Australian Museum News Stories

How bird poo fuelled the rise of Peru’s powerful Chincha Kingdom

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1100

In 1532, as the Inca ruler Atahualpa was captured at Cajamarca, one figure stood out: the Lord of Chincha. New research uncovers how bird droppings may have shaped his extraordinary power.

Spotlighting the leaders in data platform excellence with ARDC

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1100

Data is the underpinning input for all research disciplines. Only by having access to reliable data sources, can researchers effectively conduct their research and deliver broad impact and benefits. Researchers frequently remark that without this data they never would have been able to deliver their research and findings. Yet the work on these platforms often goes unnoticed. The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) Eureka Prize for Excellence in Data Platforms represents a significant step toward making this important behind-the-scenes work more visible. We sat down with Rosie Hicks, Chief Executive Officer of the ARDC, to unpack one of the most recent additions to the Eureka Prizes program.

Over the past three years, the Australian Research Data Commons has rewarded amazing research software with real world impacts on biomedical research, life sciences and genomic data. This year, ARDC is partnering with the Australian Museum to present the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Data Platforms. What inspired you to pivot and take the prize in this direction?

For several years, we raised awareness of research software and its invaluable role in delivering cutting-edge research. In 2026, we decided to shift the focus to data platforms, another key ingredient for enabling modern research. This aligns with our efforts to build research data commons that provide the data and the associated tools for researchers to conduct innovative research, address real-world problems and deliver benefits to industry, government and the broader community. We’ve committed to sponsoring this prize for 3 years.

The Eureka Prize for Excellence in Data Platforms is awarded for the development, maintenance or extension of a data platform that has enabled significant new scientific research. Can you tell us what a data platform is in the context of this prize, and why they are important?

A data platform is an online environment where a researcher can find, access and use data that drives their research. In some cases, this data will be openly available and can be used immediately. In other cases, such as where the data is sensitive, we would expect the platform to provide a clear pathway for access requests to be made and assessed in a timely manner. For a data platform to be eligible for this prize, it should be free to access by any Australian researcher and have been around for several years to show evidence of the maintenance of the platform and the ongoing use of its data.

What role do data platforms play in the science, technology and engineering community?

Data is the underpinning input for all research disciplines. It can come in many different formats, including text, images, videos and audio. With the rise of data-intensive research and new technologies like AI, data is becoming more important than ever. Only by having access to reliable data sources, can researchers effectively conduct their research and deliver broad impact and benefits.

Data platforms are critical for the delivery of this data. They ensure that researchers can find and bring together data from a range of different sources and backgrounds, and can effectively use and reuse data. Data platforms should provide data in a standard format so that a researcher can easily pick up and use it without spending a long time wrangling the data into the right format.

Who might consider entering this prize?

If you are responsible for running or maintaining a data platform that has enabled significant scientific research, we encourage you to enter this prize.

If you are a researcher that has used a data platform and found it really useful, or if you are a researcher that has contributed data to a platform, please consider nominating the platform to ensure it gets the recognition and support it deserves.

What are some of the practical impacts that the broader community might observe in their day to day lives due to these developments?

The data from data platforms enables cutting-edge research that can inform government policy, help industry innovate, and improve communities’ wellbeing and connection to their culture and history. For example, there are platforms that provide bushfire data, which helps with the management and prevention of future fires. There are also platforms that provide health data, which informs new treatments and medicines. Some platforms provide data on species and the environment, which helps us pinpoint species at risk and ways of better managing them. Then there are platforms that manage and hold rare language recordings and histories, which are invaluable to the communities for maintaining and building their culture and identity.

What excites you most about this field of science?

Data platforms make available a wide range of data, and the real-world impact they enable is immense. Researchers frequently remark that without this data they would never have been able to deliver their research and findings. Yet the work on these platforms often goes unnoticed behind the scenes. The Eureka Prize for Excellence in Data Platforms is here to recognise and reward the years of tireless effort invested into building and maintaining these invaluable platforms.

The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are the country’s most comprehensive national science awards, honouring excellence across the areas of research & innovation, leadership, science engagement, and school science.

]]>

Predicting and managing koala population growth in South Australia

Dr Frédérik Saltré — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +1100

Australians tend to think of koalas as a species in crisis, iconic animals pushed toward extinction by climate change, disease and habitat loss. While that is true across much of eastern Australia, in South Australia’s Mount Lofty Ranges, koalas are facing the opposite problem: their numbers have grown so rapidly that they are now damaging the very forests they rely on.

Unlike with non-native species such as goats and wild pigs, culling koalas is politically and ethically off the table, and mass translocations are costly, stressful to animals, and rarely successful. So what options remain?

Our new research provides a predictive approach and quantifies the ongoing changes in koala abundance across the Mount Lofty Ranges. We tested a range of non-lethal management strategies (including different fertility-control approaches) to find out which could stabilise the population without compromising animal welfare or straining conservation budgets.

22,000 koalas and counting, but already above healthy levels

The Mount Lofty Ranges hold a lot of koalas. But estimating their actual number is harder than it sounds.

Our modelling approach combined thousands of reports from the Great Koala Count citizen science programs (2012 and 2016) with advanced spatial statistics, to correct for known observation biases, and an estimated layer of habitat suitability.

We estimate 22,000–26,000 koalas across the region which is roughly 10% of Australia’s total population. We found their distribution is shaped largely by rainfall, temperature and soil acidity. Areas with warm minimum temperatures, moist conditions and acidic soils currently support the highest densities.

^{Expected population size under a no-intervention scenario over the next 25 years. The solid blue line shows the median population trajectory and the shaded envelope represents the 95% confidence interval. The horizontal red dotted line represents the estimated regional population corresponding to the conservation management density target of 0.7 individuals per hectare.}

The South Australian government considers ~0.7 koalas per hectare to be the maximum sustainable density for koalas. Our results show that many areas in the Mt Lofty Ranges have already exceeded this threshold, indicating that intervention is needed sooner rather than later.

Avoiding further expansion in new areas

By projecting these results into the future using a demographic model, we showed that, without intervention, the koala population could grow by a further 17–25% over the next 25 years, pushing even more of the landscape into high-density conditions where vegetation damage becomes likely.

Beyond forecasting population trajectories, we also evaluated multiple fertility-control scenarios. These non-surgical, reversible methods are already being applied in small-scale management programs. We wanted to identify the most effective strategy, in terms of associated costs, for stabilising the population and avoiding severe ecological impacts.

We modelled two strategies: (1) sterilising adult females only, and (2) sterilising adult females together with their dependent female young (a method that reduces future breeding more quickly but raises ethical concerns). Both approaches reduced population growth, but one clearly performed better.

Targeting only adult female is the most cost-effective strategy

To keep koala densities below the threshold of 0.7 koalas per hectare, we found that sterilising around 22% of adult females each year is sufficient. The alternative strategy, sterilising approximately 14% of adult females together with their female back young, can also achieve the same outcome, but at a substantially higher cost.

Over a 25-year period, the adult-female-only approach is estimated to cost about AU$34 million, whereas including back young exceeds AU$43 million. For comparison, eradicating feral cats on Kangaroo Island was estimated at more than AU$46 million.

^{Projected total population size over the next 25 years (left panel) and associated management cost (right panel) as a function of the proportion of mature females sterilised. The solid blue line shows the median population trajectory along with the 95% confidence interval (shaded envelope). The horizontal red dotted line represents the estimated regional population corresponding to the conservation management density target of 0.7 individuals per hectare.}

Our results show that broad-scale sterilisation across the entire region is unnecessary; targeting adult females in high-density hotspots alone provides effective population control at a much lower cost.

Why managing "too many" native animals is never simple

The Mount Lofty Ranges koala population is a striking example of a broader conservation dilemma: how do we manage native species that are threatened in some regions yet overabundant in others?

Here, strong public affection for koalas makes lethal control socially unacceptable, but doing nothing risks severe habitat degradation, animal suffering, and long-term ecosystem damage.

We provide a way forward: a humane, targeted and cost-effective strategy grounded in realistic population projections and corrected citizen-science data. More importantly, this is a proactive approach that informs managers to test the likelihood that a conservation plan will succeed or fail before investing substantial resources, helping avoid costly or ineffective actions.

As climate change reshapes habitats and species distributions, such evidence-based and anticipatory approaches will become increasingly essential, especially for high-profile species where public values and ecological needs collide.

Authors: Frédérik Saltré, Katharina J. Peters, Vera Weisbecker, Daniel Rogers & Corey J.A Bradshaw.

]]>

Citizen scientists are spotting more and more rare frogs on private land

Grace Gillard, Dr Jodi Rowley — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +1100

Private lands are now seen as increasingly important in conserving wildlife, including threatened species. The good news is, this means landholders and citizen scientists can make a direct difference.

Exploring the Deep: Australian Museum Scientists Voyage to the Coral Sea Frontier

Claire Rowe — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +1100

What lurks at the bottom of the ocean, beyond the reach of any diver, in places no human has ever explored?

In October 2025, three Australian Museum scientists joined an elite team of researchers aboard the CSIRO research vessel Investigator for a groundbreaking 35-day expedition into the Coral Sea Marine Park—one of the world's largest marine protected areas.

Mapping Uncharted Territory

The voyage, led by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, marked the first modern deep-sea investigation of the region, mapping and sampling the deep-sea from 200 down to 3,900 metres depth. A lot of the sampling focused on seamounts, which are large underwater mountains, some of which are taller than Mount Kosciusko.

"It was an incredible privilege to be among the first people to sample these completely unexplored territories," said Dr Claire Rowe, a marine invertebrate taxonomist from the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI). "Even though the deep sea is sparse, we encountered fascinating creatures like dumbo octopuses and sharks through our live camera feeds."

Racing Against Time

Collecting baseline biodiversity data from the Coral Sea Marine Park is increasingly urgent as climate change, overfishing and invasive species threaten ocean ecosystems worldwide. The voyage's findings will guide future research and monitoring programs and assist Parks Australia in making evidence-based decisions to inform marine park management strategies.

Life at Sea

Working in 12-hour shifts around the clock, the science team mapped seamounts, deployed a deep towed camera to capture live footage of the seafloor, and used specialised nets and trawls to collect specimens from depths, some of which could be completely new species to science.

The hauls included some remarkable finds: Santa Hat jellyfish, large spider crabs, brightly coloured urchins, and even a giant deep-sea isopod the length of a dinner plate (relatives of the humble garden slater). For such a sparse environment, there was incredible diversity with some catches producing up to 12 different species of prawns.

A Gift to Future Generations

The specimens collected during the voyage will be examined by taxonomists at identification workshops funded by Ocean Census, then distributed to museums across Australia, including the Australian Museum.

These collections serve as time capsules of ocean biodiversity. Just as researchers today can study specimens collected in the 1800s, scientists 200 years from now will be able to examine today's collections—tracking how the sea changes over time.

A network of museums, collections and universities including Australian Museum, CSIRO’s Australian National Fish Collection, Museums Victoria, Western Australian Museum, Parks Australia, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and James Cook University participated in this voyage.

This research was supported by a grant of sea time on RV Investigator from the CSIRO Marine National Facility. The research is supported by Parks Australia, Bush Blitz and The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census.

Support Science and Research at the Australian Museum.

]]>

‘Forever chemicals’ contaminate more dolphins and whales than we thought – new research

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +1100

New research shows PFAS contaminate a far wider range of whales and dolphins than previously thought, including deep-diving species that live well beyond areas of human activity.

You might think frogs never get enough water. Turns out, they can fare worse in floods than bushfires

Dr Jodi Rowley — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Frogs need water. Almost all of the world’s 7,900 known frog species breed in fresh water.

A night of generosity: Australian Museum Foundation’s Gala Dinner

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Raising over $400,000 in support of the Australian Museum’s (AM) iconic Birds of Australia Gallery, the annual Australian Museum Foundation’s Gala Dinner, Night at the Museum, took place on Thursday 16 October 2025, bringing together donors, supporters, staff, partners and scientists in a celebration of generosity.

A highlight of the evening’s fundraising efforts was the live auction, which included the rare opportunity to name a newly identified species of Christmas Beetle from the AM’s Entomology Collection. With a winning bid of $25,000, Genisys secured this unique prize, entering scientific history with a name that proudly reflects their company: Anoplognathus genisys.

More than 230 guests enjoyed performances by artists from Opera Australia and the Jannawi Dance Clan, with Simon Marnie entertaining guests throughout the evening as an impeccable emcee. The success of the Gala was made possible through the dedication of the Australian Museum Foundation; the Gala Dinner Committee chaired by Kim McKay AO; event partners including Ethinvest Foundation; the Development team and the support of AM staff and volunteers. Special thanks to everyone for coming together to contribute to a meaningful and memorable evening.

With plans well underway to revitalise one of the AM’s most visited galleries, the funds from the evening will support a new cutting-edge and accessible design, immersive technology, and scientifically driven storytelling to create a space that educates, inspires, and connects visitors with Australia’s rich natural heritage. Funds will also be used to support A Day at the Museum, an education access initiative that enables students from diverse backgrounds to experience a full day of learning, exploration, and discovery at the AM free of charge.

The AM is deeply grateful to every guest, donor and partner whose generosity is helping shape the future of the AM. Such important support ensures that the galleries and programs continue to reflect the best of science, culture, and community.

Please watch the video below to learn more about the Birds Gallery transformation.

]]>

Not fit for purpose

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Presented for the first time at the Australian Museum as part of the Unfinished Business exhibition, the installation, ‘Not fit for purpose’, by Uncle John offers a striking reflection on the systemic inequities within Australia’s disability support systems.

In Australia, 5.5 million people, approximately 21% of the population, live with disability (ABS, 2022). Many continue to face unmet needs in essential areas such as mobility, communication, and emotional support. Among people with disability aged under 65, nearly 40% report that services are unaffordable, while others cite a lack of availability, eligibility, or information about support (ABS 2019). These challenges are especially acute in regional and remote communities where limited access to services and infrastructure increases isolation. For First Nations peoples living with disability these issues are compounded by systematic racism and the ongoing effects of colonisation.

Through the display of old and outdated mobility equipment, Uncle John speaks to the enduring challenges faced by people with disability, issues often overlooked or rendered invisible in public discourse. The work draws attention to the financial and logistical barriers that prevent many Australians from accessing suitable, modern aids. For some, the high cost of replacement means relying on outdated or malfunctioning equipment for years, sometimes decades.

Uncle John’s installation, shown here for the first time, serves as both a personal testament and a public call for action. It compels us to confront the ongoing inequities in disability access and support, and to imagine a more inclusive Australia, one where everyone has the tools, mobility, and dignity they deserve.

]]>

A centuries-old grid of holes in the Andes may have been a ‘spreadsheet’ for accounting and exchange

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +1100

A new study, published today in Antiquity, Monte Sierpe, which dates to at least 700 years ago, may have functioned as an Indigenous system of accounting and exchange centuries before the European invasion.

The tiny fossil that helps us reexamine the story of how life evolved across our ancient supercontinents

Matthew McCurry — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +1100

For decades fossils from the northern hemisphere have dominated scientific thinking about how and where species evolved, creating a distorted view of life's history on Earth. Southern hemisphere discoveries are often overlooked and scientific history has been shaped by a geographical bias, as most palaeontological research happens in the "Global North”.

But now, tucked within the palaeontology collection at the Australian Museum, the oldest fossil of a non-biting midge from the southern hemisphere is challenging long-held assumptions about how life evolved across the planet's ancient supercontinents.

A new perspective

The Australian Museum’s fossilised remains, estimated to be around 151 million years old, were first discovered in the Talbragar Fish Beds in New South Wales and were the focus of a recently published paper in the journal Gondwana Research led by Doñana Biological Station, with help from the Australian Museum Research Institute, UNSW Sydney, the University of Munich, and Massey University.

Research into the group of non-biting midges called Podonominae demonstrates the implication of geographical bias in action. Until now, their oldest known fossils came from China and Siberia, leading scientists to assume they originated in the northern supercontinent of Laurasia… But this new Australian discovery suggests otherwise

Evidence of Gondwana origins

The fossil first came to light at an international conference in 2016, when Robert Beattie, associate of the Australian Museum, presented his research on Talbragar insects. This moment ignited the curiosity of Viktor Baranov, from Doñana Biological Station, and together they began to discuss if they were dealing with some kind of aquatic midge pupae, likely Chironomidae. Focusing on key fossils held in the Australian Museum’s collection, the international collaboration began to investigate the significance of this tiny insect. In February and March of 2020, Viktor came to Australian Museum on the Australian Museum Research Institute collection visiting fellowship. During his stay he worked with the Australian Museum’s team focusing on the undescribed fossils from Talbragar.

The research found the all-important distal end of the abdomen was lacking expected characters like “paddle-like” flippers or long hairs. So, across the next seven years the challenge was to prove if the specimens were just poorly preserved or if something more was going on.

The breakthrough

A eureka moment happened in 2024, when the team realised that the lack of the characters on the distal ends on the rounded end of the abdomen, together with multiple muscle marks, pointed towards the presence of the suction disc.

The available data, derived from a combination of the morphological and molecular evidence, suggests the Podonominae is more likely of Gondwana origin. Around 80% of modern biodiversity of the group is found in the southern hemisphere, mostly beyond the tropic of Capricorn, which also support this hypothesis. The new findings represent critically important information to help us understand where the group originated and how they spread over time.

It all comes down to a suction disc

What makes the Australian Museum’s fossil particularly special is the identification of the suction disc, an adaptation for survival in turbulent water environments, which represents a rare evolutionary feature. Such a specialised adaptation probably could only have emerged if Podonominae had been developing in Gondwana for a significant period, rather than recently migrating there from China or Siberia.

Rethinking ancient geography

The previous theory that this important insect group originated in Laurasia was based simply on the oldest fossils being found there. As this discovery demonstrates, absence of evidence should spark further inquiry and research. As the fossil record from the southern hemisphere has been less intensively studied, there are gaps in our knowledge that can lead to incorrect conclusions about where species evolved and how they spread.

This Australian midge is a reminder that the southern hemisphere holds crucial pieces of the evolutionary puzzle, and these pieces can fundamentally reshape our understanding of life's history on Earth.

Dr Matthew McCurry: Curator Palaeontology, Geosciences & Archaeology, Australian Museum
Viktor Baranov: Doñana Biological Station

]]>

Tips and tricks for a frog-friendly backyard

Nadiah Roslan — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Create a frog-friendly habitat and contribute to frog conservation during FrogID Week!

Every frog call adds to a growing picture of how frogs are doing across the country and how we can better conserve them, starting right at home. With 1 in 5 frog species in Australia threatened with extinction, and increasing pressure from disease, habitat loss, introduced species, pollution, and climate change, they need our help.

The good news? Whether it’s a small backyard garden or a large rural blush block, every space can play a role to help frogs persist. By creating frog-friendly spaces and recording calls during FrogID Week (7–16 November 2025), you’re helping build one of the most powerful frog datasets in the world. This helps scientists and land managers to quickly detect changes over time, like shifts in breeding seasons, species distributions, and habitat health, which would be very difficult to track through traditional scientific methods alone.

Steps to Creating a Frog-Friendly Habitat

1. To find out which frog species might be living near you, try the “Near Me” filter in the FrogID app. It shows which frogs are potentially in your area, what habitats they prefer, and the time of year they call to attract female frogs. Not all frogs will take up home in your backyard because many species need specific conditions only found in natural areas. However, understanding the frogs potentially living around you guide how you can support their unique habitat needs.

Some frog species, like Australia’s iconic Green Tree Frog, prefer to breed in temporary flooded areas, not permanent water bodies. Many frog species thrive in ‘messy’ habitats (such as moist leaf litter, logs and vegetation) that people often clear away. Even though some frogs need very specific natural conditions, many species, including threatened ones like the Green and Golden Bell Frog, can and do live in backyards if the habitat is suitable. You can provide habitat for many of your local frogs, with some species happily taking up good backyard real estate when the conditions are right.

2. Establish a water source – frogs need water to breed and to keep their skin moist and healthy. A shallow dish, pond, frog bog, or even a temporary flooded ditch can attract frogs, especially if it includes rocks, logs and vegetation for shelter. Surround the water with native vegetation that can withstand Australia’s increasingly extreme weather, from droughts to floods. Plants like sedges, grasses, and shrubs offer shade and shelter, and support insects that frogs and other wildlife feed on. If adding fish to a pond, native fish are much more friendly to frog eggs and tadpoles than introduced fish. Importantly, make sure fish cannot escape into natural waterways, where they can impact local ecosystems.

3. Avoid using chemicals in your garden. Frogs drink and breathe through their skin, making them especially vulnerable to pesticides, herbicides, and fertilisers. Reducing chemical use where possible is one of the important things you can do to support frogs. Our Create Frog Habitat Guide is a great place to start, whether you have a backyard, balcony, or bush block.

If we make space for frogs, we can help them persist in human-modified environments. That includes farms, bushland edges, and even roadside vegetation – anywhere we can preserve pristine habitat, protect existing frog-friendly habitat, and provide new ones.

Why FrogID Week Matters

FrogID Week, hosted by the Australian Museum, is Australia’s biggest frog count. Each year, thousands of frog calls are recorded through the free FrogID app, building a powerful national database that helps track frog populations and environmental health over time.

Why Frogs?

Supporting frogs has flow-on effects for the whole ecosystem. Tadpoles help keep our waterways clean, frogs are food for many native animals, and their sensitive skin makes them excellent bioindicators of environmental health. By helping frogs, we’re helping nature thrive.

This FrogID Week (7–16 November), we’re asking you to consider supporting frogs by creating frog-friendly habitat and listening for frog calls in your backyard, farm dam, local park, or even on your balcony. Use the free FrogID app to record their calls and contribute to Australia’s biggest frog count, now in its eighth year! This year-on-year data helps scientists track frog populations and understand how they’re responding to environmental change. Every call counts!

Nadiah Roslan, FrogID Project Coordinator, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Fission Chips Team: Turning an accident into a breakthrough

Elizabeth Plant — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Who Associate Professor Noushin Nasiri from the Fission Chips Team

What In a paradigm shift for nanosensor production, Associate Professor Noushin Nasiri and her Fission Chips Team developed a cheaper, more efficient sensor using non-toxic vinegar in a special low-temperature joining technique. The sensors have a myriad of applications in smart, wearable systems, such as monitoring skin cancer risk or pregnancies in cattle.

Winner of the 2025 ANSTO Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology

Congratulations on winning the ANSTO Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology! Your discovery was a real life ‘Eureka’ moment. Can you explain what happened?

Thank you! It truly was a “Eureka” moment, and it started completely by accident. One afternoon in the lab, while cleaning equipment, we accidentally spilled a tiny droplet of ethanol onto a zinc oxide nanosensor. Instead of destroying it, as we expected, the sensor’s performance skyrocketed. That single droplet triggered an enormous enhancement, something we’d never seen before.

From that serendipitous event, we began a deep scientific investigation to understand why. After months of experiments, we discovered a new, room-temperature process that transforms the way nanoparticles connect to one another. By simply exposing our nanosensors to vinegar vapour, we could create strong, conductive bridges between nanoparticles, achieving the same effect as heating them to 500°C, but without the energy cost, time, or damage to the material. That’s how Fission Chips was born.

When something like this happens in the lab unexpectedly, how do you transform that into a real-world solution?

Turning an accident into a breakthrough takes persistence and collaboration. Once we realised what was happening, my team and I designed a series of controlled studies to map out every variable, the nature of the liquid, the amount of vapour, exposure time, and the nanosensor’s structure.

Once we confirmed the science, we moved quickly to protect and translate it. We filed a patent through Macquarie University (PCT/AU2024/050143) to secure the intellectual property, and soon after, began conversations with industry. The technology immediately captured interest for its simplicity and scalability. Seeing an accidental lab discovery evolve into a patented, commercialised technology that’s now being developed for real-world use has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey.

These sensors have a myriad of applications in smart, wearable systems, such as monitoring skin cancer risk or pregnancies in cattle. What kind of solutions are your nanosensors able to achieve, and what solutions are they already achieving?

Our nanosensors are designed to act as intelligent bridges between biology and technology. They can detect incredibly small traces of photons, chemicals or biomarkers, things like UV exposure, stress hormones, methane emissions, or disease indicators.

They’re already making an impact. For example, our SunWatch wearable sensor helps users monitor their UV exposure in real time to reduce skin cancer risk. The same sensing platform is being adapted for agriculture, to detect early-stage pregnancy in cows and monitor methane emissions.

What makes this platform powerful is its versatility: one fundamental technology that can potentially be tailored to protect human health, animal welfare, and the environment — all in real time.

What are some of the larger impacts you hope to see from your work in the future?

I want to see a future where health and sustainability are monitored seamlessly and ethically, using technologies that are as intelligent as they are energy efficient. Imagine farmers being able to monitor animal wellbeing without stress or people receiving early warnings about environmental or health risks through wearable sensors.

Beyond the direct applications, I hope our Fission Chips approach will redefine how nanosensors are made, replacing energy-intensive manufacturing with clean, chemical-driven processes. It’s about changing not only what we sense, but how we build the technologies that sense it.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced throughout this research?

The science itself was challenging. We had to completely rethink how nanoparticles interact and then translate that understanding into a reliable, scalable technology through patience, creativity, and rigorous testing.

Beyond the lab, securing sustained funding and building a talented, multidisciplinary team across nanotechnology, chemistry, and engineering were equally demanding.

Aligning diverse expertise and goals took persistence, but overcoming these hurdles made the achievement even more rewarding, especially now that the technology is making a tangible impact beyond the lab.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

It’s an incredible honour and deeply humbling. The Eureka Prizes represent the pinnacle of Australian science, celebrating discoveries that truly change lives. For me, this award recognises not just the technology, but the teamwork, curiosity, and resilience that made it possible.

It’s also a reminder of the power of accidents in science, that sometimes the most transformative discoveries happen when you least expect them.

And for me personally, it feels like a long-time dream coming true. It inspires me to keep pushing boundaries and to show young scientists, especially young women, that innovation can start anywhere, even with a drop of vinegar.

]]>

Towards a Smart PCR Process: boosting degraded DNA with machine learning in real-time

Elizabeth Plant — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Who Professor Adrian Linacre from Towards a Smart PCR Process

What Towards a Smart PCR Process developed a DNA amplification system that uses real-time feedback and machine learning to adjust the process as it runs. This improves the quality of genetic data from degraded or low-level samples, increasing the chances of recovering usable results for forensic investigations and other scientific applications.

Winner of the 2025 University of Technology Sydney and Australian Federal Police Eureka Prize for Excellence in Forensic Science.

Towards a Smart PCR Process has developed a DNA amplification system that increases the chances of recovering usable results from low-level samples. What is the impact of this for forensic investigations?

Very many of the samples collected from crime scenes have trace levels of DNA – insufficient to generate useful genetic data. Many also have substances that inhibit the generation of DNA data. This generation of DNA data relies on the PCR process. Our smart PCR concept is designed to transition those samples that currently do not generate DNA to ones that do. The implication for the criminal justice system is exoneration of the innocent and inclusion of fewer persons by chance.

Aside from forensic investigations, what other scientific applications might this your system be useful for?

These are actually much bigger areas where our technology can help. Any process that uses the PCR method will benefit from this concept. So much of medical sciences are now reliant of the PCR process. Screening for any genetic change, not only in medical science but in agriculture and pharmaceutical sciences, will benefit from this technology: so, the scale of new applications is immeasurable.

What challenges did you face in your discipline that led you to develop this technology?

The biggest challenge is that there is currently no machine capable of performing this work.

The second big challenge is that methods in forensic science go through extensive validation steps and must be robust, reliable and repeatable: as a consequence of our proposed method, the outcome will not be repeatable.

This DNA amplification system uses real-time feedback and machine learning. How does this work, and is this approach becoming more common in your discipline?

This is inevitable. The application of AI and machine learning offers immense benefits and has already been used in reading outputs from machines to remove the human element in reading printouts. We envisage another step, although a big step, in the introduction of AI to forensic science.

What is next for your team?

There are IP issues very much part of the next step – but we as the inventors really just want to see this happen!

What does winning the inaugural Eureka Prize for Excellence in Forensic Science mean to you?

It is a great honour. Firstly, it is excellent to see a Eureka Prize in the forensic sciences. Secondly, it is marvellous that an application that can change greatly the forensic process was chosen as a winner, and we hope that this sets the standard for future winners.

]]>

Sophie M: how pendulums protect skyscrapers during seismic events

Elizabeth Plant — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Who Sophie M.

What In Swing Smart to Stand Tall, 15-year-old Sophie explains how a giant pendulum helps stabilise a skyscraper during earthquakes and typhoons. Through clear narration and straightforward diagrams, she explores how engineering can protect lives above ground from seismic forces that originate below – bridging physics, design and the mechanics behind towering structures.

Winner of the 2025 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Secondary.

Congratulations on being awarded a Eureka Prize! What were you thinking as you made your way to the stage?

Honestly, I was in shock! I did not expect it at all. It felt surreal – and a little bit intimidating – walking up those stairs and onto the stage. I was comforted seeing Dr Karl and Professor Dinger were up there too; it made the moment feel more exciting than scary.

Your short film explains how a giant pendulum helps stabilise a skyscraper during earthquakes and typhoons. What was the most interesting thing you learned throughout this process?

Did you know that Taipei 101 was designed to withstand winds up to 216 km/h and earthquakes up to magnitude 9? It can reduce approximately 40% of the tower’s movement! The actual limit of the skyscraper is unknown, but it has already withstood a 7.4 magnitude earthquake and winds from Typhoon Soudelor. Not only does the tuned mass damper stabilise the building, but it’s also visible to the public as a tourist attraction – complete with its own mascot, the “Damper Baby”.

Overall, the most interesting thing that I learned is that the damper has only ever moved 1 metre (during Typhoon Soudelor). It’s crazy how this mechanism can move so little yet counteract the motion of an entire skyscraper!

From watching your film, it seemed like you enjoyed researching this topic and going down a rabbit hole to learn as much as you could. Is this a regular occurrence for you? If so, what topics are you interested in exploring next?

Oh, absolutely! I love going down research rabbit holes. I’ll start looking doing classwork and somehow end up three hours later watching documentaries about neutron stars or exploring completely unrelated science topics. The concepts that just one teaspoon of neutron star matter would weigh as much as Mount Everest, or that strange matter might exist inside the core, is mind blowing.

I love how the internet lets you explore anywhere your curiosity takes you. My next project for elective science looks at how scientists use teeth and bones to infer the climate and environment of early humans – and I’m very excited for it!

What did you enjoy most about making your film?

Creating the animation and the diagrams! I’m quite an arty person, so choosing colours and designing the visuals that helped to simplify the concept was really fun (and surprisingly relaxing). It taught me that explaining science can be just as creative as technical.

What did you find most challenging?

There was a lot of information out there about the TMD and one of the elements I found most challenging was synthesising and understanding the information. The engineering reports that I investigated were very complicated and went deeply into maths I have only seen on the internet. It was challenging, but very fascinating.

]]>

Science and Engineering Challenge: inspiring inclusive STEM learning nationwide

Elizabeth Plant — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Who Science and Engineering Challenge

What The Science and Engineering Challenge is a national not-for-profit program that delivers 170 STEM outreach events across 88 Australian locations, reaching 25,000 students each year. More than half come from rural and remote areas, with many students experiencing economic or other disadvantage, as well as female and First Nations students.

Winner of the 2025 Department of Industry, Science and Resources Eureka Prize for STEM Inclusion.

The Science and Engineering Challenge has been running for over 20 years. What led to the inception of the project and how it has changed throughout the many years it has been running for?

The Science and Engineering Challenge (SEC) began as an initiative of the Faculties of Engineering and Built Environment, and Science and Information Technology at the University of Newcastle in 2000 as a response to shortages of scientists and engineers in Australia. The first official SEC event was held on the Central Coast in the year 2000 as an activity for National Science Week. The aim was, and remains, to challenge students’ perceptions of science and engineering, to provide hands-on experience and to inspire students in Year 10 to choose science and mathematics subjects in Years 11 and 12, thereby considering a future career in STEM.

Over SEC’s twenty-five years of operation, the Science and Engineering Challenge has grown and expanded significantly. In 2000-2001, events were initially held around the Newcastle area and other parts of Northern and regional NSW. In 2002 the first Challenge Days were held outside of NSW, starting with Canberra. In the following years SEC rapidly expanded across the country, with Challenge Days being conducted in Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria. By 2005 SEC events were being held in every state and territory in Australia. This year SEC also introduced the National Final, where the winners from each state competed for the national title, adding a new level of competitive focus and recognition.

In 2005 SEC further expanded to include events for primary school students (Years 5 and 6) called Discovery Days, featuring simplified activities and shorter formats. During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 SEC introduced an offering called SEC in a BOX. SEC in a BOX allowed schools to purchase their choice of three SEC activities to run their own SEC experience at school.

Over the years SEC has run international events in Singapore, Fiji and New Zealand and introduced free Teacher PD to help upskill teachers.

Your program has astounding reach, particularly to rural and remote areas. What do you find most rewarding about running the challenge outside of the city?

The reach into regional, rural and remote Australia is arguably the most essential and rewarding element of the Science and Engineering Challenge. In a major city, students have easy access to universities, major STEM employers, science museums and specialised teachers. In rural and remote areas, these opportunities are often severely limited. SEC event days bring high-quality, hands-on and novel STEM experiences right to many rural and remote communities. The most rewarding feeling is providing a level playing field of opportunity, ensuring that a student's career options are not predetermined by their postcode.

There are a lot of programs out there doing their best to engage disadvantaged students. What makes the Science and Engineering Challenge special?

The activities are the heart of our program and are designed to be practical, creative and immediately engaging. They shift the focus from theoretical learning to applied problem-solving, which resonates strongly with all students, especially those who may not thrive in the traditional classroom setting. The hands-on nature of the activities ensures that students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds who may be struggling with school STEM subjects can participate, feel success, and develop confidence in their problem-solving abilities.

SEC is specifically structured to reach students who traditionally have the least exposure to high-quality, inspiring STEM experiences. SEC is delivered in rural and remote towns across Australia, overcoming the geographical barriers that often exclude these schools from metropolitan outreach programs. It is also typically offered at a very low or nominal cost to participating schools. This is vital for disadvantaged schools with limited budgets for excursions or special programs, ensuring that participation is based on interest, not financial capacity.

The competition format with a final Bridge testing injects excitement and creates an exhilarating event atmosphere. It motivates students to perform, fostering a sense of fun and achievement that can be a powerful catalyst for future subject choice.

What have been some of the unexpected outcomes of the program that you have noticed since you’ve been involved?

What began as a local project by the University of Newcastle rapidly scaled up to a truly national program. The program's early successful delivery led to the unforeseen growth. Soon after inception SEC was running events in every state and territory of Australia, establishing a widespread footprint that far surpassed its original role as a regional outreach exercise.

The sheer scale and depth of the partnership network were an unexpected development. The program now boasts strong partnerships with over 200 Rotary Clubs, 30 Australian Universities and large amounts of industry. This level of cross-sector, volunteer-driven collaboration has proven essential to the program's sustainability and reach, demonstrating a powerful groundswell of support for STEM engagement.

The most gratifying and personal unexpected outcome is the rich tapestry of alumni success stories. One example is Michael Bullen, who is now conducting cardiac research at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney, who explicitly cites SEC as the program that put him on this pathway into a STEM career. This evidence confirms SEC isn't just a fun day out, it serves as a critical, early-stage intervention that fundamentally steers students toward a future in science and engineering.

What excites you most about the future of STEM?

The most thrilling part is knowing the next big STEM wave hasn't even been thought of. This isn’t just improving current tech, we’re talking about building entirely new industries from scratch, with sectors that solve problems we haven't managed to address yet. The students studying science now aren't just filling existing jobs, they will be inventing the careers and companies of the future.

If you asked someone 30 years ago about a pocket computer that could instantly connect them to all the world's knowledge, they wouldn't have understood. That's the level of excitement we have now. The biggest breakthroughs will be things we can't predict, fundamental shifts that change the way we understand and interact with reality. It's the promise of truly radical, unforeseen invention that promises to redefine human life.

What comes next for the Science and Engineering Challenge?

The Science and Engineering Challenge has a continual focus on process improvement, partnerships and activity development. By the introduction of new and relevant workshop style STEM activities, the program pushes to become more engaging and relevant to keep up to date with changes in the STEM world and be a national leader in the STEM Outreach space.

Partnerships are incredibly important to SEC. The program annually interacts with around 1,000 schools, between 25,000-30,000 students, around 30 universities, over 200 Rotary Clubs and a significant amount of industry. It is important for SEC there are exciting event days, win-wins for all involved and a program that is the reason why students choose STEM subjects in Year 11. At the heart of SEC are the key stakeholders who coordinate the events each year. Making sure these people are heard, and event delivery is to an impeccable standard is always at the forefront of the programs focus.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

Winning the Eureka Prize is HUGE! There are so many people who contribute to the success of the Science and Engineering Challenge. These people are also quite often volunteers too. Without these people who believe in the mission of SEC, the program would not stand where it does today. Receiving the award for STEM Inclusion is direct recognition of the efforts of all these people. We hope they understand just how much they contribute to the success of the program and our national reach.

