of fish for stocking in approved sites from registered private hatcheries.
For more information visit the NSW DPI website
Recreational fisher, Blake Fallon showing off an Australian Bass he caught recently.
October 20, 2017: NSW DPI
A record 429,000 Australian Bass have been stocked into dams across NSW throughout 2017.
NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Inland Fisheries Manager, Cameron Westaway said the record number of Australian Bass were produced at the Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, exceeded the 413,000 produced back in 2013.
“This year, DPI has stocked Australian Bass into 32 dams throughout the Central West, Hunter Valley, Northern Rivers, Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands,” Mr Westaway said.
“Australian Bass are a sought after sports fish with bait, fly and artificial lure. They travel to estuaries to spawn, between June and August, and stocking is the only way to maintain the Australian Bass numbers in our impoundments.
“All 413,000 Australian Bass were bred from wild fish caught when they were ready to spawn and breeding takes place under strict protocols to ensure the fish are of a high quality.
“Anglers will be able to catch these fish in three to five years providing significant social and economic benefits for the regions.”
- 20,000 Australian Bass were stocked into Lake Lyell near Lithgow;
- 99,000 were stocked in Glenbawn Dam and 64,000 stocked in Glennies Dam in the Hunter Valley;
- 30,000 Australian Bass were stocked in Toonumbar Dam in the Northern Rivers;
- 81,000 Australian Bass were stocked into Lake Yarrunga in the Shoalhaven;
- 2,000 were stocked this week into Pejar Dam in the Southern Highlands.
Additional fish stocking will continue to occur throughout NSW, over the coming months, through the NSW Government’s $250,000 Dollar for Dollar program, where funding from fishing clubs and community groups are matched by the Recreational Fishing Trust, for the purchase of fish for stocking in approved sites from registered private hatcheries.
For more information visit the NSW DPI website
Recreational fisher, Blake Fallon showing off an Australian Bass he caught recently.
$3 Million In Grants Now Available For Commuity Recycling Centres
Asparagus Fern
Navigation Warning - NSW Coastal Waters: Whale Migration Season
NSW COASTAL WATERS2017 WHALE MIGRATION SEASONJune to December 2017
DESCRIPTIONMigrating whales and whale calves are expected to be present in numbers off the NSW coast during this time.
From June to August whales will be in greater abundance generally moving north within about five nautical miles (nine kilometres) of the coast.
From August to December whales will be in greater abundance generally moving south within about 10-15 nautical miles (18-28 kilometres) of the coast.
From July to December Southern Right Whales with calves are likely to be present within 10 nautical miles of the NSW coast and within coastal estuaries.
DIRECTIONWithin this period it is expected that whale sightings may be common and mariners are advised to navigate with due care and appropriate caution around any whale activity, including reducing to an appropriate speed to maintain safe navigation.
The approach distance for whales in NSW and Commonwealth waters is 100 metres for whales without calves. If calves are present the approach distance is 300 metres.
In the event of a collision with a whale, entanglement or whale carcass sighting please call:
National Parks and Wildlife Service Incident Duty Officer on: 02 9895 6444
MAP & CHARTS AFFECTEDCharts: AUS 806 to AUS 813 Inclusive.
RMS Coastal Boating Maps: 1-14 Inclusive.
Contact Details:
For further details please contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Wildlife Team on 9585 6523 or (RMS Contact details 13 12 36)
Information regarding the current location of whales may be obtained at:http://www.wildaboutwhales.com.au/
Further information about whale approach distances or whale behaviour may be obtained from the Office of Environment and Heritage website at:http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/
MARINE NOTICE SY1724
Palm Beach CleanupSunday, November 12 at 9 AM - 11 AMJoin Living Ocean, The Green Team & Wander Lightly for a Christmas beach clean at Palm Beach.
With the Ocean predicted to have more plastic than fish in it by 2050 it is the best present you can give the Planet this Christmas!The Boathouse has ever so generously offered to provide some refreshments and a free coffee or tea (when you bring your own reusable cup; they have them onsite if you forget)Meet at The Boathouse on the Pittwater side of Palm Beach
Living Ocean will spare some time after the clean up to record all data on the day which will be uploaded to the Tangaroa Blue Marine debris data base & for their Mirco Plastics research project.Helpers required so please leave a comment if you are abe to spare some time.
9am - 10am - Beach Clean10am – Tally counting for Tangaroa Blue
All welcome & dont forget to bring a bucket or bag to collect trash in & a pair of gloves to keep your mitts safe!
NSW COASTAL WATERS
2017 WHALE MIGRATION SEASON
June to December 2017
DESCRIPTION
Migrating whales and whale calves are expected to be present in numbers off the NSW coast during this time.
From June to August whales will be in greater abundance generally moving north within about five nautical miles (nine kilometres) of the coast.
From August to December whales will be in greater abundance generally moving south within about 10-15 nautical miles (18-28 kilometres) of the coast.
From July to December Southern Right Whales with calves are likely to be present within 10 nautical miles of the NSW coast and within coastal estuaries.
DIRECTION
Within this period it is expected that whale sightings may be common and mariners are advised to navigate with due care and appropriate caution around any whale activity, including reducing to an appropriate speed to maintain safe navigation.
The approach distance for whales in NSW and Commonwealth waters is 100 metres for whales without calves. If calves are present the approach distance is 300 metres.
In the event of a collision with a whale, entanglement or whale carcass sighting please call:
National Parks and Wildlife Service Incident Duty Officer on: 02 9895 6444
MAP & CHARTS AFFECTED
Charts: AUS 806 to AUS 813 Inclusive.
RMS Coastal Boating Maps: 1-14 Inclusive.
Contact Details:
For further details please contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Wildlife Team on 9585 6523 or (RMS Contact details 13 12 36)
Information regarding the current location of whales may be obtained at:http://www.wildaboutwhales.com.au/
Further information about whale approach distances or whale behaviour may be obtained from the Office of Environment and Heritage website at:http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/
MARINE NOTICE SY1724
Palm Beach Cleanup
Sunday, November 12 at 9 AM - 11 AM
Join Living Ocean, The Green Team & Wander Lightly for a Christmas beach clean at Palm Beach.
With the Ocean predicted to have more plastic than fish in it by 2050 it is the best present you can give the Planet this Christmas!
The Boathouse has ever so generously offered to provide some refreshments and a free coffee or tea (when you bring your own reusable cup; they have them onsite if you forget)
Meet at The Boathouse on the Pittwater side of Palm Beach
Living Ocean will spare some time after the clean up to record all data on the day which will be uploaded to the Tangaroa Blue Marine debris data base & for their Mirco Plastics research project.
Helpers required so please leave a comment if you are abe to spare some time.
9am - 10am - Beach Clean
10am – Tally counting for Tangaroa Blue
All welcome & dont forget to bring a bucket or bag to collect trash in & a pair of gloves to keep your mitts safe!
Banning Single-Use Plastic Shopping Bags
Green Globe Winners Illuminating Sustainable Future For NSW
Investing In Nature Vital To Solving Climate Change
Commercial Use Of Protected Plants: Public Consultation
New Study Predicts Worldwide Change In Shallow Reef Ecosystems As Waters Warm
October 19, 2017: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
A new study based on the first global survey of marine life by scuba divers has provided fresh insights into how climate change is affecting the distribution of marine life.
The research published in the journal Science Advances predicts that as the oceans warm fish – which appear to be superior predators in warm water – will extend their ranges away from the equator and cause a decline in the diversity of invertebrates such as crabs, lobsters, sea urchins and whelks.
Using data collated by the citizen science project Reef Life Survey (RLS), the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS)-led research team found that the total number of fishes and large invertebrates seen underwater changes little from the tropics to polar latitudes.
However, fish numbers are very high in the tropics but decline towards colder latitudes, while large invertebrates balance those patterns in the opposite direction.
Lead author and RLS founder IMAS Professor Graham Edgar said this distribution is likely to change as waters become warmer, affecting food webs, ecosystems and fisheries worldwide.
“The effects of climate change on marine life vary greatly between geographic regions,” Professor Edgar said.
“In South Eastern Australia and Tasmania the ‘tropicalisation’ of marine life is already underway, but similar effects have not yet been detected in New Zealand.
“Previous research suggested that climate change would directly affect the range of species due to rising temperatures.
“Data collected by RLS divers during the world’s first systematic global survey of marine life show this is not the end of the story.
“We found that the local presence and abundance of a species reflect not only its need for particular temperatures and environmental conditions but also its ecological interactions.
“As fish extend their range further from the equator with warming water, their advantage as predators will affect the abundance and diversity of large mobile invertebrates.
“Broad changes will likely spread across the ecosystem, affecting human activities such as fishing.”
Professor Edgar said ongoing monitoring of marine life at both local and regional levels was needed to allow the early detection of such changes.
This would allow adaptive fisheries and conservation management, and help to minimise the social and economic impacts.
“Species monitoring of shallow reef communities at national scales is only possible with the support of citizen scientists, such as the RLS divers who contributed data to our study.
“The RLS dataset now includes information on 4,000 species in 50 countries, allowing a better understanding of how and why species are distributed, while also providing an early-warning mechanism for climate-induced changes,” Professor Edgar said.
Abundance and local-scale processes contribute to multi-phyla gradients in global marine diversity . BY GRAHAM J. EDGAR, TIMOTHY J. ALEXANDER, JONATHAN S. LEFCHECK, AMANDA E. BATES, STUART J. KININMONTH, RUSSELL J. THOMSON, J. EMMETT DUFFY, MARK J. COSTELLO, RICK D. STUART-SMITH. SCIENCE ADVANCES 18 OCT 2017 : E1700419
RLS diver on Indonesian Reef, credit Rick Stuart-Smith
October 19, 2017: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
A new study based on the first global survey of marine life by scuba divers has provided fresh insights into how climate change is affecting the distribution of marine life.
The research published in the journal Science Advances predicts that as the oceans warm fish – which appear to be superior predators in warm water – will extend their ranges away from the equator and cause a decline in the diversity of invertebrates such as crabs, lobsters, sea urchins and whelks.
Using data collated by the citizen science project Reef Life Survey (RLS), the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS)-led research team found that the total number of fishes and large invertebrates seen underwater changes little from the tropics to polar latitudes.
However, fish numbers are very high in the tropics but decline towards colder latitudes, while large invertebrates balance those patterns in the opposite direction.
Lead author and RLS founder IMAS Professor Graham Edgar said this distribution is likely to change as waters become warmer, affecting food webs, ecosystems and fisheries worldwide.
“The effects of climate change on marine life vary greatly between geographic regions,” Professor Edgar said.
“In South Eastern Australia and Tasmania the ‘tropicalisation’ of marine life is already underway, but similar effects have not yet been detected in New Zealand.
“Previous research suggested that climate change would directly affect the range of species due to rising temperatures.
“Data collected by RLS divers during the world’s first systematic global survey of marine life show this is not the end of the story.
“We found that the local presence and abundance of a species reflect not only its need for particular temperatures and environmental conditions but also its ecological interactions.
“As fish extend their range further from the equator with warming water, their advantage as predators will affect the abundance and diversity of large mobile invertebrates.
“Broad changes will likely spread across the ecosystem, affecting human activities such as fishing.”
Professor Edgar said ongoing monitoring of marine life at both local and regional levels was needed to allow the early detection of such changes.
This would allow adaptive fisheries and conservation management, and help to minimise the social and economic impacts.
“Species monitoring of shallow reef communities at national scales is only possible with the support of citizen scientists, such as the RLS divers who contributed data to our study.
“The RLS dataset now includes information on 4,000 species in 50 countries, allowing a better understanding of how and why species are distributed, while also providing an early-warning mechanism for climate-induced changes,” Professor Edgar said.
Abundance and local-scale processes contribute to multi-phyla gradients in global marine diversity . BY GRAHAM J. EDGAR, TIMOTHY J. ALEXANDER, JONATHAN S. LEFCHECK, AMANDA E. BATES, STUART J. KININMONTH, RUSSELL J. THOMSON, J. EMMETT DUFFY, MARK J. COSTELLO, RICK D. STUART-SMITH. SCIENCE ADVANCES 18 OCT 2017 : E1700419
RLS diver on Indonesian Reef, credit Rick Stuart-Smith
Fanged Kangaroo Research Could Shed Light On Extinction
October 16, 2017: University of QueenslandFanged kangaroos -- an extinct family of small fanged Australian kangaroos -- might have survived at least five million years longer than previously thought.
A University of Queensland-led study has found the species might have competed for resources with ancestors of modern kangaroos.
Research into species diversity, body size and the timing of extinction found that fanged kangaroos, previously thought to have become extinct about 15 million years ago, persisted to at least 10 million years ago.
The fanged kangaroos, including the species Balbaroo fangaroo, were about the size of a small wallaby.
UQ School of Earth and Environmental Sciences PhD student Kaylene Butler said the research involved Queensland Museum holdings of ancient fossil deposits from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, where kangaroo fossil evidence goes back as far as 25 million years.
"Fanged kangaroos and the potential ancestors of modern kangaroos are both browsers -- meaning they ate leaves -- and they scurried, but did not hop," Ms Butler said.
"Northern Queensland was predominantly covered in rainforest when these fanged kangaroos first appear in the fossil record.
Balbaroo fangaroo, a fanged kangaroo from the Riverlseigh World Heritage Area. Image: Kaylene Butler
"There is a lot of research to be done before we can be sure what their canine teeth were used for but some have suggested they were used to attract potential mates. We do know that despite their large canines they were herbivorous (plant eaters).
"We found that fanged kangaroos increased in body size right up until their extinction."
Ms Butler said the research aimed to fill significant gaps in the understanding of kangaroo evolution, and new fossil finds were helping to bring ancient lineages into focus.
"Currently 21 macropod species are listed as vulnerable or endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species," she said.
She said understanding when and why kangaroos went extinct in the past could help with understanding what drove extinction of such animals.
"Currently, we can only hypothesise as to why balbarids became extinct -- the original hypothesis related to events during a change in climate 15 million years ago but the balbarids persisted past that," she said.
"This new finding of their persistence until 10 million years ago means something else must have been at play, such as being outcompeted by other species."
Ms Butler last year discovered two new ancient species of kangaroo, Cookeroo bulwidarri and Cookeroo hortusensis.
UQ PhD student Kaylene Butler with a Balbaroo fangaroo model skull made by the UQ library 3-D printing service. Credit: University of Queensland
She has worked on fossil material as part of her PhD research supervised by former UQ Robert Day Fellow Dr Kenny Travouillon, now of the Western Australian Museum, and UQ's Dr Gilbert Price.
Kaylene Butler, Kenny J. Travouillon, Gilbert J. Price, Michael Archer, Suzanne J. Hand. Species abundance, richness and body size evolution of kangaroos (Marsupialia: Macropodiformes) throughout the Oligo-Miocene of Australia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2017; DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.08.016
October 16, 2017: University of Queensland
Fanged kangaroos -- an extinct family of small fanged Australian kangaroos -- might have survived at least five million years longer than previously thought.
A University of Queensland-led study has found the species might have competed for resources with ancestors of modern kangaroos.
Research into species diversity, body size and the timing of extinction found that fanged kangaroos, previously thought to have become extinct about 15 million years ago, persisted to at least 10 million years ago.
The fanged kangaroos, including the species Balbaroo fangaroo, were about the size of a small wallaby.
UQ School of Earth and Environmental Sciences PhD student Kaylene Butler said the research involved Queensland Museum holdings of ancient fossil deposits from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, where kangaroo fossil evidence goes back as far as 25 million years.
"Fanged kangaroos and the potential ancestors of modern kangaroos are both browsers -- meaning they ate leaves -- and they scurried, but did not hop," Ms Butler said.
"Northern Queensland was predominantly covered in rainforest when these fanged kangaroos first appear in the fossil record.
Balbaroo fangaroo, a fanged kangaroo from the Riverlseigh World Heritage Area. Image: Kaylene Butler
"There is a lot of research to be done before we can be sure what their canine teeth were used for but some have suggested they were used to attract potential mates. We do know that despite their large canines they were herbivorous (plant eaters).
"We found that fanged kangaroos increased in body size right up until their extinction."
Ms Butler said the research aimed to fill significant gaps in the understanding of kangaroo evolution, and new fossil finds were helping to bring ancient lineages into focus.
"Currently 21 macropod species are listed as vulnerable or endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species," she said.
She said understanding when and why kangaroos went extinct in the past could help with understanding what drove extinction of such animals.
"Currently, we can only hypothesise as to why balbarids became extinct -- the original hypothesis related to events during a change in climate 15 million years ago but the balbarids persisted past that," she said.
"This new finding of their persistence until 10 million years ago means something else must have been at play, such as being outcompeted by other species."
Ms Butler last year discovered two new ancient species of kangaroo, Cookeroo bulwidarri and Cookeroo hortusensis.
UQ PhD student Kaylene Butler with a Balbaroo fangaroo model skull made by the UQ library 3-D printing service. Credit: University of Queensland
She has worked on fossil material as part of her PhD research supervised by former UQ Robert Day Fellow Dr Kenny Travouillon, now of the Western Australian Museum, and UQ's Dr Gilbert Price.
Kaylene Butler, Kenny J. Travouillon, Gilbert J. Price, Michael Archer, Suzanne J. Hand. Species abundance, richness and body size evolution of kangaroos (Marsupialia: Macropodiformes) throughout the Oligo-Miocene of Australia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2017; DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.08.016
Fossil Coral Reefs Show Sea Level Rose In Bursts During Last Warming
October 19, 2017: Rice University
A high-resolution 3-D map of Southern Bank off the South Texas coast clearly reveals terraces, which are a characteristic coral reef response to rising sea level. Credit: Image courtesy of P. Khanna/Rice University
Scientists from Rice University and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi's Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies have discovered that Earth's sea level did not rise steadily but rather in sharp, punctuated bursts when the planet's glaciers melted during the period of global warming at the close of the last ice age. The researchers found fossil evidence in drowned reefs offshore Texas that showed sea level rose in several bursts ranging in length from a few decades to one century.