]]>

PINK1 Parkinson’s Disease Research Team: advancing early Parkinson’s drug discovery

Elizabeth Plant — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Who Dr Sylvie Calligari from the PINK1 Parkinson’s Disease Research Team

What The PINK1 Parkinson’s Disease Research Team has revealed the first 3D structure of a key protein linked to early onset Parkinson’s disease. By showing how the damage-sensing protein PINK1 attaches to mitochondria, they assist drug discovery – opening new paths to remove faulty cell components and slowing or halting disease progression.

Winner of the 2025 UNSW Eureka Prize for Scientific Research.

It would be so amazing to be able to slow or halt the progression of Parkinson’s Disease. Why is understanding the structure of the PINK1 protein an important step in Parkinson’s disease research?

Indeed! Finding a drug that can stop the progression of Parkinson’s disease is a holy grail of the field. For a long time, PINK1 has been a promising drug target - if we can boost PINK1 activity then we can stop brain cells from dying in Parkinson’s disease patients and therefore halt the symptoms. However, no one had ever seen what human PINK1 looks like, or how it sits on damaged mitochondria. By visualising human PINK1 on the surface of damaged mitochondria we now have a 3D map that we can use to design small molecules (drugs) to improve how it works. Prior to knowing what PINK1 looked like, we were essentially trying to fix a broken machine with the lights out in the garage. By visualising PINK1, is like we have turned the lights on, making it much easier to fix.

How long have you been working on this research for and what led to the breakthrough?

The Komander lab has been working on PINK1 for over a decade, starting in David Komander’s lab while based in Cambridge. When David moved his lab to Melbourne in 2018, he continued the work on PINK1 with PhD student Zhong Yan Gan. At that time, no one had been able to make human PINK1 or see what it looks like, so Zhong worked with insect versions of PINK1 and was able to show how the protein is activated, an important insight.

However, to really understand how PINK1 works, we needed to see what it looks like when it docks to the surface of damaged mitochondria. This is where my involvement came in. I was trained as a mitochondrial biochemist, and I joined the Komander lab in 2019 upon moving back to Australia after having worked in one of the top mitochondrial labs in Germany. Many labs around the world had tried and failed to visualise human PINK1 on mitochondria. However, I wanted to tackle the problem using my mitochondrial skill set. I devised an experimental pipeline to extract the mitochondrial from cells, break the mitochondrial surface into pieces and collect all the pieces that had PINK1 on them. Once I had enough PINK1 pieces, we then froze them and looked at them in different orientations under a very specialised cryo-electron microscope. These images allowed us to construct a 3D model of what human PINK1 looks like on a piece of the mitochondrial surface. Since I was not an expert in the use of the cryo-electron microscope required for this work, this part of the work was performed by cryo-EM specialists Alisa Glukhova and Nicholas Kirk. Their exceptional skill and their enthusiasm to help us out made it possible to see human PINK1 for the first time.

Although it was this combination of unique skill sets that led to the breakthrough, funding was also a crucial factor. The experiments were expensive, and we didn’t have government funding for this project. Therefore, this project was funded by philanthropic donations to WEHI’s Parkinson’s Disease Research Centre, in particular the Hugh Christopher Middendorp Testamentary Trust. These generous donations enabled the breakthrough.

How could this discovery eventually lead to new treatments for people with early-onset Parkinson’s disease?

A subset of people who develop early-onset Parkinson’s disease have mutations in PINK1 that prevent it from working effectively. When PINK1 is broken, it cannot signal that mitochondria in the brain are damaged. Instead, damaged mitochondrial build up inside the brain cells where they release toxins that kill the cells. As brain neurons die, Parkinson’s symptoms develop. Using our 3D map of PINK1, we now have a much clearer idea of what we can do to make broken PINK1 work better, and this will help us search for small molecules that make broken PINK1 more effective. For example, one strategy might be to develop small molecules that make PINK1 stick to the surface of mitochondria better.

Excitingly, we also believe PINK1 activators could also have therapeutic potential even in Parkinson’s disease patients that don’t have broken PINK1 mutations, as boosting even healthy PINK1 may result in enhanced cleanup of damaged mitochondria, which is a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease.

What are the next steps for your team?

We are very excited about the new insights that our PINK1 3D model have revealed about how we might be able to develop PINK1 boosting drugs and have already begun our own PINK1 drug discovery campaign. This is a big new endeavour so our team will need to expand to include chemists and specialists in drug screening. It would be amazing to be able to translate our visualisation of human PINK1 into a therapy that can halt the progression of Parkinson’s disease in patients.

What might readers find surprising about the field of Parkinson’s disease research?

When we think of Parkinson’s disease, often we associate it with the movement symptoms, such as tremors and muscle rigidity. So for me, one of the most surprising aspects of Parkinson’s disease was learning how diverse the disease symptoms are in every patient, many of which extend beyond movement symptoms, but still have very profound effects. For example, patients may experience loss of facial expressions which affects their social interactions, some experience depression, constipation, night terrors. Every patient has a different story. I learned this through working with Parkinson’s disease consumers as part of WEHI’s consumer programme.

The big challenge for researchers is trying to understand what causes Parkinson’s disease at a molecular level when the symptoms are so different. We have to consider there are likely several underlying causes of the disease, and this may require different therapeutic approaches for different patients. The more we learn about the disease, the closer we will get to being able to tailor therapeutic approaches to individual patients.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

This means so much! As a PhD student I was inspired by the Eureka Prizes – by the groundbreaking research (recognised across all scientific disciplines), and by how effectively the findings are communicated to the public. However, as much as I love it, a career in science is hard, failed experiments and funding rejections are a natural and common part of the job, so although I dreamed of my own Eureka moment, I’m not sure I expected it to turn into reality! It took a while for the news to sink in, but it is really a huge honour, especially considering the other amazing finalists in our category.

For me, this prize has also come at a particularly critical stage of my career, as I try to build my own independent research program. Not only will this public recognition of our work help to attract funding and interest, but it also gives me the confidence and motivation to push forwards.

I am beyond thrilled and proud to win this prize with the rest of the PINK1 Parkinson’s disease research team.

]]>

Passport2Recovery: uniting research, boosting recovery, and empowering global citizen science

Elizabeth Plant — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Who Professor Karen Burke Da Silva from Passport2Recovery

What Passport2Recovery provides critical insights into Kangaroo Island’s recovery after the 2020 bushfires. It unites 12 research programs in one website and app, including initiatives on native bees, roadkill and koala movements. More than 5,000 tourists from 47 countries have engaged with the program, gaining scientific literacy for future citizen science projects.

Winner of the 2025 Department of Industry, Science and Resources Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science.

Passport2Recovery brings together 12 research programs in one website and app. How do these interact to help build an overall picture of Kangaroo Island’s recovery?

Passport2Recovery integrates 12 research programs through a single website and app, creating a centralised platform for data collection, analysis, and public engagement. Each research program, ranging from koala monitoring and habitat regeneration to fire ecology and citizen science surveys, collects specific ecological, social, or environmental data. By linking these datasets within one platform, the project enables cross-program insights, such as correlating species recovery with vegetation regrowth or community engagement trends.

This integrated approach allows researchers and stakeholders to see the broader patterns of Kangaroo Island’s post-fire recovery in real time. It highlights how different ecological and human factors interact, identifies gaps in recovery, and informs adaptive management strategies. The platform also encourages citizen participation, ensuring that local knowledge and observations contribute to a richer, more complete understanding of the island’s ongoing recovery.

Your citizen science project relies on tourists who come to Kangaroo Island. That seems like a fantastic way to help encourage an awareness of the environment they’re visiting. How did this approach develop?

The citizen science component of Passport2Recovery was designed to harness the natural curiosity and presence of visitors to Kangaroo Island. Following the 2019–2020 bushfires, we recognised that recovery efforts would benefit from widespread monitoring across the island, far beyond what a small team of researchers could achieve alone. Tourists, already exploring the island’s natural environment, offered a unique opportunity to contribute to data collection while deepening their understanding of local ecosystems.

This approach developed through collaboration with tourism operators, conservation groups, and local communities to ensure that participation was simple, engaging, and meaningful. By combining tourism with citizen science, the project encourages visitors to observe, record, and report on wildlife, vegetation, and ecological changes. This not only enhances the research dataset but also fosters an informed, environmentally conscious visitor base who leave with a deeper appreciation of the island’s recovery and conservation needs.

Passport2Recovery is a really collaborative project. Can you share a little about why collaboration is so important, and how it has contributed to the success of the app?

Collaboration is at the heart of Passport2Recovery because post-fire recovery on Kangaroo Island spans multiple ecosystems, species, and community interests. No single organisation or research team can capture the full picture of ecological and social recovery on its own. By bringing together researchers, conservation groups, tourism operators, local communities, and citizen scientists, the project pools expertise, resources, and perspectives.

This collaborative approach has been critical to the success of the app. Each partner contributes unique datasets, tools, and insights, which the app integrates to provide a comprehensive, real-time view of the island’s recovery. Collaboration also ensures that the app is user-friendly, relevant, and scientifically robust, allowing participants, whether tourists, residents, or researchers, to meaningfully contribute to recovery efforts. The resulting synergy has enhanced both the quality of the research and the level of engagement, making Passport2Recovery a model for integrated, place-based citizen science.

What have been some of your most interesting results to date?

Some of the most interesting results from Passport2Recovery highlight both ecological recovery and the impact of community engagement. Ecologically, we’ve observed early signs of vegetation regrowth in key burnt areas and the return of native wildlife, including koalas, kangaroos, and small marsupials, with citizen observations helping to map these changes in unprecedented detail. The project has also enabled monitoring of the snorkel oyster restoration reef, where tracking events such as algal blooms provides important insights into water quality, reef health, and the success of restoration efforts.

From a social perspective, the project has shown the power of citizen science: tourists and locals alike have contributed thousands of observations, demonstrating a strong appetite for meaningful conservation participation. Integrating these contributions has given researchers a more complete and dynamic understanding of Kangaroo Island’s recovery, highlighting how terrestrial and marine ecosystems are responding to post-fire and environmental pressures.

What does the future of Passport2Recovery look like?

The future of Passport2Recovery focuses on continued monitoring and adaptive management over the next few years. We will maintain ongoing data collection across terrestrial and marine ecosystems, including species recovery, vegetation regrowth, and the snorkel oyster restoration reef. As the monitoring period progresses, we will assess which research programs have achieved their objectives and can be concluded, and which should continue to ensure a comprehensive understanding of Kangaroo Island’s recovery.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

Winning a Eureka Prize has been an incredibly rewarding experience. After being a finalist in 2024, I felt we may have applied a bit early, but with the increased data and deeper understanding of the projects, we were very happy with our 2025 application and thrilled with the outcome. The award validates the hard work, creativity, and collaboration that has gone into Passport2Recovery, and acknowledges the countless citizen scientists, community members, and partners who have contributed to Kangaroo Island’s recovery.

For me personally, it’s a moment of pride and inspiration, a reminder of what’s possible when research, technology, and community engagement come together to make a tangible difference. It also highlights the importance of showcasing Kangaroo Island as a unique destination, encouraging tourism that supports both the local economy and ongoing conservation efforts.

]]>

Octopus and Ice Sheet Team: Ancient West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse revealed

Elizabeth Plant — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Who Professor Jan Strugnell from the Octopus and Ice Sheet Team

What Using modern octopus DNA, the Octopus and Ice Sheet Team discovered that biological connections between Antarctic octopus populations can only be explained if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet had previously collapsed. Their research dated the collapse at 120,000 years ago, the last time temperatures were 0.5–1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Winner of 2025 Aspire Scholarship Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research.

Your team has made an amazing discovery about the previous collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). How did studying octopus DNA help you trace this collapse, and what makes this type of evidence more conclusive than traditional geological data alone?

The genome of an animal is like a time capsule. It contains a record of all of its ancestors. Humans take advantage of this to learn where our ancestors come from. We were able to take advantage of this to investigate past signatures of connectivity in octopus that live on the seafloor around Antarctica. We found that out of a range of models we tested the one that fit our data the best showed connectivity across Antarctica – which suggests a seaway existed in the past. The last time this seaway was thought to have existed was in the Last Interglacial period which was about 125,000 years ago. At this time CO2 levels were similar to pre-industrial times. The presence of the seaway indicates that the West Antarctic ice sheet had collapsed. Previous geological data had been inconclusive about whether marine sediments were present on the seafloor under the ice.

Given that the ice sheet collapse happened when temperatures were only slightly above pre-industrial levels, what does your research suggest about the potential for similar events under current climate change projections?

The implication of our findings suggests we have reached the tipping point for WAIS collapse at today’s level of warming at 1.5°C, and 2°C is too high and will trigger the irreversible loss of Antarctic ice sheets.

Your work relied on museum specimens. Can you explain how you worked with museums and why museum collections are important for work like yours?

Our study required sample of octopods from the ocean all the way around Antarctica in order to address our research question – i.e. Did the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse during the last interglacial period? Antarctica is a very challenging place to get to and samples from Antarctica are very rare. In addition, nations tend to return to the same part of Antarctica. Therefore, to obtain samples from all the way around Antarctica we needed to rely on historical collections – collected over a 40-year time period to investigate these critical questions. Science is also progressing and advancing all of the time. The techniques we used in our work had not yet been developed when the first of our samples were collected. This shows the value of museums. We cannot imagine what tomorrow’s technology will enable.

What makes this work interdisciplinary, and why is the interdisciplinary nature of it so critical?

We used tools from biology together with knowledge from oceanography and geology to address a key question in physical science. Using modern octopus DNA as a novel paleo-ice sheer proxy enabled us to address to when the West Antarctic Ice sheet collapsed – a question that has evaded scientists for 50 years.

What is next for your team?

Our team is part of the Australian Research Council’s Special Research Initiative - Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF). Through our work with SAEF we are extending the approach we used in this study to other species using specimens collected on our recent voyage to East Antarctica aboard the RSV Nuyina. These will enable us to investigate ice sheet collapse in other parts of Antarctica. We are extending our work to species with different life-history and dispersal strategies. In addition, new genomic sequencing methods and associated analyses will allow us to understand Antarctica’s past climate and its effect on marine species with much greater precision.

How does it feel to come back to win the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research, after being a finalist in 2024?

It feels great! I’m super proud of my team. It was also fantastic to be a finalist in 2024. There is so much wonderful Interdisciplinary Science happening in Australia and it’s great to learn about all the other team’s science and their approaches to critical questions.

]]>

Living Seawalls: Boosting biodiversity through eco-engineered marine habitat design

Elizabeth Plant — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Who Professor Melanie Bishop from Living Seawalls

What The Living Seawalls project transforms marine constructions into thriving habitats using modules shaped to mimic natural shoreline features. In Sydney Harbour, these attracted 115 species — 20 per cent more than plain seawalls. The research provides evidence for eco-engineering worldwide, showing how marine infrastructure can enhance biodiversity, water quality and climate resilience.

Winner of the 2025 NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Eureka Prize for Environmental Research.

The Living Seawalls project is very practical and has already had real world impacts here in Sydney. Can you share some of the results of the project to date?

Since the inaugural installation under the Sydney Harbour bridge in 2018, Living Seawalls panels have been installed at over 35 sites on 5 continents. The accompanying monitoring and evaluation has revealed that Living Seawalls panels support up to 3 times the biodiversity of flat surfaces of similar material type and age. At McMahons Point, Sydney Harbour over 150 species utilise Living Seawalls panels, ranging from the shellfish that encrust the panels, to seaweeds growing in their moist microhabitats, to fishes that use the panels for feeding and sheltering. In Milford Sound, Wales, Living Seawalls panels increased growth of seaweeds on seawalls by over 90%.

What is the science behind the Living Seawalls project?

Living Seawalls builds on over 20 years of research by ourselves and others, documenting the growing extent and impact of marine construction. This research found that marine constructions (such as seawalls) support distinct ecological communities - often characterised by reduced native biodiversity and more non-native species – compared to the shoreline habitats they replace as well as their closest natural analogue, rocky shores. The ecological impacts of seawalls arise both from their destruction and degradation of natural habitats, but also their flat and often featureless surfaces, which provide little protection to marine life from predation and environmental stressors. Through small scale experiments replicated at 27 sites globally we showed that the addition of protective habitats to seawalls enhanced their biodiversity. This provided the evidence base for scaling up – through Living Seawalls.

How did this project come to life?

Living Seawalls came from a growing frustration that despite the rapidly increasing impact of marine constructions, and an established scientific evidence base supporting ecological enhancement, the research was not being translated at scale. Through the World Harbour Project – a precursor to this project – we had the pleasure of meeting award-winning industrial designer, Alex Goad. We quickly realised that Alex spoke our language and shared our vision and so we approached him about ways we could scale the approach. With Alex, our team of ecologists came up with a modular approach whereby panels of different designs could be interlocked in mosaics. The beauty of the modular approach was that it enabled installations to be customised according to environmental goals and conditions, and to be scaled up or down depending on the size and shape of the structure. The aesthetics of the arts-meets-science approach also appealed to the public, providing an ideal medium with which to communicate about the marine life of our coastal cities – where most of the world’s population experiences the ocean for the first time. Living Seawalls was born.

In your acceptance speech, you spoke about some of the challenges you have faced trying to get Living Seawalls off the ground. What difficulties did you come up against and how did you overcome them?

When you try something new and different there is always scepticism. Will it work? Will there be unintended consequences – damage to the seawall, or encouragement of pest species, perhaps? Is it allowed and what kind of permissions are need? Consequently, from conception to implementation, our first installation took well over a year. In the end it was champions, sympathetic to our cause, that got us over the line. In particular, we’d like to single out Ashraf Doureihi – an engineer at North Sydney Council – who made things happen when others said it was too hard. Initially Ash’s role was in securing land-owner consent for our first installation, in North Sydney Council LGA. However, this role quickly turned to advocate and educator, working with other Councils to help them navigate approval pathways, and commissioning sculptors to produce interpretive signage that has served as a gold standard for science communication. Unsupportive policy and management frameworks, however, remained a key challenge. Through a meeting with then Minister for Planning, Rob Stokes, we were able to have Living Seawalls classified as maintenance works, paving the way for a smoother pathway of implementation. Partnerships with community advocates were also essential for growing the program. For example, the Harding Miller Foundation and the Lim Sutton initiative, founded by passionate environmentalists, lobbied their local government for installations and arranged community consultations that helped to build public support. Sydney by Kayak fundraised for new installations and educated the public about building for nature on their corporate paddle tours.

What is next for Living Seawalls?

Early Living Seawalls installations focused on retrofit of existing marine constructions, which already harden over 50% of the shoreline of our coastal cities. However, with the number of new marine constructions rapidly growing, there is need for ecological considerations from the design phase. We are now working with partners such as DP World to explore scalable approaches for casting geometries into new constructions. We are also exploring how the provision of complex habitat geometries can be coupled with other strategies, such as the enhancement of light to shaded environments, to optimise outcomes. Seawalls are just one of many types of built structures impacting our marine environment. We are adapting our approach to other types of marine constructions, such as pilings, breakwaters and revetments. Our vision is that all new marine constructions are co-designed for nature and people.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

We are incredibly humbled to win this award amongst a strong field of equally deserving recipients. The award is validation for the long hours chasing permissions, counting oysters and barnacles in sometimes murky urban waters, and convincing people that eco-friendly marine constructions are just as important to invest in as coral reefs. The award celebrates the work not only by our team, but also the many staff, students and interns that have contributed to the project over the years. This honour is also a testament to the giants on whose shoulders we stand on – such as Emeritus Professor Gee Chapman who was an early pioneer of marine ‘eco-engineering’.

]]>

Keira P: Dusty’s Mitey Poo – Hidden Below

Elizabeth Plant — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Who Keira P.

What Keira, in Year 3, has designed and conducted an experiment to discover which thread count of cotton bedsheets is best at keeping out dust mite poo, while still allowing air through. Dusty’s Mitey Poo – Hidden Below includes lots of information about dust mites and features Keira in a ‘mitey’ costume.

Winner of the University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize - Primary.

Keira, congratulations on winning the University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Primary! What’s been your favourite part of the journey?

I loved that I could be messy and do real experiments like rubbing cocoa powder on fabrics with a spoon!

Your short film is about dust mite poo. Can you tell readers a little more about what you explored in your research?

You see, a lot of people are allergic to dust mites, but it’s actually their poo that causes the itching and sneezing! I wanted to find out if different fabrics could block out the tiny poo particles. I used cocoa powder to pretend it was dust mite poo because the particles are about the same size and then tested it on different thread counts of cotton fabric.

Your film had so many different elements to it. How did you put them all together?

It took a lot of planning! I had to figure out which bits were for the experiments, which parts were for me to act as the dust mite, and where I’d actually explain the science. Then I found this thing called the media library in We Video and Canva — and I was like, yay, sound effects! So, I added lots of fun sounds and animations to make it more exciting.

Each week I showed a new scene to my science and technology teachers for feedback, which really helped me make it better and better.

What’s the most surprising thing you learned when making your short film?

I had already done the research and even won the STANSW Young Scientist Award for Best Scientific Investigation in NSW (K–2) for it, but I was surprised how different it was turning my project into a film. It wasn’t just science anymore, it was also acting, storytelling and A LOT of editing! I learned that science can actually be really creative!

What was the most challenging part about the filmmaking process?

The sound was definitely the hardest part! The microphone picked up everything - my clothes shuffling, my chair moving, and even someone walking past. I also learned I needed to speak clearly so the audience could actually understand me. I had to record some parts again and again.

Are you inspired to keep learning about science? If so, what topic do you think you want to explore next?

Yes! I really want to keep learning about dust mites and the thread counts of fabric. I’m curious if jumping on my bed could change the weave and let more dust mite poo through. I also wonder if washing my sheets too often makes the holes in the fabric bigger or smaller. That’s definitely something I want to test next!

]]>

Dr Vanessa Pirotta: inspiring ocean action through science, media, and education

Elizabeth Plant — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Who Dr Vanessa Pirotta

What From Play School to politics, Dr Vanessa Pirotta champions ocean conservation through clear, accessible science communication. A wildlife scientist specialising in whale research, she is a trusted media voice, an author and the founder of citizen science programs, helping Australians of all ages make informed decisions about the future of our marine ecosystems.

Winner of the 2025 Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science.

As a sought-after expert voice around Australia, you wear many hats. How do you strike the right balance between your teaching and research, and the work of communicating more broadly with the Australian public?

This is a great question because as I’ve gone along in my career, that is the very key to growth - balance. Making sure you have the science and the credible backing so that when you speak to the general public you are able to draw upon that expertise. I’ve also learnt teaching looks different. It might be to a class full of students, a one-on-one mentoring session to being on Play School. Teaching and being accessible to the general public is something I’m trying to encourage within science so that we have many representatives from different fields, which shows young minds that you can be what you see.

When you started your career as a wildlife scientist, did you expect that you would end up spending so much time promoting the understanding of science, or did this come about more organically?

No! Talking about what I love started at the National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra and then progressed to marine mammals as a dolphin and sealion trainer. I then went onto doing my whale research and people wanted to learn more, so naturally I started speaking about it. I also learnt that it would become one of my most powerful methods of sharing science and this is a wonderful thing to do for society. People are curious and we as scientists should take the chance when asked to share knowledge, acting in service to others.

What are some of the larger impacts you hope to see from your work in the future?

Beyond science, I hope to use my expertise across various disciplines in fascinating and powerful collaborations. When we work with others, we learn and grow. I would like to use my expertise to help Australia be on the international stage when it comes to wildlife conservation. Innovation and science is also a field I wish to help grow here in Australia, connecting people with each other to make amazing things happen for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math). I’m a big believer in the arts and so much of what I enjoy as a scientist is visual. The merging of science and art can lead to some amazing designs from nature into the everyday, planes are a great example of this.

In your acceptance speech, you spoke about the importance of visibility as both a woman in science, and a mother in science. That was really powerful. Can you share why it’s so important to highlight this journey?

I used to hide being a mother in science. I felt children were not only was a setback for your career but also made you less attractive to future employers. I was wrong. Having children has helped shape the kind of scientist I have become; it has made me ask better research questions for tomorrow, and years beyond. The way my calves see the world inspires me to be creative and to rethink how we present and share science across generations. There is power in being a scientist and mother, the strength and persistence needed to do both propels me forward in a way that makes me future driven to do more. It has also shaped the way I see my study species, whales. I view mothers with their calves on a much deeper level with an even greater appreciation for what they need to do to produce the next generation.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?
I’m honoured to have been acknowledged in this way because it represents an acknowledgement at the highest level here in Australia for what I do as a scientist. This is particularly powerful as there have been times where I had doubt in myself when doing this. It reinforces just how important it is to be present and to share good science as a real-life scientist. This comes at a time where people digest information across various platforms. It is a real honour and a prestigious recognition of what I love doing - research and sharing science.

]]>

Dr Hasindu Gamaarachchi: resourcing researchers with accessible genomic processing technology

Elizabeth Plant — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Who Dr Hasindu Gamaarachchi

What Modern genomic sequencing is completely changing fields such as agriculture, medicine and ecology. However, it generally requires huge supercomputers and long processing times. Dr Hasindu Gamaarachchi has developed new scalable, efficient and accessible computer processing, allowing more people to unlock the potential of genomic sequencing and democratising the whole field.

Winner of the 2025 Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher.

Your research is making genomic sequencing far more efficient, accessible and scalable. What are the key innovations in your approach to genomic data processing compared to traditional supercomputer-dependent methods?

One of the big shifts in our approach to genomic data processing is moving away from the traditional reliance on supercomputers. Instead, we’ve focused on making these methods run efficiently on everyday, low-cost hardware. The key has been combining the knowledge of computer systems with an understanding of genomics to design clever, optimised and more efficient algorithms. We’ve optimised our methods to really take advantage of the hardware, things like memory hierarchies, parallelism, and processor features. This way we get high performance without needing expensive infrastructure. It’s a very practical, systems-level approach that brings together hardware, software, and domain knowledge in genomics.

How do you see your technology changing who can participate in genomic research, especially in lower-resourced settings or developing countries?

Not everyone has access to expensive supercomputers or cutting-edge hardware. That’s why the methods we develop are designed to be more accessible, enabling researchers who lack such resources to still perform advanced analyses. Even within Australia, not every place would have access to the ultra-fast internet connections required to upload large datasets to remote supercomputers. Our methods help overcome these limitations, making high-performance genomics computing feasible in lower-resourced settings and developing countries. So, the methods we developed are undoubtedly helping lower-resourced settings or developing countries. This has already happened; some methods we developed have been adopted in countries including Indonesia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and parts of Africa.

Another important angle is that even well-resourced institutions and developed countries benefit. The efficiency of our methods means that existing supercomputing infrastructure can now support much larger-scale experiments. We've seen this in practice: projects that previously could only process a few dozen samples on the NCI Gadi supercomputer can now handle hundreds, thanks to the reduced computational demands.

Has your work revealed anything surprising or unexpected?

When we first started exploring this direction of using small computers for genomics analysis, there was quite a bit of scepticism, some even thought it was simply not feasible. It was, therefore, both unexpected and surprising for many when we demonstrated that it was indeed possible. It's encouraging to see that an increasing number of researchers are now embracing the use of standard computing systems in genomics.

Do you keep track of the projects that use your technology, and if so, what stands out to you?

I don’t actively keep track of all the users of our work, as it’s open-source and often not possible to know everyone who uses it. Most of the ones I’m aware of have reached out via email, GitHub discussion threads, science-focused social media platforms like X, or through in-person interactions. This is typically when they’ve asked for help integrating the work into their projects or sometimes even kindly thanked us that they’re using it.

One particularly memorable example is a tool we developed that’s now being used for intraoperative tumour diagnostics at a hospital setting. When we created it, we never imagined it would be applied in such a critical clinical setting. Knowing that our work contributes to real-world use cases is something I’m truly proud of, it speaks to both the reliability and the practical impact of the tools we’ve built.

What are some of the larger impacts you hope to see from your work in the future?

While we’re beginning to see a gradual shift in genomics toward the use of low-cost, compact computing systems, I hope this change accelerates significantly in the near future. What’s even more exciting would be the potential for these methods to extend beyond genomics into other areas of biomedical research. That’s something I hope to see in the near future.

Another key aspect in our work is that we avoid unnecessarily complex and bloated methods. Instead, we focus on methods that are done in the most efficient and simplest way possible. If something can be done effectively with fewer resources, that is the smartest and most optimal approach. I’ve seen that there exist certain methods that are overly complicated without real need. They may look fancy on the surface, but often bring unexpected problems, require excessive resources, and complicate matters. I hope to see more intelligent approaches that truly get the job done. In my opinion, the best method for any given task is the one that is least complicated yet delivers superior results.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

It’s truly an honour, and more than that, a great encouragement to continue doing what we’ve been doing. Over the years, we’ve been deeply passionate about our work and have invested a tremendous amount of effort into it. It’s incredibly rewarding to see that this dedication has made a significant impact and is now being recognised with an award like this. Here I prefer to use ‘we’ rather than ‘I’, as this achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the contributions of students, mentors, collaborators, and everyone who has been part of the journey. Though this is an individual award in theory, in practice I would like to share the honour with all those contributors.

]]>

Dr Aaron Eger: champion of global marine conservation

Elizabeth Plant — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Who Dr Aaron Eger

What Dr Aaron Eger champions one of Earth’s most vital yet overlooked ecosystems: underwater kelp forests. He founded the Kelp Forest Alliance, uniting 340 organisations across 25 countries from science, community and policy. His leadership informs a global ambition to protect and restore 4 million hectares of kelp forests by 2040.

Winner of the 2025 Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science.

Public understanding about the importance of kelp forests has increased over the past few years. Why do you think this is, and why is this shift important?

Public perception of kelp forests is increasing, I think primarily due to the hard work and dedication of people around the world who have been connected to and working to save these ecosystems for many years. In recent years, the growing recognition of our reliance not only on nature but on the ocean in particular has allowed kelp forests to emerge as a vitally important habitat that supports the ocean and the environment across much of our planet yet has been relatively underappreciated to date.

This shift is important because we need a basic understanding of what these ecosystems are before we can invest in protecting and restoring them. Much of our work focuses on building that awareness and connection, so that both public and private actors have the incentive to invest in conservation.

What are the key priorities of the Kelp Forest Alliance?

Our key priority is to protect and restore 4 million hectares of kelp forests by 2040. Within that, we prioritise a societal-level solution that brings together scientists, businesses, governments, Indigenous communities, artists, educators—anyone with a connection to or passion for kelp forests—to be part of this movement. Together, we aim to provide not only essential knowledge but also the community connections needed to help mobilise this knowledge through kelp forests.

How have you managed to bring together so many organisations and countries to find solutions?

I think we’ve really benefited from being a bit of an underdog! And underdogs love to work together. But more than that, we’ve put forward a very positive, very inclusive vision for how we want to achieve this big conservation outcome. I think people and organisations see not only the value and the greater agenda but also the purpose in their personal contribution. They’re able to find a home for their work and their passion, which were previously quite isolated.

What are some of your favourite facts about kelp?

Kelp is really like duct tape. It’s been used for just about everything. It’s been used as a children’s game, as art, to pay taxes, as medicine, as a building material, as a chemical compound, and as food for fish. It’s also habitat and produces oxygen. So, in essence, my favourite fact is really an amalgamation of all these facts: in so many places you look, we are connected to kelp forests in very unexpected ways.

What are the most challenging aspects of your work?

It’s both a challenge and an opportunity, but by building such a global alliance across different backgrounds and professions, you have to speak many different languages—both literally and figuratively—and find common ground for people to come together and work toward a unified goal. Whether they’re in a tech company, a fishing business, a university, or a not-for-profit, it can be hard to keep everyone happy because people think differently and prioritise different things. But we’ve had a lot of success so far in bringing people together through this shared vision to help our kelp.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

It’s pretty bewildering, really, to have been nominated—and even more so to have actually won the prize. It’s an award that goes to a leading cause in science in a country that does so much great work, from quantum research to clean energy to biomedicine. To me, it feels like we’re taking real steps toward recognising nature as an integral part of our society, and I’m only too pleased to be playing a part in that.

]]>

First Nations leaders and scientists uncover biodiversity treasures in NSW's Pilliga

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100

First Nations leaders, scientists and researchers joined forces for a two-week Bush Blitz biodiversity survey on Gamilaraay, Gamilaroi and Gomeroi Countries in the Pilliga, NSW – the largest remnant semi-arid woodland in the state.

The survey, which ran from 22 September to 3 October 2025, explored a biodiverse landscape home to some 900 species of plants, 50 reptiles, at least 15 frogs, and 18 bat species, including listed threatened species. The expedition aimed to build a better understanding of the region's species and identify those requiring further protection.

Brandon Nixon, CEO of Coonabarabran Local Aboriginal Land Council, said it was a pleasure to host the Bush Blitz team at Burra Bee Dee and the Ukerbarley Aboriginal Area, sharing local history and finding species new to science that were previously unknown to the community.

"Our team gained new knowledge and ideas from spending time with the scientists and we look forward to seeing what else has been discovered throughout our Traditional lands," Mr Nixon said. "Partnerships like this don't happen every day and we are grateful for the chance to be a part of the program. We welcome the Bush Blitz team back to Coonabarabran any day."

The Pilliga Bush Blitz team of up to 60 participants brought together Murrunmala Dhawun Rangers, Coonabarabran Local Aboriginal Land Council, Australian Museum, Botanic Gardens of Sydney, CSIRO, University of NSW, University of New England, Australian Wildlife Conservancy, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Forestry Corporation.

Acting Chief Scientist at the Australian Museum, Professor Shane Ahyong, said Bush Blitz demonstrates the power of bringing together Traditional Owners, scientists and land managers to protect Australia's biodiversity.

"These partnerships don't just help us discover species new to all sciences, they ensure First Nations' knowledge and scientific expertise work hand-in-hand to safeguard natural heritage for future generations," Professor Ahyong said.

As a unique partnership among the Federal Government, BHP and Earthwatch Australia, Bush Blitz also invited school teachers and BHP employees into the field to learn about the importance of native species directly from scientists and bring their learnings back to the classroom and office.

Trevor Wilson, Systematic Botanist at Botanic Gardens of Sydney, said the organisation was proud to be part of this annual effort to increase knowledge of Australia's remarkable biodiversity.

"Bush Blitz has collected thousands of new or undescribed native species over the past 16 years," Mr Wilson said.

Following the completion of fieldwork, the Pilliga Bush Blitz team is now analysing specimens and data collected across the 5,000 square kilometre survey area. Scientists are working collaboratively to identify species, confirm new findings, and compile comprehensive biodiversity records that will be made publicly available through national databases.

These findings will be shared with Traditional Owners, land managers, conservation groups, and the broader scientific community to inform future protection strategies for the Pilliga's unique ecosystems.

The data will also contribute to Bush Blitz's growing national dataset, which continues to reshape understanding of Australia's biodiversity and guide evidence-based conservation decisions across the continent.

The Bush Blitz program is the world's largest biodiversity survey program and has recorded more than 2,054 putative species new to science from all states and territories.

Learn more about Bush Blitz via https://bushblitz.org.au/.

]]>

The Australian fossil site that will change the world

Dr Tara Djokic — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100

How Australian Museum scientists are redefining the global search for exceptionally preserved fossil sites

Hidden beneath farmland in the central tablelands of New South Wales lies one of Australia’s most remarkable fossil sites, McGraths Flat, which dates back 11–16 million years into the time of the Miocene. It is here that paleontologists from the Australian Museum Research Institute have found history-changing fossils which have helped us to better understand the ecology of Australia’s multimillion-year-old rainforest ecosystem that once flourished in the now dry and dusty landscape.

McGraths Flat is filled with strikingly red sedimentary rocks composed entirely of iron that have preserved an astonishing ancient rainforest ecosystem with exceptional detail. What makes this arid area even more intriguing, as new research from the Australian Museum demonstrates, is that it fundamentally challenges our ideas about where we should look for well-preserved fossil sites on Earth.

Beyond shale and sandstone…

Traditionally, the most exceptionally well-preserved fossil sites are from rocks dominated by shale, sandstone, limestone, or volcanic ash. Consider Germany's Messel Pit or Canada's Burgess Shale. At these sites, fine-grained sediments rapidly buried organisms, under unique conditions that allowed the exceptional preservation of soft tissues, not just hard parts. Messel Pit preserves ~47 million-year-old fur, feathers, and skin outlines, while the Burgess Shale contains soft tissues from some of Earth’s earliest animal life dating back 500 million years.

Sedimentary rocks made entirely of iron, on the other hand, are the last place you’d expect to find such well-preserved remains of land-based animal and plant life. Iron-rich sedimentary rocks are predominantly known from banded iron formations (BIFs) that are massive iron deposits laid down over two billion years ago in Earth’s ancient oxygen-depleted oceans, long before complex animal and plant life evolved. In more recent history, iron is considered a mere weathering product, forming rust on the continents when exposed to our oxygen-rich atmosphere. Just look at Australia’s iconic red rocked outback landscape that preserves these million- to billion-year-old features. Yet, the recent discovery of McGraths Flat defies these expectations.

McGraths Flat: Terrestrial life entombed in iron

McGraths Flat is made of a very fine-grained, iron-rich rock called ‘ferricrete’, essentially a cement made from iron. The ferricrete consists almost entirely of microscopic iron-oxyhydroxide particles each just 0.005 millimetres across. It is precisely this minute scale that enabled the iron to fill every cellular space, allowing for extraordinary fossil preservation.

The fossils at McGraths Flat are so perfectly preserved that individual pigment cells in fish-eyes, internal organs of insects and fish, and even delicate spider hairs and neuronal tissues can be seen. This level of preservation markedly rivals other well-preserved fossil sites.

Terrestrial fossil sites (those from land-based environments) are notoriously rare compared to marine fossils. Soft tissues? Even rarer. Finding a terrestrial fossil site with soft-tissue preservation in iron provides another means by which exceptional fossil preservation can reveal new snapshots of past life.

How did McGraths Flat form?

New research reveals exactly how McGraths Flat formed, a crucial step for finding similar terrestrial fossil sites.

The formation process of McGraths Flat began when iron leached from weathering basalt, an iron-rich volcanic rock, under warm and humid conditions. Acidic groundwater carried the dissolved iron underground until it reached a river system with an oxbow lake. There, the iron precipitated in the water column as ultra fine iron-oxyhydroxide sediment, rapidly coating dead organisms on the lake floor and replicating their soft tissue down to the cellular level, all in iron.

A new fossil roadmap

Understanding how McGraths Flat formed helps to provide a roadmap for finding similar iron-rich fossil sites worldwide. The key is to look for very-fine grained and very finely-layered ferricrete beds in areas where:

ancient river channels cut through older iron-rich landscapes like basaltic (volcanic) terrain
ancient warm, humid conditions once promoted intense weathering
the surrounding geology lacks significant limestone or sulfur-containing minerals (like pyrite) that could have interfered with the precipitation of predominantly iron-oxyhydroxide

The iron-rich rocks of McGraths Flat opens an entirely new chapter in our understanding of how exceptionally-well preserved fossils can form. Once dismissed as only rusted weathering rock beds might actually be treasure troves of ancient life.

The next breakthrough in understanding ancient terrestrial life might not come from traditional shale or sandstone fossil beds, but from rusty-red rocks beneath our feet.

The Birds of Australia Panel Talk

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +1000

Learn all about our native birds and the production of the popular exhibit, The Birds of Australia with biologist and author, Tim Low AM, Head of World Cultures, Archives & Library, Dr Vanessa Finney and Co-Director of Studio ESEM, Dr Sarah Barns, in a discussion hosted by Touring Exhibitions Coordinator Louise Teteris.

Expanding upon the popular interactive storytelling cube that toured throughout NSW, The Birds of Australia explores the fascinating avian species across the country and celebrates the story of John and Elizabeth Gould, pioneers in the scientific documentation of these amazing creatures. The multi-media exhibition also delve into First Nations perspectives and how the protection of endangered species reflects how we can care for Country.

Tim Low AM is a biologist and best-selling author of seven books on nature and conservation. His book, Where Song Began (2014), became the first nature book to win the Australian Book Industry Award for best General Non-fiction. He was invited to speak about it at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the leading bird institute in North America. An earlier work, Feral Future (1999), inspired the formation of conservation group, the Invasive Species Council. Tim wrote a regular, long-standing column in the Australian Museum’s Nature Australia magazine.

Dr Sarah Barns is Co-Director of Studio ESEM, the team behind the Birds of Australia: STORYBOX program delivered in partnership with the Australian Museum. With a background in public history, digital strategy, research and creative production, Dr Barns brings a multidisciplinary approach to exploring and enlivening the layered stories of people, places, and habitats through digital and experiential media. Other recent works include immersive installation Superorganism – Listening to the Anthropocene (2020), large-scale audio-visual dreamscape We Dream the City (2021), and the book Platform Urbanism (Palgrave, 2020).

Dr Vanessa Finney is Head of World Cultures, Archives & Library at the Australian Museum. A historian, curator, and archivist, she leads the care, digitisation, and interpretation of the museum’s cultural and documentary collections. She is the author of two award-winning books - Transformations: Harriet and Helena Scott and Capturing Nature: Early Scientific Photography at the Australian Museum - exploring the intersections of science, art, and museum history. Dr Finney holds a PhD in the History of Science from the University of Sydney and has held research fellowships at the Royal Society and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science.

Louise Teteris is Touring Exhibitions Coordinator at the Australian Museum, where, since 2011, she has played a key role in presenting the Museum’s collections to diverse audiences across Australia and internationally. Louise is passionate about crafting accessible and meaningful experiences that resonate with visitors. Her collaborative approach and commitment to innovative storytelling enhance the Museum’s offerings and help connect communities with Australia’s rich natural and cultural heritage. Prior to the Museum, Louise served as the Public Programs Producer at the Powerhouse Museum and worked as an independent theatre producer.

Listen to more audio recordings of lectures, talks and conversational events held at the Australian Museum. Our podcasts take you behind-the-scenes of our collections, onto the floor in the galleries and give you a front-row seat at our fascinating live events.

]]>

A six-year journey of discovery, friendship and loss: Amphoton bicknelli

Dr Patrick Smith — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +1000

The story of a beautiful trilobite

Amphoton bicknelli is a newly described and unusually beautiful trilobite from the Tasman Formation in New Zealand, recently named in honour of Dr. Russell Bicknell (a researcher at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA). Dr Bicknell is a New Zealand-born palaeontologist and long-time friend and collaborator who I've known and worked with for many years. The discovery of this new species formed part of a larger study that I had the honor of leading, which described the oldest fossils in New Zealand, including trilobites and agnostids from "Trilobite Rock" in the Cobb River Valley, northwest of Nelson on the South Island. In the world of palaeontology, finding a new species is always a momentous occasion. Trilobites, ancient creepy crawlies of the seas, are prized in palaeontology for helping us date and decode Earth’s deep past. The story behind the naming of this new trilobite, however, is arguably just as interesting, it's a tale of shared friendships, losses and the enduring passion for exploring the mysteries of deep time among fellow scientists.

A simple question

The journey to this discovery began quite serendipitously. It started when I accidentally contacted Russell about an unrelated trilobite paper we were working on together. His response was unexpected but thrilling: "I have material from 'Trilobite Rock' in NZ. I have not yet worked on it but...would it interest you?" This simple question set off a chain of events that led me to Roger Cooper, a previous colleague of Russell's and a researcher at the New Zealand Geological Survey (GNS).

Special specimens

Although Cambrian trilobites in New Zealand had been known since the late 1940's, there had not been any systematic collecting of the material. Yet, Roger acquired a vast number of specimens while geological mapping the entire area in the 1960s and 70s, during his early career. These specimens had never been examined in detail by scientists, only having been photographed in coffee-table style books on the generalised subject of "New Zealand fossils". Despite this lack of research, the specimens would prove to be fundamental in developing a better understanding of the early history of New Zealand's formation as a landmass, and its connection to other continents. This significance wasn't lost on Roger, hence he invited my wife and I to New Zealand to examine the collections at GNS, giving us a chance to explore the local geology and the stunning landscapes of the South Island. It was during this time I developed a close friendship with Roger, which continued once my wife and I returned to Australia.

In his honour

Only a year later, the project took on a deeper significance with Roger passing away after a long battle with illness in 2020, during the first rounds of COVID lockdowns. This was a heavy blow, but it also strengthened my resolve to complete the study in his honour. With the help of his field notes and the support of my co-authors, John Laurie (from Geoscience Australia) and Jim Jago (from the University of South Australia), both of whom also knew Roger, we persevered. After six years of dedicated work painstaking photographing every aspect of these amazing fossils, we finally completed the study, which documented a whooping 59 species from this one little area of New Zealand. Among these were five new species which were completely unknown to science!

Celebrating collaborations

While you'd think it would make sense to name a new species after Roger, new species names don't work like that. There's an unwritten rule among species naming scientists (i.e. taxonomist) that we can't call anything new after ourselves (presumably so we don't get big heads!). Since Roger was already an author, having collected a lot of the fossil material himself, we decided instead to honour the other New Zealand-born scientist and friend who was involved, Russell, as he'd arguably initiated the project when contacting me. Giving it the naming Amphoton bicknelli was a real highlight, and I felt it symbolised the strong friendships that scientific collaborations can build in our work, and which drives our new discoveries.

The human side to science

This project is a testament to the human side of science. While we often think of scientific research as a cold, unemotional pursuit, it is, in fact, deeply personal and filled with stories of happy accidents, enduring friendships, and poignant losses. The discovery of Amphoton bicknelli is not just about adding a new species to the fossil record (as is typically depicted); it is a celebration of the connections and shared passions that make science a profoundly human endeavor. It is these connections that inspire us to continue exploring and understanding the natural world.

Dr Patrick Smith: Technical Officer, Palaeontology

]]>

Collecting Australia’s smallest snails: a punctid dot-to-dot across southern Australia

Dr Isabel Hyman — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +1000

How do you look for one of Australia’s underdog species? The Punctidae, or dot snails, are arguably Australia’s least known land snail group and are often overlooked. Dr Isabel Hyman from the Australian Museum tells us about this search, which has spanned 40 days and 13,500 km of driving all around Australia.

Australia has a large suite of endemic species, but most of the names that we can rattle off easily belong to big, cute, furry or feathery species. While I can’t deny their beauty, for my latest taxonomic project I decided to go for the underdog – arguably Australia’s least-known, most overlooked land snail group, the Punctidae or dot snails.

Invertebrate species make up most of the world’s diversity, but receive a disproportionally small amount of attention. And the smaller they are, the less attention they seem to receive! The dot snails have around 35 described species in mainland Australia, with additional radiations on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island that are not part of this project. They take their name from their tiny size, with most species in the 1-2.5 mm size range, with really big species reaching a whopping 4-5 mm in shell width! Such small snails require specialised collecting techniques, namely the collection and sieving of leaf litter, then searching through the fine debris under a microscope. This tends to make for very long days, collecting in the daylight hours and then sorting long into the night – but is often the only way to get live specimens.

To get this project off the ground, I would need to start with fieldwork across the south of Australia. So I undertook three main collecting trips, one to Tasmania, a second to Victoria and South Australia, and a third covering the Nullarbor plain and Western Australia (plus a few smaller trips to fill collecting gaps). Each of these trips was so fascinating and took me into such beautiful places that I wanted to share some stories and photos from my punctid dot-to-dot around Australia.

First cab off the rank was Tasmania in April 2023. I was joined by Kevin Bonham and Bruno Bell from Hobart, so I set off from Sydney with two very huge suitcases full of collecting gear, including three microscopes! I was completely blown away by the sheer diversity of punctid species in Tasmania, many of them undescribed. We drove across the northern coastline of Tasmania, then down through the Central Plateau and on to Hobart and surrounds. We visited a lot of (very cold) high peaks to find alpine endemics, but also spent time in coastal scrub and lush rainforest. There were some funny moments – including setting up our microscopes and sorting leaf litter at the King Island airport when our flight was delayed, and squeezing five microscopes (and leaf litter sorters) into my single hotel room in Hobart, thanks to additional helpers Otto Bell and Abby Throssell. The trip was a great way to get to know my Tasmanian colleagues and we were extremely successful in our collecting efforts.

In May 2023, Frank Köhler and I set off in an AM vehicle to drive approximately 6,000 km to the Gawler Ranges in South Australia and back, sampling all the way. Once again we experienced a wide variety of habitat types, encompassing the moist forests of Victoria’s Otway Ranges, sand dunes in eastern South Australia, and the arid Gawler Ranges with enormous granite inselbergs, and everything in between, finding many tiny snails along the way.

Finally, in May 2024 Frank and I set off for the Nullarbor and Western Australia. The Nullarbor Plain may not seem like a very fruitful place for snail collecting, but it is honeycombed with limestone caves, and snails often have a strong association with limestone. We searched in and around 20 caves and sinkholes across the Nullarbor and found live snails at every site, including some potentially undescribed species. We were also struck by the stark beauty of the Nullarbor – it’s a stunning place and well worth exploring. We’d like to thank Steve Milner and Barry Coleman for their assistance on this part of the trip.

The second part of our trip was a 3,000 km loop in southwestern Western Australia – south from Perth and then along the south coast to Esperance, north to Coolgardie then back to Perth, collecting all the way. We found plenty of dot snails in coastal vegetation and leaf litter on dunes, but once we got into the drier inland areas, it became a bit tougher – partly because the dot snails in these areas are extremely small (adult size 1.2 to 1.8 mm – imagine how small the babies are) and cannot easily be found by eye. At these sites, we relied on collecting leaf litter from the Mallee scrub and spending hours in the evening sorting it under a microscope. It paid off – amazingly, even at the driest and least promising sites, these tiny snails are usually surviving in small pockets of leaf litter.

All in all, these trips amounted to around 40 days, 13,500 km of driving, hundreds of snails collected, and an estimated 150+ person-hours sorting leaf litter!

So what’s next? The work didn’t end there – since the trips I’ve been very busy working on morphological and molecular studies, including shell measurements, scanning electron microscopy of shells, anatomical studies (which are very challenging with such small snails!), and DNA extraction and sequencing. The first revisions are nearly complete, and I look forward to sharing my findings in future blogs.

Dr Isabel Hyman

Research Scientist, Malacology, AMRI

]]>

2025 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes finalists

Ranuka Tandan — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +1000

The outstanding 59 finalists for the 2025 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes have been announced today and feature remarkable scientific endeavour and achievement from across the nation.

In its 35th year, the AM Eureka Prizes recognise contributions to science across four categories: Research and Innovation, Leadership, Science Engagement, and School Science, with 20 prizes and a total of $200,000 in prize money on offer.

The 2025 AM Eureka Prize finalist projects include:

Trauma-informed memory research that is reshaping how courts respond to domestic violence and support victim-survivors
A world-first 3D model of a Parkinson’s disease protein, paving the way for new drugs that could slow or halt the disease
A pioneering chemical process that transforms plastic and biomass waste into sustainable fuels, helping cut global emissions
News reports, essays and longform features on scientific misconduct and misinformation.

The AM Eureka Prizes winners will be announced on Wednesday, 3 September, at a ceremony held at Sydney Town Hall. A livestream of the awards will also be available online.

For more information and a full list of finalists: australian.museum/get-involved/eureka-prizes/2025-eureka-prizes-finalists

The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are the country’s most comprehensive national science awards, honouring excellence across the areas of research & innovation, leadership, science engagement, and school science.

]]>

Putting Frogs on the map: the Australian Frog Atlas

Grace Gillard, Dr Jodi Rowley — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +1000

Introducing Version 3.0 of the Australian Frog Atlas – detailed distribution maps for all 257 of Australia’s native frog species, and the introduced Cane Toad, available to download here.

Information is key to survival

Frogs represent one of the most threatened vertebrate groups, with 1 in 5 described species threatened with extinction. In 2022, to assist conservation efforts, the Australian Museum released the Australian Frog Atlas, which at the time, was the most detailed distribution maps of Australian frogs. This year, the Australian Frog Atlas has been updated again to reflect the wealth of data collected from FrogID, the Australian Museum’s citizen science project, which has rapidly amassed frog occurrence data (now over 1.3 million frog records!), and recent taxonomic revisions of Australian frog species.

New findings

This new Atlas incorporates changes to over one third of Australia’s native frog species and includes the latest invasion front of the introduced Cane Toad (Rhinella marina) as determined by FrogID recordings. This version also includes the distributions of four species which have now been scientifically described – the Ruddy Tree Frog (Litoria pyrina), Western Desert Tree Frog (Litoria larisonans), Eungella Whirring Tree Frog (Litoria eungellensis), and the Atherton Tablelands Whirring Tree Frog (Litoria corbeni). By including these newly-described species in the updated version of the Australian Frog Atlas, we now have detailed distribution maps for all 258 described frog species in Australia.

Citizen science to the rescue

While the majority of updates to the distribution maps have been relatively small map revisions based on new FrogID records, there are many notable exceptions. For example, a new FrogID recording from the Kimberley region – an area which is poorly-known for frogs – has resulted in an 80km south-east range extension for the Kimberley Rockhole Frog (Litoria aurifera). This species is rarely encountered, with fewer than ten occurrences in the FrogID database, so being able to expand on our knowledge of the distribution of this species is very exciting.

FrogID recordings from poorly-sampled, remote areas of the country have also been essential for many of our other map revisions. Thanks to citizen scientists recording frogs in areas with no previous FrogID records, we’ve been able to revise the distribution maps of the Western Laughing Tree Frog (Litoria ridibunda), Pallid Rocket Frog (Litoria pallida), and Main’s Frog (Cyclorana maini), just to name a few. For the Main’s Frog (Cyclorana maini), these revisions have included a 230km extension in the south-west of its range, and nearly 60km extension in the south-east! To date, FrogID has received recordings of frogs from nearly 40% of Australia (see the spatial coverage map here), which is an incredible feat, but still leaves a large proportion of the country unsampled. Understanding more about the frogs which inhabit the remaining 60% of Australia will be essential as we continue to improve our knowledge of species distributions and continue to revise the Australian Frog Atlas in the years to come.

Explore the atlas

The updated version of the Australian Frog Atlas is Open Access and available to download. These publicly-available resources include detailed KML files, shapefiles, and a map of species richness across Australia. By submitting recordings to the FrogID app, thousands of citizen scientists are really helping to put Australian frogs on the map, expanding our knowledge and understanding of frog distributions, and helping to conserve some of Australia’s most threatened biodiversity.

Grace Gillard, Technical Officer, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum & UNSW Sydney. Lead Scientist, FrogID.

Acknowledgements:

We would like to thank the Citizen Science Grants of the Australian Government and the Impact Grants program of IBM Australia for providing funding and resources to help build the initial FrogID App; the generous donors who have provided funding for the project; the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Queensland Museum, South Australian Museum, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and Western Australian Museum as FrogID partner museums; the many Australian Museum staff and volunteers who make up the FrogID team; and, most importantly, the thousands of citizen scientists across Australia who have volunteered their time to record frog calls with FrogID.

]]>

Searching for snails across the Pacific, part 2: Tetepare

Dr Frank Köhler — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +1000

Tetepare Island, an untouched paradise surrounded by vibrant coral reefs, is one of the few places left in the world where natural forests still reign. Thanks to the efforts of the local community and their unwavering dedication to conservation, Tetepare has become a sanctuary for endangered species. But there’s one mystery that has long remained unsolved - what species of snails call this island home? Until now.

As part of a broader project to investigate the diversity of land snails across the Pacific Islands, a team of four Australian Museum researchers set foot on Tetepare in the Solomon Islands. With no prior studies of land or freshwater mollusks on the island, our mission was clear: to fill a crucial gap in the global knowledge of island snails. We were determined to uncover what species thrived here and add to the growing body of research on island biodiversity.

Unveiling the secrets of Tetepare’s biodiversity

Tetepare Island is a living testament to the power of community-driven conservation. Here, sustainable ecotourism and biodiversity protection go hand in hand, offering a model for how local stewardship can preserve natural treasures. Our research focused on land snails—the group of animals with the highest number of recorded extinctions worldwide. By mapping the island’s land and freshwater snails, we aimed to deepen our understanding of its biodiversity and contribute to a comprehensive inventory.

But our work didn’t end with research. We were eager to share our findings and knowledge with local rangers, empowering them to protect Tetepare’s ecological legacy even more effectively. Island snails are particularly vulnerable due to habitat loss and invasive species, making it vital to have up-to-date data on native and introduced species. An accurate inventory of Tetepare’s snails helps us understand the island’s role as a sanctuary for native species—and identify potential threats like the invasive Giant African Land Snail before they become a problem.

Tetepare’s role in the Solomon Islands’ conservation landscape

The Solomon Islands, a stunning archipelago of over 1,000 islands, has long been known for its tropical beauty and biodiversity. However, like many islands worldwide, its natural habitats have suffered from deforestation in recent decades. Tetepare stands as a rare exception, with almost the entire island still blanketed in native forest. Because of this, it has become a crucial refuge for numerous endangered species.

Across the broader Solomon Islands, populations of non-marine snails have likely faced significant declines due to habitat loss. However, our knowledge of the snails’ diversity and distribution is still quite limited. This lack of information makes it difficult to gauge the full extent of the threats to native species. By understanding the snail populations on Tetepare, we can better assess the significance of conservation areas across the Solomon Islands and determine what needs to be done to prevent further extinctions.

The idea is simple: if Tetepare’s land snail diversity closely mirrors that of other islands, then a relatively small number of conservation reserves might be enough to protect most species. But if Tetepare holds unique species not found elsewhere, we might need a larger network of reserves to safeguard the fragile biodiversity of the Solomon Islands.

A 10-day journey into Tetepare’s heart

To get a true picture of the island’s snail population, we spent ten days combing through Tetepare’s diverse habitats. From lush forests to freshwater streams, we explored every corner of the island with the invaluable assistance of local conservation rangers. We scoured leaf litter on the forest floor, rock surfaces, rotting wood, and even the branches and leaves in the tree canopy. Snails were also collected from the crystal-clear creeks that snake across the island, adding another layer to our understanding of its biodiversity.

Final thoughts

While we are still working on our species identifications, it appears that the land snail fauna of Tetepare is quite different from that of other islands, such as Guadalcanal. This finding suggests that species found here aren’t found anywhere else. Tetepare Island is a testament to the incredible power of community conservation. Through local efforts and scientific research, we’re uncovering the hidden wonders of this pristine ecosystem—one snail at a time. What we’ve learned so far is just the beginning. In the coming months, we’ll continue to study the data we’ve gathered and share the findings with local communities to ensure the ongoing protection of Tetepare and its vital role in the Solomon Islands’ biodiversity.

Frank Köhler, Research Scientist, Malacology, Australian Museum.

Acknowledgements

This project was funded through a research grant of the Australia and Pacific Science Foundation, which we gratefully acknowledge. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Tetepare Descendants Association for supporting our project and to their members for the incredible hospitality we have experienced during our stay on the island. Necessary research permits were kindly issued by provincial and national authorities.

]]>

X-ray vision: Secrets of the unknown

Joycelyn Goh — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +1000

What do you associate x-rays with? Medical or dental appointments? Long waits at airport security? It may be surprising to know that x-rays are vital in uncovering and examining the interior of objects and specimens in museums. Discover what secrets x-rays have revealed at the Australian Museum!

The Australian Museum is currently undertaking an exciting, decadal-long digitisation project – the Collection Enhancement Project (CEP). The CEP aims to enhance and create better accessibility to the Museum's vast natural science collections, which consist of over 19 million specimens. These millions of specimens have been carefully collected, curated, studied and stored at the AM since it was founded and opened in 1827, making some specimens almost 200 years old! These specimens are a catalogue of our planets biodiversity and are used for scientific research, conservation and education purposes. The CEP employs a number of tools to continue our efforts in future-proofing these priceless collections.

The use of photography, as a non-invasive way to digitally capture a specimen at a specific point in time, acts to digitally preserve a specimen. Having a digital image further prevents any unnecessary handling that might cause more stress to the specimen, therefore, protecting the continuity of the collection.

However, photography only allows us to view and study the physical exterior of a specimen. A photograph can capture colour, pigmentation, texture, and markings but what if we want to see beyond the visible? The interior bone or skeletal structure? That’s when X-ray vision comes in.

X-ray is another form of digitisation that can be relied upon to reveal an accurate, detailed image of the interior skeletal structure. Specifically for Ichthyology (the study of fishes), x-rays are particularly useful to enable scientists to make accurate counts of the vertebrate and fins (counting spines and rays). They reveal a detailed image of the skeletal structure of the fish, which may assist scientists in determining what species the specimen is or how it relates to other species.

Non-destructive and non-invasive: x-rays do not require any dissecting and cutting of the specimen and allows the specimens to be kept whole for future research
Accessibility: digital images can be studied by national and international researchers and scientists without loaning specimens, eliminating potential damage of specimens and workload involved in shipping
Added dimension to scientific research: these scans help scientists describe new species to science, by comparing the interior skeletal structure with the holotype and other specimens
Quick and cost-efficient tool, compared to other technology
Unexpected secrets of a specimen, such as their stomach content and diet!

X-rays provide us with multiple benefits and bring us surprises, hidden from the naked eye. For example, a researcher requested an x-ray of a holotype of the Short-tail Torpedo Ray (Tetronarce nobiliana). Upon analysing the x-ray, we discovered it had ingested a whole fish, which was perfectly preserved in the stomach of the Short-tail Torpedo Ray, since 1916 when it was first collected and accessioned into the museum! The stomach specimen was identified as Lepidotrigla, commonly known as Gurnards or Sea Robins from the family Triglidae. Can you spot it in the image below?

Tetronarce nobiliana.' />Tetronarce nobiliana.' />

There are currently 15 species belonging to the genus Lepidotrigla. We know from the location where the electric ray was collected, off Green Cape NSW, and that six species of Lepidotrigla inhabit that area. We are unable to determine which one of the six species it is, as identifying the species is very dependent on colour, which cannot be seen. Without the power of x-ray, we would not have even known of the Short-tail Torpedo Ray’s last meal prior to capture and it would still be a mystery. This additional information can be very useful to infer and compare the diet of this fish to its descendants today and whether the changing climate has any effect on its diet.

X-ray is a non-invasive technology that does not require any dissection, preserving the specimen whole for future research and generations to come. It has provided additional important key information such as its diet or the counting of vertebrae to determine a species. The practice of x-raying specimens at the Australian Museum has undoubtedly shifted the way specimens are seen and analysed, from the visible to beyond the visible, which is uncovering hidden secrets yet to be discovered.

]]>

The FrogID Dataset 6.0 – nearly one million frog records now published open-access and online!

Grace Gillard, Dr Jodi Rowley — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +1000

The sixth annual release of FrogID data is now published open-access and online to help inform frog ecology and conservation.

Australia is home to a unique and diverse array of frog species found almost nowhere else on Earth, with 257 native species distributed throughout the continent. But Australia’s frogs are in peril – almost one in five species are threatened with extinction due to threats such as climate change, urbanisation, disease, and the spread of invasive species. With professional scientists working along citizen science programs such as FrogID, we are rapidly improving our knowledge of frog distributions and conservation. But we still have so much left to learn about Australia’s frogs and how best to halt their decline. We are even still learning just how diverse the Australian frog fauna really is – four frog species have been described as new to science in the last year alone!

Covering the first 6 years of the FrogID project, from November 2017 to November 2023, the FrogID dataset 6.0 consists of over 974,700 records of frogs – nearly one million records, spanning the entire continent.! Thanks to over 39,000 people who have contributed recordings, the published FrogID dataset has now contributed more frog occurrence records to national databases (Atlas of Living Australia) than all other sources combined.! It’s also the largest database of verified frog occurrence records for a country anywhere in the world!

The FrogID dataset 6.0 contains records of 226 of Australian frogs, including the introduced Cane Toad (Rhinella marina) – an incredible 88% of Australia’s frogs.! The Common Eastern Froglet (Crinia signifera) has remained the most commonly recorded species throughout the years, with over 183,000 records of the species published in FrogID 6.0. Some notable records in FrogID dataset 6.0 include the first FrogID records for the Chattering Rockhole Frog (Litoria staccato), the Waterfall Frog (Litoria nannotis), the Glandular Toadlet (Uperoleia glandulosa), the Northern Tapping Nursery Frog (Cophixalus exiguus), and the Kutini Boulder Frog (Cophixalus kulakula).

The FrogID dataset 6.0 contains thousands of vital records of threatened species, from just three records of the Critically Endangered Kroombit Tree Frog (Litoria kroombitensis) to over 2,600 records of the tiny Endangered Sloane’s Froglet (Crinia sloanei). Following ethical data publication guidelines, we consider certain, mostly threatened, frog species as ‘sensitive’ species, and the exact locality of these species is buffered to 0.1 decimal degrees (about 11km). Very highly threatened frog species recorded via FrogID, such as the Critically Endangered Wollumbin Pouched Frog (Assa wollumbin) are not included in the public dataset. This is a tiny fraction of the dataset - over 600 records - and the exact locality data for all sensitive species is provided to state biodiversity atlases to help inform conservation. They can also be requested from the FrogID project.

The taxonomy of the FrogID dataset has also been updated . We now include three of the four frog species that have been newly scientifically recognised from Australia since our last update - The Atherton Tablelands Whirring Frog (Litoria corbeni), the Ruddy Tree Frog (Litoria pyrina) and the Western Desert Tree Frog (Litoria larisonans). The remaining newly recognised species, the Eungella Whirring Tree Frog (Litoria eungellensis), known only from the Eungella Plateau in Queensland, is very poorly known and no recordings of the species have been submitted to FrogID to date. Any recordings of this species will help better understand and conserve this species which is very likely already threatened with extinction.

This expert-validated and curated dataset is a huge and growing resource, used by scientists, government, land-managers and people passionate about Australia’s frogs. Since 2017, FrogID data has contributed to over 30 scientific papers exploring frog ecology, taxonomy, and conservation (read more). In the last year alone, the FrogID database has provided insight into the diversity of calls in whistling frogs (read more), the relational nature of FrogID (read more), and contributed to the description of two new species of frog. We’ve also been calling out to FrogID users to help us understand more about the introduced Cane Toad (read more), and fill in data gaps within the Northern Wheatbelt of NSW (read more).

Grace Gillard, Technical Officer, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute
Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum Research Institute and UNSW Sydney

]]>

ShellBank: Detecting and protecting turtles around Australia

Dr Greta Frankham — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +1000

Marine turtles are iconic species, but their survival is threatened by habitat loss, pollution, fisheries bycatch, climate change and illegal wildlife trade. In a world first global program ShellBank is building a marine turtle traceability toolkit to detect populations needing greater protection.

ShellBank is a global program led by the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Australian Museum, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (USA) and TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network. Since 2019, ShellBank has been building a global marine turtle traceability toolkit to support conservation and law enforcement efforts and to help detect populations most at risk, and those that need greater protection. This toolkit includes a centralised, standardised genetic database and a suite of capacity-building resources for researchers and conservation agencies around the world.

Marine turtles spend most of their life at sea, often travelling hundreds if not thousands of kilometres from the beach where they hatched from. Remarkably, female turtles return to those same beaches to lay their eggs. This nesting fidelity creates genetically distinct populations, known as genetic stocks – each with a unique genetic signature. By analysing these genetic signatures, scientists can trace turtles found at sea, in bycatch, or in trade back to their nesting origin. But to do this effectively, we need a comprehensive baseline of genetic data from as many nesting populations as possible.

These genetic stocks are not only critical for tracing the source of turtles affected by bycatch or illegal trade, but they also represent important conservation units that can guide targeted protection and management efforts to mitigate other threatening processes.

Expanding and improving this baseline is one of ShellBank’s primary aims. With support from Lindblad Expeditions, researchers from the Australian Museum sequenced DNA from 160 green turtles sampled from the Conflict Islands in Papua New Guinea (60 nesting turtles and 100 foraging turtles) collected by collaborators at Murdoch University, James Cook University and the Conflict Islands Conservation Initiative. This is the first time this population has been genetically characterised.

The results revealed a previously undocumented genetic stock in the region. Even more significantly, one of the genetic profiles (haplotypes) found in this nesting population, had previously only been found in foraging grounds along the Great Barrier Reef, but had never been linked to a nesting population before. This “orphan haplotype” now has a home – the Conflict Islands.

This finding demonstrates genetic connectivity between the Conflict Islands in Papua New Guinea and foraging sites along the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, highlighting the transboundary nature of marine turtles.

Building the ShellBank baseline is critical to improving our knowledge of marine turtle population and this research shows we still have a lot to discover about the movement of marine turtle species even in our own backyard. The generous support of Lindblad Expeditions has allowed us to fill a critical gap in understanding where the green turtles using the Great Barrier Reef as a foraging ground are coming from and vice versa.

This research not only revealed that turtles from the Conflict Islands travel to forage in Australian waters, but also that turtles from Great Barrier Reef nesting populations are foraging in the waters surrounding the Conflict Islands. These findings highlight the complex, transboundary movement of marine turtles and the shared responsibility of protecting them across national jurisdictions. Final analysis of this important dataset is underway, with scientific publication expected later this year.

]]>

Te wa hou o Matariki me Puanga – A stellar celebration is born

Logan Metcalfe — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +1000

I greet and acknowledge the Bidjigal and Gadigal people on whose lands and rivers my family and I draw physical and spiritual sustenance from.

Sovereignty on your lands as well as that of my Father’s was never ceded.

I have fond memories of the recognition, resurgence and re-celebrations of te wa o Matariki , the time of Matariki. This includes memories of listening to Sir Pou Temara, a well-respected Ngai Tuhoe Man who was himself educated through Māori whare wananga, a customary education system. He would speak affectionately of his experiences of Tohunga (experts) from Ngati Kahungunu coming across to his tribal lands in Te Urewera to view Matariki and see the light emanating from the constellation to determine what the weather would be like over the forthcoming summer and beyond.

For us Māori, this would have been indicative of the period where we could not only have access to a wide range of sustainable food, which was managed through systems of rahui, a practice summed up as conservation techniques. It would signify the key timing of voyaging to ancestral islands in Te moana nui a Kiwa, the Pacific.

This year, in Aotearoa and in Australia we step up our celebrations with the acknowledgement of the star Puanga or Rigel being recognised as a part of the celebration and public holiday.

Matariki would speak to the ancient scholarship of Māori along with seasonal indicators such as the Puawānanga, or Clematis paniculata, which is a climbing vine and has large fragrant white flowers. The flowers bloom in spring and festoon the canopy of the forests and riverbanks of the three Islands.

Puawānanga is said to be an offspring of the stars with its striking star-like profile and it, along with Puanga, indicates the coming spring and the migration of Eels through waterways and small patches of land.

The First Nations & Pasifika division at the Australian Museum recently engaged in activations of Matariki me Puanga by observing the Hautapu or sacred steam that comes from an earth oven and rises to mingle among the stars.

This is done to remember the loved ones we have lost over the past year and to provide gratitude for the harvest of sustainable foods provided by nature and represented by manifestations and expressed by various elements.

It is a special time of peace and reflection aside from busy lives and responsibilities, curated by Ancestors who lived under southern skies.

Logan Haronga-Metcalfe, Pasifika Collections Officer at the Australian Museum.

]]>

Hybrid frogs discovered: A hidden threat to an endangered frog

Dr Gracie Liu, Dr Jodi Rowley — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +1000

Genetic data has revealed that the endangered Booroolong Frog is breeding with a more common species, the Eastern Stony Creek Frog. Hybrids of these two species were hiding in plain sight, often showing few physical signs of being different to their parents. The frequency of hybridisation was surprising, and we must now consider the risks that hybrids may pose to our threatened species.

When we think about threats to wildlife, we often think of deforestation, climate change, disease, or the spread of invasive species. But there’s a less obvious threat that has the potential to undermine conservation progress for some of our most vulnerable animals: hybridisation.

Hybridisation occurs when different species breed and produce hybrid offspring. Most of us would be familiar with hybrid animals. You may have heard of ligers (lion-tiger crosses), mules (donkey-horse crosses), grolar bears (grizzly and polar bear crosses), or a plethora of other seemingly bizarre pairings. Sometimes, these hybrids are the result of human intervention – for example, by putting species together in captivity that don’t normally interact in nature – and sometimes they are infertile. However, hybridisation is a natural process that occurs relatively frequently in the wild between related species, and hybrids can often be fertile, breeding with each other and with the parent species.

In some cases, hybridisation is harmless or even beneficial, introducing new advantageous traits. Because of this, hybridisation can be an important evolutionary force. But it can become a serious problem if the hybrids are very successful – for example, if they consistently outcompete the parent species for food, space, or other resources. It can also be a problem if the hybrids are very unfit, meaning that the parent species waste valuable reproductive efforts producing offspring that don’t survive. This could lead to the decline or even extinction of the parent species. For species that are already rare, threatened or declining, hybridisation could push these species further towards extinction.

Hybridisation between the Booroolong Frog and the Eastern Stony Creek Frog

Recently, we detected hybridisation between the threatened Booroolong frog (Litoria booroolongensis) and the more abundant Eastern Stony Creek Frog (Litoria wilcoxii), two Australian stream frog species. This discovery has important consequences for how we manage Booroolong Frog populations.

While the Eastern Stony Creek Frog has been doing quite well and is often locally abundant across its eastern Australian distribution, the Booroolong frog has declined dramatically in recent decades. Today, the Booroolong Frog continues to face threats from habitat modification, disease (notably, the amphibian chytrid fungus) and predation by introduced fish, and now its genetic future could be further compromised by these interbreeding events.