The findings appear today in Nature Communications.
"What these fossil reefs show is that the last time Earth warmed like it is today, sea level did not rise steadily," said Rice marine geologist André Droxler, a study co-author. "Instead, sea level rose quite fast, paused, and then shot up again in another burst and so on.
"This has profound implications for the future study of sea-level rise," he said.
Because scientists did not previously have specific evidence of punctuated decade-scale sea-level rise, they had little choice but to present the risks of sea-level rise in a linear, per-year format, Droxler said. For example, the International Panel on Climate Change, the authoritative scientific source about the impacts of human-induced climate change, "had to simply take the projected rise for a century, divide by 100 and say, 'We expect sea level to rise this much per year,'" he said.
"Our results offer evidence that sea level may not rise in an orderly, linear fashion," said Rice coastal geologist and study co-author Jeff Nittrouer.
Given that more than half a billion people live within a few meters of modern sea level, he said punctuated sea-level rise poses a particular risk to those communities that are not prepared for future inundation.
"We have observed sea level rise steadily in contemporary time," Nittrouer said. "However, our findings show that sea-level rise could be considerably faster than anything yet observed, and because of this situation, coastal communities need to be prepared for potential inundation."
The study's evidence came from a 2012 cruise by the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor. During the cruise, Droxler, study lead author and Rice graduate student Pankaj Khanna and Harte Research Institute colleagues John Tunnell Jr. and Thomas Shirley used the Falkor's multibeam echo sounder to map 10 fossil reef sites offshore Texas. The echo sounder is a state-of-the-art sonar that produces high-resolution 3-D images of the seafloor.
The fossil reefs lie 30-50 miles offshore Corpus Christi beneath about 195 feet of water. Sunlight does not reach them at that depth, but because corals live in symbiosis with algae, they need sunlight to live and only grow at or very near sea level. Based on previous studies of the Texas coastline during the last ice age as well as the dates of fossils samples collected from the reefs in previous expeditions, the Rice team surmised that the reefs began forming about 19,000 years ago when melting ice caps and glaciers were causing sea level to rise across the globe.
"The coral reefs' evolution and demise have been preserved," Khanna said. "Their history is written in their morphology -- the shapes and forms in which they grew. And the high-resolution 3-D imaging system on the R/V Falkor allowed us to observe those forms in extraordinary detail for the first time."
All the sites in the study had reefs with terraces. Khanna said the stair-like terraces are typical of coral reef structures and are signatures of rising seas. For example, as a reef is growing at the ocean's surface, it can build up only so fast. If sea level rises too fast, it will drown the reef in place, but if the rate is slightly slower, the reef can adopt a strategy called backstepping. When a reef backsteps, the ocean-facing side of the reef breaks up incoming waves just enough to allow the reef to build up a vertical step.
"In our case, each of these steps reveals how the reef adapted to a sudden, punctuated burst of sea-level rise," Khanna said. "The terraces behind each step are the parts of the reef that grew and filled in during the pauses between bursts."
Some sites had as many as six terraces. The researchers said it's important to note that even though the sites in the study are as much as 75 miles apart, the depth of the terraces lined up at each site. Droxler and Nittrouer credited the find to Khanna's determination. Analysis of the data from the mapping mission took more than a year, and the time needed to respond to questions that arose during the publication's peer-review process was even longer.
"That's the way science works," Droxler said. "This is the first evidence ever offered for sea-level rise on a time scale ranging from decades to one century, and our colleagues expected ironclad evidence to back that claim."
Nittrouer said the scenario of punctuated sea-level rise is one that many scientists had previously suspected.
"Scientists have talked about the possibility that continental ice could recede rapidly," he said. "The idea is that sudden changes could arise when threshold conditions are met -- for example, a tipping point arises whereby a large amount of ice is released suddenly into global oceans. When melted, this adds water volume and raises global sea level."
Khanna said it's likely that additional fossil evidence of punctuated sea-level rise will be found in the rock record at sites around the globe.
"Based on what we've found, it is possible that sea-level rise over decadal time scales will be a key storyline in future climate predictions," he said.
Pankaj Khanna, André W. Droxler, Jeffrey A. Nittrouer, John W. Tunnell Jr, Thomas C. Shirley. Coralgal reef morphology records punctuated sea-level rise during the last deglaciation. Nature Communications, 2017; 8 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00966-x
October 19, 2017: Rice University
A high-resolution 3-D map of Southern Bank off the South Texas coast clearly reveals terraces, which are a characteristic coral reef response to rising sea level. Credit: Image courtesy of P. Khanna/Rice University
Scientists from Rice University and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi's Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies have discovered that Earth's sea level did not rise steadily but rather in sharp, punctuated bursts when the planet's glaciers melted during the period of global warming at the close of the last ice age. The researchers found fossil evidence in drowned reefs offshore Texas that showed sea level rose in several bursts ranging in length from a few decades to one century.
The findings appear today in Nature Communications.
"What these fossil reefs show is that the last time Earth warmed like it is today, sea level did not rise steadily," said Rice marine geologist André Droxler, a study co-author. "Instead, sea level rose quite fast, paused, and then shot up again in another burst and so on.
"This has profound implications for the future study of sea-level rise," he said.
Because scientists did not previously have specific evidence of punctuated decade-scale sea-level rise, they had little choice but to present the risks of sea-level rise in a linear, per-year format, Droxler said. For example, the International Panel on Climate Change, the authoritative scientific source about the impacts of human-induced climate change, "had to simply take the projected rise for a century, divide by 100 and say, 'We expect sea level to rise this much per year,'" he said.
"Our results offer evidence that sea level may not rise in an orderly, linear fashion," said Rice coastal geologist and study co-author Jeff Nittrouer.
Given that more than half a billion people live within a few meters of modern sea level, he said punctuated sea-level rise poses a particular risk to those communities that are not prepared for future inundation.
"We have observed sea level rise steadily in contemporary time," Nittrouer said. "However, our findings show that sea-level rise could be considerably faster than anything yet observed, and because of this situation, coastal communities need to be prepared for potential inundation."
The study's evidence came from a 2012 cruise by the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor. During the cruise, Droxler, study lead author and Rice graduate student Pankaj Khanna and Harte Research Institute colleagues John Tunnell Jr. and Thomas Shirley used the Falkor's multibeam echo sounder to map 10 fossil reef sites offshore Texas. The echo sounder is a state-of-the-art sonar that produces high-resolution 3-D images of the seafloor.
The fossil reefs lie 30-50 miles offshore Corpus Christi beneath about 195 feet of water. Sunlight does not reach them at that depth, but because corals live in symbiosis with algae, they need sunlight to live and only grow at or very near sea level. Based on previous studies of the Texas coastline during the last ice age as well as the dates of fossils samples collected from the reefs in previous expeditions, the Rice team surmised that the reefs began forming about 19,000 years ago when melting ice caps and glaciers were causing sea level to rise across the globe.
"The coral reefs' evolution and demise have been preserved," Khanna said. "Their history is written in their morphology -- the shapes and forms in which they grew. And the high-resolution 3-D imaging system on the R/V Falkor allowed us to observe those forms in extraordinary detail for the first time."
All the sites in the study had reefs with terraces. Khanna said the stair-like terraces are typical of coral reef structures and are signatures of rising seas. For example, as a reef is growing at the ocean's surface, it can build up only so fast. If sea level rises too fast, it will drown the reef in place, but if the rate is slightly slower, the reef can adopt a strategy called backstepping. When a reef backsteps, the ocean-facing side of the reef breaks up incoming waves just enough to allow the reef to build up a vertical step.
"In our case, each of these steps reveals how the reef adapted to a sudden, punctuated burst of sea-level rise," Khanna said. "The terraces behind each step are the parts of the reef that grew and filled in during the pauses between bursts."
Some sites had as many as six terraces. The researchers said it's important to note that even though the sites in the study are as much as 75 miles apart, the depth of the terraces lined up at each site. Droxler and Nittrouer credited the find to Khanna's determination. Analysis of the data from the mapping mission took more than a year, and the time needed to respond to questions that arose during the publication's peer-review process was even longer.
"That's the way science works," Droxler said. "This is the first evidence ever offered for sea-level rise on a time scale ranging from decades to one century, and our colleagues expected ironclad evidence to back that claim."
Nittrouer said the scenario of punctuated sea-level rise is one that many scientists had previously suspected.
"Scientists have talked about the possibility that continental ice could recede rapidly," he said. "The idea is that sudden changes could arise when threshold conditions are met -- for example, a tipping point arises whereby a large amount of ice is released suddenly into global oceans. When melted, this adds water volume and raises global sea level."
Khanna said it's likely that additional fossil evidence of punctuated sea-level rise will be found in the rock record at sites around the globe.
"Based on what we've found, it is possible that sea-level rise over decadal time scales will be a key storyline in future climate predictions," he said.
Pankaj Khanna, André W. Droxler, Jeffrey A. Nittrouer, John W. Tunnell Jr, Thomas C. Shirley. Coralgal reef morphology records punctuated sea-level rise during the last deglaciation. Nature Communications, 2017; 8 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00966-x
DNA Tests On Albatross Excrement Reveal Secret Diet Of Top Predator
October 18, 2017: University of Tasmania - Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies
A study that used DNA tests to analyse the scats of one of the world's most numerous albatrosses has revealed surprising results about the top predator's diet.
DNA analysis of 1460 scats from breeding sites around the Southern Ocean has shown that the diet of black-browed albatrosses contains a much higher proportion of jellyfish than previously thought.
The finding, in a study led by IMAS researcher Julie McInnes and published in the journal Molecular Ecology, is important because top predators such as the albatross are used as indicators of the health of the broader marine ecosystem.
Ms McInnes said jellyfish have traditionally been regarded as an unlikely food source due to their poor nutritional value, although sightings of albatross eating jellyfish are occasionally made.
"We need to understand what albatross eat so we can identify how marine ecosystems might be changing in response to pressures such as climate change or fishing," Ms McInnes said.
"Past studies of albatross diets relied largely on analysis of their stomach contents, with jellyfish found in less than one in five samples and then only in low volumes of around 5 per cent of the total.
"In contrast, our study found that in fact jellyfish are a common prey of black-browed albatrosses and the closely related Campbell albatross.
"While there was large variation between breeding colonies, jellyfish were present at seven of the eight sites sampled and in 37 per cent of the scats tested, comprising 20 per cent of the DNA sequences identified.
"We were also surprised to find jellyfish in the diet of chicks, as we had expected adults would prefer fish to low energy value jellyfish when feeding their offspring.
"The failure of previous studies to detect jellyfish in albatross stomach contents can be explained by the speed with which they are digested and the lack of hard parts, such as fish bones or squid beaks, that might be retained in the birds' stomachs for days or weeks.
Ms McInnes said the study showed the value of new DNA metabarcoding technology in the study of seabird diets.
"Ongoing monitoring of the diet and foraging behaviour of top marine predators will help scientists to understand the future impacts of environmental change and fisheries, with climate change predicted to have a significant impact on the abundance and distribution of species across the world's oceans," she said.
The research was in collaboration with the Australian Antarctic Division and DPIPWE, as well as a number of international researchers. The work was funded by an Australian Antarctic Science grant and the Winifred Violet Scott Charitable Trust.
This is a black browed albatross nesting with chick. Credit: Julie McInnes
Julie C. McInnes, Rachael Alderman, Mary-Anne Lea, Ben Raymond, Bruce E. Deagle, Richard A. Phillips, Andrew Stanworth, David R. Thompson, Paulo Catry, Henri Weimerskirch, Cristián G. Suazo, Michaël Gras, Simon N. Jarman. High occurrence of jellyfish predation by black-browed and Campbell albatross identified by DNA metabarcoding. Molecular Ecology, 2017; 26 (18): 4831 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14245
October 18, 2017: University of Tasmania - Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies
A study that used DNA tests to analyse the scats of one of the world's most numerous albatrosses has revealed surprising results about the top predator's diet.
DNA analysis of 1460 scats from breeding sites around the Southern Ocean has shown that the diet of black-browed albatrosses contains a much higher proportion of jellyfish than previously thought.
The finding, in a study led by IMAS researcher Julie McInnes and published in the journal Molecular Ecology, is important because top predators such as the albatross are used as indicators of the health of the broader marine ecosystem.
Ms McInnes said jellyfish have traditionally been regarded as an unlikely food source due to their poor nutritional value, although sightings of albatross eating jellyfish are occasionally made.
"We need to understand what albatross eat so we can identify how marine ecosystems might be changing in response to pressures such as climate change or fishing," Ms McInnes said.
"Past studies of albatross diets relied largely on analysis of their stomach contents, with jellyfish found in less than one in five samples and then only in low volumes of around 5 per cent of the total.
"In contrast, our study found that in fact jellyfish are a common prey of black-browed albatrosses and the closely related Campbell albatross.
"While there was large variation between breeding colonies, jellyfish were present at seven of the eight sites sampled and in 37 per cent of the scats tested, comprising 20 per cent of the DNA sequences identified.
"We were also surprised to find jellyfish in the diet of chicks, as we had expected adults would prefer fish to low energy value jellyfish when feeding their offspring.
"The failure of previous studies to detect jellyfish in albatross stomach contents can be explained by the speed with which they are digested and the lack of hard parts, such as fish bones or squid beaks, that might be retained in the birds' stomachs for days or weeks.
Ms McInnes said the study showed the value of new DNA metabarcoding technology in the study of seabird diets.
"Ongoing monitoring of the diet and foraging behaviour of top marine predators will help scientists to understand the future impacts of environmental change and fisheries, with climate change predicted to have a significant impact on the abundance and distribution of species across the world's oceans," she said.
The research was in collaboration with the Australian Antarctic Division and DPIPWE, as well as a number of international researchers. The work was funded by an Australian Antarctic Science grant and the Winifred Violet Scott Charitable Trust.
This is a black browed albatross nesting with chick. Credit: Julie McInnes
Julie C. McInnes, Rachael Alderman, Mary-Anne Lea, Ben Raymond, Bruce E. Deagle, Richard A. Phillips, Andrew Stanworth, David R. Thompson, Paulo Catry, Henri Weimerskirch, Cristián G. Suazo, Michaël Gras, Simon N. Jarman. High occurrence of jellyfish predation by black-browed and Campbell albatross identified by DNA metabarcoding. Molecular Ecology, 2017; 26 (18): 4831 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14245
New Amazon Threat? Deforestation From Mining
Manly Seaside Scavenge
Friends Of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment Activities
Oxford Falls triangle
Sunday 22/10 7.30- 11am This walk will only take about 2 hrs walking, but a few small pampas grass clumps need removal and we will have morning tea in the creek bed or on a high rock ledge.Please bring gloves and morning tea.Bookings: Conny Harris 0432643295 or Email Conny
Terrey Hills to Morgan Rd Saturday 4/11 7.30-11.30 am Start at Terrey Hills cross the Deep Creek catchment valley and walk along feeder creek and end at Morgan Rd. Please bring gloves, old screwdriver and am tea. Plan is to include 30 min weeding. Carpool required.Bookings: Conny Harris 0432 643 295 or Email Conny
Spotlight Walk - 8:15pm Monday Nov 27This walk will take place after Jayden Walsh has shown pictures and talked about amphibians and reptiles in Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment.8:15pm Meet at Katoa Close. Spaces limited to 30 people
Spotlight Walk - 8pm Friday Dec 15Spotlighting walk - meet at start of Slippery Dip Trail. Spaces limited to 20 people
Wildlife Walk - 7:30am Friday January 19, 2018Meet at end of Deep Creek Carpark. Spaces limited to 30 peopleEmail: Friends of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment to get a ticket and book a place for one of these fascinating Wildlife Walks led by Jayden Walsh.
Bush Regeneration - Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment This is a wonderful way to become connected to nature and contribute to the health of the environment. Over the weeks and months you can see positive changes as you give native species a better chance to thrive. Wildlife appreciate the improvement in their habitat.
Belrose area - Thursday mornings Belrose area - Weekend mornings by arrangementContact: Phone or text Conny Harris on 0432 643 295
Wheeler Creek - Wednesday mornings 9-11amContact: Phone or text Judith Bennett on 0402 974 105Or email: Friends of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment : email@narrabeenlagoon.org.au
Eco Paddle on Narrabeen Lagoon1pm, Sunday Feb 11, 2018Black Swan have returned to the lagoon after 20 years - come and see these majestic creatures! This paddle will visit the Western Basin, Deep and Middle Creeks. Beautiful Deep Creek attracts migratory birds from as far away as Russia and Middle Creek has been the subject of a substantial remediation programme. A relaxing 2 to 3 hour afternoon paddle. No previous kayaking experience required, tuition given. BYO boat or a hire kayak can be arranged for you at cost. Bookings essential.Email tonycarr@ozemail.com.au or call 0417 502 056.
Oxford Falls triangle
Sunday 22/10 7.30- 11am
This walk will only take about 2 hrs walking, but a few small pampas grass clumps need removal and we will have morning tea in the creek bed or on a high rock ledge.
Please bring gloves and morning tea.
Bookings: Conny Harris 0432643295 or Email Conny
Terrey Hills to Morgan Rd
Saturday 4/11 7.30-11.30 am
Start at Terrey Hills cross the Deep Creek catchment valley and walk along feeder creek and end at Morgan Rd. Please bring gloves, old screwdriver and am tea. Plan is to include 30 min weeding. Carpool required.