Discovering Booroolong Frog and Eastern Stony Creek Frog hybrids was a surprise to us. Before our study, there was no official documentation of hybridisation between these species or what they might look like. We didn’t even know that hybridisation occurred between the species, so documenting it certainly wasn’t on our mind. But during regular field surveys, we noticed some slightly odd-looking individuals. They looked like Booroolong Frogs, but also like Eastern Stony Creek Frogs! We had trouble assigning these individuals to one species or the other. Suspecting that some of these individuals might have been hybrids, we dug deeper.

We analysed genetic data from more than 120 individuals of suspected Booroolong Frogs, Eastern Stony Creek Frogs or their hybrids in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales to figure out their true identity. The results were unexpected: almost 1 in 5 of these frogs were hybrids or introgressed individuals (the result of hybrids breeding with each other or with one of the parent species).

We detected these hybrids in all five of the sites where both species co-existed and, in some sites, more than 30% of the frogs were hybrids. These are relatively high rates of hybridisation, made more concerning by the fact that some hybrids weren’t necessarily obvious from their physical appearance and that more than 70% of the Booroolong Frog’s geographic range overlaps with the range of the Eastern Stony Creek Frog. This means that hybridisation could be affecting many Booroolong Frog populations without us realising.

The hidden threat of cryptic hybridisation

Our findings highlight the need to consider the threat of hybridisation to the already threatened Booroolong Frog. To do this, we need to accurately identify hybrids across the range of the species and monitor their impacts on local populations. Unfortunately, knowing whether an individual is a hybrid or not is not as simple as just looking at it.

While some hybrids of Booroolong Frogs and Eastern Stony Creek Frogs were obvious from their physical appearance, others looked almost identical to one of the parent species. In other words, they were cryptic; their physical appearance was not always a reflection of their true identity. In fact, only about 42% of hybrids were correctly identified as hybrids based on their appearance alone. This shows just how tricky it is to detect hybrids without genetic testing.

What Needs to Be Done?

By using genetic tools, we can ensure that hybridisation doesn’t continue to slip under the radar and unknowingly contribute to the decline of the Booroolong Frog or other threatened or range-restricted species. There could be many more undocumented cases of hybridisation among frogs, and it is important that we explore this possibility.

Dr Gracie Liu, Scientific Officer, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Ice Age shelter high up in the Blue Mountains reveals Aboriginal heritage from 20,000 years ago

Erin Wilkins, Dr Amy Way, Leanne Watson, Wayne Brennan — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +1000

New research funded by the Australian Museum Foundation, and published in Nature Human Behaviour, indicates Dargan Shelter was occupied as early as the last Ice Age.

Lantern slides and platypus diplomacy: David Fleay’s legacy at the Archives

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +1000

Sydney University students are the first to explore conservation pioneer David Fleay’s collections in the Australian Museum’s Archives. In this blog, they describe their project to solve a platypus mystery.

Behind the façade of its public exhibitions, there is even more to explore at the Australian Museum. Its scientific collections attract researchers from all over the world, and so do the Museum’s archives. They are a rare treasure trove for learning about the history of the study of nature and culture in Australia and abroad. In partnership with the University of Sydney, a group of students recently had the privilege to be the first to explore a newly acquired collection: the personal collections of David Fleay (1907-1993), renowned naturalist and science educator.

Fleay is a famous and colourful figure in Australian conservation science. He was the first to breed a platypus in captivity, and he showcased Australia’s unique fauna at home and abroad. Established by Fleay and his family in 1952, the David Fleay Wildlife Park on the Gold Coast remains a sanctuary for native animals and a place for visitors to learn about them and their ecosystems. Now often called a pioneer of conservation, Fleay shared his passion for Australia’s wildlife, and for preserving endangered species with a wide audience. His personal collections were kept in his family’s possession before they made the journey from Fleay’s Gold Coast home to the Australian Museum in 2024.

What does it take for a large collection like Fleay’s to enter the Museum’s archives and databases? And what historical riddles does the collection speak to? In a hands-on internship, the Sydney University students majoring in History and Philosophy of Science found out for themselves. Guided by Archives team members Damien Stone and Robert Dooley under Dr. Vanessa Finney’s direction, the student interns digitised a selection of Fleay's extraordinary collection of animal images, daunting as it may be to handle fragile and unique original glass plates, always with gloves on! Once digitised, the objects were described and labelled so that future investigators can find them in the museum’s database.

Fleay’s superb glass plates illustrate his public science education mission of showcasing Australian fauna. The fragile plates that have now been digitised once served as lantern slides, carefully inserted in a projector. Lantern slide shows had a long tradition in Australian public education, and Fleay masterfully adopted this visual technology to show a wide range of animals to his audiences far and wide: owls and platypuses, echidnas and wombats, koalas and quolls and many others.

What can these archival objects tell us? The quiet archive comes to life in the student team’s inquiries into the history of science communication, and the team’s work reveals how the materials now held in the Museum’s collection shed new light on sometimes well-known stories. Famously, a platypus named Winston was sent to England at the height of World War II at the request of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Winston never made it: Fleay attributed his death, four days from reaching Liverpool, to submarine detonations, and his account has been reproduced ever since. But the analysis of the ship’s logbook, now available to researchers in the archives, suggests that this wartime story might be a cover-up! And it links Winston’s role in connecting Britain and Australia during wartime with another platypus voyage, now to the USA. A capricious pair of platypuses named Penelope and Cecil enchanted visitors in the Bronx Zoo and attracted much public speculation about their couple life. Read the students team’s full story here.

And that’s just a start. David Fleay’s archive holds plenty more surprises for future investigators, and a new team of students is coming to the Archives soon to explore the legacy of another fascinating figure in Australian nature conservation, Les Chandler.

]]>

Homecoming! A journey from stress to success for Norfolk Island snails

Dr Isabel Hyman — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +1000

It’s been five years since Norfolk Island local, Mark Scott, showed Malacologists from the Australian Museum a small living population of a snail species previously feared to be extinct. Now, after a successful ex situ captive breeding program at Taronga Zoo founded with just 46 snails, scientists are bringing their descendants back home to Norfolk Island.

Advena campbellii, or Campbell’s keeled glass-snail, is likely to have once been widespread on Norfolk Island. The current population is limited to a single catchment area in the Norfolk Island National Park (NINP), and this makes it vulnerable to extinction. We are planning to introduce zoo-bred snails into three additional sites in the National Park, which, if successful, would greatly increase this species’ robustness and long-term chances of survival in the wild.

There have been very few land snail introductions worldwide, and this is the first of its kind in Australia. We have interviewed snail translocation experts from around the world to develop a detailed plan. But we also need to acknowledge that there is a risk of failure because each snail species is unique and they may differ in their response to translocations. We hope to mitigate this with in-depth knowledge of the snails built up over the past five years, detailed planning, a strong team with varied expertise (from the NINP, Taronga Zoo, Western Sydney University and the Australian Museum), and international advisors.

The journey to this point has not always been straightforward. For the first few years, the zoo population remained small, despite all the care of the husbandry team. However, gradually over time the team made improvements in the husbandry conditions with a very positive impact on snail health and population size. And slowly a picture has emerged: these snails are extremely sensitive to stress.

So, what stresses a snail? Well, abrupt changes to diet, excessive disturbance or handling, and transport between two different environments all seem to cause undue stress in our snails, impacting fertility and longevity. So that begs the question: how do we move hundreds of snails that are sensitive to change to a new environment, with minimal impact? I can tell you, a LOT of thought has been put into the answer!

We have elected to transport our snails in the tanks they live in, rather than repackaging for transport. We are also establishing a snail facility at the NINP headquarters where the snails will live for several weeks after their move to the island, to allow them to acclimatise. During this time a Taronga Zoo husbandry expert will slowly introduce a natural diet and monitor for signs of stress and will train the NINP staff in caring for snails and understanding their behaviour. When the snails are ready, they will be released into the wild and NINP staff and other team members will follow up with monitoring to track their progress.

We cannot remove all stress from the translocation for the snails. But on the other hand, it doesn’t make sense to leave them in the zoo when the wild population on Norfolk Island would benefit so greatly from an increase in numbers. We acknowledge that the reintroduction is a risk, but it’s a well-considered one.

And just in case you were wondering: the incoming snails will not be making an appearance in veggie gardens. Norfolk Island’s native snails are primarily found in relatively undisturbed native habitat, and even if one makes its way to a garden, it won’t be munching on vegetables – the true culprits are introduced species from Europe, Asia and Africa that are common garden pests worldwide.

Watch this space for more updates, as the snails adjust to being home again!

]]>

The Talbot Oration: Climate Action - in Our National Interest

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +1000

How can bold climate action shape a brighter future for Australia? The Australian Museum’s 2025 Talbot Oration featured keynote speaker the Hon Matt Kean, Chair of The Climate Change Authority, and a driving force behind some of Australia’s most progressive climate policies.

As the world works to slash emissions and grow new green industries, few countries have as much to gain as Australia. In this year’s oration, Matt Kean shared insights on the scientific and technological developments that will make net zero possible, and the opportunities ahead for Australian communities and industries in a rapidly decarbonising global economy.

]]>

Conversations of the Golden Empires: From the Andes to the Amazon

Thu, 29 May 2025 00:00:00 +1000

We embarked on an extraordinary journey from the Andes to the Amazon with leading experts in archaeology and history, Dr. Chris Carter, Professor Julian Droogan and journalist Caroline Baum. Traversing Incan and Pre-Columbian Peru, attendees had an opportunity to ask questions in a fascinating discussion.

The first in our Conversations of the Golden Empires series, this discussion transported us through time, uncovering the remarkable achievements of Peru's ancient societies; from the great deity Viracocha to the reign of Pachacuti, through to the dramatic Spanish conquest.

We entered the gateway to the Peruvian past and broadened our appreciation of history, architecture, religion and culture.

Dr. Chris Carter is a practicing archaeologist consulting in Australia on Indigenous and historical sites. Formerly a lecturer and tutor at the Australian National University from 1996 to 2017, Chris' main research interest lies in the developing cultures of western South America where his PhD research examined the prehistoric economy of coastal Northern Chile, an area inhabited from 9,000 years BP through to the Inca Empire. Chris was also part of an international team involved in mapping Inca trails as part of a successful application to have the trails listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. He has been leading educational tours to South America since 1995, including over 30 tours to Chile, Bolivia, and Peru.

Julian Droogan is a Professor in the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University. He holds a PhD in Studies in Religion and has expertise in the material culture and history of ancient religions. His research focuses on the connections between ancient history, religion, contemporary politics, and international security. Julian has presented the popular Learning Curve series at the Art Gallery of NSW on the world’s religions (For God’s Sake 1, 2, and 3), as well as on the Silk Road, the medieval Islamic world and Mesoamerica. He has led World Art Tours through South and Central Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Mexico.

Caroline Baum is a leading journalist, podcaster, and author of Only: A Singular Memoir. In addition to hosting the podcast series Life Sentences, Caroline has served as a judge for prestigious literary awards, including the Stella Prize, the Premier’s Literary Awards, and the Walkleys. Passionate about the literary world, each November Caroline curates the True Story Festival at the South Coast Writers Centre in NSW.

]]>

Conversations of the Golden Empires: Harnessing the Heavens

Thu, 29 May 2025 00:00:00 +1000

This fascinating discussion with Professor Fred Watson AM, hosted by ABC's Professor Anthony Burke, unearthed the secrets of the Chankillo Archaeoastronomical Complex, home to the oldest solar observatory in the world.

With structures dating back over two millennia, this historical marvel served as a solar calendar for Peru's ancient societies, informing everything from navigation and farming practices to religious beliefs. In this talk, Professor Watson illuminated how pre-Hispanic Peru harnessed their knowledge of the skies above as a form of power.

Anthony Burke is a Professor of Architecture at the University of Technology Sydney and host of ABC TV's Restoration Australia and Grand Designs. Anthony has over 25 years’ experience lecturing, publishing, presenting and celebrating the value of good design and architecture around the world.

Professor Fred Watson AM is the First Astronomer-at-Large, an outreach and advocacy role within the Commonwealth Government of Australia. A graduate of the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh, Fred worked at both of Britain’s Royal Observatories before joining the Australian Astronomical Observatory as Astronomer-in-Charge in 1995.

Recognised internationally for helping to pioneer the use of fibre optics in astronomy, Fred is best known today for his award-winning radio and TV broadcasts, books, music, dark-sky advocacy and other outreach ventures. He holds adjunct professorships in several Australian universities and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2010. He has an asteroid named after him (5691 Fredwatson), but says that if it hits the Earth, it won't be his fault.

]]>

Conversations of the Golden Empires: Modern Discoveries of an Ancient Land

Thu, 22 May 2025 00:00:00 +1000

In the second instalment of our Conversations of the Golden Empires series, experts shared how the combination of natural sciences and Peruvian archaeology can broaden our understanding of society, culture, life and death.

Australian Museum Chief Scientist, Prof. Kris Helgen, and our guest expert in Andean archaeology, Dr Jacob Bongers, dived into the fascinating realm of Incan and Pre-Columbian Peru, exploring the region's vertical landscape and unearthing the archaeological secrets within.

In this exciting discussion, led by host of ABC Radio National's Big Ideas, Natasha Mitchell, we uncovered how Peru's astounding biodiversity helped to shape the lives of its ancient peoples.

Professor Kris Helgen is the former Chief Scientist and Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI). Prior to joining the AM in 2020, Kris was professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Adelaide. He has focused his research primarily on fieldwork with living animals and research in museum collections to document the richness of life, understand global change, and contribute to important problems in biomedicine. Originally from Minnesota, Kris gained his undergraduate degree in Biology at Harvard University and his Ph.D. in Zoology as a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Adelaide. From 2008-2017, he served as Curator-in-Charge of Mammals at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Dr Jacob L. Bongers is the Tom Austen Brown Postdoctoral Research Associate in Archaeoogy at the University of Sydney. He holds a Ph.D. in archaeology from the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA. Bongers investigates how Indigenous communities respond to political and environmental change. His doctoral research examined how groups in southern Peru confronted successive waves of Inca and European rule through mortuary practices.

His current, multidisciplinary research leverages archaeological science and geospatial technology to advance understandings of past land-use strategies and how societies adapted to diverse environments through time. He has conducted archaeological fieldwork in Portugal, Chile, Ethiopia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, and Peru.

Natasha Mitchell is a multi-award-winning science and culture journalist, radio presenter, podcaster, and documentary maker. She is host of ABC Radio National's flagship Big Ideas program, was founding host and producer of the blockbuster radio show and podcast All in the Mind for a decade, hosted the ABC's daily social affairs program Life Matters, and was founding host and producer of Science Friction, awarded best Science and Medicine podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards.

Natasha served as vice president of the World Federation of Science Journalists and was recipient of a prestigious Knight Fellowship at MIT/Harvard. her journalism has received numerous accolades, including overall Grand Prize and four Gold World Medals at the New York Radio Festivals. She has facilitated many public forums around Australia, including four science dialogues with the Dalai Lama and guests. She has an engineering degree with first class honours and a postgraduate qualification in science communication.

]]>

Toad-ally understandable: Unravelling the secrets of Cane Toad calls

Samantha Ordonez-Flores — Mon, 05 May 2025 00:00:00 +1000

Help us understand how Cane Toad calls differ across Australia and around the world. By studying these differences, we can learn more of how they have been able to spread so successfully!

Cane toads (Rhinella marina) are incredibly resilient amphibians. Originally from Latin America (the Guianas, Brazil, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela and Surinam), they have become a well-travelled species —thanks to humans! Cane toads have been introduced to Puerto Rico and most Caribbean islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, USA (Hawaii and Florida), Taiwan, Fiji, Japan and Australia. Once they were introduced, they developed incredible strategies to colonise and thrive in new environments. Their invasion of Australia is a prime example: since their arrival, they have spread far and wide. But what makes them an invasion machine?

Cane Toad colonisation

Researchers have discovered that Cane Toads at the invasion front show amazing adaptations. They tend to move longer distances, are faster, and often have longer legs than their counterparts back home in South America. Remarkably, their reproductive strategies have also changed in their new environments; toads in the invasion front focus more on dispersing than in mating! These gradual changes have helped Cane Toads establish themselves with astonishing success, but their incredible resilience also poses a major threat to native species. The rapid spread of the toads can help us understand how these adaptations have been key to their success and inform future management strategies.

Cane Toad calls

One fascinating question that remains is how Cane Toad use their calls to achieve their success? Calls are essential for communication in frogs and toads, facilitating mate recognition, male-male interactions, and defence. These vocal signals can change depending on an individual's size, physiology, behaviour, and even the environment in which they are produced. Given this flexibility, we suspect Cane Toad calls may have accents that vary across regions in Australia and even differ from their American relatives! Understanding Cane Toad accents across continents and regions around the world would help …

Advertisement call of a Cane Toad male (Rhinella marina), Australia.

^{Audio & Copyright: Jodi Rowley.}

How you can help!

To unravel this mystery, we need your help! We are looking for recordings of Cane Toads from all over the world — complete, high-quality calls that will allow the FrogID team to analyse how their calls differ across locations. Thanks to you, we already have over 10,000 Cane Toad calls submitted to Australia’s FrogID project, the largest library of frog calls in the world! But I still need calls from other parts of the word too! Although, Cane Toad (Rhinella marina) calls are what we most need, we would also love to receive calls from the closely related Mesoamerican Cane Toad (Rhinella horribilis), which is known from the Guianas, Brazil, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela and Surinam.

How do you record Toad calls in Australia? Please record calls on your smart phone using the Australian Museum’s free FrogID app.

How do you record Toad calls from other parts of the world?

Submit any recordings from elsewhere to the iNaturalist project “Cane Toads Worldwide”.

For a top-quality Cane Toad recording, you will need to be as close as you can to the bumpy singer. Record calls from start to finish, ideally from one individual or a small chorus. If you have any questions about my research, feel free to reach out. Together, we can uncover the secrets of these rough-skinned invaders!

]]>

How to know your worms: A workshop run by AM worm wizards

Dr Elena Kupriyanova, Dr Pat Hutchings — Mon, 05 May 2025 00:00:00 +1000

Australian Museum Research Institute researchers ran a two-day workshop (11–12 March 2025) at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, aimed to provide the skills required to recognise Australian polychaete families.

Polychaetes play a major role in marine ecosystem functioning, as they dominate marine benthic habitats both in terms of abundance and richness. However, accurate identification, even to the family level, remains a formidable challenge and is a significant barrier to undertaking environmental assessment studies of Australian benthic habitats.

To help alleviate this problem, an interactive key to polychaetes (POLiKEY) was developed at the Australian Museum. This digital key released as a CD in 2003 was an important information system for polychaete families and higher taxa. It contained 104 polychaete taxa, comprising 17 higher-level taxa, 82 families and five subfamily groups. However, 20 years later a major update was needed. This was why in 2019 we applied for an ABRS grant to update POLiKEY and to develop a new digital tool, ANNiKEY. The new key was accompanied by a new online illustrated glossary.

As a test run, on 11–12 March 2025 we ran the first identification workshop using ANNiKEY. The workshop took place at Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS), Chowder Bay, Sydney. There were 24 participants, including postgraduate students, researchers and environmental consultants from NSW, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia. Preserved specimens (34 species belonging to 25 families) were borrowed from AM and provided to practise identifications. Participants were asked to install Delta Intkey interactive identification software and were provided with the most recent copy of ANNiKEY and a link to the online glossary. To illustrate annelids alive, on Monday 10th March during low tide, four of us went to Balmoral Beach to collect them. The animals were transported to SIMS and left in the Marine Aquarium overnight.

On Tuesday 11 March the workshop started with Dr Chris Glasby giving a presentation about POLiKEY and ANNiKEY and a brief overview of where Polychaeta fits among Annelida. Another presentation by Chris focussed on diagnostic characters of the common families. Dr Pat Hutchings gave a talk about polychaete collecting and preservation. Participants practiced identification of polychaetes to the family level using ANNiKEY. More conversations took place over morning and afternoon coffee and lunch on the balcony looking out over the harbour. We examined and photographed the live specimens collected from Balmoral. These worms were fixed at the end of the second day in 95% alcohol and will be incorporated into AM Marine Invertebrate Collection.

On Wednesday 12 March, Anna Murray demonstrated how to examine chaetae of polychaetes, which requires the preparation of slides and examination under a compound microscope. Dr Elena Kupriyanova gave 2 talks on the Order Sabellida and on the life history of polychaetes.

We hope that all the attendees now have a better understanding of the diversity of polychaetes and the tools available for their identification, as well as an awareness of the polychaete resources at the Australian Museum.

]]>

Museum collections show us how diversely biodiverse Gamay (Botany Bay) really is

Sarah Whitehead, Dr Pat Hutchings — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +1000

Savvy travellers will tell you that the best seat to sit in when you fly into Sydney is the window seat on the left-hand side of the plane. Why? To get the best views of the city and all her gorgeous waterways below, of course. Or was it the right-hand side?

Either way, while you’re cruising at semi-high altitudes, an entire weird and wonderful world exists below you (not Sydney itself, I mean underwater).

Gamay (or Kamay), also known as Botany Bay, is one of the most heavily modified estuaries in the world. The Gamay catchment, including the Cooks River and Georges River, houses Australia’s largest urbanised city, largest international airport, and international shipping port.

Throughout its industrial history Gamay has been subject to mass dredging of the seafloor, modifications to natural foreshores, and widespread pollution.

Despite the doom and gloom, Gamay still boasts many different ecosystems, such as endangered seagrass beds, rich mangroves and saltmarshes, sandy beaches and subtidal soft sediments, and rocky shores, and there is great potential to host a wide range of species.

The issue is, however, there is yet to be any study that documents this biodiversity. The Gamay catchment spans approximately 1,165km and species sampling across habitats would likely be a monumental task. So how can we find out what species reside in the bay? Luckily, the Australian Museum hosts a wide catalogue of specimens collected from Gamay, spanning back to 1860.

The museum has an electronic database that essentially catalogues all the specimens currently held along with key information, such as the collection location, habitat type and year. This enables research scientists to simply enter the longitude and latitude and compile a list of all specimens collected in that area, and method was used to help us understand the biodiversity of Sydney Harbour back in 2013.

Using the database we found an astonishing 10,985 records from Gamay. From these records, there were 429 distinct species of polychaetes, 580 crustaceans, 802 molluscs, 76 echinoderms, and 272 fishes. At least 57 species from these taxa were first discovered in the bay, though these numbers are likely to be higher as some records have only been identified to family or genus.

Given that each record lists the location it was collected, we can also map the distribution of species across the bay, so we can assess what habitat types may be under-sampled, or even help us identify specific areas of the bay that boast high species richness and require more robust monitoring or management.

Being a major international port, Gamay is always under threat from invasion risk. Records from 2013 show us that the European fan worm, Sabella spallanzanii, was identified from a wharf at Kurnell, likely unintentionally introduced through ballast water. Other invasive species have also been identified such as the Yellowfin goby, Acanthogobius flavimanus, European green crab, Carcinus maenas, and Mosquito Fish, Gambusia holbrooki. The invasion risk is always present, and many invasive species may still be flying under the radar.

This study shows us just how important museum collections are, not only for understanding what lives in the bay, but also helping us understand how both invasion risk and climate change can drive faunal changes. For example, the distribution of a species is likely to spread – or simply just change – as coastal temperatures continue to rise.

Knowing what has historically lived in the bay and what suddenly appears is crucial in understanding how climate change can impact coastal ecosystems.

Undoubtedly, the biodiversity we see is likely an underestimation as this study solely relies on material deposited at the museum. For example, common species from ecological studies in Gamay are absent from the database and even though they are clearly observed in Gamay, they are not included in our study. By highlighting the value of museum collections, we are hoping that this study encourages researchers to deposit their specimens. Not only are they permanently digitised but can then be referred to a physical specimen and aid further studies on the species.

Recently, a sea urchin species thought to be the invasive Tripneustes gratilla along the east coast turned out to be Tripneustes australiae, an endemic species recorded in Gamay back in 1978. A feat that may not have been possible without the AM collections. Taxonomic revisions and biodiversity studies like this show us how valuable museum collections are. There are still countless ways the museum collections can be utilised and hopefully this study encourages people to think about how museums can aid their research.

Sarah Whitehead, Honours Candidate, The University of Sydney in association with the Marine Invertebrates team, Australian Museum Research Institute

Dr. Pat Hutchings, Senior Fellow, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute

Acknowledgments:

Maria Byrne, Emily McLaren, Shane Ahyong, Amanda Hay, Winston Ponder, Catherine Samways, Sally Reader, Talia Stelling-Wood, Helen Stoddart, Alison Miller, Ian Loch, Robert Dooley, Pauline Ross, and Tim Glasby.

]]>

Australian Museum announces new Chief Scientist (Acting) and AMRI Director (Acting)

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Professor Shane Ahyong and Julie Ellmers to lead Australian Museum Research Institute

The Australian Museum (AM) has announced the appointment of two of its most senior scientists and science administrators to head up the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI): Professor Shane Ahyong, as Acting Chief Scientist; and Julie Ellmers, as Acting Director AMRI.

Kim McKay, AO, Australian Museum Director and CEO, welcomed the appointments saying it was an exciting opportunity for the AM and AMRI.

“The appointment of Shane Ahyong and Julie Ellmers into these significant roles reflects the depth and breadth of the scientific capability within AMRI. We congratulate them both and look forward to the significant scientific achievements AMRI will continue to make under their leadership.”

“Having described more than 300 new species and publishing widely on marine and freshwater invertebrates, Professor Shane Ahyong is a world authority on crustaceans; while Julie Ellmers has led AMRI’s Life and Geosciences Branch, alongside its world-renowned natural science collections for the past three years.

Professor Ahyong has been with the Australian Museum since 2010 and is included in the Stanford University list of the top 2 percent of most influential scientists worldwide. Before commencing as AMRI Associate Director three years ago, Julie Ellmers was Chief Operating Officer for the ARC Centre of Excellence in Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, a seven-year, 34-million-dollar program of research headquartered at Wollongong University.

Both Professor Shane Ahyong and Julie Ellmers will join the Australian Museum Executive Leadership Team. They assume their roles following the recent resignation of Prof Kris Helgen, who is moving to the Bishop Museum, Hawaii as President and CEO.

]]>

Australian Museum farewells Chief Scientist Professor Kris Helgen

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Professor Helgen appointed President and CEO at Hawaii’s Bishop Museum

SYDNEY, April 3, 2025: Today the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Hawaii announced that Professor Kristofer Helgen has been appointed as its new President and CEO.

For the past five years, Professor Helgen has been Chief Scientist and Director of the Australian Museum’s Research Institute (AMRI) and has contributed to its growth and development through his leadership and significant research.

Kim McKay, AO, Australian Museum Director and CEO, wished Professor Helgen well for this next chapter in his career.

“We congratulate Professor Helgen on his elevation to the role of President and CEO at the Bishop Museum, which is a significant museum in the Pacific region, and we look forward to continuing to work with him in his new capacity,” McKay said.

“Kris has overseen a team of 120 researchers and collections staff at AMRI and has also published his own acclaimed research while at the AM,” she said.

The new role sees Kris Helgen returning to the US, where he previously worked at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum as Chief Curator of Mammals.

]]>

Australian Museum farewells Chief Experience Officer, Russell Briggs

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +1100

SYDNEY, April 2, 2025: The Australian Museum (AM) announced today that Chief Experience Officer Russell Briggs will leave the AM on July 11, 2025, stepping away from full-time work to pursue consulting opportunities.

Since joining the Australian Museum in 2017, Russell has led a diverse portfolio encompassing exhibitions, education, public programs, visitor experience, digital initiatives, archives and library services, as well as the management of the museum's world-class collections.

Most recently, Russell’s work has helped to establish some of the most successful exhibition spaces at the AM, including the Burra play space and the Minerals Gallery, alongside supporting the major transformation of the Australian Museum's facilities in 2020.

Under Russell’s leadership, the Australian Museum has achieved record attendance figures, delivered consistently sold-out programs, established stronger educational and digital offerings and maintained excellence in visitor services.

Australian Museum Director and CEO, Kim McKay AO, thanked Russell on behalf of the Australian Museum Trust and staff for his exceptional service and wished him the very best in his future endeavours.

"Russell's strategic vision and passionate commitment to enhancing the visitor experience have been instrumental in the Australian Museum's success. His tenure of eight years at the AM has been marked by several major exhibitions, including the highly successful Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs and the internationally acclaimed Sharks exhibition. We are grateful for his leadership, hard work and insights," Kim McKay said.

Ms Kim McKay said the AM would be recruiting for a new Chief Experience Officer in the near future.

]]>

FrogID Week 2024: Citizen Scientists Capture Over 34,000 Frog Records Nationwide

Nadiah Roslan — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1100

The seventh annual FrogID Week has once again gathered a vital snapshot for frog conservation thanks to tens of thousands of citizen scientists.

With one in five frog species in Australia at risk of extinction, understanding where frogs occur and how their populations are changing is more important than ever. By recording frog calls with the Australian Museum’s free FrogID app, we can work together to gather the crucial data needed to protect our remarkable amphibians. Since every Australian frog species has a unique call, each submission – reviewed by frog call experts at the Australian Museum, including Dr Jodi Rowley, Lead Scientist of FrogID – contributes to Australia’s largest frog database. This invaluable resource enhances our understanding of frog distributions, aids in species discoveries, and provides critical insights for conservation.

To build on this knowledge, the FrogID project has held an annual FrogID Week event since 2017. Each November, thousands of citizen scientists use the FrogID app to record and submit frog calls across the country. This nationwide effort provides a valuable snapshot of frog populations while raising awareness of Australia’s unique frogs and their vital role in healthy ecosystems.

During 8-17 November 2024, the Australian Museum hosted its seventh annual FrogID Week, again representing one of the most rapid data collection events for frogs globally. On the 12th of November, 4,714 frogs were recorded in just 24 hours – that’s more than three frog records per minute!

FrogID Week 2024 saw incredible participation, with 4,175 people collectively submitting over 18,700 frog call recordings – the third-highest number of participants in FrogID Week history! Our Australian Museum team listened to an outstanding number of submissions, resulting in a massive 34,000 frog records, adding to the ever-growing FrogID database, which now exceeds 1.2 million records in just seven years. FrogID Week 2024’s data alone accounts for approximately 3% of all FrogID records to date.

A total of 112 frog species were recorded during FrogID Week 2024, representing nearly half (44%) of all Australian frog species. Notable finds included the Kimberley Spadefoot (Notaden weigeli), a rarely recorded species from northwest Western Australia with just 13 records in the FrogID database. The recently named Coastal Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes superciliaris), a species described with the help of FrogID recordings and likely facing increasing threats from habitat loss, was also recorded. Several high conservation priority species were recorded, including the Vulnerable New England Tree Frog (Litoria daviesae) and the Endangered Booroolong Frog (Litoria booroolongensis), both stream-dwelling frogs from eastern Australia, as well as the Critically Endangered Kuranda Tree Frog (Litoria myola) from north Queensland.

FrogID Week 2024 also achieved impressive spatial coverage, with recordings spanning approximately 12% of continental Australia. Excitingly, we received frog calls from two previously unsampled areas – Cook in Far North Queensland and Prairie in northwestern Queensland – helping to fill crucial knowledge gaps, particularly in remote regions where little scientific data on frogs exists. Notably, Queensland saw an extraordinary surge in frog records, more than doubling its previous highest total and accounting for 32% of all FrogID Week 2024 submissions!

The call of the Kimberley Spadefoot (Notaden weigeli), a rarely recorded species, was submitted during FrogID Week 2024 by Jake Barker from northwest Western Australia.

A big congratulations to Kat Hadley, the winner of our FrogID Week 2024 Top Frogger competition! Kat secured the top spot by submitting an impressive total of 1,407 frog records. Michele Brook and Henry Lewis also showcased outstanding dedication with 767 and 632 frog records, respectively. After coming so close to first position in previous FrogID Weeks, we’re thrilled for Kat’s well-earned win and grateful for the dedication shown by all participants.

Each year, FrogID Week contributes vital data to the national FrogID database, helping scientists and land managers track trends and monitor changes in frog populations over time. The efforts of thousands – whether close to home or further afield – make a real difference for frog conservation. Thank you to everyone who took part!

Save the date: the next FrogID Week will take place November 7th to 16th, 2025.

More information:

For scientific outputs of FrogID, visit https://www.frogid.net.au/science

To become a FrogID Week partner, contact our Partnership Sales Manager on (02) 9320 6450, partnerships@australian.museum

For previous FrogID Week blogs, visit: https://australian.museum/blog

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the generous donors who have provided funding for the project; our Museum partners, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Museums Victoria, Queensland Museum, South Australian Museum, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and Western Australian Museum; the many Australian Museum staff and volunteers who make up the FrogID team; and, most importantly, the thousands of citizen scientists across Australia who have volunteered their time to record frog calls with FrogID.

]]>

15 years of recognising the impact of innovative technology with ANSTO

Ranuka Tandan — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1100

2025 will mark 15 years of ANSTO’s partnership with the Australian Museum to deliver the ANSTO Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology. We caught up with Director of ANSTO’s Environment Research and Technology Group, Dr Karina Meredith, to learn more about the work ANSTO does and discuss why it is so important to recognise the impact of innovative use of technology through a Eureka Prize.

ANSTO is Australia’s nuclear centre of excellence. How does ANSTO use nuclear science to benefit everyday Australians?

Innovations in technology are powerful tools to help us improve our world. They can be applied to benefit human health, protect the sustainability of our environment and contribute to a net zero future. They enable the production of advanced materials and bolster Australian industry.

Because of their great sensitivity, nuclear techniques are particularly powerful in addressing questions at the molecular and atomic level.

ANSTO is the home of Australia’s expertise in nuclear science and technology with the operation of the OPAL multi-purpose reactor and a suite of scientific infrastructure that is available for research purposes. We also have considerable expertise in using these techniques that is shared with hundreds of researchers who use ANSTO’s scientific infrastructure every year.

Can you tell us a little bit more about ANSTO’s contributions to research in the nuclear science space? Can you share some examples of how nuclear science has been used to develop innovative technology solutions at ANSTO?

ANSTO undertakes its own research in human health, environment and nuclear materials. Innovations that came from these disciplines including a “chelator” technology used as a powerful molecular imaging agent to diagnose disease, evaluate response to treatment and can be used as an innovative radiation therapy for difficult to treat cancers. Research on materials used in the nuclear sector led to the development of a software application that predicts the service life of parts in industrial plants. Experts in measuring radiation developed an innovative detection and imaging system. Environmental scientists at ANSTO have improved the sensitivity of radiocarbon dating to be able to detect a small number of atoms and developed a technology to detect radon in the atmosphere.

These are only a few examples of successful technology transfer driven by nuclear expertise.

The ANSTO Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology is awarded for an innovative application of a new or existing technology that has led to a significantly improved research outcome. Tell us more about the prize purpose and why this prize is important.

ANSTO has proudly supported this award since 2011. It showcases exceptional technological innovations that have a significant practical impact and the potential for broader application within society.

We hope by supporting this prize, we can encourage creativity and ingenuity in the scientific community and of course, amplify and celebrate the hard work of some of Australia’s best researchers.

Dr. Meredith, as the Director of the Environment Research and Technology Group at ANSTO, how has innovation influenced and shaped your work in environmental science?

Innovative use of technology is essential for addressing the environmental challenges we face today. At ANSTO, we use various cutting-edge nuclear tracing technologies that enable us to provide solutions for environmental resource management. As an isotope hydrogeochemist, I work with naturally occurring isotopes to gain insights into the water beneath our feet. Groundwater is a hidden resource that is inherently difficult to measure because it is out of sight. Innovative scientific methods are crucial for visualising and tracing the origins of this water, its flow patterns and how long it has been underground. Without this information, we risk overexploiting our precious water resources.

Who might consider entering the Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology?

This prize is open to a broad range of individuals and teams who have utilised technology in innovative ways to achieve remarkable outcomes. We encourage entries from researchers, scientists, engineers, and technologists across various fields. The key criterion is the innovative application of technology, so anyone who has made a significant impact through their work is welcome and encouraged to apply.

What practical impacts might the broader community observe in their day to day lives due to the types of innovative solutions recognised by this prize?

Over the time of ANSTO’s involvement, there have been some outstanding winners. The most inspiring part is the real-world impact they can have.

For example, the 2023 winner, IMAGENDO from the University of Adelaide and OMNI Ultrasound and Gynaecological Care, developed a groundbreaking ultrasound technology that enhances diagnostics for women potentially suffering from endometriosis.

Another notable winner, the 2021 team led by Associate Professor Kristin Carson-Chahhoud, used augmented reality to enhance health communication and promote lung health.

And of course, last year’s winner Associate Professor Aaron McFadyen from Queensland University of Technology, recognised for his innovative work in developing drone management technologies that enhance the safety, efficiency, and utilisation of airspace.