Bookings: Conny Harris 0432 643 295 or Email Conny
Spotlight Walk - 8:15pm Monday Nov 27
This walk will take place after Jayden Walsh has shown pictures and talked about amphibians and reptiles in Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment.
8:15pm Meet at Katoa Close. Spaces limited to 30 people
Spotlight Walk - 8pm Friday Dec 15
Spotlighting walk - meet at start of Slippery Dip Trail. Spaces limited to 20 people
Wildlife Walk - 7:30am Friday January 19, 2018
Meet at end of Deep Creek Carpark. Spaces limited to 30 people
Email: Friends of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment to get a ticket and book a place for one of these fascinating Wildlife Walks led by Jayden Walsh.
Bush Regeneration - Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment
This is a wonderful way to become connected to nature and contribute to the health of the environment. Over the weeks and months you can see positive changes as you give native species a better chance to thrive. Wildlife appreciate the improvement in their habitat.
Belrose area - Thursday mornings
Belrose area - Weekend mornings by arrangement
Contact: Phone or text Conny Harris on 0432 643 295
Wheeler Creek - Wednesday mornings 9-11am
Contact: Phone or text Judith Bennett on 0402 974 105
Or email: Friends of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment : email@narrabeenlagoon.org.au
Eco Paddle on Narrabeen Lagoon
1pm, Sunday Feb 11, 2018
Black Swan have returned to the lagoon after 20 years - come and see these majestic creatures! This paddle will visit the Western Basin, Deep and Middle Creeks. Beautiful Deep Creek attracts migratory birds from as far away as Russia and Middle Creek has been the subject of a substantial remediation programme. A relaxing 2 to 3 hour afternoon paddle. No previous kayaking experience required, tuition given. BYO boat or a hire kayak can be arranged for you at cost.
Bookings essential.
Email tonycarr@ozemail.com.au or call 0417 502 056.
Bird Walks And Talks 2017: PNHA
Come and see and hear some of our fantastic native birds, many of which you'll never see in your garden. Join in a Sunday guided bird walk with Pittwater Natural Heritage Association. All walks start at 8am and end about 10am.
November 26 Warriewood Wetlands. Meet end of Katoa Close, north Narrabeen.
Bring binoculars if possible. Drink, hat and comfortable shoes.More information contact pnhabirdwatching@gmail.com or Ph Kerry on 0402 605 721.
You don't need to book but if we know you're coming we'll watch out for you. Call if in doubt about weather as we won't go out if it's raining.
Come and see and hear some of our fantastic native birds, many of which you'll never see in your garden. Join in a Sunday guided bird walk with Pittwater Natural Heritage Association. All walks start at 8am and end about 10am.
November 26 Warriewood Wetlands. Meet end of Katoa Close, north Narrabeen.
Bring binoculars if possible. Drink, hat and comfortable shoes.
More information contact pnhabirdwatching@gmail.com or
Ph Kerry on 0402 605 721.
You don't need to book but if we know you're coming we'll watch out for you. Call if in doubt about weather as we won't go out if it's raining.
Update On Baleen 2D HR Seismic Survey
Creative Cluster: Sydney Culture Network Launches
October 18, 2017: by Lucy Carroll, UNSW
Two dozen art galleries, museums and cultural institutions have teamed up for the launch of the Sydney Culture Network - a UNSW driven initative.
Leaders from Sydney’s top arts and cultural organisations met this week for the launch of the Sydney Culture Network, an initiative driven by UNSW that will link Sydney’s artistic hubs – galleries, libraries and museums – to boost collaboration and public engagement.
The event, held at the Calyx in the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, is the culmination of almost two years of discussions between 24 organisations, including the Art Gallery of NSW, Carriageworks, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) and National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA).
The network – the first of its kind in Australia – aims to bring new cultural offerings to the public, build opportunities for creation, programming, research, data sharing, ways to simplify visitors moving between museums and cultural spaces and to open up collections and archives.
More than 100 people attended the business-to-business event. The alliance will be publicly launched in mid 2018.
UNSW Chancellor David Gonski AC said he was unaware of any other major city where a group of arts organisations, cultural institutions and academics have come together as a peer-to-peer, not-for-profit organisation designed to support cooperation between its members and lift the city’s cultural scene.
“Sydney Culture Network is about creating conditions for a new collaborative ecology that will foster even greater creativity and drive innovation. We want to elevate the value of culture, and to enhance the role of Sydney as an international hub of creativity and ideas,” Mr Gonski said.
“We’re establishing a consortium that will connect Sydney’s galleries, libraries, archives and museums.”
UNSW President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs emphasised that the organisation will integrate numerous sectors - the arts, heritage, academia, business, government and technology.
“This network will strengthen Sydney’s position as a cultural centre, that celebrates creative and cultural diversity and increase Sydney’s liveability and global competitiveness," said Professor Jacobs.
"I look forward to seeing the achievements of this network in engaging our community in the cultural life of this great city and enabling Sydney to be seen globally as a world leader in culture and the arts."
Dean of Art & Design at UNSW, Professor Ross Harley, has referred in the past to a similar collaboration – New York City’s Museum Mile – where nine museums on a section of Fifth Avenue developed an alliance to boost support of the arts and local galleries.
Tickets, passes and apps that can be used across organisations is one way for organisations to join forces, he suggested.
“The Sydney Culture Network is about connecting the dots of culture across the city,” said Professor Harley. “The more we can work together, the better our understanding of the audiences we serve. I’m really excited about this new opportunity to bring to together some of Sydney’s leading arts, educational and cultural organisations into this innovative platform for collaboration.”
President and Vice Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs, Michael Rose AM, Chair Committee for Sydney, Chancellor David Gonski AC, philanthropist John Kaldor AM - photo courtesy UNSW
October 18, 2017: by Lucy Carroll, UNSW
Two dozen art galleries, museums and cultural institutions have teamed up for the launch of the Sydney Culture Network - a UNSW driven initative.
Leaders from Sydney’s top arts and cultural organisations met this week for the launch of the Sydney Culture Network, an initiative driven by UNSW that will link Sydney’s artistic hubs – galleries, libraries and museums – to boost collaboration and public engagement.
The event, held at the Calyx in the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, is the culmination of almost two years of discussions between 24 organisations, including the Art Gallery of NSW, Carriageworks, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) and National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA).
The network – the first of its kind in Australia – aims to bring new cultural offerings to the public, build opportunities for creation, programming, research, data sharing, ways to simplify visitors moving between museums and cultural spaces and to open up collections and archives.
More than 100 people attended the business-to-business event. The alliance will be publicly launched in mid 2018.
UNSW Chancellor David Gonski AC said he was unaware of any other major city where a group of arts organisations, cultural institutions and academics have come together as a peer-to-peer, not-for-profit organisation designed to support cooperation between its members and lift the city’s cultural scene.
“Sydney Culture Network is about creating conditions for a new collaborative ecology that will foster even greater creativity and drive innovation. We want to elevate the value of culture, and to enhance the role of Sydney as an international hub of creativity and ideas,” Mr Gonski said.
“We’re establishing a consortium that will connect Sydney’s galleries, libraries, archives and museums.”
UNSW President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs emphasised that the organisation will integrate numerous sectors - the arts, heritage, academia, business, government and technology.
“This network will strengthen Sydney’s position as a cultural centre, that celebrates creative and cultural diversity and increase Sydney’s liveability and global competitiveness," said Professor Jacobs.
"I look forward to seeing the achievements of this network in engaging our community in the cultural life of this great city and enabling Sydney to be seen globally as a world leader in culture and the arts."
Dean of Art & Design at UNSW, Professor Ross Harley, has referred in the past to a similar collaboration – New York City’s Museum Mile – where nine museums on a section of Fifth Avenue developed an alliance to boost support of the arts and local galleries.
Tickets, passes and apps that can be used across organisations is one way for organisations to join forces, he suggested.
“The Sydney Culture Network is about connecting the dots of culture across the city,” said Professor Harley. “The more we can work together, the better our understanding of the audiences we serve. I’m really excited about this new opportunity to bring to together some of Sydney’s leading arts, educational and cultural organisations into this innovative platform for collaboration.”
President and Vice Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs, Michael Rose AM, Chair Committee for Sydney, Chancellor David Gonski AC, philanthropist John Kaldor AM - photo courtesy UNSW
Australia Adds Its Human Rights Expertise To UN Council
Consumers To Save Billions On Their Power Bills As Limited Merits Review Legislation Passes Parliament
The Skinny On Lipid Immunology
October 20, 2017Phospholipids -- fat molecules that form the membranes found around cells -- make up almost half of the dry weight of cells, but when it comes to autoimmune diseases, their role has largely been overlooked. Recent research has pointed to a role for them in numerous diseases, including psoriasis, contact hypersensitivities and allergies. In a new study published in Science Immunology, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Monash University in Australia reveal new insights into the basis for T cell receptor (TCR) autoreactivity to self-phospholipids, with implications for autoimmune diseases.
"Lipids have been under appreciated in immunology," said co-corresponding author D. Branch Moody, MD, a principal investigator in the Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy. "We've been interested in autoimmune diseases for decades, and it's thought that in certain autoimmune diseases like psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes are driven by particular tissues. The search for the particular molecules, known as antigens, that trigger autoimmune diseases has focused on proteins and peptides, but we should also be thinking about lipids as candidate antigens for autoimmune disease."
For 30 years, researchers have known that T cells play an important role in autoimmune disorders, but it was thought that T cells could only respond to proteins. Previous studies conducted by investigators at the Brigham provided the first hint that a T cell could also respond to lipids. The newly published study suggests that many T cells can respond lipids, and illuminates the physical structures that make this recognition of lipids possible.
T cells are activated when another key part of the immune system, dendritic cells, present them with an antigen. Moody and his colleagues, Ildiko Van Rhijn and Tan-yun Cheng, set out to detect what molecules were being captured and presented, stimulating a T cell response. Using structural biology, Jamie Rossjohn and Adam Shahine of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging at Monash University in Australia showed how a protein on the surface of dendritic cells -- known as CD1b -- binds to lipids. This complex of CD1b and a lipid then binds to a T cell receptor, activating an immune response.
"The advanced imaging facilities of the Australian Synchrotron have allowed us to generate three-dimensional models of T-cell receptor interaction against CD1b and lipid antigens," said Shahine. "These results highlight the role of CD1b in a phospholipid-mediated immune response, and grant us a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of lipid-based autoimmune disease."
The work may have implications for specific forms of autoimmune disease, including systemic lupus erythematosus. Previous studies have found that patients with lupus have antibodies that bind to phospholipids, which cause clotting and strokes. The new study shows that T cells also recognize phospholipids, opening up new perspectives on T cell and antibody cooperation in this disease.
"We now have these beautiful, three-dimensional images of how three different molecules can interact, which explains some detail about which part of the lipid matters. Knowing the precise structure of the complexes involved in this process could be useful for designing new kinds of lipids that could turn on or off the immune response," said Moody.
Adam Shahine et al. A molecular basis of human T cell receptor autoreactivity toward self-phospholipids. Science Immunology, October 2017 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aao1384
T-cell Receptors (gold, upper) on the surface of T-cells selectively bind the lipid antigen presenting molecule on dendritic cells, CD1b (lower), presenting a rare cellular phospholipid (gold), over common phospholipids found in membranes (pink, cyan and green), which in turn induces an autoimmune response.Credit: Shahine et al.
October 20, 2017
Phospholipids -- fat molecules that form the membranes found around cells -- make up almost half of the dry weight of cells, but when it comes to autoimmune diseases, their role has largely been overlooked. Recent research has pointed to a role for them in numerous diseases, including psoriasis, contact hypersensitivities and allergies. In a new study published in Science Immunology, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Monash University in Australia reveal new insights into the basis for T cell receptor (TCR) autoreactivity to self-phospholipids, with implications for autoimmune diseases.
"Lipids have been under appreciated in immunology," said co-corresponding author D. Branch Moody, MD, a principal investigator in the Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy. "We've been interested in autoimmune diseases for decades, and it's thought that in certain autoimmune diseases like psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes are driven by particular tissues. The search for the particular molecules, known as antigens, that trigger autoimmune diseases has focused on proteins and peptides, but we should also be thinking about lipids as candidate antigens for autoimmune disease."
For 30 years, researchers have known that T cells play an important role in autoimmune disorders, but it was thought that T cells could only respond to proteins. Previous studies conducted by investigators at the Brigham provided the first hint that a T cell could also respond to lipids. The newly published study suggests that many T cells can respond lipids, and illuminates the physical structures that make this recognition of lipids possible.
T cells are activated when another key part of the immune system, dendritic cells, present them with an antigen. Moody and his colleagues, Ildiko Van Rhijn and Tan-yun Cheng, set out to detect what molecules were being captured and presented, stimulating a T cell response. Using structural biology, Jamie Rossjohn and Adam Shahine of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging at Monash University in Australia showed how a protein on the surface of dendritic cells -- known as CD1b -- binds to lipids. This complex of CD1b and a lipid then binds to a T cell receptor, activating an immune response.
"The advanced imaging facilities of the Australian Synchrotron have allowed us to generate three-dimensional models of T-cell receptor interaction against CD1b and lipid antigens," said Shahine. "These results highlight the role of CD1b in a phospholipid-mediated immune response, and grant us a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of lipid-based autoimmune disease."
The work may have implications for specific forms of autoimmune disease, including systemic lupus erythematosus. Previous studies have found that patients with lupus have antibodies that bind to phospholipids, which cause clotting and strokes. The new study shows that T cells also recognize phospholipids, opening up new perspectives on T cell and antibody cooperation in this disease.
"We now have these beautiful, three-dimensional images of how three different molecules can interact, which explains some detail about which part of the lipid matters. Knowing the precise structure of the complexes involved in this process could be useful for designing new kinds of lipids that could turn on or off the immune response," said Moody.
Adam Shahine et al. A molecular basis of human T cell receptor autoreactivity toward self-phospholipids. Science Immunology, October 2017 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aao1384
T-cell Receptors (gold, upper) on the surface of T-cells selectively bind the lipid antigen presenting molecule on dendritic cells, CD1b (lower), presenting a rare cellular phospholipid (gold), over common phospholipids found in membranes (pink, cyan and green), which in turn induces an autoimmune response.
Credit: Shahine et al.
Stiff Fibers Spun From Slime
October 18, 2017
Some animals produce amazing materials. Spider silk, for example, is stronger than steel. Mussels secrete byssus threads, which they use to cling tightly to stones under water. The material secreted by velvet worms is no less impressive. These small worm-like animals, which look like a cross between an earthworm and a caterpillar, spray a sticky liquid to ward off enemies or catch prey that is particularly deadly for prey such as woodlice, crickets and spiders: As soon as they try to wriggle out of the slimy threads, their struggles cause the threads to harden, leaving no hope of escape.
"The shear forces generated by the prey's struggles cause the slime to harden into stiff filaments," explains Alexander Bär, a doctoral student at the University of Kassel, who is studying under the velvet-worm expert Georg Mayer. In order to investigate the slime of an Australian velvet worm species, the biologist worked closely with researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam. The chemist Stephan Schmidt, for example, now a junior professor at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, helped to elucidate the nanostructure of the slime. A research group headed by biochemist Matt Harrington in the Biomaterials Department of the Potsdam Institute focused on other questions concerning the chemical composition and molecular processing. The interdisciplinary group of scientists was particularly interested in how the composition and structure of the secretion changes during thread formation.
Slimy hunting weapon: Velvet worms, which look like caterpillars with short legs, capture prey with a secretion that forms polymer threads as the prey struggles to free itself. Credit: Alexander Baer / Nature Communications 2017
Slimy mix of proteins and fatty acids"We had already known that the slime consists mainly of large protein molecules and fatty acids," Alexander Bär says. At the Max Planck Institute in Potsdam, the researchers discovered that the proteins and lipids combine to form tiny globules. "Velvet worms produce the protein and fat molecules as well as other components separately," Bär explains. "Outside the gland cells, the nanoglobules then form independently to create the thread-forming and adhesive properties." The globules are formed with remarkable precision in that they are uniform in shape and always around 75 nanometres in diameter.
Velvet worms store their liquid weapon until it is needed. They then shoot the slime at their prey or foe through two glands located on either side of their head by means of muscular contractions. "At first the sticky consistency does not change," Bär says. "However, as soon as the prey begins to struggle, shear forces act on the slime to rupture the nanoglobules." Vibrational spectroscopy studies in Potsdam showed that proteins and fatty acids separate in the process. "Whereas the proteins form long fibres in the interior of the slime, the lipid and water molecules are displaced to the outside and form a kind of sheath," Bär explains. The researchers also found that the protein strand inside has a tensile stiffness similar to that of Nylon®. This explains the remarkable performance of the filaments.
Polymerized threads dissolve in water againFurther experiments showed that the polymerized slime threads can be dissolved in water again within a few hours of drying. "The astonishing thing for us was that the proteins and lipids evidently mix again to form the same nanoglobules we had already found in the original slime," Matt Harrington says. The newly formed protein-lipid globules were even similar in size to those in the natural secretion. "Evidently, a mechanism of self-organization is at work which we do not yet fully understand," Harrington says.
Another startling discovery was that sticky threads can be drawn again from the recovered slime. And they behaved exactly like freshly secreted velvet-worm secretion under the influence of shear forces: they hardened. "This is a nice example of a fully reversible and indefinitely repeatable regeneration process," says Matt Harrington. Intriguingly, this is all accomplished with biomolecules and at normal ambient temperatures. Velvet worms could therefore serve as a model for manufacturers of synthetic polymers and could conceivably teach them a lot about the sustainable production of synthetic materials.