These are just a few examples. Overall, the impact of these innovations is far-reaching.

What excites you most about this space?

As climate change impacts our environment and pressure on environmental resources grow, innovative scientific and technological solutions will be essential for managing these challenges. I am excited to see the application of advanced technologies that have originated from the investment in research and development across various fields. Advancements in knowledge will create the pathways toward a more sustainable future.

To learn more about ANSTO's nuclear science and technology, book a tour to visit Australia's only multi-purpose reactor, OPAL, or visit their website: ansto.gov.au

]]>

A genuinely trans-disciplinary field: The Eureka Prize for Excellence in Forensic Science

Ranuka Tandan — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Australia is a world leader in forensic science. The Australian Museum Centre for Wildlife Genomics is also one of the only wildlife forensics facilities in Australia to be NATA accredited. So, when the opportunity to partner with a close neighbour and expert in forensic science came about, we jumped at the opportunity.

In this blog, we catch up with Claude Roux, Director of the Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Technology Sydney, to discuss all things Eureka Prize for Excellence in Forensic Science, including the impetus behind the prize, and the type of projects that should consider entering.

The University of Technology Sydney is a leader in Australia’s forensic science landscape. What role does the Centre for Forensic Science play both in and beyond the university?

The UTS Centre for Forensic Science brings together academics and industry partners who share a vision of enhancing crime reduction, crime solving, and national security. We believe that modern, validated scientific techniques, processes, and policies offer significant benefits for Australia in preventing and investigating crime and terrorism. However, finding solutions is complex due to the rapid and constant changes in our daily lives.

Technology, mobility, and transnational crime, including terrorism and trafficking, challenge many aspects of society, impacting security, the economy, and policy. The UTS Centre for Forensic Science addresses this global challenge by fostering innovative thinking that drives knowledge, discovery, and innovation. By applying forensic science as a holistic study of traces (remnants of activity and/or presence), we can understand and influence crime and security on a broader scale.

Our role is to train, research, and engage at the intersection of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), information technology (IT), law, and social sciences. We address fundamental questions related to national security and public safety. We embody the forensic science academic excellence that Australia is known for on the global stage, collaborating with colleagues nationwide and internationally.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the Centre for Forensic Science’s journey and contributions in both education and research?

Forensic science education and research have traditionally been viewed as simple applications of other enabling disciplines. While there are understandable, mainly historical reasons for this perspective, accepting it significantly limits the potential of forensic science to address major societal challenges.

UTS was the first Australian university to recognise this limitation and offer undergraduate education in forensic science, starting in 1994. Over the years, our forensic science programs have significantly expanded through various iterations. Our research-inspired and outcome-driven education has been hugely successful, with our graduates now employed across the country and overseas, changing the paradigm so forensic science can realise its potential and become more impactful.

Such changes also require significant research efforts. These efforts need to focus not only on innovation and quantitative measures but also on excellence and relevance to forensic science. There is still a lot of empirical and foundational research required in our field.

The UTS Centre for Forensic Science has established and maintained a high profile both nationally and internationally. We are recognised as the premier academic institution offering forensic science activities in Australia, through the quality of our teaching programs and the depth and breadth of our forensic-related research. Over the years, we have provided practical solutions for organisations such as operational forensic science laboratories, law enforcement, defence and intelligence agencies, law firms, insurance companies, as well as individuals and the community in general. Many of these solutions involve partnerships with local and overseas businesses and organisations, particularly the Australian Federal Police.

We possess genuine trans-disciplinary expertise in areas such as forensic and analytical chemistry, forensic and molecular biology, massively parallel sequencing (MPS), explosives, firearm residues, fingerprint detection and identification, trace evidence, forensic intelligence, drugs, toxicology, taphonomy, fire accelerants, odour and volatile detection, forensic document examination, human decomposition, chemical decomposition, microfluidics, Bayesian statistics, method validation, accreditation, and certification.

Recent examples of impactful research include:

Establishing a foundational framework for forensic science, transforming the discipline worldwide.
Improving the evidential value of traces such as DNA, fibres, and glass for better justice outcomes.
Developing and validating new methods for fingermark detection, drug identification, and DNA collection.
Developing a multi-case approach (forensic intelligence) that allows forensic traces to decipher criminal activity and networks or improve our understanding of harmful behaviours (e.g., drug use).
Developing novel methods to detect dead bodies or estimate time since death through the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER).
Integrating digital traces and digital forensic science into the foundational forensic science framework.

Our colleagues across Australia have also significantly contributed to forensic science research efforts. The biennial symposium of the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society is now considered the premier forensic science conference in the world in terms of the quality of research presentations.

Australia has become an international leader in forensic science, and it is time to recognize the excellence of Australian forensic science through a prestigious award program like the Eureka Prizes.

The University of Technology Sydney Eureka Prize for Excellence in Forensic Science is awarded for an outcome inspired by outstanding forensic research that combines ground-breaking quality and significant societal or academic impact. Tell us more about the prize purpose and why this prize is important.

To truly benefit society, it is crucial to recognise forensic science as a distinctive discipline. There is an urgent need to inspire and support research and activities in forensic science that combine excellence, relevance, and impact. The forensic science community in Australia has reached a level of maturity and critical mass, with numerous outstanding contributions making it an international leader. Celebrating these achievements with the Eureka Prize is both important and timely.

Outstanding research and initiatives that might consider entering this prize include:

Foundational and empirical research improving the reliability and effectiveness of forensic science.
Method development and validation enhancing the use of science and technology in investigations and court.
Novel approaches for more effective use of forensic science in crime prevention and disruption, reducing harmful behaviours.
Improved methods for investigating homicides and identifying human remains.
Innovative solutions addressing digital transformation challenges and mitigating digital and transnational cybercrime.

Who might consider entering this prize?

Anyone, whether an individual or a team, who has conducted research or research-inspired activities in forensic science that combine excellence and impact, is eligible.

Forensic science is defined in a modern, broad sense as the study of traces—whether virtual or physical remnants of past activities, such as an individual’s presence or actions. This involves their detection, analysis, and interpretation to investigate events of public interest, such as crimes or security incidents. As a result, anyone with research or research-inspired activities that led to a significant societal impact from improved forensic trace detection, analysis, and interpretation should consider to enter this Prize. Examples of such activities are listed above.

What practical impacts might the broader community observe in their day to day lives due to the types of innovative solutions recognised by this prize?

The solutions recognised by this Prize have practical impacts, including enhanced public safety, a perception of a safer community, better police and justice outcomes, and increased confidence in authorities and society. Additionally, these solutions contribute to improved health and wellbeing. For instance, better knowledge about drug smuggling and consumption not only reduces crime and enhances public safety but also boosts individual wellbeing and public health outcomes.

What excites you most about this space?

I have always been passionate about forensic science because it is the ultimate transdisciplinary domain. We deal with the most uncertain situations that cannot be repeated. We focus on items that have not been statistically or scientifically produced and are often compromised. This field requires a high level of critical thinking, hypothesis development and testing, and a proper logical framework. Simply put, we are a historical science, using our knowledge and logical rules based on data derived from experimental science tools. And our findings have significant societal impact. Forensic science truly embodies trans disciplinarity and impact.

My lifelong professional motivation is driven by my vision of forensic science as a distinctive academic and holistic research-based discipline. I am thrilled about the creation of the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Forensic Science, as such a prize represents the realisation of this vision.

]]>

No-fishing zones on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) increase fish for fishers

Jeff Leis — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1100

New research shows that keeping fishers away from some reefs increases their catch of Coral Groupers (aka Coral Trout) on other reefs.

In contrast to National Parks on land, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) typically include areas which not only prohibit taking native fauna for food but also are designed to supplement the ability of the public to “get a feed” elsewhere. However, the extent to which this is effective and makes up for the area lost to fishing is very difficult to measure.

Most juvenile and adult coral-reef fishes don’t move very far from their resident reef: they are site-attached. Nearly all marine bony fish families have a larval stage, which looks different from, and lives in habitat different from, the adult fish. Most reproduction is by external fertilization with little or no parental care. The tiny (about 1 mm) eggs float away to hatch in a day or two. After that, the larvae are entirely on their own and disperse in open water away from reefs for several days to several weeks, depending on species, before they need to find appropriate nursery habitat and leave open water habitat. This may be relatively close to where they were spawned, or many tens to even hundreds of kilometres away from their natal reef. All this means that the spatial scale of reef fish life history and management is set by the movement not of adults, but of larvae. This spatial scale, not only for biodiversity, but also for fisheries, is variable and often large.

MPAs contain a variety of zones with differing restrictions: for example, some may be open for fishing, whereas others are no-take (no fishing allowed). Fishers are often opposed to creating the latter as they assume that there will be fewer fish for them to catch because there are fewer reefs where fishing is allowed. In contrast, conservationists and many MPA managers argue that dispersal of larvae from the no-take reefs to the fished areas (called spillover) should theoretically more than make up for the loss of fishing at the no-take reefs, which on the GBR constitute 30% of Coral Grouper habitat. However, there has been little firm evidence that significant spillover actually takes place.

A team of marine ecologists (Bode et al. 2025) from Queensland University of Technology, James Cook University, The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and The Australian Institute of Marine Science, plus AMRI Senior Fellow, Jeff Leis, worked out a way to test the theory of ‘spillover’ of Coral Grouper larvae from no-take reefs of the GBR. The team used information on adult Coral Grouper distribution, size and abundance throughout the GBR collected over a many years, along with data on the number of eggs spawned by females of different sizes and importantly, a computer model that takes into account currents and the swimming behaviour of the larvae at different stages in their dispersal phase. This was combined to show that just over 50% of larvae supplied to the 70% of reefs open for fishing were spawned by fish on the 30% of reefs that are no-take.

Summary:

The team has been able to show that one of every two Coral Groupers caught by GBR commercial fishers comes from the no-take reefs. This offers very strong support for the Larval Spillover Theory, which is good news for fishers and managers. It is also good news for sustainability because over 60% of the Coral Grouper larvae supplied to the no-take reefs came from other no-take reefs. In short, no-take reefs support Coral Grouper populations on both fished reefs and no-take reefs. No-take reefs clearly punch above their weight: they are effective at biodiversity conservation and also at fishery supplementation.

Jeff Leis, PhD, Senior Fellow, Ichthyology, AMRI.

More information:

Bode, M., Choukroun S., Emslie M. J., Harrison H., Leis J. M., Mason L. B., Srinivasan M., Williamson D. H., and Jones G. P. 2025. Marine reserves contribute half of the larval supply to a coral reef fishery. Science Advances 11(6):1-5. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adt0216

Further references:

Steneck, R., and Jackson J. B. C.2025. Supply-side relief for the world’s largest coral reef. Science Advances 11(6):1-2. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adv5639
Leis, J. M., Mason L. B., and Choukroun S. 2015. GBR-Larvo: A biophysical larval-fish dispersal model for the Great Barrier Reef based on empirical larval and adult behaviour data. International Council for the Exploration for the Sea, Copenhagen, Annual Science Conference, Expanded Abstracts, p. 2 pp.
Bode, M., Leis J. M., Mason L. B., Williamson D. H., Harrison H. B., Choukroun S., and Jones G. P. 2019. Successful validation of a larval dispersal model using genetic parentage data. PLoS Biol. 17:e3000380. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000380

Acknowledgements

Funding for this study was received from an ARC Discovery Grant (DP190103056) and an ARC Future Fellowship (FT170100274). The Larval Dispersal Model was developed with support from the Australian Department of Environment and Energy, through the Marine and Tropical Science Research Facility, National Environmental Research Program, and National Environmental Science Program.

]]>

Pahit Manis, Night Forest by Leyla Stevens

Dr Stan Florek — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +1100

The Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana professes a harmony between gods, people, and the environment where trees and forests are harbingers of well-being. Trees embody calm serenity and the nourishing richness of nature. Yet, in Balinese tradition, the forest can also be a realm of disorder and mayhem.

This dark and menacing aspect is frequently depicted in Batuan paintings. Four such paintings from the Australian Museum collection are currently on display at AGNSW alongside a short film by Balinese-Australian artist Leyla Stevens.¹

The Batuan style originated in the 1930s when Ida Bagus Made Togog and Ida Bagus Made Wija began experimenting with ink-wash paintings on a black background. Many paintings were commissioned and collected in Bali in 1937 by anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. They depict the world differently from traditional genres of didactic, temple-wayang (shadow puppet) convention, introducing a darker mood, ambiguity, and apprehension.

The story of Cosmic Tree and White Tiger

These settings and contradictions provide a richly layered framework within which puppeteer – Dalang, Ida Ayu Sri Widnyani re-enacts the story of destruction through the lamentation of the Cosmic Tree and the White Tiger.

At the heart of the story is the colossal environmental crisis that the Tree of the Universe and the Tiger bemoan. Bali’s success as a tourist destination has its share of lamentable environmental and social results. In the artwork’s animated footage (based on Batuan paintings) humans, animals, and beasts assault and devour each other.

Stevens scripted the story in the form of Tantri narratives that are typically animal tales. A ruler has a habit of killing his casual lovers by the end of the night together. But Tantri, who finds herself in this quandary, tells him stories that never finish, thus keeping his curiosity and her life prolonged. The Dalang in the film assumes a role of Tantri, a storyteller. In a way it is Tantri-Dalang that is the story. She laments with her companion puppets in deeply empathetic voice, but in the settings and silence, she implies a hope and a solution.

The puppet show is supplemented by stunningly beautiful footage of serene old forests with magnificent trees and the sound of stillness. The forest’s beauty takes us to nurturing and harmonious nature, almost a utopian, dreamlike conception of peaceful existence.

Storytelling and survival

The storytelling is the way of survival. Bali’s ecological crisis can be averted, and the blueprint is set in the tradition where caring for people is also caring for nature, for places, and for spirits. Restoring the balance of the universe is a central motif of the rituals, with their physical and spiritual cleansing. The film is framed in four parts from the new to the full moon, as heavenly and earthly phases unroll, accentuating circularity, alluding to the realization that the productive calm and order can and must return. Perhaps that links to snippets from the life of artists. Thus, I Made Griyawan, a descendant of one of the early Batuan painters, appears working on his painting. A transcript of a dream by Batuan master painter Ida Made Bagus Togog is read.

By filming and animating paintings (from various collections), Stevens bridges the past and present and, by reinventing the narratives, gives them a new meaning and new existence. She is passionate about reclaiming paintings through her art and she champions the restorative power of culture and art and her hope for a positive future.

Dalang’s powerful and moving puppet performance and animated violence in the forest is enhanced by music by Isha Ram Das. On one level the story is deceptively clear, but the artist does not expect or even want us to comprehend everything. The film has a moral purpose, but it is conveyed via poetic means, provoking an empathetic and emotive response. The revelation is perhaps in the beauty of artistic craft, in visual and audio senses, more than in verbalized messages and rational arguments. A testimony to the quality of this artwork is that we walk out immersed and moved, captivated by a lyrical narrative, in a contemplative mood with aesthetic contentment.

]]>

Beyond the lab: The Eureka Prize for Societal Impact in Science

Ranuka Tandan — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Scientific innovation and invention can achieve scale when researchers work together with external partners to create real-world improvements – often in new or unexpected ways. We caught up with the Associate Dean Impact Partnerships and Neuroscientist at UNSW, Associate Professor Kelly Clemens, to discuss the importance of incorporating a societal impact lens into everything the university does, and to learn more about the new Eureka Prize for Societal Impact in Science.

UNSW is a research leader within Australia and around the world, but the responsibilities held by universities goes beyond that. How does having a focus on societal impact shape UNSW’s understanding of its role in broader society?

In 2025, UNSW is launching our Societal Impact Framework that will inform and guide our university for the next 25 years. This is an exciting time for UNSW, as we reshape how we contribute through education, research and leadership to our local, national and international community. The Framework connects us with the most pressing challenges of our times and identifies the areas in which UNSW can have unique and significant impact – where we can really make a difference.

We recognise that this is only possible when we step outside of our bubble, embracing advice, knowledge and experience from the world around us – especially Indigenous Knowledge. At the same time, we want to celebrate how working with partners external to the university, whether local communities, state or federal government, not-for-profit or industry partners, provides a vehicle through which our new knowledge can extend into the world and effect real change.

UNSW's focus on societal impact significantly shapes its understanding of our role in broader society by aligning our efforts with the most pressing global challenges. This focus is encapsulated in the UNSW Societal Impact Framework.

Can you tell us a little bit about UNSW’s Societal Impact framework, and why it is a great basis for an Australian Museum Eureka Prize?

The UNSW Societal Impact Framework offers a new outlook for UNSW, with a focus on core areas that reflect public issues, strengthening our identity as drivers of positive societal change. Our focus will centre on accelerating the transition to a sustainable society and planet, advancing economic and social prosperity, enabling healthy lives and strengthening societal resilience, security and cohesion.

A really great example of how science can have an impact on society comes from UNSW’s Professor Jes Sammut, a researcher in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences. Jes who works with the National Fisheries Authority of Papua New Guinea and communities in PNG to improve the health of remote communities that suffer due to a traditionally low protein diet. By introducing and improving fish farming, Jes’ program of research has become a means to drive community change and growth, including a reduction in crime and an increase in local employment. This is a great example of research which is having a profound impact on the lives, health and prosperity of remote communities globally.

The new Eureka prize for Societal Impact celebrates these core values, with a particular emphasis on the contribution of science. This prize honours how scientific innovation and invention achieves scale when researchers work together with external partners to create real-world improvements – often in new or unexpected ways.

The UNSW Eureka Prize for Societal Impact in Science is awarded to individuals or teams who, through partnership with industry, government or not-for-profit, have transformed their scientific research into practical solutions that address pressing global societal challenges. Tell us more about the prize purpose and why this prize is important.

The purpose of this prize is to celebrate the ripple effect that science can and does have across the globe, for the benefit of people and the world we live in. Many of today’s modern discoveries have their origins in basic discovery science, although these are not always expected, visible, or acknowledged.

For example, RNA is at the core of our biology – the software of life – translating our DNA into the very products and processes that make us human. As well as being the key ingredient in COVID-19 vaccines, RNA technology developed by scientists and enabled through biotechnology groups, is well on the way to becoming the key treatment for conditions like cystic fibrosis, schizophrenia and cancer.

This prize will bring visibility to the role science has formulating the solutions that improve the society in which we live. Through collaboration within, across and outside of our laboratories, these humble origins can be transformative.

Who might consider entering this prize?

This prize encourages entries from all the science, technology, engineering, mathematics or medical (STEMM) disciplines. Entries can come from all stages of a research journey, whether it is at the beginning, when the potential of a new discovery is recognised and a path to translation is planned. In the middle, where a person or group of people recognised the potential for impact in a single or collection of research findings, and enabled development towards creating societal impact. Or, at the time of translation – those who bought a unique skill set, drive and ambition to create scale and impact by delivering discovery to those who need it most.

What practical impacts might the broader community observe in their day to day lives due to the types of innovative collaborations and solutions recognised by this prize?

Science has long enhanced lives, society and the environment, and it has also had a huge economic impact. From UNSW alone, scientific endeavours pump more than 350 million into the Australian economy and add $2.2 billion to the global GDP each year.

This Eureka Prize recognises the impact of research on societal challenges and the essential role of a collaborative partner in achieving this impact. Examples in the UNSW community include:

An early intervention program co-developed with Australian schools and led by UNSW Psychologist, Professor Eva Kimonis, has led to profound improvements in dysfunctional student behaviour, changing the educational trajectory of many children.
Professor Rob Brander’s log-standing partnership with Surf Lifesaving Australia saves lives by revealing the hidden power of ocean rips.
Professor Kaarin Anstey developed an online 20-minute assessment for dementia risk. CogDrisk is accessible from home, helping individuals and healthcare professionals take those critical early steps towards treatment and support.
A meet up between old friends led UNSW Associate Professor Vinh Nguyen to become the scientific advisor and UNSW lead collaborator for the Benignancy Group, a biotech company designing novel therapies for diseases of the ear, nose, throat, head and neck with a focus on remote communities.
Each year, millions of people experience a urinary tract infection (UTI) —more than one in two women and one in twenty men likely to have a UTI in their lifetime. The UNSW RNA Institute is part of a $1.8 million MRFF funded collaboration to develop an mRNA vaccine for urinary tract infections (UTIs).

These are just some of the examples of where science is having an impact on our community. We hope this prize will offer an opportunity to celebrate many more.

What excites you most about this space?

A new focus on creating societal impact in science is changing the way we do science. It’s changing the way universities see themselves and our role in society. We have the capacity to have a major influence on the world around us, and with that comes enormous responsibility, but also capability. It’s time we recognise that and lean into the challenge.

]]>

Art in science: a palaeontological perspective

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “Art is the queen of all sciences.” What was he talking about? On what basis can art be considered a science, let alone the queen of them all? The idea runs contrary to modern conventions of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) versus the humanities, evidence versus imagination, and fact versus fiction. Yet there is always a connection between art and science—art is in science and science is in art. Our textbooks have illustrations, our museums have exhibitions, our academic journals have diagrams. Maybe it is time to give Da Vinci’s unconventional statement a second look. What is art, what is science, and what mysterious links do they share?

Both disciplines are wildly diverse. Science encompasses everything from the theory of general relativity to potty training cows (Dirksen et al. 2021), while art boasts being the crux of culture including works such as the Mona Lisa, the Sistine Chapel, and… public urinals (thanks, Duchamps). Both science and art have long and complex histories. Western science originated in the age of antiquity and continues to evolve in its structure and methodology today (Elshakry, 2010). On the other hand, humans have been creating artworks for up to 45,500 years! Since the earliest cave paintings, such as the prehistoric pig painting found on the Indonesian island Sulawesi, we have been eagerly illustrating the beauty of our natural world (Aubert et al., 2018; What was the first Art?, 2021). We have used art to communicate, tell stories, and pass down knowledge. Our curiosity and creativity have led us to create some of the most beautiful artworks and make some of the most important discoveries.

Art at the surface is a scientific tool and notably, it is a convenient one. For science to make a positive impact, researchers must communicate and express their findings. Art just happens to be a universal method for communication and expression. Particularly in the age of the climate crisis and in the face of other contemporary scientific challenges, scientists must endeavour to engage with the public and, you guessed it, art is engaging. Scientists can statistically analyse their way to brilliant ideas, but to visualise and communicate these ideas they often turn to art. In fact, when digging more deeply into the relationships between these disciplines, we often see that art provides a foundational platform for scientists to learn, to inform, and to inspire.

If we were to ask whether science or art is more important, it may be argued that scientific and medical advancements improve the lives and health of people. On the other hand, art inspires people, sparks creativity, and reimagines the world. Together, they are powerful. Perhaps science and art are two sides of the same coin.

We explore this relationship between science and art, using a discipline that studies the history of life on Earth, palaeontology! We provide examples and illustrations from both scientists and artists. We explore how scientists may incorporate art into their process to reach a variety of audiences. We hope this inspires an appreciation for the value of art in science as a key to unlock the knowledge preserved in the world around us.

To learn

When it comes to science, learning happens when we are engaged. There is more to education than that of course, but the fundamental message rings true—interest and connection is a great driver of discovery. Giving tangible forms to problems makes them more exciting to solve. Turning abstract concepts into pictures makes them easier to understand. Visualising helps us to make sense of complex ideas, and drawing can help us memorise it and make it fun (Wammes et al., 2019).

Sketching not only can help to characterise the form and function of extinct organisms, it marks the beginning of the scientific process, and arguably the learning process (Figure 1). It is a platform to brainstorm, when the truth is unclear and dead ends are plentiful (Shah, 2022). It allows multiple ideas to be explored and tested, helping scientists bridge the gap between raw intuition and polished theories. Students can use it to tap into their creativity and generate connection with the content.

To inform

From the early Miocene (19 –16 million years ago) to the late Pleistocene (2.3 – 0.2 million years ago) on what is now the South Island of New Zealand, there lived a large, flightless bird known as the Adzebill (Aptornis defossor) (South Island adzebill: Ngutu hahau: New Zealand Birds Online, 2013). Fossil evidence suggests that the Adzebill is related to the now extinct Madagascan elephant birds and the now endangered (at risk of extinction) New Zealand kiwis.

But… what did it look like?

Palaeontologists tend to begin their reconstructions with a skeleton, because that is usually all they have (Figure 2). Soft tissues are rarely preserved, whereas tougher materials such as bones have a greater chance of withstanding decomposition and eventually mineralising into fossils (Andrade, et al., 2023).

Sonia’s illustration of an Adzebill tibiotarsus (a bone in the leg) is anatomically accurate and detailed. Like all good scientific sketches, it contains a figure caption, a scale (e.g., $2 coin), and labels. The figure caption briefly describes the subject and orientation, the labels direct us to the most important features of the drawing whilst the scale bar allows us to grasp the size.

But what about a more complete image? Understanding and characterising the Adzebill anatomy in combination with some imagination can lead to an artistic reconstruction that brings to life the old adage ‘a picture says a 1000 words’ (Fred R. Barnard).

To inspire

This creative liberty is inevitable in art, yet scientists must strike a careful balance between imagination and accuracy. A touch of colour and illustration makes new discoveries intelligible and inspiring; however, too much artistic flair can create confusion. How far an artwork is allowed to deviate from reality depends on its purpose and its audience.

In 1947, Rudolph F. Zallinger created the Mural, ‘The Age of Reptiles’. This 33-metre masterpiece hangs in the Yale Peabody as a spectacular depiction of prehistoric life, which includes the Mesozoic Era (also known as the age of reptiles). Packed with awe-inspiring dynamism, it’s chock-full of all manner of plants and animals scattered across an ancient landscape, representing several hundred million years of time. But if we could travel back to each period represented in the mural to see the dinosaurs in their natural habitat, would this really be what we would see?

Probably not. While we would encounter abundant plant life, it’s less likely we would so readily encounter the dramatic scene depicted in Zallinger’s mural.

A Mesozoic forest landscape, though quite beautiful, presents a disappointingly barren vision in comparison to The Age of Reptiles Mural. You could walk for kilometres on end without spotting a massive sauropod, if you came across one at all (Farlow et al., 2010). What’s more, on closer inspection Zallinger’s work shows a group of early amphibians, called temnospondyls, and ancient mammal-like reptiles known as pelycosaurs walking side-by-side dinosaurs. These animals didn’t inhabit the same time periods! Including them was purely artistic freedom. Zallinger’s purpose was not to achieve scientific accuracy but to excite the imagination; and for that purpose, the more creatures the better!

The focus of modern palaeo-reconstruction has shifted away from pure artistic expression and towards scientifically accurate education. Rarely today will scientific art mix-and-match organisms from different time periods and geographic locations. A more subtle form of artistic liberty is taken instead.

In conclusion, art and science converge as indispensable allies in our quest to understand and appreciate the world. There is no “one size fits all” or one correct way of creating art for science. Both art and science are part of a whole, perhaps equally as important to one another in viewing, interpreting and making sense of the world around us. Through their distinct yet complementary mediums, they illuminate the complexities of our universe and inspire curiosity and wonder. Embracing their symbiotic relationship reminds us that diversity in expression enriches our collective knowledge, offering endless opportunities to connect, learn, and evolve together.

About the authors:

Sonia Vojnovic is a third-year student studying a Bachelor of Science and Advanced Studies majoring in Biology and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at The University of Sydney (USYD). She has keen interests in the evolution of animal physiology, locomotion and vertebrate palaeontology, dance choreography, and art. She has been a volunteer with the Palaeontology Collection at the Australian Museum since June 2023.

Alex Sun has a Bachelor of Science with honours in Ecology from USYD. He has an interest in the environment, botany, palaeontology, and artistic drawings of prehistoric biology. Alex has been a volunteer with the Palaeontology Collection at the Australian Museum since January 2022.

]]>

Sydney’s famous funnel-web spider splits into three!

Helen Smith — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +1100

Reports of unusually large Sydney Funnel-web spiders from around Newcastle led an international team of scientists to take a fresh look at the Sydney Funnel-web, Atrax robustus. Expecting one new species, they instead ended up splitting the species into three!

Big, with a glossy black or dark brown carapace, these iconic spiders are simultaneously feared and revered. The venom of male Sydney Funnel-webs can kill an adult, and thirteen deaths have been attributed to this species between 1927 and the early 1980s. Then life-saving antivenom was introduced and there have been no deaths since.

Reopening the case

Former Australian Museum scientist and funnel-web expert, Dr Mike Gray was aware that the Sydney Funnel-web was quite a variable species, including some giant specimens found in the Newcastle area, but it was difficult to pin down whether this variation meant anything and when he redescribed the species in 2010 Dr Gray decided to keep it as one. But when our international team of researchers from the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change in Hamburg, Germany (LIB), the Australian Museum and University of Sydney in Sydney, and Flinders University in Adelaide ‘reopened the case’ on the Sydney Funnel-web, we looked at gene sequences in combination with fine morphological details from specimens across the region and we found the species split into three distinct groups. This gave us the information we needed to understand which characters allowed us to tell them apart. We have now characterised these three and designated each as a separate species. But if we have three species, are they all just as dangerous? And does the same antivenom work?

The good news is that the current antivenom is already effective against a wide variety of funnel-web spider bites, not just our Sydney funnel-webs, but also other related species that can cause serious envenomation in eastern Australia. Our new findings may help to make the antivenom even better. Each species is likely to have a different composition of venom peptides and now we have recognised the three species, venom researchers will be able to characterise the venom of each one separately. This is a pivotal opportunity for scientists to gain new understanding of these venoms and in the future, it may allow ‘fine tuning’ of antivenom production.

Where are they found?

So where are our three species found? Starting with the ‘true’ Sydney Funnel-web, Atrax robustus, we first had to know which of the three this name belonged to. The reference, or type, specimen — the ‘name-bearer’ for this species — is a female spider stored in the Natural History Museum in London. Our team were allowed to dissect this unique specimen so we could match it to our newly examined and genotyped specimens based on fine internal details. Now we can say that Atrax robustus occurs from the Central Coast south to the Georges River, extending as far west as Baulkham Hills near the southern end of its distribution. Although a few records are also known from the Blue Mountains and Wollongong, the heartland for the Sydney Funnel-web’s distribution really is where we always thought, in the leafy northern suburbs of Sydney — no name change there thankfully!

Next is the Southern Sydney Funnel-web, Atrax montanus. This species was described in 1914 but was later considered to be the same species as Atrax robustus. The distribution does overlap with A. robustus and the two species look extremely similar, explaining why genetics backed up with fine internal details were needed to sort out which is which. This species co-occurs with the Sydney Funnel-web in some areas but overall has a much wider distribution, from the Watagans south west of Newcastle south to Bowral in the Southern Highlands and west to the upper Blue Mountains.

The rarest of the split species has never had a scientific name before, the Newcastle Funnel-web, Atrax christenseni. You may recall some news stories of ‘giant’ Sydney Funnel-web spiders handed in to the Australian Reptile Park for the venom milking program. Well, those so called “Big Boys” are this new species. The Newcastle Funnel-web seems to be restricted to an area within about 25 km of the City of Newcastle, 110 km to the north of Sydney. Unlike the other two species, male A. christenseni spiders can be distinguished with a good photograph by the extra-long male mating organs, or pedipalps. The species is named in honour of Kane Christensen for his dedication to documenting aspects of funnel-web behaviour and collecting specimens for our study.

We infer from distribution data that each of these three Atrax species has been associated with serious envenomation in the past—and the currently produced antivenom works for an even wider variety of funnel-web spiders than these three species. Importantly, there is no change to the first aid message — if you think you may have been bitten by a funnel-web spider it is a potential medical emergency — do your first aid and urgently seek medical attention. The need to collect male spiders for antivenom milking at the Australian Reptile Park has not changed — if you know you can safely collect, please carry on as before! Locality data for any funnel-webs was always important and has just got a lot more so.

Our icon has been silently declining

While the safety messaging surrounding funnel-web spiders has not changed, our research has also uncovered a worrying reduction in the range of the iconic ‘real’ Sydney Funnel-web that is strongly linked to loss of habitat. Densely populated areas of Sydney where our museum records show there used to be funnel-webs are now curiously devoid of recent records. Widespread decline is almost certain, and local extinction of some populations is highly likely. Citizen scientists on iNaturalist and amateur spider experts have done superb work in recording exciting creatures like funnel-web spiders. Intriguingly, those records now show significant blank areas when compared with the maps that include historical Australian Museum specimens in our paper.

Illegal trafficking

The new Newcastle Funnel-web may also be of conservation concern. There is a huge and largely unregulated trade in Australian invertebrates. The Newcastle Funnel-web is a relatively large species, newly described and has a restricted distribution — just what unscrupulous collectors might target. For this reason, we have avoided giving detailed data for collecting sites in our paper.

Why worry about decline in funnel-webs? Why not be glad that there are fewer, possibly lethal, creatures? Funnel-webs are amazing creatures whose ancestors have been around for millions of years — far longer than humans, or even human-like apes have graced the planet. Do a bunch of settlers from overseas, unwittingly setting up their major township in the epicentre of the distribution of the deadliest spiders on earth, really want to destroy these extraordinary species?!

Seriously though, funnel-web spiders are an important part of our ecosystem. They are both predators and prey, little cogs in that complex machine of life that we still don’t fully understand. It is easy to avoid being bitten, and the invention of antivenom that has prevented deaths since its invention is a proud achievement. Millions of Sydneysiders enjoy seeing wildlife in their gardens and in the bush, including the exhilaration of observing a potentially deadly spider from a safe distance. We can celebrate that we can thrive whilst living alongside our notorious but thrilling spider neighbours. Cool!

Funnel-web spiders factsheet
Sydney Funnel-web spider factsheet
Southern Sydney Funnel-web Spider factsheet
Newcastle Funnel-web Spider factsheet
Gray, M. 2010. A revision of the Australian funnel-web spiders (Hexathelidae: Atracinae). Records of the Australian Museum 62: 285-392. D.o.i. 10.3853/j.0067-1975.62.2010.1556
Loria, S.F., Frank, SC., Dupérré, N. et al. The world’s most venomous spider is a species complex: systematics of the Sydney funnel-web spider (Atracidae: Atrax robustus). BMC Ecol Evo 25, 7 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-024-02332-0

Drs Danilo Harms and Bruno Buzatto are indebted to National Geographic Society who generously provided an Exploration Grant that enabled this research. Dr Buzatto also thanks the Australian Geographic Society for sponsoring some of the field work and Dr Harms the Australian Museum for a Research Institute Visiting Research Fellowship that allowed for collections and field work.
Lead author, Dr Stephanie Loria was supported by the German Science Foundation.
Thank you to Kane Christensen for his part in collecting and informing the team, Dr Matt Shaw for facilitating identification of the type of Atrax montanus and Cynthia Chan, Harry Leung and the late Ron Lovatt for assisting with photography of this same specimen.

]]>

Searching for snails across the Pacific, part 1: Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Dr Isabel Hyman — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +1100

After years of studying snails on Australia’s Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island, Drs Isabel Hyman and Frank Köhler began to cast their net wider in search of closely related species.

Since 2019, we have been studying the land snail radiations on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. These two islands are hotspots of land snail diversity in Australia, with endemic radiations of more than 120 species between them, representing 11 families. For some families, such as the Charopidae (pinwheel snails), there are clear connections to Australia and New Zealand. However, other families such as the Microcystidae (glass snails) have no close relatives in Australia, New Zealand or New Caledonia. This led us to ponder: where did these groups originate, and where are their nearest relatives? After receiving funding from the Australia and Pacific Science Foundation, we embarked on a series of field trips across the Pacific to try to answer these questions. Here is the first in a series of blogs about our experiences.

Our first destination was Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. This far-flung archipelago lies in the South Pacific Ocean, about 2,300 km east of Fiji and 3,000 northeast of New Zealand. Rarotonga is the largest and most heavily populated island in the archipelago. The populated areas are all along the coastline of the circular island while the inner part, which is made up of a series of very tall peaks, still retains its natural vegetation.

We began our trip with a visit to Gerald McCormack, the founding Director of the Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust. He has a detailed, encyclopaedic knowledge of the local flora and fauna, and designed and populates the Cook Islands Biodiversity and Ethnobiology Database which includes 4,500 Cook Island plant and animal species. One of our endeavours would be to confirm species identifications and provide live images for the database, thus providing taxonomic support for the community in our areas of expertise.

Gerald started by taking us to see some species found within the settled area, living in the storm-deposited coral sand and rubble. One of the species is known locally as the pūpū, and is very important to the community because it forms the basis of traditional craft, being made into necklaces. He also provided us with maps and directions for the more rugged walks we were to undertake.

The rest of our trip was filled with days collecting snails through the lush, green interior of the island (with occasional interludes of marine collecting with our colleague Bruce Jenkins), including intrepid climbs to high mountain peaks topped with cloud forest – of which there are several! – with stunning views. All in all, we found 37 different land snail species, including several species of glass snails (microcystids) – which was of great interest to us, since this is a dominant group on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.

Gerald’s database listed the presence of four microcystid genera on Rarotonga: Lamprocystis, Diastole, Liardetia and the introduced Kororia. Previous surveys had indicated that there were several undescribed Lamprocystis species present on the island, all found on the highest peaks, as well as some already described lowland species. In the genus Diastole there was a single widespread species reported, Diastole conula. We found considerably less abundance and diversity than expected, leading us to wonder if there could be a seasonal nature to the presence of this endemic group, or whether it had suffered any impacts causing recent decline. We hope to carry out a repeat survey in the future to check on the status of the glass snails.

However, we did find widespread species Liardetia samoensis and Diastole conula (pictured), as well as a hitherto unrecorded, undescribed second species of Diastole. We also found Lamprocystis globosa and two undescribed species of Lamprocystis on the mountain summits of Te Ko’u (588 m) and Te Manga (658 m). The most common glass snail found was the introduced Kororia palaensis.

So, did any of these turn out to be closely related to our Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island micrcocystids? Of all the Rarotonga groups, the genus Diastole is the closest relative to the Australian island taxa. However, for now the jury is still out until we have completed our Pacific Island sampling – so watch out for the next instalment!

Dr Isabel Hyman, Research Scientist, Malacology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Acknowledgements

Funding for this project was provided by the Australia and Pacific Science Foundation and by a private donation from Bruce Jenkins. We would like to thank Gerald McCormack, Kirby Morejohn and Bruce Jenkins for their support on Rarotonga.

]]>

More than just pretty shells: AMRI researchers study diverse family of gastropods

Dr Anders Hallan, Ian Mattiske, Dr Frank Köhler — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Volutes are a family of shelled molluscs, comprising some of the largest of all gastropods. They are, arguably, more diverse and spectacular in Australia than anywhere else. However, much remains unknown about this enigmatic family. AMRI researchers are now addressing this knowledge gap by conducting the largest study on volutes to date.

At some point around the middle of the eighteenth century, one of the most celebrated naturalists of all time – Carl von Linnaeus – inspected a seashell. Having devised a binomial system to name Earth’s multitude of life forms, yet to be published in his famous work Systema Naturae in 1758, he needed two names – one for genus and one for species. Holding the shell up to the light, he would have noticed its intricate, mysterious pattern – one almost appearing more hieroglyphic than natural, with its numerous motifs of lines and curves, dots and rectangles. The name he chose, Voluta musica, perfectly captured the nature of the object before him – its fine, repetitious pattern appeared as sheet music. Although, one not penned by humans, but meticulously adorned by the animal inside the shell.

In the early years of the following century, the Australian volute Amoria undulata was named in a similar fashion, its name describing an undulating and remarkably symmetrical shell pattern. Later, another naturalist named a species Ericusa fulgetrum, the latter word Latin for lightning. It would seem that already centuries ago, volutes held an intriguing power in their manifold, striking markings. Add to those their often large, glossy shells, and it would not take long before they became eminently collectible, highly coveted items.

In the latter half of the 20th century, a man of extraordinary wealth and notoriety – the American John du Pont – was also captivated by these remarkable seashells. Back then, one of the rarest of all volutes was Cymbiola perplicata – a species so scarce that it was known from only three specimens, all purchased in Cairns in 1901 by the Australian Museum curator Charles Hedley. In the nearly seven decades to follow, no more examples of this intriguing species had surfaced, something du Pont was determined to rectify. In 1968, he mounted an audacious expedition along the coast of Queensland in search of C. perplicata – such was the allure this rare shell held to him. Alas, he returned from the endeavour empty-handed.

Australia hosts about a quarter of the world’s volute diversity, several of which are considered among the most exquisite of them all. However, there is more to volutes than their impressive shells; because their larvae typically cannot swim, but rather settle directly on the seafloor immediately after hatching, they are unable to effectively disperse. Subsequently, they readily become genetically isolated, resulting in restricted distributions and, typically, a high degree of endemism. For example, in Australia, most genera and nearly all species occur only here. As such, they form a unique and important part of our shared natural history.

Volutes are part of the order Neogastropoda, a remarkably diverse group of predatory molluscs that includes well-known families commonly known as cone snails, murex, whelks and auger shells. In recent years, many of these have become increasingly well understood in terms of their systematics, anatomy, diet, and, in some cases, their venom. However, this is not the case for volutes – remaining comparatively poorly known in terms of their evolution, most of their classification is derived from their shells. Relatively few species have been studied anatomically, and only a handful feature in genetic studies. That is, until now.

Researchers at the Australian Museum Research Institute are now conducting a major study on this fascinating family. Integrating phylogenomics (the study of how different groups relate to each other using whole or partial genomes), shell morphology and fossil history, the aim is to better understand their evolutionary relationships and to improve their classification. A particular focus will be given to Australian groups, where study will also be dedicated to better understanding species and subspecies boundaries, their morphological features (including their radulae, or ‘teeth’), as well as geographical distributions.

This is important for several reasons; firstly, the restricted distributions of many volutes render them vulnerable to conservation issues resulting from ocean acidification and other challenges relating to climate change, habitat degradation, and in some cases, overharvesting. Improved knowledge of species boundaries and distributions will enable targeted conservation measures. Enhanced systematics will facilitate study relating to their toxins and other features, as particular lineages of special interest can be more confidently identified. This will also help elucidate how the family has diversified, in turn contributing to the growing body of evidence regarding how neogastropods – the order to which volutes belong – have become so diverse and successful in evolutionary terms.

With this study, we aim to look beyond the pretty shells of volutes and arrive at new insights about the evolution of this compelling family of gastropods. Yet, their intricate patterns may remain undeciphered – for now.

Authors:

Anders Hallan, Research Associate, AMRI

Ian Mattiske, Research Associate, AMRI

Frank Köhler, Senior Principal Research Associate, AMRI

]]>

Sally Hurst reflects on her time as a Superstar of STEM

Sally Hurst — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Sally Hurst is a Casual Education Presenter at the Australian Musuem. She is also a palaeontologist, researcher, science communicator, and recent graduate of the Superstars of STEM program. In this blog, she shares what she has learned through the program and explains why it is so important for rural kids to have role models in STEM to look up to.

“So, why didn’t you become one?”

This is a conversation I often have with people when I tell them I am a palaeontologist - yes, I do get to dig up dinosaurs and research fossils as part of my job! I’m often the first palaeontologist people have ever met, and this may contribute to why so many people who loved dinosaurs as children never pursued palaeontology as a career.

Whether your passion was for dinosaurs, space, engineering, or a different field of science, it’s hard to be what you can’t see.

The Superstars of STEM program is trying to change this.

Run by Science and Technology Australia, this program selects 60 female and non-binary scientists from around Australia to create a cohort of role models to inspire the next generation of scientists.

In 2022, I was chosen as one of the Superstars of STEM. Coming from a small country town, I had never met a real scientist until I moved to Sydney and started university. Being part of this program was special, because it helped me change that for others.

At the end of November 2024, our two-year tenure ended with a gathering of Superstars in Melbourne for a celebration of all that we have achieved.

So, how is the program helping to elevate our visibility as scientists and inspire others?

The 60 scientists within our Superstars cohort ranged from experts in industry and experienced science communicators, to professors and pioneers in science across a huge range of fields. The support and wisdom available within this group has been a major highlight, with our massive group chat being the best source to find an expert comment on every question from “what is this bug I found in my backyard?” to “how can I improve this grant proposal to fund my next dinosaur dig?”

Increasing visibility

A major part of this program was to provide the Superstars with media training, teaching us how to pitch our research and science to every kind of audience - from politicians, to kindergarteners, and everyone in between.

This ability to change our content to suit every occasion has meant that during the program I’ve been booked for everything from conference keynotes to gigs at Sydney Comedy Festival. Using the skills from this program to share my research from the Found a Fossil Project, I was able to work with the ABC Science team to talk about what to do if you find a fossil.

Mentoring with whale scientist, Dr Vanessa Pirotta

Whale science and palaeontology are both male dominated and involve navigating research and imposter syndrome while trying to balance many different commitments. Having the incredible Dr Vanessa Pirotta by my side to provide insights into these tricky parts of the job has shown me that the need for role models doesn’t stop after we finish school, and having continued support in science can make all the difference in creating a sustainable and fun career.

Connecting with students

One of the challenges we are set within the Superstars of STEM program is to go and speak to at least five high schools, preferably from rural areas, to give students exposure to STEM careers and show a pathway that they could one day follow. Working in both the Australian Museum’s Education team, and with the Future Students team at Macquarie University, I had many opportunities to connect with students and talk about my journey. However, I still wanted to connect with rural students, who couldn’t make it to the city or a museum.

It was through the Superstars of STEM program that I had the confidence to build my own outreach and public speaking business. I would go to the schools if they couldn’t come to me.

Throughout 2023 and 2024, across all my workplace and school interactions, both online and in-person, I’ve been able to speak to 4482 students (and counting!) from 306 different schools, across 9 different countries.

Even though my time in the program has drawn to a close, the collaborations, networks and support that Superstars in STEM has provided will continue into the future. For me, to become the role model in STEM that I never had growing up is one my proudest achievements. The next Superstars of STEM cohort has now been announced. You can't be what you can't see, so make sure you check them out!

]]>

Go where no one has gone before – help us document frogs in the Northern Wheatbelt of New South Wales

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +1100

The frogs of the Northern Wheatbelt of New South Wales are poorly sampled. We need your help to document frogs and fill in data gaps so we created a priority map to highlight areas where your FrogID recordings will make the biggest difference to our understanding of frogs!

The Northern Wheatbelt of New South Wales is shrouded in mystery when it comes to frogs. Large parts of the region have no documented frog records. If we divide the region into equal-sized 100 km2 (10 km x 10 km) grid cells, more than half of the grid cells have no official frog records from FrogID or any other scientific database. It’s completely unchartered territory! Does that mean there are no frogs in these areas? According to the Australian Frog Atlas, there are likely to be between 23 and 30 frog species in the region. More than likely, frogs are present across most of the region, they just haven’t been recorded.

If we don’t know which species are there, we can’t protect them, and they will continue to be overlooked in land management decisions.

We need your help!

We will be undertaking scientific surveys across the region, but we can’t survey everywhere at once. Some of the region is semi-arid and inhabited by burrowing frogs that only emerge from underground to breed after rain and floods. There’s a narrow window of opportunity, so we need your help to record frog calls when their post-rain breeding efforts begin!

If you’re a local or travelling through or visiting the area, please record the frogs you hear using the Australian Museum’s free FrogID app on your smartphone. With each recording, we can gather important information about which species are present, helping us to refine their geographic distributions, study species diversity, understand the impact of land use on frogs, and identify areas of high conservation value. With more data, we will be much better placed to make conservation decisions that will have a genuine, positive impact on the local frog species.

Every recording in the region will go a long way in helping us achieve this, but if you want to take it a step further and collect the most impactful data, we have created a map of priority areas. Record in grid cells with the highest priority score to maximise the value of your recordings. Highest priority areas are coloured yellow. Recordings from within these grid cells have the greatest potential to contribute to our understanding of the region’s frogs. Refer to the section below for tips on how to use the priority map.

We are particularly interested in recordings from the local government areas (LGAs) of Bogan, Moree Plains and Walgett, from areas with no or few existing records, from sites that are less regularly sampled, haven’t been sampled in a long time, or are far away from sampled areas. The priority values reflect these characteristics.

We will be updating the map on a fortnightly basis with new priority values for each grid cell as sampling priority changes over time. Click here to view the latest priority map. Together, we can gather high-quality data to better understand and inform the conservation of frogs on the Northern Wheatbelt.

How to use the priority map

Each grid cell is coloured according to its priority value. Priority values range from 0 (lowest priority, coloured purple) to 100 (highest priority, coloured yellow).

Zoom in and pan across the map to view locations and their corresponding grid cells in more detail.
Hover over or click on a grid cell to view statistics for that grid cell (including the priority value, number of calls submitted, number of verified frogs, and number of frog species).
To filter grid cells based on priority, tick/untick the corresponding box on the right-hand side of the map. We have grouped grid cells into one of five priority categories: low (priority value of 0–20), medium (>20–40), high (>40–60), very high (>60–80), or highest (>80–100).
To show/hide the boundaries of the priority LGAs, tick/untick the “Priority LGAs” box on the right-hand side of the map. When this box is ticked, you can hover over or click on an LGA to view statistics for that LGA.
To switch between light map, OpenStreetMap and satellite imagery, click on the corresponding option on the right-hand side of the map.

Knife-footed Frog (Cyclorana cultripes) calling after rain. ©Gracie Liu

Dr Gracie Liu

Scientific Officer, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water for supporting for this project.

A chorus of frogs in the Northern Wheatbelt. ©Gracie Liu

]]>

The powerful force behind life on earth

Ranuka Tandan — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Who Iestyn R., St John’s Anglican College, QLD

What An amazing explanation of proton-proton fusion process that occurs in the sun’s core. We asked the creator of Fusion: The Heart of the Sun and winner of the University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Secondary about the process of creating his film, and why he keeps coming back to the Eureka Prizes year after year.

Winner of the 2024 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Secondary.

You set out to show how the Sun produces enormous amount of energy. What did you uncover?

While researching for my Sleek Geeks topic, Proton-Proton Fusion in the Sun, I uncovered how the Sun converts hydrogen to helium to create the energy that supports life on Earth. Secondly, I discovered the conditions required to allow these fusion reactions in its core to occur, such as immense temperature and pressure.

What sparked your interest in this topic?

I am interested in all things science, but fusion energy has been one of my passion areas for a long time now, so I decided to make a film on the largest fusion reactor in the Solar System, the Sun. I also made this video because I believe that fusion energy is the solution to the clean energy problem here on Earth.

What was the most interesting thing that you learnt during your research?

The most interesting thing that I learnt during the research process for this film is that the Sun converts some of its own mass into energy during the fusion process, and this energy produced by fusion holds up the star and prevents it from collapsing.

What did you enjoy most about the film-making process?

The thing I most enjoyed about the filmmaking process was creating my own illustrations to use in the video. They may not be as polished as some that you can find on the internet, but I am improving every time, and it is a very rewarding experience.

Why did you decide to enter the University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize?

This is actually the third time that I have entered the Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize, and I have continued submitting my films as I believe that I want to pursue science communication as a potential future career and find it a very enjoyable and fulfilling experience. To those who have thought about entering but don’t know where to start, just find a topic that you are passionate about, research it, and just give it a go. I guarantee that you will learn something, have a great time doing it, and you might just surprise yourself!

Sponsored by the University of Sydney, the Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize encourages students to communicate a scientific concept in a short film. It is intended to support budding young scientists across the nation, who will be our future leaders in research, discovery and communication.

]]>

A repository of biodiversity information

Ranuka Tandan — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +1100

How the Australian Museum’s collection underpins vital scientific research and informs solutions in the aftermath of the 2019-2020 megafires.

After the 2019-2020 megafires, scientists from the Australian Museum Research Institute were some of the first to return to the bush to face the aftermath, with biodiversity loss front of mind. These bushfires prompted a major investment into biodiversity monitoring across the country.

Biodiversity impact of the 2019-2020 megafires, published in Nature last week, is the outcome of many different research projects, synthesised to find broad trends and outliers across groups of organisms. The expansive taxonomic, ecological and geographic scope of this study enabled deeper exploration of how biodiversity responds to fire than has been possible previously.

Fire is not an unknown variable across the continent; many Australian plants and animals can deal with bushfires and have adapted over millennia to do so. However, the outcome of this collaborative paper shows that the biggest difference between historical and current bushfires on biodiversity loss was their extent and intensity. The research paper attempted to show how these fires impacted different organisms.

Led by Don A. Driscoll from Deakin University, supported by Dr Chris Reid, Dr Frank Köhler, Junn Kitt Foon and Dr Ryan Shofner from the Australian Museum Research Institute, and involving collaboration with a multidisciplinary group of researchers from all over the country, this new research has provided an unparalleled opportunity to quantify how megafires affect biodiversity and how we can minimise their disastrous effects in the future.

Of the 2000 taxa surveyed in the paper, AMRI scientists contributed data for 134 land snail and slug species, and 43 beetle species.

As the holders of Australia’s oldest historical biodiversity data, museums are an important repository of biodiversity information, and at the forefront of tracking change over time. The Australian Museum holds over 22 million specimens, the largest collection in the Southern Hemisphere, and as Australia’s oldest museum, has been collecting data for more than 190 years.

In the 1990s, the Australian Museum was involved in extensive surveys of the invertebrates of NSW forests, on behalf of NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. The collections made from those surveys formed the basis for the Museum's post-fire surveys. These post-fire surveys were funded by the Federal Government through the University of New South Wales.

The impact of the 2019-2020 fires on biodiversity was on a scale not seen since records have been kept. The 2019-2020 megafires burnt 10.3 million hectares of bushland, including the largest documented area ever burnt at high severity. This paper reveals that the largest negative effects on plants and animals were in areas with frequent or recent past fires and within extensively burnt areas. Areas burnt at high severity, outside protected areas or under extreme drought were also badly affected.

AMRI scientists have been researching the smallest creatures to determine the largest biodiversity impacts of megafires. Invertebrate taxa like beetles and snails make up 75% of terrestrial species, and the trends identified from studying them can tell a broader story about the scale of biodiversity loss and renewal across fire ravaged areas of NSW.

Concerning snails, Dr Frank Köhler and Junn Kitt Foon found that the 2019-2020 megafires greatly impacted land snail populations not only because vast numbers were killed, but also because fire forced the surviving population to contract away from uninhabitable areas.

Regarding dung beetles, Dr Chris Reid and his team found that there was significant negative impact of the fires on flightless species, most of which are confined to rainforests. But some rainforest species were not re-discovered, suggesting that the prolonged drought which led to the fires had also had an impact. Winged dung beetles are mostly found in fire prone dry forests and were not significantly affected.

Reversing anthropogenic climate change remains the clear, urgent and broad-scale solution to the overall impacts, and Australia’s Natural History Museum Directors collectively recognised this, urging the government to allocate essential funding to this as a priority, writing “The time to act is now and the nation’s natural history museums are ready to respond.”

However, there are also immediate measures which can be taken to ensure the care and maintenance of Australian biodiversity in the face of increasingly frequent megafires.

“With increasingly severe fire weather, a range of counter measures are needed, tailored to specific ecosystems,” the researchers involved in Biodiversity impact of the 2019-2020 megafires suggest. “Indigenous fire practices that place the right fire regimes into the right country, are therefore increasingly important for improving fire management for biodiversity conservation.”

AMRI’s Dr Frank Köhler adds that returning the bush to as close to its original state as possible is the best way to ensure that bushfires only burn at a level that the environment can bounce back from.

Overall, the combined research found that sites with three or more fires in the 40 years preceding 2019–2020 had negative effects that were 87–93% larger compared with sites not burnt or burnt only once over the same period. Without a substantial period of growth, renewal and time to seed, the effects of biodiversity loss are difficult to recover from. Even where prescribed backburning in Australian forests has reduced the severity of wildfire, large declines in biodiversity are still likely if past fires were recent or frequent.

Biodiversity impact of the 2019-2020 megafires is a collaboration between 126 researchers from 37 institutions, with Australian Museum biodiversity data at the centre of the historic change analysis.

]]>

Dr Mengyu Li: Quantifying the true cost of international supply chains

Ranuka Tandan — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Who Dr Mengyu Li

What Motivated by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Dr Mengyu Li’s research quantifies the true cost of global demand for services and consumer goods – for example, food and energy. Through advanced computer modelling, her work maps intricate international supply chains, revealing their toll on society and the environment, while suggesting sustainable pathways for the future.

Winner of the 2024 Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher.

What are some of the broader societal impacts of international supply chains for food and energy that people might not be aware of?

International supply chains for food and energy can lead to significant environmental degradation, such as deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions, due to transportation and production. They often exacerbate economic inequalities, with developing countries facing exploitation and dependence on imports, threatening local economies and food security.

Additionally, In the current era of global volatility, achieving energy and food security is increasingly uncertain. Climate change, extreme weather events, pandemics, and geopolitical conflicts have significant impacts on both the supply and demand of energy and food, causing significant disruptions in international fuel and food supply chains.

Can you tell us a bit about the advanced computer modelling you use to quantify the true cost of global demand for services and consumer goods?

My work leverages high-performance computing (HPC) and terabyte-sized databases to navigate the complexity of the world’s international trade network. For example, my research produced the first comprehensive global estimate of the carbon footprint of food miles. In comparison with previous studies that only take into account food-miles emissions resulting directly from food suppliers, my results capture the entire global supply-chain system.

I am able to project my work into the future, for example by running simulations of low-carbon power grids, or novel climate mitigation pathways involving stagnating or contracting economies.

I am able to quantify how future production and consumption is at risk from climate-change-related disasters, and how we can hedge against these risks and make our economies more resilient.

Your work is not just highlighting the issues in global supply chains, but also suggesting more sustainable pathways for the future. Can you share some of your key suggestions?

I modified major existing future scenario modelling approaches for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to enable assessment of a stagnating or even contracting (“de-growing”) economy embracing equitable downscaling of energy and resource flows, with a concomitant reduction of GDP.

Through my new scenarios, I demonstrate that technologically driven climate change mitigation pathways have not been sufficient for rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and that the rollout of renewable energy and carbon dioxide removal must be complemented by a radical societal restructuring towards sufficiency lifestyles. This approach, often framed under the theme of degrowth, promises significant emissions reductions while enhancing overall well-being.

Has your work revealed anything surprising or unexpected?

One of the unexpected findings is that prioritising economic growth can actually undermine effective climate action; this emphasis may exacerbate environmental challenges instead of addressing them. The potential for degrowth principles to improve well-being while achieving significant emissions reductions suggests that societal shifts toward sufficiency may be both attainable and essential for creating a sustainable future.

What are some of the larger impacts you hope to see from your work in the future?

I hope to see significant policy transformations that prioritise degrowth principles, leading to more sustainable production and consumption patterns and improved well-being. By supporting the update of data underlying the UN’s Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) and Global Footprint Tool online platform, I envision fostering global collaboration that addresses the interconnected challenges of climate change, food security, and social equity, resulting in resilient communities and ecosystems worldwide. .

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

Winning a Eureka Prize provides vital visibility for my work aimed at addressing the exploitation and degradation of our natural environment, ultimately driving more impactful change for a sustainable future.

]]>

Dr Jiao Jiao Li: leading transdisciplinary research in regenerative medicine

Ranuka Tandan — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Who Dr Jiao Jiao Li

What Motivated by the belief that everyone is entitled to healthy ageing, Dr Jiao Jiao Li leads transdisciplinary research in regenerative medicine to find new treatments for bone and joint diseases, turning medical discoveries into new therapies for patients. She is also a leader and enabler in STEM engagement and career building for others, particularly under-represented groups.

Winner of the 2024 Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science.

You lead transdisciplinary research in regenerative medicine to find new treatments for bone and joint diseases. What led you to this research focus?

My training as a biomedical engineer has really allowed me to work across disciplines, from cell and molecular biology to materials science and nanotechnology. My entry point into tissue engineering and regenerative medicine was my Honours project, where I was growing little pieces of bone out of bioceramic materials. From that point onwards I was fascinated about what I could create in the lab and how this could actually lead to real-world applications to help people.

The focus on bone and joint diseases came naturally, as I was working on regenerating musculoskeletal tissues over my Honours and PhD. But over the years I have increasingly appreciated the devastating impacts of these diseases on people, including my own family. Musculoskeletal research is underrepresented in Australia, possibly because they are not viewed as ‘life threatening’, but their impacts on quality of life and our economy and healthcare systems are enormous. I really hope that through my research, I can draw more attention to these debilitating diseases and help more people age healthily without pain.

Has your research revealed anything surprising or unexpected?

One of my recent projects on stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis actually disproved our initial hypothesis. We tried growing stem cells and cells from patients with osteoarthritis together in the same environment, and investigated how they would respond to each other. To our surprise, the stem cells only had short-acting beneficial effects on the diseased osteoarthritis cells. Meanwhile, the diseased cells caused the stem cells to pick up some osteoarthritis-like characteristics and reduced the therapeutic function of stem cells. Our study showed that stem cells can become negatively influenced by the diseased environment in osteoarthritis, implying that despite their increasing popularity, stem cell injections may not be an optimal solution for osteoarthritis.

This became my favourite project in recent years because as a scientist, I learnt first-hand that it is important to acknowledge seemingly ‘negative’ results even if they make you feel like the study has failed, as these findings can still bring significant value. This study was the reason why we embarked on a new idea of exploring the nanoscale derivatives of stem cells (their extracellular vesicles) as innovative therapeutics for osteoarthritis instead of the cells themselves.

What motivates you to support under-represented groups to build their careers in STEM alongside your day-to-day research?

Growing up, I used to experience a lot of ‘imposter syndrome’ because of my gender and cultural background. As a female Chinese-Australian, I faced a lot of internal and external barriers in putting myself out there, all the time feeling undeserving of my achievements. In the field of engineering, there were also not a lot of people in senior leadership positions who looked like me, which did not help with my self-esteem. I was fortunate to have been on the Superstars of STEM program, which was when I started learning how to break down these barriers, and to support others in doing the same. I firmly believe that diversity gives rise to innovation, and that the prosperity of our STEM sector relies on having a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative culture. It is really rewarding to be working with different people and younger people towards building a future environment where everyone can feel empowered to achieve their potential.

What are the most challenging aspects of your work?

The most challenging but also fun aspect of my work is to ‘speak the language’ of all the different people I communicate with. In my research program, I work with people across disciplines, requiring different sets of knowledge and skills to collaborate and communicate effectively. Outside research, I work with people from education, health, professional leadership, and the community. It is challenging but fun to learn how to ‘speak their language’ and to better understand their needs and priorities, to reach our common goal of advancing science.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

I am still coming to terms with the fact that this is real, as I did not think it was possible. While I am immensely grateful for this recognition, I want to use this experience to encourage my peers to keep breaking down barriers and shooting for the stars. I am also thankful of the wider avenues that the prize has opened for me in reaching more people and diverse groups in our society to engage with, contribute to, and celebrate science.

]]>

Professor Euan Ritchie: Promoting understanding of science

Ranuka Tandan — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Who Professor Euan Ritchie

What In the face of dual climate change and extinction crises, Professor Euan Ritchie is a sought-after voice. From writing popular articles and influential opinion pieces, live-tweeting field research and creating the much-loved ‘Australian Mammal of The Year’ competition, he guides policy and fosters public understanding of nature, wildlife and how science can help overcome environmental challenges.

Winner of the 2024 Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science.

I’ve always seen teaching, research, and science communication as equally important and inextricably linked. As a scientist I want to make sure that my work, and that of my research group, colleagues, and more broadly, fields of ecology and conservation, is accessible, relevant, and useful, across society. I therefore invest my time in all of these important activities, but in a flexible manner. Sometimes teaching or research have to be my priorities, but at other times my schedule allows for more focus on science communication and public outreach, such as during Australian Mammal of the Year 2022 and 2023.

Did you set out to focus on promoting understanding of science when you began your career, or did this come about more organically?

This has increased substantially from my PhD and throughout my career. As a young researcher, ‘publish or perish’ felt like a constant pressure. But as I now have the privilege of being tenured and a senior academic, I’ve come to appreciate that more and more publications alone are not what will lead to better outcomes for the environment and wildlife, which is ultimately what drives me. Connecting with people, and sparking important conversations are crucial, especially given the dual biodiversity decline and extinction and climate change crises we confront.

What outcomes are you most proud of from your work to date?

Australian Mammal of the Year 2022 and 2023, now thousands of Aussies know about mammals that many had never heard of before, including the two winners, the southern bent-wing and golden-tipped bats! I also played a part in inspiring children’s author and artist, Sarah Allen, to write children’s books about wildlife, after she heard me talking about extinction on ABC’s Late Night Live.

What are some of the larger impacts you hope to see from your work in the future?

I hope Australians gain a greater understanding of the extraordinary plants, animals, and other species we share this continent with. I hope this translates to governments genuinely prioritising biodiversity conservation and investing what’s required so that future generations can be inspired by, amazed, and enjoy all of nature’s many benefits. If anyone has access to a Tardis, I’d love to be able to come back and see whether we achieve this!

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

Too much to merely express in words. It’s a huge honour, and especially as Australia is lucky to have a large number of excellent science communicators. It’s great to see science communication recognised in these highly prestigious national science awards. This recognition is also shared by my family, friends, colleagues, and students, all of whom have supported my career and work, thank you!

]]>

The Energy in Everyday Things

Ranuka Tandan — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Who Ayra A., Mascot Public School, NSW

What A fun and accessible film about the energy all around us. In The Energy in Everyday Things, seven-year-old Ayra explores complex energy concepts, including chemical, kinetic and gravitational potential, while encouraging everyone to be mindful of their energy use.

Runner-up in the 2024 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Primary.

Congratulations on being selected as one of two runners up in this year’s Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize! What’s been your favourite part of the journey?

Being chosen as a runner-up in the Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize has been an amazing experience. My favourite part of the journey was creating my film and discovering how energy is present in everyday life. I enjoyed finding interesting ways to share that information with others. It was thrilling to see my ideas come to life on the screen and knowing that people could watch and learn from my work was very rewarding. In the end, even my little brother knew a lot about energy. I also loved sharing it with my teachers and friends and meeting some of the most incredible scientists in Australia. This entire experience has made me even more curious about the world, and I’m excited to continue communicating science and getting creative in the future.

Your short film is about the energy in everyday things. Can you tell readers a little more about what you explored in your research?

In my film, I wanted to explore how energy is all around us, even in the simplest things we do every day. I investigated different types of energy, such as how the sun provides us with light and warmth, and how the food we eat gives us the energy to play and learn. I also looked into how electricity powers things like lights and appliances, and how it can be generated by turbines. Additionally, I discovered how our bodies use energy when we move, run, or even just smile. My goal was to show that energy is not just something we read about in science books—it’s something we can observe and experience all the time. By understanding how energy works in our daily lives, we can better appreciate its importance and the impact it has on everything we do.

Your film had so many different elements to it. How did you put them all together?

Putting everything together for my film was a big adventure, and I couldn’t have done it without my Mum. We went to different places to learn about energy—like the library to find books, museums to see big machines that use energy, and even the playground to see how energy helps us move around. I learned that energy is everywhere and can change into different forms. For example, I found out about kinetic energy and potential energy, and how they work in different ways.

My mum helped me plan every part of the film. She was with me the whole time, from coming up with ideas to filming all the scenes. She also helped me understand some tricky science stuff. When it was time to put everything together, my mum showed me how to edit the video and record my voice to explain what was happening. Seeing the finished film was so exciting, and I’m really thankful my mum helped me make it happen!

What’s the most surprising thing you learned when making your short film?

The most surprising thing I learned while making my film was how energy is always saved and changes into different forms. I found out that energy doesn’t just go away—it turns into something else. For example, when I climb up a hill, the energy from my food and muscles turns into potential energy, and then when I ride my scooter down, it changes into kinetic energy.

Before making my film, I didn’t think about how energy could change like that. It was cool to learn that sunlight can turn into electricity, and the food we eat gives us energy to play and have fun. It’s amazing to see how energy moves around and changes into different things every day. It made me realise that energy is all around us!

What was the most challenging part about the filmmaking process?

The hardest part of making my film was figuring out how to show all the different ways energy works using the toys I already had. It was tricky to plan how to show things like energy from the sun and electricity. Sometimes, it was hard to get the right shots and explain everything so that it made sense.

My mum helped a lot with this. She helped me set up the camera, find good angles, and even practice what I wanted to say. It was a lot of work, but when I saw the final film, I was so happy that all our hard work paid off!

]]>

In conversation with 2024 Sleek Geeks winner Cate

Ranuka Tandan — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Who Cate Y., PLC Sydney, NSW

What A fun, fast-paced, experimental film about Cate’s favourite snack – popcorn! In Popcorn Magic: Unlocking the Energy Within, Cate conducts a series of experiments to solve the mystery of why some corn kernels don’t pop.

Winner in the 2024 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Primary.

Congratulations on being awarded a Eureka Prize! What were you thinking as you made your way to the stage?

Thank you! I was thinking my legs felt so heavy and I hoped I wouldn’t trip on the stairs walking up to the stage and that would have been embarrassing! Then I saw Dr Karl smiling at me and I felt much better. I had lunch that day with him and he was so funny and interesting.

You explore the laws of thermodynamics to solve the mystery of why some kernels. What was the most interesting thing you learned throughout this process?

The most interesting thing I learnt was how much energy and the different types of energy that goes into making popcorn! And after many many years of eating popcorn, I finally learnt why some corn kernels don’t pop!

Your film is filled with a wonderful series of experiments. Which was your favourite to create and why?

My favourite experiment was when we had the can filled with water, and when we heated it up and boiled the water, the pressure inside, like water inside a corn kernel, made the lid explode like a kernel popping! We filmed it in slow motion to watch that moment the lid flew off and made sure we recorded the sound it made too, which was awesome.

What did you enjoy most about making your film?

What I enjoyed the most was putting it all together - the short clips, animating the drawings, adding the sounds and stickers. And then it was really satisfying to see the final film.

What did you find the most challenging?

I think keeping it under 2 minutes was most challenging because after you have filmed so many clips and added all the special effects, it becomes hard to decide the favourite scenes to keep.

]]>

Leading efforts to improve early detection of melanoma

Ranuka Tandan — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Who Eureka Prize winners from the ACRF Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis.

What With more than 18,000 cases of melanoma diagnosed annually in Australia, the ACRF Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis leads efforts to improve early detection and build a national targeted melanoma screening program. Drawing from a multidisciplinary team, they utilise AI-assisted 3D imaging technologies to conduct the world's largest preventive melanoma study.

Winner of the 2024 Aspire Scholarship Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research.

How can AI improve assisted imaging technologies?

AI for early melanoma detection is still in the early stages of research, but it's showing promising potential. Current AI technologies we are testing are primarily focused on improving accuracy in identifying suspicious skin lesions and differentiating between benign and malignant ones. Although progress is being made, there is still much to be learned about optimising AI algorithms and integrating them effectively into clinical practice. As research advances, we expect AI to become a more reliable tool in melanoma early detection to assist clinicians, leading to faster and more accurate diagnoses. Our studies will refine these technologies and ensure their effectiveness before roll-out in in real-world settings.

Your team has conducted the world’s largest preventative melanoma study. How did this come about, and can you tell us a little bit about its impact?

The ACRF Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis (ACEMID) was launched in 2018 by an infrastructure grant from the Australian Cancer Research Foundation. Since then, we have established 15 3D total body skin imaging sites in a telemedicine research network spanning metropolitan and regional areas of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Led by the University of Queensland with University of Sydney and Monash University, ACEMID partners with hospital and health service sites, eHealth entities, research institutions, and consumer groups.

From that base ACEMID is recruiting the world’s largest melanoma cohort study: 15,000 individuals over three years with low, average or high risk of melanoma. We are collecting imaging, survey, clinical, biological (such as saliva and tissue), and histopathological data. The study is providing a unique and detailed dataset from a real-world group of people in Australia. It is providing valuable insights into effective early detection measures and will help provide the evidence base for developing a national, targeted melanoma screening program in Australia.

This research has been so successful because of its interdisciplinary nature. Can you share with our readers the different disciplines that have been involved in this research, and what contributions they have made?

In our melanoma research, the saying "it takes a village" rings particularly true. This research has thrived due to the collaboration of diverse disciplines including dermatology, oncology, data science, medical imaging, artificial intelligence, information technology, public health, genetics, proteomics, health economics, statistics and epidemiology among others. For example, dermatologists provide expertise in skin cancer diagnosis and treatment, while artificial intelligence and data scientists develop and refine algorithms for imaging analysis. Public health experts contribute to designing and implementing the study protocols and analysing population-level impacts. Epidemiologists offer insights into risk assessments and preventive measures. Health economists analyse the cost-effectiveness of digitally driven early detection strategies, ensuring efficient resource use and understanding their economic impact on healthcare systems. Each discipline’s unique perspective and skills have been vital in advancing our understanding and management of melanoma.

What might readers find surprising about the field of melanoma research?

We were surprised by the overwhelming excitement patients have shown for 3D imaging technology. We were flooded with a high volume of participants eager to be involved in our studies. It was clear that the advanced nature of 3D total body imaging resonated deeply with patients, who appreciated the ability to visually monitor their skin health. This enthusiastic response shows how impactful 3D imaging can be in engaging patients in early detection strategies.

What are the practical benefits that the broader population might experience due to your research?

The broader population stands to benefit from our research through improved early detection and prevention of melanoma. If shown to be effective, enhanced imaging technologies and AI-assisted diagnostics may lead to quicker, more accurate diagnoses, allowing for earlier intervention and better treatment outcomes, particularly in regional areas where access to specialists is limited. Ultimately, our goal is to create a world where melanoma is eradicated, and late-stage treatment is unnecessary because we detect it early and prevent it through effective sun protection.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

Winning a Eureka Prize is a tremendous honour that recognises the hard work and dedication of our entire research team. It validates the interdisciplinary approach we’ve taken and highlights the significance of our contributions to the field of melanoma research. This accolade not only brings visibility to our work but also provides a platform to further advocate for advancements in skin cancer prevention and early detection. It inspires us to continue pushing the boundaries of science and technology and makes us proud of the positive impact our research can have on the Australian population.