Harrington agrees. The biochemist can well imagine that one day we will be able to synthesize macromolecules for industrial applications in a similar manner based on renewable raw materials. In the case of spider silk, it has already been possible to produce analogous proteins industrially and to supply the fibres produced from them to the garment industry.
How are proteins and lipid molecules separated?A polymer that dissolves in water, like the solidified threads of velvet worms, would probably be impractical. But the principle could generate new inspirations in materials science, Matt Harrington believes. "At the moment, the first step is to understand the mechanisms better," says the biomaterials specialist, who has now begun a professorship at McGill University in Montreal. For example, the scientists are interested in why mechanical shear forces cause the proteins to separate from the lipid molecules in the first place. They also want to determine the factors that govern the reversible formation of nanoglobules of uniform size. Another unanswered question is how the protein units combine to produce rigid fibres without forming fixed chemical bonds, says Max Planck researcher Harrington.
Alexander Baer, Stephan Schmidt, Sebastian Haensch, Michaela Eder, Georg Mayer, Matthew J. Harrington. Mechanoresponsive lipid-protein nanoglobules facilitate reversible fibre formation in velvet worm slime. Nature Communications, 2017; 8 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01142-x
October 18, 2017
Some animals produce amazing materials. Spider silk, for example, is stronger than steel. Mussels secrete byssus threads, which they use to cling tightly to stones under water. The material secreted by velvet worms is no less impressive. These small worm-like animals, which look like a cross between an earthworm and a caterpillar, spray a sticky liquid to ward off enemies or catch prey that is particularly deadly for prey such as woodlice, crickets and spiders: As soon as they try to wriggle out of the slimy threads, their struggles cause the threads to harden, leaving no hope of escape.
"The shear forces generated by the prey's struggles cause the slime to harden into stiff filaments," explains Alexander Bär, a doctoral student at the University of Kassel, who is studying under the velvet-worm expert Georg Mayer. In order to investigate the slime of an Australian velvet worm species, the biologist worked closely with researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam. The chemist Stephan Schmidt, for example, now a junior professor at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, helped to elucidate the nanostructure of the slime.
A research group headed by biochemist Matt Harrington in the Biomaterials Department of the Potsdam Institute focused on other questions concerning the chemical composition and molecular processing. The interdisciplinary group of scientists was particularly interested in how the composition and structure of the secretion changes during thread formation.
Slimy hunting weapon: Velvet worms, which look like caterpillars with short legs, capture prey with a secretion that forms polymer threads as the prey struggles to free itself. Credit: Alexander Baer / Nature Communications 2017
Slimy mix of proteins and fatty acids
"We had already known that the slime consists mainly of large protein molecules and fatty acids," Alexander Bär says. At the Max Planck Institute in Potsdam, the researchers discovered that the proteins and lipids combine to form tiny globules. "Velvet worms produce the protein and fat molecules as well as other components separately," Bär explains. "Outside the gland cells, the nanoglobules then form independently to create the thread-forming and adhesive properties." The globules are formed with remarkable precision in that they are uniform in shape and always around 75 nanometres in diameter.
Velvet worms store their liquid weapon until it is needed. They then shoot the slime at their prey or foe through two glands located on either side of their head by means of muscular contractions. "At first the sticky consistency does not change," Bär says. "However, as soon as the prey begins to struggle, shear forces act on the slime to rupture the nanoglobules." Vibrational spectroscopy studies in Potsdam showed that proteins and fatty acids separate in the process. "Whereas the proteins form long fibres in the interior of the slime, the lipid and water molecules are displaced to the outside and form a kind of sheath," Bär explains. The researchers also found that the protein strand inside has a tensile stiffness similar to that of Nylon®. This explains the remarkable performance of the filaments.
Polymerized threads dissolve in water again
Further experiments showed that the polymerized slime threads can be dissolved in water again within a few hours of drying. "The astonishing thing for us was that the proteins and lipids evidently mix again to form the same nanoglobules we had already found in the original slime," Matt Harrington says. The newly formed protein-lipid globules were even similar in size to those in the natural secretion. "Evidently, a mechanism of self-organization is at work which we do not yet fully understand," Harrington says.
Another startling discovery was that sticky threads can be drawn again from the recovered slime. And they behaved exactly like freshly secreted velvet-worm secretion under the influence of shear forces: they hardened. "This is a nice example of a fully reversible and indefinitely repeatable regeneration process," says Matt Harrington. Intriguingly, this is all accomplished with biomolecules and at normal ambient temperatures. Velvet worms could therefore serve as a model for manufacturers of synthetic polymers and could conceivably teach them a lot about the sustainable production of synthetic materials.
Harrington agrees. The biochemist can well imagine that one day we will be able to synthesize macromolecules for industrial applications in a similar manner based on renewable raw materials. In the case of spider silk, it has already been possible to produce analogous proteins industrially and to supply the fibres produced from them to the garment industry.
How are proteins and lipid molecules separated?
A polymer that dissolves in water, like the solidified threads of velvet worms, would probably be impractical. But the principle could generate new inspirations in materials science, Matt Harrington believes. "At the moment, the first step is to understand the mechanisms better," says the biomaterials specialist, who has now begun a professorship at McGill University in Montreal. For example, the scientists are interested in why mechanical shear forces cause the proteins to separate from the lipid molecules in the first place. They also want to determine the factors that govern the reversible formation of nanoglobules of uniform size. Another unanswered question is how the protein units combine to produce rigid fibres without forming fixed chemical bonds, says Max Planck researcher Harrington.
Alexander Baer, Stephan Schmidt, Sebastian Haensch, Michaela Eder, Georg Mayer, Matthew J. Harrington. Mechanoresponsive lipid-protein nanoglobules facilitate reversible fibre formation in velvet worm slime. Nature Communications, 2017; 8 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01142-x
Entries Now Open For Sydney Royal's Summer Fine Food Competitions
Discover How The Humble Shipping Container Has Revolutionised The Way We Live In New Outdoor Exhibition
Container – the box that changed the world – opens 26 October 2017In today’s global world you may have drunk coffee from Brazil or a smoothie containing frozen fruit from China. You could be wearing clothes made in India, watching a TV made in Japan while sitting on a sofa containing wood from Argentina on a laminate floor manufactured in Sweden. All of this has been made possible by a rectangular steel box – the shipping container.
Container, an exciting new exhibition housed entirely in six 20-foot shipping containers at the Australian National Maritime Museum, will lift the lid on the history and impact of containerisation and the way the humble shipping container has revolutionised the way we live.
The exhibition opens in late October, when visitors can literally ‘step inside the box’ to learn about shipping, ports, cargo, the impact of containerisation on the ocean, the origins of everyday objects and even container architecture.
SHIPLearn the history of transporting goods in crates, bales, sacks and barrels loaded by hand, and how the container now allows the world’s 1.5 million seafarers to deliver 10 billion tonnes of trade each year.
CARGODiscover the intricate world of trade, customs, and biosecurity, and how perishable goods are transported around the world in the ‘cold’ chain.
PORTSee the radical transformation of ports and port cities in Australia and around the world. Have a peek behind the scenes at Port Botany, one of Australia’s busiest ports and the gateway for 99 per cent of New South Wales’ container demand.
OCEAN
Explore the challenges mass shipping poses to our oceans, including lost shipping containers, cargo spills and acoustic pollution, and the current focus on sustainable shipping.
BUILDBe delighted by the quirky and innovative ways containers are used beyond shipping, including ‘small homes’, food trucks, art installations and even swimming pools.
THINGSEnter a glass-fronted container demonstrating the origins of everyday objects in our homes. The total number of kilometres travelled by sea by all the products in this container is 887,082 km.
Peter Dexter AM, Chairman of the Australian National Maritime Museum said, “As an island nation, 99% of Australia’s trade is conducted by sea freight. The Container exhibition highlights the importance of this industry and how it touches all of us. We are excited to be sharing this often overlooked story to the many people who visit Darling Harbour in such an innovative way.”
The exhibition has been embraced by the shipping industry with a large number of its key organisations coming on board to provide essential support to tell this important story. Major sponsor is NSW Ports who has played a key role in the development of the exhibition. Sponsors are ACFS Port Logistics, Maritime Container Services, DP World Australia and Smit Lamnalco. Supporters are Transport for NSW and Shipping Australia. The containers are supplied by Royal Wolf and the Precinct Partner is Property NSW. It is supported by the USA Bicentennial Gift Fund.
Container is located in front of the Australian National Maritime Museum’s Wharf 7 building on Pirrama Road. It opens on 26 October, FREE and will run until late 2018 before touring locations across NSW. For further information visit www.anmm.gov.au/container
ENTER THE INSTAGRAM COMPETITIONINSTAGRAM COMPETITION TERMS & CONDITIONSWe’re excited to announce a photography competition in association with Container — The Box That Changed the World. Submit your photographs via Instagram to win a GoPro HERO5 Black.
PRIZESThe overall winner will win a GoPro HERO5 Black, RRP $569.95.