]]>

Solar Superstorms

Ranuka Tandan — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Who Sophia L. and Scarlett P., Smith’s Hill High School, NSW

What The energy behind solar superstorms. In their dramatic film, Solar Superstorms, Sophia and Scarlett use dance, humour and special effects to explain the cataclysmic impacts which could be upon us if a solar superstorm were to hit Earth.

Runners-up in the 2024 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Secondary.

Your film explores the energy behind solar superstorms and the cataclysmic effects if one were to hit Earth. How did you land on this topic?

This year’s theme was Energy, and we brainstormed many ideas relating to this topic, and we eventually came down to the idea of Solar Superstorms. We thought this was very interesting as Solar Superstorms are the biggest outburst of energy and we thought we could carry out energy very well throughout the video.

In addition to being well researched, your film is visually stunning! What did you have the most fun with when you were putting the film together?

Scarlett: I really enjoyed making this movie with my best friend. I liked everything but my favourite bit was watching the sunrise, it was a very special experience that I will never forget.

Sophia: I agree, I especially loved dancing on the beach, as well as making all the stop motions and sneakily taking one or two of the lollies from it.

What’s your advice to other students thinking about entering the Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize?

Some advice is to choose a topic that you would enjoy making a video on. Also try to integrate your skills, hobbies and interests into the video. For example, we both love dancing, and we added some elements of dance into our video which was lots of fun for both of us. We would also like to tell anyone interested in this competition to give it a go and have fun. Because you never know what you might learn!

What was the most interesting thing that you learnt during your research?

Apart from learning the science behind solar superstorms, we learnt that science can be communicated through dance and other creative arts elements to help others understand the concept. We also learned many skills of filmmaking such as editing and stop motion.

What were some of the more challenging parts of film production?

While we enjoyed many aspects of making the video, including spending lots of time together, researching, dancing and acting, one of the most challenging parts was the stop motion as we had to be very patient as it took countless hours of effort. The editing of the video was difficult as well and we would like to thank our parents for supporting us in this process.

]]>

Understanding the relational nature of citizen science: Insights from FrogID

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Agential realism explains how citizen science programs like FrogID go beyond data collection. It acknowledges the interconnectedness of all entities - human and non-human - and encourages a holistic approach to biodiversity conservation based on mutual accountability.

Agential realism: A new perspective

Traditional citizen science views participants as separate from their observations (e.g. a person recording a frog), aiming for objective data collection. But a philosophical perspective called ‘agential realism’ sees all entities—humans, animals, technology—as interconnected. This interconnectedness, or "intra-action," shapes our experiences and the data we collect.

Recently, Katie Moon and colleagues used agential realism to think about what happens when people use FrogID – an app where participants record frog calls and contribute to a national database for frog conservation. With over 42,000 participants and over a million frog records, FrogID offers rich insights into citizen science's relational aspects.

Intra-action and engagement

According to agential realism, citizen science observations are influenced by how everything involved (the observer's senses, their behaviour, their technology, the environment) ‘intra-acts’. These intra-actions affect participant engagement, as we found when we interviewed people about using FrogID.

For instance, some FrogID participants deepen their engagement with the nocturnal environment and become more attuned to auditory cues, fostering a richer understanding of ecological relationships. One interviewee said, about listening for frogs:

Mattering, meaning, and what comes to matter

Agential realism challenges the idea of an observer and an observed as separate; instead, together they create what comes to ‘matter’ (because the things that get recorded are the things we paid attention to). Participants' motivations and the feedback they receive shape what data they choose to record and submit. One interviewee said:

“I think my turning point was that feedback. ...So the app itself gives you an idea of how many species it might have been. But it’s not until I got that [human validator] engagement that I really went, hey, this is an actual thing.”

Another person talked about the ‘dopamine hit’ of recording a rare frog and getting praise from validators. Social networks, family and friends, and personal well-being significantly influence engagement. FrogID participants' contributions are shaped by these interactions, affecting their identities and relationships with nature. Many reported personal benefits, such as improved mental well-being, joy, and relaxation. Participants found new purpose and connections, discovering nocturnal habitats and feeling a renewed sense of contribution and belonging.

Responsibility

Agential realism emphasises accountability for what becomes real or meaningful, including how our actions (like recording frogs) impact our understanding of nature.

In citizen science, this means participants influence data and ecological awareness, extending responsibility beyond data collection to active conservation and knowledge sharing. Some people told us about how they now do things differently on their land or in the local neighbourhood, as a result of learning more about frogs. By participating in FrogID, participants shape scientific knowledge and public awareness of biodiversity, fostering ethical and sustainable relationships with the natural world and promoting conservation practices.

Conclusion

Participants of FrogID not only gather valuable scientific data, but enrich their lives through meaningful connections, empowering them to contribute to environmental stewardship and appreciate the complexities of the natural world.

For organisers, thinking in this relational way can help them understand how to improve participation, retention, and data quality. Embracing this perspective can lead to a more just and connected world, where citizen science advances knowledge and fosters a deeper connection between people and nature.

Maureen Thompson, Beaver Works Oregon Program Manager, Think Wild, Bend, Oregon, USA.

]]>

Meet the new chief of the South African reefs: The Sodwana Pygmy Pipehorse

Graham Short — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Scientists from the Australian Museum and Iziko South African Museum have identified a new species of pygmy pipehorse from subtropical South Africa, Cylix nkosi. The name nkosi is derived from the Nguni or Zulu term for chief due to the crown-like nature of the of the bony protuberance on its head.

This remarkable seahorse new species, found in the subtropical waters off Sodwana Bay, represents the first record of the genus Cylix on the African continent. It is only the second species within the genus, previously known exclusively from New Zealand. This discovery contributes significantly to our understanding of marine biodiversity, particularly within the largely unexplored coral reef systems of South Africa.

Syngnathidae, the family that includes seahorses, pipefish, seadragons, and pygmy pipehorses, now welcomes Cylix nkosi as a key representative. Similar to the closely-related Cylix tupareomanaia, the newly described species has a unique diamond-shaped bony protuberance on its head, along with other distinctive morphological traits. These features allow Cylix nkosi to thrive in coral-rich environments, camouflaging among coral, bryozoans, and algae at depths of 14 to 50 meters.

The discovery of Cylix nkosi was made possible through a combination of advanced fieldwork, micro-CT scanning technology, and genetic analysis. These methods enabled researchers at the Australian Museum to identify the species' unique skeletal features and confirm its evolutionary divergence from related species. Genetic analysis revealed that Cylix nkosi has been genetically isolated for millions of years, providing further insight into the speciation and evolution of cryptic marine species.

Micro computed tomography (μCT) scan of Cylix nkosi, (A) SAMC F041935, female, holotype, 55.5 mm Standard Length, (B) SAIAB 39737, male, paratype, 46.6 mm Standard Length. Image: Graham Short © Graham Short

This finding is noteworthy for its contribution to understanding hidden marine biodiversity in the Western Indian Ocean, particularly South Africa, a region known for its ecological richness. Coral reefs, which provide critical habitats for numerous marine species, are underexplored in terms of smaller, cryptic species like pygmy pipehorses. The identification of Cylix nkosi underscores the importance of continued research and exploration in these fragile ecosystems, where many species remain undiscovered.

]]>

Saving our koalas: using genomics to enhance conservation outcomes

Dr Matthew Lott, Dr Greta Frankham, Dr Mark Eldridge — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Koalas in New South Wales are at risk of extinction by 2050. New research highlights the need for targeted conservation efforts to address genetic diversity and maintain habitat connectivity to ensure their survival.

Few animals have captured the popular imagination quite like the koala. Their unusual, laid-back lifestyle, coupled with their cute, fluffy appearance, has made them an iconic symbol of Australia’s unique native wildlife. Unfortunately, this popularity has not spared koalas from the threat of extinction. A large body of evidence, collected over nearly four decades, demonstrates that koala populations across New South Wales (NSW) are declining due to a combination of rapid habitat destruction, climate change, disease, dog attacks, and vehicle strikes. The situation has become so dire that a 2020 Legislative Council inquiry into NSW koala populations and habitat concluded that, without further action, koalas could disappear from the state of NSW entirely by 2050. However, despite near universal public support, ongoing attention from the scientific community, and unprecedented financial investment by both the State and Federal governments, key knowledge gaps persist that could hinder the effectiveness of koala conservation efforts. One of the most important of these knowledge gaps, as addressed by both the NSW Koala Strategy 2022 and the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer's Report, is an understanding of the processes that have shaped the distribution of genome-wide genetic diversity.

Surprisingly little is currently known about the levels or distribution of genetic diversity in NSW koalas. Collecting this information is therefore essential for determining the overall vulnerability of regional and local koala populations to different threatening processes (such as inbreeding or a reduced ability to adapt to rapid environmental change) and, by extension, their priority for targeted conservation actions. To address these knowledge gaps, a group of scientists, led by researchers at the Australian Museum, have analysed genetic markers called single nucleotide polymorphisms (or SNPs) from more than 300 individual koalas.

Our results indicated that there are at least five genetically distinct groups of koalas across NSW, and that established state-level management divisions (which are derived from the Areas of Regional Koala Significance or ARKS developed by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment) do not fully represent their distribution. Most of these groups were found to span multiple ARKS, while one ARKS was found to contain at least two genetically distinct groups of koalas. As a result, care must be taken to ensure that conservation actions (e.g., translocations) based on management divisions derived from these ARKS do not inadvertently restrict gene flow between regions or populations that are likely to have been historically interconnected. We also found evidence that koalas from the Liverpool Plains and southern NSW are relatively isolated from the rest of the state, and have proportionally lower levels of genetic diversity as a result. Consequently, these populations may be particularly vulnerable to environmental disturbances caused by human activity.

Finally, our research shows that while there are quantifiable genetic differences between the five groups of koalas that were identified by our analyses, it is relatively small compared to genetic variation amongst individual koalas. This leads us to conclude that koala populations should be prioritised for conservation action based on the scale and severity of the threatening processes that they are currently faced with, rather than placing too much emphasis on their perceived value (e.g., as reservoirs of potentially adaptive gene variants). As no one group of koalas contains a majority of existing variation, the loss of koala populations from any part of their range represents a potentially critical reduction of genetic diversity for the entire species. To improve conservation outcomes, it is therefore absolutely vital that we reduce koala mortality rates across the entire State by addressing the route causes of population declines (e.g., habitat loss) while maintaining habitat connectivity between as many surviving populations as possible.

]]>

The Coastal Lobe-lipped Bat: a new range-restricted species from the coastal lowlands of southern Papua New Guinea

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +1100

The Coastal Lobe-lipped Bat (Chalinolobus orarius) is a newly named species recognised from museum specimens collected in Papua New Guinea (PNG) previously thought to represent the Hoary Bat (C. nigrogriseus) of northern Australia. This new addition to the bat fauna of New Guinea raises doubt about all past Hoary Bat records from New Guinea and northern Australia, where the new species might also occur and highlights the importance of museum collection in underpinning the natural sciences.

Lobe-lipped or Wattled Bats

The lobe-lipped or wattle bats of the genus Chalinolobus are named for the small, variably shaped skin lobes on their lips. Chalinolobus comprises six Australian bat species, plus one endemic species each in New Caledonia and New Zealand.

One species, the Hoary Bat, is a small insectivorous bat with a wingspan of about 26 cm and body weight of 5 to 10 g. They are common across northern Australia, extending down the east coast to northern New South Wales (NSW). These delightful little bats have beautiful, soft, dark-coloured body fur. Prior to our research, the Hoary Bat was the only Chalinolobus species recorded from the island of New Guinea, where it was first recorded in the 1890s and is known from only five localities across southern coastal Papua New Guinea.

However, on close examination we discovered that the specimens from New Guinea could be easily distinguished from the Hoary Bat from external features — once you know how! The New Guinean bats have a conspicuously enlarged “flap” or lobe formed by the outer ear margin, where it joins the angle of the mouth, which is very small in the Hoary Bat. Further, whereas the New Guinean specimens have an additional cusp on the first upper incisor, there is usually no additional cusp on Hoary Bat upper incisors. They also differ consistently genetically, leading us to recognise the New Guinea specimens as a distinct species new to science. Chalinolobus orarius also known as the Coastal Lobe-lipped Bat, was named orarius from the Latin meaning “of the coast”.

Lobe-lipped bat limbo: past records need to be re-examined

The discovery of this new species demands a re-assessment of the number of species of lobe-lipped bat in New Guinea and their conservation status. It also requires a review of past records of the similar Hoary Bats from Australia and Gould’s Wattled Bat (C. gouldii) from northern Australia.

Although the Coastal Lobe-lipped Bat has a combination of unique morphological features not found in any other species of Chalinolobus, this discovery now generates uncertainty about past identification of specimens from both New Guinea and northern Australia. First, we were unable to examine all museum specimens in world collections in our study, and so all Hoary Bat records from New Guinea now need to be re-examined. Second, the discovery of this new species opens the possibility that the Australian Gould’s Wattled Bat might also occur in New Guinea. The latter species is the only other lobe-lipped bat with an enlarged ear flap and small individuals of the species might be confused with the Coastal Lobe-lipped Bat in New Guinea. Third, the Coastal Lobe-lipped Bat might also occur in northern Australia and if so, is likely to have been misidentified as Hoary Bats, or even as small, dark Gould’s Wattled Bat.

These potential sources of confusion highlight a neglected aspect of bat field identification: people often give priority to different field identification features to determine species identity. For example, if body size is prioritised over incisor and ear shape, then the Coastal Lobe-lipped Bat would be mistaken for Hoary Bats, or as a small example of Gould’s Wattled bat if the presence of an ear flap was prioritised, or as a Hoary Bat if a priority is given to the presence of a secondary incisor cusp. Only a combination of features will reveal the true species identity in this genus.

Coastal Lobe-lipped Bat biology

Lobe-tipped bats have been recorded infrequently in PNG over the past 140 years and are known from only ten sites in five districts: two in the Trans-Fly, Western Province; Port Moresby (six sites), Kupiano on the south-eastern coast, and a 19th century specimen from Fergusson Island.

The distribution, biology and conservation status of the Coastal Lobe-lipped Bat will remain poorly understood until more bat research is undertaken in New Guinea. Past knowledge of New Guinea Chalinolobus was mainly an extrapolation of knowledge about the Hoary Bat of northern Australia with the exception that it was thought to be uncommon in New Guinea.

It seems that the Coastal Lobe-lipped Bat is one of a small number of bat species from the Australo-Papuan region that are largely restricted to coastal lowlands. We reviewed the known localities of Chalinolobus species from PNG and were surprised to find all were below 100 m elevation. Habitats surrounding these sites were dominated by savannah woodland, wetlands, and swamp woodland. The Coastal Lobe-lipped Bat is confirmed from two of these sites (Port Moresby and Serki, Western Province) but a clearer understanding of the habitat and biology of this species awaits confirmation of the identity of the Chalinolobus records not examined in our study.

The importance of museum collections

Our discovery illustrates the importance of routinely taking tissue samples and museum specimens during bat surveys in northern Australia and New Guinea, even for widely distributed, common species that were thought to be taxonomically stable. Prior to our study, it was thought that the species taxonomy of northern Australian and Papuan Chalinolobus had been solved by the last major taxonimic study published in 1971. It also demonstrates how taxonomic changes can render atlas and database records next to useless unless they backed up by tissue samples or museum voucher specimens. So, the discovery of a new species might not just be a simple additive process of increasing our scientific knowledge, but can also change past understanding of the distribution and ecology of those species with which it has been confused in the past. A revision of past concepts of the biology of these species can only be done from museum specimens and further field work.

Dr Harry Parnaby: Research Associate, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Andrew King: Technical Officer, Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Steve Hamilton: School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of NSW, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

Dr Mark Eldridge: Senior Principal Research Scientist, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Vale Professor Frank Talbot AM

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +1100

The world of science and conservation is mourning the loss of Professor Frank Talbot AM, a renowned marine biologist and former Director of the Australian Museum and Smithsonian Natural History Museum, who died last night aged 94 years.

With a career that spanned more than half a century, Professor Talbot was a visionary whose contributions to both academia and public education have left an enduring legacy.

He was the director of the Australian Museum from 1966 to 1975 where he founded the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Station at the top of the Great Barrier Reef 51 years ago.

“Australia and the global museum and science community has lost one of its true champions with the death last night of Professor Frank Talbot AM,” Kim McKay AO, the Australian Museum’s current Director and CEO, said.

“Frank was a legend in the international museum and science world and has provided inspiration and a model for how museums can play a vital role dealing with issues like climate change and ocean warming.”

“He held himself to the highest standards and provided great support to our scientists at the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) and encouraged me to continue to create a focus on climate change, something Frank said had not emerged as a global issue impacting coral reefs when he was Director back in the 1970s,” Ms McKay added.

Professor Talbot was an ichthyologist (Fish Scientist) and served as the Australian Museum’s Curator of Fishes before being appointed Director of the Museum in 1966. He oversaw a transformative period for the institution. Under his leadership, the museum expanded its research capabilities and became a global leader in biodiversity, natural history, and conservation education. His passion for engaging the public in science helped elevate the museum’s profile, making it a cornerstone of cultural life in NSW. In 1972, Professor Talbot set up the Australian Museum Society (TAMS) as a bridge between the Museum and the general public, which continues today as the popular Australian Museum Members program.

An internationally renowned museum director and the only Australian to lead the prestigious Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C from 1989 -1994, Professor Talbot also served as Executive Director of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco from 1982-1989. He was also the founding chair of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS), a leading marine research centre, founding professor of Environmental Studies at Macquarie University and a former Chairman of the Taronga Zoo Board and the North American Association of Science Museum Directors.

Professor Talbot’s influence extended far beyond the walls of the institutions he led. An expert in marine biology, he was a pioneering researcher in coral reef ecosystems, contributing significantly to global understanding of marine life and the urgent need for its conservation.

He established the world-renowned Australian Museum Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS) in 1973. Professor Talbot’s groundbreaking research on coral reefs in the Red Sea and across the Indo-Pacific brought critical attention to these fragile environments long before the current global awareness of climate change and ocean conservation.

“Frank’s vision wasn’t just about understanding the past, it was about inspiring the future, and the establishment of the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station is one of Professor Talbot’s most notable achievements,” Australian Museum Chief Scientist and Director of AMRI, Professor Kris Helgen said.

“The museum owes so much to Frank. When he founded the Lizard Island Research Station 51 years ago, it began as a series of tents and a few modest buildings on the beach, which has now grown to become a globally-recognised research station devoted to understanding the incredible scale and structure of the Great Barrier Reef, a natural history icon seen from space.”

“Frank was a trailblazer for scientific exploration of coral reefs, establishing not only Lizard Island Research Station, but also One Tree Island Research Station at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef,” Dr Anne Hoggett, Co-Director of the Lizard Island Research Station said.

“We are committed to honouring Frank’s legacy by continuing the vital research at Lizard Island, welcoming hundreds of scientists from all over the world every year to help understand coral reefs,” Dr Lyle Vail AM, Co-Director of the Lizard Island Research Station said.

In 1978, when the LIRS was in its infancy, the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation was established to support research and education. The foundation was established by Dr Des Griffin AM, who succeeded Professor Talbot as Director of the Australian Museum from 1976-1998.

“Frank was the first person I met in Sydney in May 1966 when I arrived to take up the job of Assistant Curator of Marine Invertebrates at the Australian Museum,” Griffin said.

“He told me not long ago that he didn’t want to be made a fuss of, he just wanted to get on and make a difference, and I think we can all agree that he has made a difference and will continue to do so through his lasting legacy,” Griffin added.

As an educator and mentor, Professor Talbot shaped the careers of countless scientists, many of whom have become leaders in their fields. His ability to blend rigorous scientific research with an infectious enthusiasm for discovery inspired students, colleagues, and the public. Even after retirement, Professor Talbot remained a passionate advocate for science, serving on various international boards and continuing to champion environmental causes.

Since his passing last night, tributes have flowed for Professor Talbot from notable scientists including Professor Peter Steinberg, former Director of SIMS and Professor Emma Johnston, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) at the University of Sydney, who worked with SIMS on the Sydney Harbour Research Program.

Born in South Africa, Professor Talbot’s career began with studies in zoology and a fascination with the ocean that would come to define his life’s work. He received his PhD from the University of Cape Town in 1959. His early research in the 1960s contributed to a growing body of knowledge about the complexity and vulnerability of coral reefs, leading to his role as a key figure in the global marine science community. He held positions at leading research institutions around the world, but his deep connection to Australia, where he spent much of his career, made him an integral part of the country’s scientific community.

In recognition of his contributions, Professor Talbot was awarded numerous honours, including being made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2012. Despite his many achievements, those who knew him remember his humility, warmth, and unwavering dedication to the causes he championed.

“I feel lucky to have been good friends with Frank. In fact, my first radio piece in 1972 was editing an interview about coral on One Tree Island with Frank when he was the Director of the Australian Museum,” President Emeritus of the Australian Museum Trustees Robyn Williams AO said.

“I was with him many times overseas, especially in America, and was struck by the access and respect Frank received from top politicians. In Washinton DC, standing on the steps of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, we looked up the Hill at the U.S. Capitol. “I spend so very much time up there, getting things done,” he recalls Frank saying with a smile.

“I recently saw Frank in August at the Australian Museum, where we celebrated Australian Museum Senior Fellow Dr Pat Hutchings for her contributions to marine science and environmental conservation, particularly on Lizard Island. Despite his frailty Frank was in fine form,” Williams added.

Professor Tim Flannery, who spent much of his career leading the Mammal section at the Australian Museum, noted that “Frank was a giant in science and in the museum world. He was the model to which I’ve tried to shape my career, and he leaves a gap that can never be filled.”

The Australian Museum holds an annual event, the Talbot Oration, named to honour the legacy of Professor Talbot.

“The Oration highlights the advances in the field of climate change research and environmental conservation. The Talbot Oration enables the public to better understand how responses to climate change determine our prospects, health, and the sustainability of our natural environment. I’m so pleased we created this lecture in his honour,” McKay said.

“As we say farewell to the legendary Frank Talbot, we honour not only his remarkable contributions to science but also his enduring commitment to inspiring future generations to protect the natural world. His legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched, the ecosystems he worked to preserve, and the institutions he helped transform,” Brian Hartzer, President of the Australian Museum Trust, said.

The Australian Museum extends its condolences to the Talbot family, including Professor Talbot’s daughter, Helen Kottler and sons Bill, Jonathan and Nick Talbot. Frank was married for 70 years to marine scientist Sue, who passed away in 2020. With his passing, the world has lost a true hero of science, but his work and passion will continue to resonate for years to come.

]]>

What’s that frog? Putting the public to the test with frog call identification

Grace Gillard, Dr Jodi Rowley — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Just how easy is it to tell a Striped Marsh Frog from a Spotted Marsh Frog, just by listening to their calls? Recently, we asked citizen scientists to try their hand at FrogID validating to see just how easy it is to determine “what’s that frog?”

Globally, citizen science is leading to the rapid collection of invaluable biodiversity records across a wide range of plants, animals, and fungi. The Australian Museum’s flagship citizen science project, FrogID is no exception, having amassed over 1.1 million records of frogs in just seven years! But while this biodiversity data collection is incredible, it can be challenging to review and identify such large quantities of biodiversity data using expert validation. So, we put people to the test to see just how challenging it is for members of the public to identify frogs from just their calls.

In August 2022 to February 2023, we asked the public to try their hand at identifying frog species in FrogID recordings from the Greater Sydney area using the Australian Museum’s DigiVol platform. We provided a guide to the likely species present and their calls, but didn’t provide all the tools or the intense training provided to the FrogID team before they identify calls submitted to the FrogID project. We then compared the public responses with those from our FrogID team, allowing us to evaluate how accurate the public identifications were.

We found that public frog identifications were correct in only 57% of the recordings (ie. every frog species calling was correctly identified with none missing). However, frog identification accuracy varied considerably according to a variety of factors, particularly when it came to the number of frog species calling at once. FrogID recordings are often of more than one species calling in a multi-species chorus – in fact, FrogID citizen scientists have recorded up to 13 species calling in a single recording! But, with so many different frogs calling at the same time, these multi-species choruses can be difficult to identify, even for the FrogID team. Not surprisingly, the public were most accurately able to identify recordings in which only one species was calling, but as more species were added to the mix, we saw a decrease in the number of completely correct identifications.

We also found that some frog species were inherently easier to identify than others, often depending on how common, loud, or distinctive the calls of the species were. Common and distinct frog species such as Peron’s Tree Frogs (Litoria peronii) and Striped Marsh Frogs (Limnodynastes peronii) were identified with much higher accuracy than more uncommon and generally quiet frogs, such as the Stony Creek Frogs (Litoria lesueuri and Litoria wilcoxii). While some of these quieter species were simply missed by the public ears, we noticed that some frogs were commonly mistaken for other similar-sounding species. For example, the Common Eastern Froglet (Crinia signifera) was often mistaken with various species of Brood Frogs (Pseudophryne spp.) and was also often “heard” amongst background insect noise.

Overall, our test highlighted just how challenging it is to identify frog species from their calls, particularly when there’s more than one frog species calling, and without rigorous training. As crowdsourcing species identification can be great for processing large quantities of citizen science data and enabling the public to be engaged in more aspects of citizen science, we continue to look at opportunities to more rapidly identify frog calls submitted to the FrogID project, including public validation and machine learning. But for now, thankfully, the FrogID team continues to listen to and identify each and every recording submitted, ensuring the frogs submitted to FrogID are identified as accurately as possible.

Grace Gillard, Research Assistant, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum Research Institute; and, UNSW Sydney

]]>

Gerard Krefft: A Saga of Science and Scandal

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +1000

On Saturday 21 September 2024, the Australian Museum marked the 150th anniversary of Gerard Krefft's unceremonious ejection from the Museum, honouring his legacy with a fascinating discussion hosted by renowned journalist and author Peter Fitzsimons.

One of the Australian Museum's most memorable curators, Gerard Krefft, a renowned natural scientist, museum pioneer and Australia's first zoologist, helped shape our nation's understanding and appreciation for the natural sciences. His tenure was one of great drama, and following a feisty ideological battle with Australian Museum trustees, a defiant Krefft was unceremoniously ejected from the Museum, still sitting in his chair.

Enjoy this fascinating panel discussion featuring three celebrated Australian Museum figures: Director and CEO Kim McKay AO; former Director Dr. Des Griffin AM; and our Head of World Cultures, Archives & Library, Dr Vanessa Finney, as they explore the complexities of Krefft's life and legacy.

Peter FitzSimons writes regular columns for The Sydney Morning Herald and the Sun-Herald, as well as occasionally appearing in overseas journals, such as the London Daily Telegraph and International Herald Tribune. In his two decades in print, radio and television journalism, he has personally interviewed everyone from President George Bush Snr to Greg Norman to Diego Maradona to Matt Damon, and every Australian Prime Minister from Gough Whitlam through to Kevin Rudd.

As an author, he has written 20 books, including biographies of Nick Farr-Jones, John Eales, Steve Waugh, Kim Beazley, Les Darcy, Nancy Wake and Charles Kingsford Smith. He was Australia's best selling non-fiction author in 2001 and 2004, the latter with his book on Kokoda which has sold over 250,000 copies, while his book on Tobruk, has sold more than 150,000 copies .

Kim McKay is Director and CEO of the Australian Museum and is responsible for the strategic direction and management of the nation's first museum, including a collection of over 22 million natural science specimens and cultural objects. Kim was appointed the Director’s role in 2014 (the first woman in the AM’s 190+ year history) and has since initiated a broad transformation program, including overseeing Project Discover, the AM’s $57.5m award-winning renovation of public spaces.

Prior to the AM, Kim worked in the USA in senior roles for Discovery Channel and National Geographic, co-founded the Clean Up Australia and Clean Up the World campaigns and co-authored five True Green books. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Wollongong in recognition of her contribution to science, including her work on environmental and conservation issues, and an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Technology Sydney for her achievements in the community, non-profit, cultural, environmental, communications and business sectors. Kim was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2008 for distinguished service to the environment and the community.

Dr Desmond John Gerald Griffin AM, held multiple positions at the Australian Museum over his 32 year career at the institution, including as Director from 1976-1998. Desmond aimed to build the Museum's relationship with local Indigenous Peoples, spearheading several repatriation initiatives, as well as breaking new ground in the inclusion of contemporary First Nations' stories in Museum galleries. Desmond accepted several overseas 'blockbuster' exhibitions for the Museum, whilst also overseeing the development of community relations, education programs and materials conservation.

He authored numerous papers on marine biology, as well as museum management and policy and was chairman of the Council of Australian Museum Associations (CAMA) 1988-1993 and the first president of Museums Australia. Since his retirement, Desmond has continued his passion for pursuing better educational outcomes for young Australians through a series of commentaries and essays on education issues.

Dr Vanessa Finney is the Head of World Cultures, Archives and Library and works extensively in the archiving of the legacies of the Australian Museum. Focusing on early collecting practice and the Museum’s first curators, Vanessa aims to help us understand how and why the Museum became the institution it is today.

She has written widely about the role of photography and natural history art in colonial natural history museums and she curated the exhibitions Transformations: Harriet and Helena Scott and Capturing Nature. Vanessa has recently returned to Sydney from Berlin where she had been researching the Museum’s German connections, focusing on the training and scientific friendships of Gerard Krefft.

]]>

Eureka Talks Series: Antarctica

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +1000

In the second event of our 2024 Eureka Talks Series, explore the wonderful diversity of Antarctica and learn how experts are fighting to save this region from the devastating effects of climate change. Hosted by Australian Museum Eureka Prize winner Dr Jackson Ryan, this panel discussion explores how the Antarctic landscape has changed over the past century, and the critical role of scientists, researchers and science communicators in striving to preserve our frozen continent. This fascinating discussion features Australian Museum Eureka Prize winners Prof. Dana Bergstrom and Jo Chandler, with special guest and renowned adventurer, explorer and environmentalist, Dr Tim Jarvis AM.

Recorded live at the Australian Museum on 31 August 2024.

The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes were established in 1990 to celebrate the work of Australian scientists, and their contributions to producing world-leading results that can influence the lives of many across the globe. The Eureka Talk Series shines a light on the research and innovations changing the fields of climate, health and science communication.

Tim Jarvis AM is an environmental scientist, author, filmmaker, philanthropist and speaker who seeks pragmatic solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss. Tim is founder of The Forktree Project, Global Ambassador and Governor of WWF, Southern Ocean Ambassador to Save Our Marine Life and a Vice President of Flora and Fauna International.

As an adventurer, Tim re-enacted Douglas Mawson and Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic explorations and advocates for the protection of Antarctica. In 2010, he received the Order of Australia. Tim was made a Bragg Fellow by the Royal Institution of Australia and has received multiple awards, including the Australian Geographic Society’s 2016 Conservationist of the Year and has been named 2024 South Australian of the Year.

Prof. Dana Bergstrom is an eminent Australian ecologist, focused on identifying and, if possible, mitigating risks that threaten Antarctic, sub-Antarctic and Australian ecosystems, including pressures from climate change and non-native species. She led important research on combating ecosystem collapse from the tropics to the Antarctic, and was also part of teams that documented record-breaking heatwaves in Antarctica.

She was awarded the 2021 Eureka Prize for Leadership in Innovation and Science. Also passionate for the Arts, she is the book author of the musical, Antarctica, Beneath the Storm, and president of the Pure Antarctic Foundation, a joint arts/science foundation.

Jo Chandler is an award-winning journalist, author and educator. Her focus is on explanatory reporting on science, climate, environment, health, human rights and development. Formerly a staffer at The Age, her work has featured in The Guardian, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Yale Environment 360, The Monthly, The Saturday Paper, Griffith Review, ABC Radio National, Good Weekend, The Sydney Morning Herald, Cosmos, New Scientist and Undark.

In 2023, Jo was awarded the Eureka Prize for Science Journalism. She is a senior lecturer at the Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne and is the author of a book on climate field science; Feeling The Heat (2011 MUP).

Dr Jackson Ryan is a science and tech reporter and President of the Science Journalists Association of Australia. He completed his PhD in molecular biology and skeletal health at the University of South Australia in 2017 before it dawned on him that he's not cut out for academia.

In 2022, he was awarded the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Science Journalism and has been featured in each Best Australian Science Writing anthology from 2019 to 2023.

]]>

2024 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes finalists

Ranuka Tandan — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +1000

The outstanding 55 finalists for the 2024 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes have been announced today and feature remarkable scientific endeavour and achievement from across the nation.

In its 34th year, the AM Eureka Prizes recognise contributions to science across four categories: Research and Innovation, Leadership, Science Engagement, and School Science, with 19 prizes and a total of $180,000 in prize money.

The 2024 AM Eureka Prize finalist projects include:

Dating Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse using octopus DNA.
The world's largest melanoma imaging study, advancing detection and management.
Capturing electrical power from a thermoradiative diode, harvesting re-emitted solar energy at night.
A sustainable recycling system for solar panels, contributing to Australia's Net-Zero 2050 goals.
Solving Buruli ulcer spread, paving the way for controlling this tropical skin disease in Australia.

The AM Eureka Prizes winners will be announced on Wednesday, 4 September, at a ceremony held at Sydney Town Hall. A livestream of the awards will also be available online.

For more information and a full list of finalists: australian.museum/get-involved/eureka-prizes/2024-eureka-prizes-finalists

]]>

FrogID dataset 5.0: the largest source of Australian frog data ever released

Dr Jodi Rowley — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +1000

Close to 800,000 Australian frog records now online and open access for conservation.

Australia has a unique, diverse and highly threatened frog fauna, but there is still so much we don’t know. Right now, 253 native species of Australian frog are currently recognised, but an incredible seven species have been added to the tally in the last two years alone.

Since 2017, tens of thousands of people across Australia have helped build the largest national database of frogs anywhere in the world. Together, simply by recording calling frogs using the FrogID app, we have now revolutionised our understanding of Australia’s frogs. Here, we announce the release of the latest dataset of FrogID records – time-stamped locations of frog species across the country.

The FrogID dataset 5.0 contains almost 800,000 records of frogs! The rate of data accumulation is particularly astonishing - collecting frog occurrence records about two and a half times faster than all other data sources. As a result, this FrogID dataset is now almost equal in size to all other frog records ever gathered (Atlas of Living Australia). Other citizen science platforms are also contributing important frog records, the largest contributors being the photo-based platforms iNaturalist (around 54,000 records) and NatureMapr (around 10,000 records).

The complete FrogID dataset 5.0 contains records of 218 of Australia’s frog species, including the introduced Cane Toad (Rhinella marina) – 86% of Australia’s frog species. The most commonly recorded species in the dataset remains steady across years, with the Common Eastern Froglet (Crinia signifera) again taking out the top spot, with over 141,000 records! Some notable submissions in the latest dataset include Western Australia’s Sunset Frog (Spicospina flammocaerulea) and Southern Sandhill Frog (Arenophryne xiphorhyncha), the tiny Ratcheting Toadlet (Uperoleia stridera) from arid Western Australia and the Northern Territory, along with the Critically Endangered Kroombit Tree Frog (Litoria kroombitensis) from Kroombit Tops in southeast Queensland.

The FrogID dataset 5.0 contains thousands of records of other threatened frog species, including almost 2,400 records of the tiny Endangered Sloane’s Froglet (Crinia sloanei) from inland New South Wales and north central Victoria and over 800 records of the Vulnerable Southern Bell Frog (Litoria raniformis). Following ethical data publication guidelines, we consider certain, mostly threatened, frog species as ‘sensitive’ species, and the exact locality of these species is buffered to 0.1 decimal degrees (about 11km). Very highly threatened frog species recorded via FrogID, such as the Critically Endangered Myola Tree Frog (Litoria myola) are not included in the public dataset. This is a tiny fraction of the dataset and the exact locality data for all sensitive species is provided to state biodiversity atlases to help inform conservation. They can also be requested from the FrogID project.

The FrogID database is a huge and growing resource, used by scientists, government, land-managers and people passionate about Australia’s frogs. In the last year alone, the FrogID database has provided insight into the spread of the Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog across eastern Australia (read more), whether habitat can influence the advertisement calls of frogs (read more), and has helped us update the publicly-available Australian Frog Atlas (read more). We thank everyone who has contributed to this dataset, and hope you enjoy exploring the latest version!

Dr Jodi Rowley

Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum Research Institute & UNSW Sydney.

Primary citation for FrogID data

Rowley JJL, & Callaghan CT (2020) The FrogID dataset: expert-validated occurrence records of Australia’s frogs collected by citizen scientists. ZooKeys 912: 139-151.