HOW TO ENTERRead the Terms and Conditions of the competition (here).Upload a photograph to your Instagram account that has been inspired by a shipping container and hashtag #ContainerExhibition.Ensure your privacy settings are set to ‘public’ in order for us to assess your entry.
THE FINE PRINTThe competition runs from 1:00 am on 8/10/2017 until 11:59 PM on 8/11/2017.Entries will be judged based on creative merit, and a winner will be chosen by Andrew Frolows, a photographer and employee of the Australian National Maritime Museum.
The winner will be announced as soon as possible after the winner has been selected and confirmed.
Container – the box that changed the world – opens 26 October 2017
In today’s global world you may have drunk coffee from Brazil or a smoothie containing frozen fruit from China. You could be wearing clothes made in India, watching a TV made in Japan while sitting on a sofa containing wood from Argentina on a laminate floor manufactured in Sweden. All of this has been made possible by a rectangular steel box – the shipping container.
Container, an exciting new exhibition housed entirely in six 20-foot shipping containers at the Australian National Maritime Museum, will lift the lid on the history and impact of containerisation and the way the humble shipping container has revolutionised the way we live.
The exhibition opens in late October, when visitors can literally ‘step inside the box’ to learn about shipping, ports, cargo, the impact of containerisation on the ocean, the origins of everyday objects and even container architecture.
SHIPLearn the history of transporting goods in crates, bales, sacks and barrels loaded by hand, and how the container now allows the world’s 1.5 million seafarers to deliver 10 billion tonnes of trade each year.
CARGO
Discover the intricate world of trade, customs, and biosecurity, and how perishable goods are transported around the world in the ‘cold’ chain.
PORT
See the radical transformation of ports and port cities in Australia and around the world. Have a peek behind the scenes at Port Botany, one of Australia’s busiest ports and the gateway for 99 per cent of New South Wales’ container demand.
OCEAN
Explore the challenges mass shipping poses to our oceans, including lost shipping containers, cargo spills and acoustic pollution, and the current focus on sustainable shipping.
BUILDBe delighted by the quirky and innovative ways containers are used beyond shipping, including ‘small homes’, food trucks, art installations and even swimming pools.
THINGS
Enter a glass-fronted container demonstrating the origins of everyday objects in our homes. The total number of kilometres travelled by sea by all the products in this container is 887,082 km.
Peter Dexter AM, Chairman of the Australian National Maritime Museum said, “As an island nation, 99% of Australia’s trade is conducted by sea freight. The Container exhibition highlights the importance of this industry and how it touches all of us. We are excited to be sharing this often overlooked story to the many people who visit Darling Harbour in such an innovative way.”
The exhibition has been embraced by the shipping industry with a large number of its key organisations coming on board to provide essential support to tell this important story. Major sponsor is NSW Ports who has played a key role in the development of the exhibition. Sponsors are ACFS Port Logistics, Maritime Container Services, DP World Australia and Smit Lamnalco. Supporters are Transport for NSW and Shipping Australia. The containers are supplied by Royal Wolf and the Precinct Partner is Property NSW. It is supported by the USA Bicentennial Gift Fund.
Container is located in front of the Australian National Maritime Museum’s Wharf 7 building on Pirrama Road. It opens on 26 October, FREE and will run until late 2018 before touring locations across NSW. For further information visit www.anmm.gov.au/container
ENTER THE INSTAGRAM COMPETITION
INSTAGRAM COMPETITION TERMS & CONDITIONS
We’re excited to announce a photography competition in association with Container — The Box That Changed the World. Submit your photographs via Instagram to win a GoPro HERO5 Black.
PRIZES
The overall winner will win a GoPro HERO5 Black, RRP $569.95.
HOW TO ENTER
Read the Terms and Conditions of the competition (here).
Upload a photograph to your Instagram account that has been inspired by a shipping container and hashtag #ContainerExhibition.
Ensure your privacy settings are set to ‘public’ in order for us to assess your entry.
THE FINE PRINT
The competition runs from 1:00 am on 8/10/2017 until 11:59 PM on 8/11/2017.
Entries will be judged based on creative merit, and a winner will be chosen by Andrew Frolows, a photographer and employee of the Australian National Maritime Museum.
The winner will be announced as soon as possible after the winner has been selected and confirmed.
Moran Contemporary Photographic Prizes
NSW Health Urges 20 - 50s To Vaccinate Against Measles
16 October 2017
NSW Health is urging people aged between 20 and 50 years to have the free, safe measles vaccine after the 29th person in the state was diagnosed with the highly infectious disease.
The latest person to contract measles is the fifth case connected to the Sutherland Shire outbreak and was in the following locations while infectious.
- Canterbury Hospital on 10 October from 9.30am – 1.00pm
- Aldi Canterbury on 10 October from 1.00pm – 2.00pm
- Miranda Westfield on 11 October from 1.00pm –3.00pm.
Dr Vicky Sheppeard, Director Communicable Diseases, NSW Health, said most of the state’s 29 cases were aged between 20 and 50 years and the majority were unaware they were not completely vaccinated as children.
“People aged 20-50 years may have missed out on the full vaccination program for measles, which was changed in 1998 to include a national school-based catch-up, and mistakenly believe they are protected against the disease,” Dr Sheppeard said.
“The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and highly effective protection against measles, and is available for free for those aged one to 51 at your GP. If you are unsure whether you have had two doses, it is quite safe to have another dose.
“Measles is highly contagious and is spread in the air through coughing or sneezing by someone who is unwell with the disease.”
Symptoms of measles include fever, sore eyes and a cough followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash spreading from the head and neck to the rest of the body.
Dr Sheppeard said it was important for people to watch for symptoms, arrange to see the GP if concerned, and limit exposure to others until the GP has made a diagnosis.
“Our public health units are contacting people known to have been in contact with this latest case to offer preventive injections, where appropriate,” she said.
“However it will not be possible to identify and contact all people who may have been exposed. We encourage people who were in the same locations as the latest case to keep a close watch for symptoms and get vaccinated.
“Vaccination is your best protection against this extremely contagious disease.”
For more information on measles, visit:health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/Measles_Factsheet.aspx
Liquid Metal Discovery Ushers In New Wave Of Chemistry And Electronics
October 19, 2017: RMIT University
Researchers from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, have used liquid metal to create two-dimensional materials no thicker than a few atoms that have never before been seen in nature.
The incredible breakthrough will not only revolutionise the way we do chemistry but could be applied to enhance data storage and make faster electronics. The "once-in-a-decade" discovery has been published in Science.
The researchers dissolve metals in liquid metal to create very thin oxide layers, which previously did not exist as layered structures and which are easily peeled away.
Once extracted, these oxide layers can be used as transistor components in modern electronics. The thinner the oxide layer, the faster the electronics are. Thinner oxide layers also mean the electronics need less power. Among other things, oxide layers are used to make the touch screens on smart phones.
The research is led by Professor Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh and Dr Torben Daeneke from RMIT's School of Engineering, who with students have been experimenting with the method for the last 18 months.
"When you write with a pencil, the graphite leaves very thin flakes called graphene, that can be easily extracted because they are naturally occurring layered structures," said Daeneke. "But what happens if these materials don't exist naturally?
"Here we found an extraordinary, yet very simple method to create atomically thin flakes of materials that don't naturally exist as layered structures.
"We use non-toxic alloys of gallium (a metal similar to aluminium) as a reaction medium to cover the surface of the liquid metal with atomically thin oxide layers of the added metal rather than the naturally occurring gallium oxide.
"This oxide layer can then be exfoliated by simply touching the liquid metal with a smooth surface. Larger quantities of these atomically thin layers can be produced by injecting air into the liquid metal, in a process that is similar to frothing milk when making a cappuccino."
It's a process so cheap and simple that it could be done on a kitchen stove by a non-scientist.
"I could give these instructions to my mum, and she would be able to do this at home," Daeneke said.
Professor Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh said that the discovery now places previously unseen thin oxide materials into everyday reach, with profound implications for future technologies.
"We predict that the developed technology applies to approximately one-third of the periodic table. Many of these atomically thin oxides are semiconducting or dielectric materials.
"Semiconducting and dielectric components are the foundation of today's electronic and optical devices. Working with atomically thin components is expected to lead to better, more energy efficient electronics. This technological capability has never been accessible before."
The breakthrough could also be applied to catalysis, the basis of the modern chemical industry, reshaping how we make all chemical products including medicines, fertilisers and plastics.
Ali Zavabeti, Jian Zhen Ou, Benjamin J. Carey, Nitu Syed, Rebecca Orrell-Trigg, Edwin L. H. Mayes, Chenglong Xu, Omid Kavehei, Anthony P. O’Mullane, Richard B. Kaner, Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh, Torben Daeneke. A liquid metal reaction environment for the room-temperature synthesis of atomically thin metal oxides. Science, 2017; 358 (6361): 332 DOI: 10.1126/science.aao4249
Metal droplets leave no thin layer of oxide skin on the surface, if this oxide skin is dissolved in an alkali base or acid. Credit: RMIT University