Other FrogID publications

https://www.frogid.net.au/science

More information

Explore data through the FrogID website

Data published through Atlas of Living Australia

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Citizen Science Grants of the Australian Government and the Impact Grants program of IBM Australia for providing funding and resources to help build the initial FrogID App; the generous donors who have provided funding for the project including the James Kirby Foundation; the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust and the Department of Planning and Environment – Water, and the Saving our Species program as Supporting Partners; the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Museums Victoria, Queensland Museum, South Australian Museum, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and Western Australian Museum as FrogID partner museums; the many Australian Museum staff and volunteers who make up the FrogID team; and, most importantly, the thousands of citizen scientists across Australia who have volunteered their time to record frogs.

]]>

Communities on the front line during a frog conservation emergency

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +1000

We need your help to report any sick or dead frogs this winter.

During the 2021 winter, frogs across eastern Australia experienced a mass mortality event. We were able to understand the scale of this terrible pattern thanks to citizen scientists across the country reporting on frogs in their local areas.

The continued reports from FrogID followers has enabled us to ascertain that the mass mortality event hasn’t happened to the same degree since. While we continue to investigate the cause and impact of these frog deaths, we need your help again this winter to report any sick or dead frogs.

My story

I arrived in Australia in May 2022 to begin a postgraduate research project with Dr. Jodi Rowley at the Australian Museum and UNSW Sydney. My interest in Australian frogs was piqued during the Black Summer bushfires of 2019/2020. I wanted to understand how frogs were responding to the astonishing intensity of these burns. Back home in the U.S., we were having massive wildfires around the same time. When I arrived here in Australia, though, as happens so often in research, I was forced to consider another threat to frogs.

Frogs and floods

If you were in eastern Australia and remember 2022, you remember rain – lots of it! It seemed like the entire winter was one flood warning after another, with much of NSW facing evacuation notices. Lismore and other towns were devastated. At the same time, reports of dead and dying frogs began coming into the Australian Museum FrogID inbox once again. Part of my job was to drive around NSW to pick up the dead frogs. I was shocked when one woman presented us with a tupperware container with over 30 dead tree frogs, all collected from around her garden. This wave of frog death, although nowhere near that of the previous year, was frustrating to say the least.

Just the previous winter in 2021, the death toll was much worse, with over 1600 reports of sick or dead frogs. The winter of 2021 was also characterised by heavy, La Niña-associated rainfall and subsequent flooding.

Frogs and fungus

We were desperate to determine the cause of this mysterious frog die-off. The obvious suspect was the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), which has been the suspected culprit in the decline of hundreds of frog species around the world, and has been in Australia since at least 1978. It seemed notable that the majority of these frog deaths corresponded with La Niña’s heavy rainfall and flooding. Maybe the two threats were somehow connected? Afterall, the amphibian chytrid is a fungal pathogen that thrives in cool, damp conditions exactly like those experienced in 2021 and 2022.

Finding the answer

At the Australian Museum, we got to work. We appealed to members of the public to continue reporting dead frogs. We furiously tested the dead frogs for the amphibian chytrid fungus while working with our partners at Taronga’s Australian Registry of Wildlife Health and other universities, government biosecurity and environment agencies. The majority of the dead frogs tested positive for the chytrid fungus, with many showing a high fungal load. So, the amphibian chytrid fungus was probably a piece of the puzzle, but a substantial proportion of the dead frogs tested negative. This led us to suspect there was something else at play.

A recent study may have helped shed more light on this question. In a paper published this year, the authors showed that 36% of screened frogs from the mortality event had at least one pesticide present in their livers, including rodenticides (AKA rat and mouse poison). Although this isn’t thought to be the main driver of frog deaths, it’s worrying.

Call to action

To answer these questions, we urgently need your help. If this winter continues on the same trend, eastern Australia could be in for more extreme weather. To help us monitor the health of our frogs and detect and respond to any mass mortality of frogs (should it occur), please keep a lookout for any sick or dead frogs and report them. Signs of a sick frog include lethargy, lying out in the open during the day, and discoloured skin. If you see a sick frog, please take a photograph and send the photo and your location to the Australian Museum’s citizen science project FrogID via calls@frogid.net.au.

Please consider donating to help support our ongoing investigation into the cause and scale of this mass mortality event and our monitoring of frog populations. Please also download the free FrogID app and record calling frogs whenever you can, as these recordings are extremely valuable for ongoing frog conservation research.

For as depressing as freezers full of dead frogs can be, we were strangely inspired over the past few winters. We watched people go to great lengths to help us uncover the reason Australian frogs were dying, because they truly cared. Over and over again, we heard observant farmers, gardeners, and homeowners recount memories of foregone times when singing frogs were everywhere. If we want a frog-filled future, we’re going to need people who care and notice. Thank you for being those people.

Eli Bieri, Research Assistant & Masters student, Australian Museum Research Institute & UNSW Sydney

Acknowledgements

Thank you to everyone who has reported sick and dead frogs, stored dead frogs in their freezer, or transported them to National Park depots and veterinarians, our research couldn’t happen without your help. We are also extremely grateful to everyone who has donated money or their time by recording frogs using the FrogID app. It has greatly improved our understanding of how frogs respond to fires, floods, droughts, and disease. Finally, thank you to the Australian Museum Herpetology Team, Taronga’s Australian Registry of Wildlife Health and all our collaborators across the country.

]]>

Critical minerals - rare gems

Ross Pogson — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +1000

Critical minerals containing elements such as tantalum and niobium have always been in the news, and they are essential for many specialised applications in technology, especially electronic components, mobile phones and special metal alloys. They have become indispensable world-wide.

These mineral ores are usually in unattractive opaque masses or crystals, but rarely they can be transparent and suitable for faceting as rare gemstones.

We have recently been fortunate in acquiring two examples of these rare mineral species faceted as gemstones, Stibiotanatalite, antimony, tantalum, niobium oxide, and Tantalite-(Mn), manganese, tantalum oxide. The Stibiotantalite of 0.86 carats weight (0.17 grams) is lemon yellow, and the Tantalite-(Mn) of 1.19 carats (0.23 grams) is an attractive red. Because the gem-quality forms of these minerals are so rare and in such short supply world-wide, only small gems can be fashioned from suitable material. They are particularly difficult to cut as they can easily cleave and ruin the stone.

The Tantalite-(Mn) has a fancy cushion cut and the Stibiotantalite has a rectangular emerald cut. Both are from classic locality of Alto Lighoña in Mozambique, and together make a nice contrasting pair.

This acquisition fulfils part of our gemstone collection strategy: that of acquiring rare and unusual gems faceted from ore minerals commonly in opaque, massive form, not usually of gem quality. The acquisition augments an existing set of such rare gemstones, with Cerussite (lead carbonate), Anglesite (lead sulfate), Crocoite (lead chromate), Cuprite (copper oxide), Cassiterite (tin oxide), and Sphalerite (zinc sulfide), already in our collection and currently all on display in the Minerals gallery.

These specimens also have a detailed history and provenance, which is rare for faceted gems. The original crystals came from a collection owned by Walter Oberholzer, legendary Professor of Mineralogy at ETH University of Zurich, Switzerland, who obtained them when he was in Mozambique just after World War II. The faceting was done by internationally famous Gemmologists David and Maria Atkinson, specialists in rare and difficult to facet gemstones, who acquired the original gem-quality crystals from Prof. Oberholzer in 1985 and made the cut stones available. The Atkinsons are big fans of the Australian Museum and its Mineralogy section and live part of the year in Western Australia with their main home in Arizona. They have a good eye for the kinds of special and unique specimens we are always looking for and alert us when something outstanding is available at reasonable cost. We have benefited from their expertise for several past gemstone acquisitions, now on display in the Minerals gallery.

These minerals have special optical properties, having high refractive index and strong dispersion, so they show a lot of “fire” or sparkle in their refracted light response, making them attractive display and study specimens. Crystals of these minerals of sufficient size and clarity to facet are rare indeed. I was fortunate to source these gems which highlight a very different aspect of critical minerals.

The purchase was facilitated by funding from the Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Rare books: the Swainson collection

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +1000

In 1858 the Australian Museum acquired William Swainson’s collection of books. The story behind the books and the man who collected them can now be explored in a new section of the AM website.

In the mid nineteenth century, as the Australian Museum grew, so too did the need for a library which could support the research of natural scientists, who may have been unable to access physical specimens but could study illustrations and descriptions in books. When William Swainson’s widow offered her late husband’s collection for sale to Sir William Denison, Governor of New South Wales and Australian Museum Trustee, he was quick to recommend its purchase. Swainson had been widely known in the scientific community and his collection of books was important for his own writing and illustrating.

At the time of the collection’s acquisition, the Library is thought to have held perhaps 100 titles, so the total of 227 volumes originally purchased was a very substantial addition. Of those, 164 volumes in 77 titles are still held by the Australian Museum Research Library in the Rare Books section. Some of the Library’s greatest treasures are included in this collection.

A formal catalogue of the Library’s books was first produced in 1883 but the books from Swainson’s collection were not specifically identified. Fortunately, the painstaking work of identifying the surviving volumes was carried out by Matthew Stephens as part of his research for his doctoral thesis, The Australian Museum Library: its formation, function and scientific contribution, 1836-1917, presented in 2013. This has enabled the librarians to include notes in the current catalogue for all books known to be part of the collection and has facilitated examination of the books.

The books bear evidence of Swainson’s close study, with many hand-written notes and comments. Pencil sketches and colouring of plates in otherwise uncoloured publications have also been found, which are believed to be by Swainson himself.

Swainson was also a prolific author and illustrator of zoological works. Although none of his own publications were included in the collection offered by his widow, the Museum has since acquired many of these. While his illustrations were more modest than those produced by John and Elizabeth Gould, they were nevertheless highly regarded. He is also recognized as the first to use lithography for zoological illustrations, a technique which was later widely adopted.

Born in London in 1789, Swainson left school early, having ‘not the least aptitude for the ordinary acquirements of schools’. However, he proceeded to build a career as a natural scientist by virtue of close observation, specimen collection, and sketching in the field, together with study of the books that he collected. He moved amongst and corresponded with the leading naturalists of the day until he departed for New Zealand in 1840. At a time when species classifications were being regularly disputed and continually revised, he was a somewhat controversial figure. Nevertheless, the value of his book collection was readily recognised by the Museum Trustees and it remains an important part of the library.

More information about the collection and Swainson’s own works can now be found on the website.

]]>

The Talbot Oration: Taking Climate to the World’s Highest Court

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +1000

In the fourth annual Talbot Oration held on Wednesday 5 June 2024, renowned Pacific climate champion, Cynthia Houniuhi, tells her story of fighting for change in the world's highest court.

Following her address, Cynthia was joined by a panel of fellow climate campaigners, including ABC presenter and popular television personality, Craig Reucassel, and International Director at the Smart Energy Council, Richie Merzian, in a discussion hosted by 10 News First presenter Narelda Jacobs OAM.

As this video was recorded with live captions, we apologise for any inaccuracies

As President of Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC), Cynthia led a team of activists to agitate for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to define the responsibilities of nations to combat climate change, and the legal consequences of failing to do so. Born and raised in the Solomon Islands, Cynthia is witnessing first-hand the devastating impacts of climate change in the Pacific and is committed to ensuring nations around the world understand their obligations to take positive climate action. Cynthia and PISFCC are powerful examples of how the work of youth activists is safeguarding the world for generations to come.

Cynthia Houniuhi is President of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC) and one of 27 lawyers from the University of the South Pacific who initiated the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion (ICJAO) initiative and campaign in 2019. Cynthia has a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the South Pacific, a Master of Laws specialising in Environmental Law from the University of New South Wales and was included in TIME100 NEXT 2023. Born and raised in the Solomon Islands, Cynthia is witnessing first-hand the devastating impacts of climate change in the Pacific and is committed to ensuring nations around the world understand their obligations to take positive climate action.

Craig Reucassel is an Australian writer, director and comedian who is best known for his work with The Chaser and for going through your bins on The War on Waste. He and some friends started the satirical newspaper The Chaser which went on to TV shows like CNNNN and The Chaser's War on Everything. Craig has hosted three series of the award winning War on Waste documentary. He has also hosted climate change documentaries Fight for Planet A and Big Weather. In 2020 he Directed the movie Big Deal, which looked into the issue of money in politics in Australia. He is currently the host of 702 ABC Sydney Breakfast.

Richie Merzian is the International Director at the Smart Energy Council, a peak renewable energy industry group. He focuses on how to combine local climate solutions with international opportunities, with an eye to securing the Australian Government’s bid to host a UN Climate Conference in 2026 in partnership with Pacific nations. He previously served as the inaugural Climate & Energy Program Director at the Australia Institute think tank and spent almost a decade as climate negotiator for the Australian Government.

Narelda Jacobs OAM is a Whadjuk Noongar journalist and presenter. Her career at Network 10 spans more than two decades. Narelda presents the daily one-hour national news bulletin 10 News First: Midday, and 10 News First: Afternoons. You'll also find her on NITV and SBS, the ABC, podcast airwaves, appearing in documentaries and Australian dramas, hosting events around the country and internationally, sharing her lived experience on panels and giving back to her community through various ambassadorial and board roles.

About The Talbot Oration

Named in honour of former Australian Museum Director Professor Frank Talbot, this annual oration celebrates Talbot’s commitment to, and achievements in marine research and environmental studies in Australia and on the global stage.

The Talbot Oration will showcase advances in the field of climate change research and environmental conservation, enabling the public to better understand how responses to the climate challenge determine our future prospects, health, and the sustainability of our natural environment.

]]>

Museum specimens untangle the confusing genetic patterns seen in north-west Australian rock-wallabies

Dr Mark Eldridge, Sally Potter — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +1000

Evaluation of DNA from historical specimens and modern museum samples has enabled an untangling of the complex evolutionary history of four species of rock-wallabies, which are distributed across the Kimberley and Top End. By generating genomic data from museum specimens, we were able to identify episodes of gene flow among these species, despite major differences in their size, ecology and chromosome number. This historic gene flow (introgression) has resulted in unique and previously puzzling patterns of relationship. This study highlights that species boundaries can be fluid and complex; shifting in space and time, with genetic mixing between species more common than previously thought.

Rock-wallabies

An iconic group of Australian marsupials, rock-wallabies (Petrogale) form part of the kangaroo and wallaby family. They comprise 17 known species, that inhabit diverse environments across mainland Australia. They have unique biological features, including a preference for inhabiting complex rocky habitats. This often results in species being isolated to rocky ranges across the continent.

The brachyotis group of rock-wallabies from north-western Australia, are unique in the genus as they are the only species with overlapping (sympatric) distributions. They also display the most size variation with two species, the Monjon (Petrogale burbidgei) and Nabarlek (P. concinna) being 1-2 kg compared to the much larger (4-6 kg) western short-eared rock-wallaby (P. brachyotis) and Wilkins’ rock-wallaby (P. wilkinsi). Most of these species are widespread across the Australian Monsoonal Tropics and have been influenced by changing climatic conditions across deep timescales, causing repeated expansion and contractions of their distributions. This has resulted in genetically divergent populations occurring within each of these species across northern Australia.

The mystery

Previous genetic studies have shown puzzling patterns of inter-relationships, where populations of the same species appeared not to be closely related. These studies had used relatively short segments of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is maternally inherited (passed down from the mother only) and has been commonly used by researchers to identify species through DNA barcoding and to establish relationships among populations and species. But while mtDNA is very useful, it doesn’t always tell the whole story.

The solution

Now with improved genomic technologies, for the first time we’ve been able to re-examine relationships in this group by looking at almost a thousand genes (totally almost 1 million base pairs) from across the nuclear genome (inherited from both parents) and to compare with the patterns detected with the mtDNA. We were also able to fill critical geographic sampling gaps by utilising DNA obtained from historic museum specimens from collections across Australia. Analysis of the nuclear genome (nDNA) resolved the expected relationships amongst these species, grouping species with similar morphology and chromosome numbers together. However, an analysis of the mtDNA continued to show a different and more complex pattern of relationships.

The surprise

Unexpectedly, we found evidence of historic gene flow between species of very different sizes, ecologies and with different chromosome configurations. Some of this gene flow appears to have resulted in mtDNA moving from one species to populations of another species, so examining just the mtDNA gives a different pattern to nuclear DNA (nDNA). This discordance between the patterns of relationships established from mtDNA and nDNA is being increasingly detected in diverse species, indicating the species boundaries are more permeable to gene flow than previously thought. It is also a cautionary tale that simply relying of mtDNA to identify species (i.e., DNA barcoding) to establish relationships can sometimes be fraught.

Dr Sally Potter

Macquarie University and Research Associate, Australian Museum Research Institute

Dr Mark Eldridge

Senior Principal Research Scientist, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute

]]>

What’s in a whistle? Your go-to guide for telling frog whistles apart

Wed, 29 May 2024 00:00:00 +1000

Citizen science data from the FrogID project helped document the distribution and advertisement call variability in five species of tree frog.

How do we tell frog species apart? Firstly, there’s appearance. Assuming you can see the frog, that usually that does the trick. Some frog species, however, are very secretive, and others can look almost identical.

Thankfully, there’s the male advertisement call (the sounds frogs make when they’re yelling out for a mate, of the romantic variety), which is often the only way you can tell frogs are around. Some frog species, however, sound incredibly similar, which can make identifying the frogs around you quite difficult.

The study

In a recent study, the advertisement calls of five species of whistling frogs found in Southeastern Australia were examined. These species look and sound very similar and, to complicate things, three have overlapping ranges – the Brown Tree Frog (Litoria ewingii), the Whistling Tree Frog (Litoria verreauxii) and the Victorian Tree Frog (Litoria paraewingi). Two are brand new to science – the South Australian Tree Frog (Litoria calliscelis) and the Kangaroo Island Tree Frog (Litoria sibilus) – but identifying these ‘new kids on the block’ is straight-forward as they’re geographically separated from everyone else. So, despite sounding similar to the other species, location gives them away.

We were looking for a way to tell these little whistlers apart from each other and to design a handy little guide for people to use. And while we were at it, we used advertisement calls from all over the species ranges so we could look at their geographic variation.

Citizen science

This study used data from the Australian Museum’s FrogID app. If you haven’t heard the scoop, FrogID is a citizen science app that allows anyone to capture and submit recordings of frog calls, anywhere, anytime. For this study alone, researchers combed through roughly 20,000 recordings! All of which would not have been possible without the help of citizen scientists across Australia using the FrogID app to record frogs.

So, what did we find?

We found the most variation was in the number of notes in a call, the rise and fall of how loud each note was (which we can visualise looking at amplitude over time) and the position of the longest and shortest notes in the call. It helps to think of calls and notes like sentences and words. A note can be thought of as a word and several notes (words) make up their call (like a sentence). Therefore, the number of words, the loudness of the words and where the longest and shortest words are in the sentence is how we tell these species of whistling frogs apart.

**Brown Tree Frog (Litoria ewingii) recording submitted to FrogID**

^{Audio & Copyright: Darren Roache}

**Whistling Tree Frog (Litoria verreauxii) recording submitted to FrogID**

^{Audio & Copyright: Airlie Worrall}

Like previous studies using FrogID data, we also found that there is geographic variation present in the calls of Brown Tree Frogs and the Whistling Tree Frogs, the species with the largest ranges. Examining the geographic variation is interesting as it can show us if certain populations sound a bit different to others, much like people’s accents. This is something we’re starting to understand is much more common than previously thought.

Research like this is the groundwork for frog conservation. It enables us to understand more thoroughly how to accurately identify species, and therefore understand any changes in their distribution or abundance. This large-scale research is only possible due to projects like FrogID. Citizen science is an absolute game changer for frog research and its continued future means the continued survival of frog species in Australia.

Jessica Elliot-Tate, Former Honours student, Australian Museum Research Institute & UNSW Sydney

]]>

Saturday Lecture Series: Battle of Kadesh

Tue, 28 May 2024 00:00:00 +1000

Macquarie University’s Associate Professor Boyo Ockinga explores how Ramses II turned a military disaster at the Battle of Kadesh into a public relations triumph.

Five years into his reign, Ramses undertook his most ambitious military action, attempting to wrestle control of Kadesh from the Hittites. Listen to Associate Professor Boyo Ockinga as he unravels the complexities of one of the most famous battles in the ancient world and asks whether history is necessarily written by the victors.

Recorded live at the Australian Museum on 27 April 2024, as part of the Gateway to Egypt program series, created to support Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition.

After completing a DPhil in Egyptology at the University of Tübingen (Germany), Boyo Ockinga took up a position at Macquarie University in 1984 where he taught Ancient Egyptian language, religion and history. As an Honorary Associate Professor in the Dept. of History and Archaeology and member of the Australian Centre for Egyptology at Macquarie University, he now focuses on research, continuing projects in Egypt, excavating and publishing the inscriptions and iconography in tombs of the New Kingdom.

One of the tombs he is working on is that of Saroy, a high official of Ramesses II. He has published widely in the area of Egyptian Civilisation, in particular language and religion.

Russell Briggs is Chief Experience Officer at the Australian Museum (AM), beginning his tenure in September 2017. Russell leads the team responsible for permanent, temporary and touring exhibitions; education; public programs; visitor experience, front of house, and volunteers; digital; climate change; the Museum archives and library, and the extensive world collections held by the Museum.

]]>

Saturday Lecture Series: Monumental Architecture

Tue, 28 May 2024 00:00:00 +1000

Macquarie University’s Dr Gillian Smith celebrates the architectural enormity of the Ramesside period with her exploration of Abu Simbel, the Ramesseum & Luxor’s Karnak Temple Complex.

Twice a year, sunlight sweeps into the chambers of The Great Temple at Abu Simbel, illuminating the face of Ramses II and marking the beginning of the flood and growing seasons. Temples were monuments to the pharaohs and the gods, reminding all of Egypt’s wealth and prosperity. For modern visitors, these temples stand as examples of the ingenuity and scope of human endeavour.

Tune in as we explore some of these monuments’ key architectural features; how kings, such as Ramses II used them to define and portray power and - in the case of Abu Simbel – as a means to harness the sun. Following the lecture, listen to the interview with Professor of Architecture, Restoration Australia’s Anthony Burke.

Recorded live at the Australian Museum on 24 February 2024, as part of the Gateway to Egypt program series, created to support Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition.

Obtaining her PhD in 2021 from Macquarie University (MQU), Dr Gillian Smith is an Egyptologist specialising in temple architecture and art of the Ramesside period. Her thesis, which is currently being prepared as a monograph, drew on traditional Egyptological and art-historical theories as well as architectural theory to investigate the design and ancient experience of the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak temple.

She has been an archaeological field team member on MQU’s Theban Tombs Project and has completed her own field research at Karnak Temple, Luxor. With an interest in public engagement, Gillian was one a co-founder and co-ordinators of Studying the Past, the education and engagement program for MQU’s Department of History and Archaeology.

Anthony Burke is a professor of Architecture at the University of Technology Sydney and host of Restoration Australia and Grand Designs Transformations on ABC, with 25 years’ experience lecturing, publishing, presenting and celebrating the value of good design and architecture around the world.

]]>

Museum genetics solves 88 year-old tree-kangaroo puzzle

Dr Mark Eldridge, Sally Potter, Professor Kristofer Helgen — Tue, 14 May 2024 00:00:00 +1000

An examination of DNA extracted from tree-kangaroo specimens in the Australian Museum collection has confirmed that the mysterious Dendrolagus deltae, described as a new species from southern New Guinea in 1936, is not a valid species but the result of some erroneous locality information.

The wonderfully improbable tree-kangaroos (Dendrolagus) are a unique genus of arboreal macropodids that are confined to the wet tropical forests of New Guinea and north-east Queensland (Fig. 1). They are amongst the most poorly known large (8-20 kg) marsupials, and their taxonomy has remained largely unresolved until recently. Currently two living species are recognised from Australia and ten in New Guinea.

One species, Dendrolagus deltae, has endured ongoing uncertainty ever since it was described 88 years ago under curious circumstances. In 1936, the Australian Museum’s Mammal Curator, Ellis Troughton published a paper describing two new species of tree-kangaroo from New Guinea, with co-author A.S. Le Souef, from Taronga Zoological Gardens, Sydney. The first was Dendrolagus spadix (Lowland Tree-kangaroo) based on a wild-collected flat skin from the lowlands of Papua New Guinea. The second, Dendrolagus deltae was based on the skins and skulls of two captive animals from Taronga Zoological Gardens which were reported to have come from Mt Pratt in south-western New Guinea (Fig. 2).

Subsequently, most mammalogists, noting the similarity between the two D. deltae specimens and specimens of Dendrolagus matschiei (Huon Tree-kangaroo) from the mountains of the Huon Peninsula, north-east New Guinea, thought that the collection locality (Mt Pratt) was erroneous and that D. deltae was not a distinct species. Indeed, Troughton himself also came to harbor doubts about the validity of D. deltae as a taxon and the published collection locality. In a type-written note (undated) added to the first page of a reprint of his 1936 paper (held in the Mammal section at the Australian Museum) Troughton states “Note: Dendrolagus spadix is recognized as valid, but D. deltae remains uncertain owing to the doubtful locality provided for Zoo specimens by co-author Le Souef”. To further muddy the waters, the Mt Pratt area, like many regions of remote and rugged New Guinea, has not had its fauna well surveyed so firm conclusions may be premature.

Fortunately, modern genetic techniques now allow us to examine DNA from historical museum specimens, enabling the exploration of questions associated with species relationships and boundaries, within groups like tree-kangaroos, where only limited numbers of high quality tissue samples are available. Fortunately, the Australian Museum has the most comprehensive collection of tree-kangaroo specimens in the world, including representatives of all currently recognised taxa. Although DNA extracted from museum specimens is often degraded, we were able to successfully obtain DNA sequences of three mitochondrial DNA genes from seven museum specimens, including both specimens of D. deltae and the previously unsampled and very rare Dendrolagus goodfellowi goodfellowi (Goodfellow’s Tree-kangaroo).

Combining these new data, with DNA sequences previously derived from high quality tissue samples, we were able for the first time, to resolve relationships within the distinct Goodfellow’s group of tree-kangaroos. Interestingly, the two specimens of D. deltae had identical DNA sequences and were virtually indistinguishable from our three sampled specimens of D. matschiei from the Huon Peninsula (Fig. 2). This provides strong evidence that D. deltae is not a distinct species separate from D. matschiei, and that the Mt Pratt collection locality associated with them is incorrect. The specimens of D. deltae are also very similar morphologically to specimens of D. matschiei (Fig. 3).

However, as one 88 year-old tree-kangaroo puzzle is laid to rest another arises. Our genetic analysis included, for the first time, samples from both subspecies of Goodfellow’s Tree-kangaroo: D. g. goodfellowi from south-eastern PNG, and D. goodfellowi buergersi from the central highlands of PNG. While D. g. goodfellowi is very poorly known, D. g. buergersi is more familiar, being held in zoos around the world. Although these two subspecies are morphologically quite similar, they were found to be genetically more divergent than some other well accepted Dendrolagus species. But since our sample sizes are quite small, a conclusive decision on whether they actually represent different species, will require additional sampling and an examination of further genetic data.

As well as reviewing the taxonomy of the Goodfellow’s group for the first time since 1982, we were able to bring together and summarise new distributional and biological data for all the currently recognised species and subspecies in this elusive group. We hope our findings will further aid the conservation and management of these unique and threatened species and bring greater awareness to the need for ongoing biodiversity research.

Dr Mark Eldridge

Senior Principal Research Scientist, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute

Dr Sally Potter

Macquarie University and Research Associate, Australian Museum Research Institute

Prof Kris Helgen

Chief Scientist and Director, Australian Museum Research Institute

]]>

Devastating coral bleaching in 2024

Anne Hoggett — Tue, 07 May 2024 00:00:00 +1000

The fifth mass bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef in the past eight years was declared in April 2024. For the first time, all three sectors of the GBR are affected: south, middle, and north. It is part of the fourth global bleaching event according to the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration – the others were in 1998, 2010 and 2014-17.

At Lizard Island, bleaching became noticeable in early February as water temperature climbed and remained high for weeks. By late February, in shallow water, most Acropora corals – the ones that are very common and that provide much of the reef’s habitat structure – were fluorescing or fully bleached. By mid-March, in water shallower than 5 metres, virtually all Acropora corals were either bleached or dead. By mid-April, the death rate of those corals was estimated at more than 80%. Even though the water temperature is now dropping, we won’t know the outcome for the corals that are still alive for some months. They have been badly damaged and it remains to be seen how many will recover.

The reefs around Lizard were decimated between 2014 and 2017 – quite literally, less than one tenth of corals remained. This was caused by category 4 cyclones in each of 2014 and 2015, then catastrophic bleaching due to a marine heatwave in 2016. The water temperature in 2017 was just as high as in 2016, but by then, there were no susceptible corals left to be killed.

In the seven years since then, the reef in some areas around Lizard (but by no means everywhere) had recovered amazingly well. The recovery and its caveats are discussed in the 2023 Talbot Oration, Coral Reefs in Hot Water. It’s now clear that February 2024 was ‘peak recovery’ for this cycle.

Lizard Island Research Station has been bearing witness to events on the reef for more than 50 years. The timeline below shows all bleaching events in the area since 1973. It’s obvious that the frequency of these devastating events is increasing rapidly. In the past five years, from 2020 to 2024, there has been bleaching at Lizard Island every year. The concept of back-to-back bleaching events is still mentioned in the media as something that might happen in years to come, but it’s already happening. The only reason that none of the events between 2020 and 2023 resulted in mass death of corals is that the weather changed in the nick of time to drop the water temperature before too much damage had been sustained. Dumb luck, in other words. In 2024, we were not so lucky.

The current event is not as bad in this area as it was in 2016/17, but it comes a close second. This time, corals in deeper water have fared better, the outer barrier reefs are not badly affected, and some types of corals have not bleached as badly but others have bleached more. There is much to learn, and researchers at LIRS are onto it.

I will close with some words that resonate from a highly respected coral reef researcher, Peter Sale:

]]>

Saturday Lecture Series: Ramses Street

Mon, 06 May 2024 00:00:00 +1000

Join archaeologist Candace Richards for the fifth of our Saturday Lecture Series, where we explore the entwined histories of Egypt and early modern Australia, in an effort to understand how Egypt’s cultural heritage found its way Down Under.

In the 1980s, a new wave of Egyptomania emerged in Australia with the first touring exhibition from Cairo, but Australia’s fascination with Egypt’s ancient past had begun in the 19th century. Our attraction to the ancient world endured throughout the political swings and design trends of the early 20th century, and grew as Egypt hosted ANZACs for deployment in both World Wars.

Come on a journey to ‘Ramses Street’ as we explore the legacy of Ancient Egypt in Australia and discuss the current shift to untangle and address colonial narratives in museums. Hosted by Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah.

Recorded live at the Australian Museum on 23 March 2024, as part of the Gateway to Egypt program series, created to support Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition.

Candace Richards is the assistant curator of the Nicholson Collection and has been part of the Sydney University Museums team for more than 15 years. Candace's research interests bring together ancient world studies with contemporary museum practice to re-evaluate how and why collections were formed and explore the ways archaeology and antiquities collections can offer new insights into human endeavour. Candace is an archaeologist interested in Mediterranean and Balkan archaeology and has worked on research and commercial excavations in Europe and Australia.

Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah is a Future Fellow in the School of Social Sciences at Macquarie University.

She is a prominent Australian Palestinian advocate with Egyptian heritage. Dr Abdel-Fattah is a multi award-winning author of 12 books whose young adult and children’s books are published in over twenty countries.

This literary corpus primarily deals with intercultural relations, migration, race/religious issues in Australia, identity, belonging and political consciousness among young Australians, both Muslim and non-Muslim. She is well known for her commentary as a public intellectual, her media appearances and her essay and op-ed writing across a wide range of genres.

Her most recent academic books are Coming of Age in the War on Terror (forthcoming, 2021 NewSouth Publishing) and Islamophobia and Everyday Multiculturalism (Routledge 2017).

]]>

Museum displays: Invertebrate and Vertebrate Tree

Nadiye Cicek — Mon, 06 May 2024 00:00:00 +1000

Our Australian Museum Photographic Archives hold many stories - some of our favourites, feature behind the scenes images of exhibitions at the Museum. The Vertebrate and Invertebrate Tree, both popular displays, opened in 1959 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Charles Darwin's publication, ‘On the Origin of Species'. With the help of past Australian Museum annual reports and magazines we are able to research the story behind the displays.

Behind the scenes, expert staff from our Preparation and Exhibitions departments construct exhibitions and displays to showcase research and scientific discovery at the Museum. The Invertebrate Tree display was created by a broad range of staff including ''curators, artists, modellers, casters, preparators, artificers and a ticket-writer". The photograph below shows the ‘work in progress’ designs for both displays, illustrating the process from conception to construction.

The Invertebrate Tree, also known as 'These Are Invertebrates’, was opened on July 31, 1959, by President of the Australian Museum Board of Trustees, Mr Wallace Wurth. The exhibit featured models, paintings and specimens housed in "wet and dry boxes". It measured "32 feet long and 9 feet high” with a total 215 specimens which included 55 paintings (by natural history illustrator Eileen Mayo) and 43 models. The opening of the exhibit was even televised and promoted in newspapers.

According to the 1959 annual report, the use of "plastic sheet boxes" were an important part of the preparation process, facilitating the display of invertebrate specimens. This was a technique later used in exhibits to replace glass. Lighting was another feature that enhanced the Invertebrate Tree - a total of 800 light globes were used. Although opened in 1959, some remaining labels were completed and installed from 1960-1961. An illustrated colour guide was prepared for the exhibit which included diagrams and outlined key features. The guide is now catalogued in the Australian Museum Archives.

The Invertebrate Tree proved popular and was even used for educational purposes by Zoology students from the University of Sydney.

The Vertebrate Tree was a complementary display to the Invertebrate Tree. The exhibit measured 12 feet by 10 feet "installed at the head of the stairway facing the main public entrance" and showed the "inter-relationships of the main groups of animals with backbones and geological periods at which particular evolutionary developments took place".

The Vertebrate Tree had a steel frame featuring fibreglass backed with 60 fluorescent tubes. Below is a photograph of artist John Beeman and David Rae constructing the metal pieces of the display. Both Beeman and Rae "attended a welding course at Sydney Technical College” to create the Tree. John began working at the Museum in 1949 and in 1956 became the head of the newly created Department of Arts and Design. There was a shift in exhibitions at the Museum. Traditional cabinets of curiosities, housing a multitude of specimens, changed to streamlined exhibitions focused on design and education. The period saw modernised exhibits described as "the most ambitious and [technically] complex displays ever installed at the Museum".

Visit our Australian Museum photographic collections page and read featured stories.

]]>

Bringing a funerary net back to life

Fran Dorey — Sun, 05 May 2024 00:00:00 +1000

This beautiful, turquoise-coloured beaded net is more than 2,000 years old and was placed on a body to assist with travel to the afterlife in ancient Egypt. Today, it sits in 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum in the Westpac Long Gallery, having been restored by hand by the Australian Museum conservation team.

To a modern viewer, these delicate pieces make beautiful funeral decorations, but they meant significantly more to Egyptians.

These funeral pieces more commonly appear from the Third Intermediate Period (from about 1077 BCE), although bead garments have been found in Old and Middle Kingdom burials. For those that couldn’t afford a high-end piece, knotted string versions were used or an imitation net would be painted on the linen shroud.

The distinctive style and colour are considered important for the wearer’s rebirth in the afterlife, linking them to the god Osiris and the sky goddess, Nut. The winged scarab and the figures of the four sons of Horus (Imsety, Duamutef, Hapi and Qebehsenuef) protect a person’s organs and soul.

The net in 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum, probably dates to the Third Intermediate Period, making it at least 2,700 years old. Donated in 1928, it has undergone numerous conservation treatments, the most recent in 2017.

Considering its age, it was in relatively good condition. The thread holding the beads was, understandably, severely deteriorated, with only a few fragments remaining. The beads themselves are brittle, fragile and crumbly, especially in areas showing brown discolouration or where the original thread was lost. Not all of the beads survived the 2000-year journey to the Museum.

When selected for inclusion in 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum, the net was attached to a light grey padded backing board as part of a recent repair. The net itself was secured using thread at the junction of each diamond shape. Unfortunately, the board needed to match the black backing used for all the other mounts and bases in the exhibition.

Over several painstaking days, the team carefully cut away the modern stitches and restrung the faience beads onto linen thread. Any misaligned beads were re-positioned, and the net was reattached to a new board. The three remaining figures of the Sons of Horus were also moved slightly to make space for the missing fourth figure.

Our conservation team will continue to preserve this net, so this important record of Egyptian funerary rites is preserved – hopefully for another 2,000 years.

Visit the free exhibition, 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum to see the faience net on display.

]]>

Where are Australia’s frogs? Introducing the latest Australian Frog Atlas

Grace Gillard, Dr Jodi Rowley, Timothy Cutajar — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +1000

The latest Australian Frog Atlas is available to download here.

With seven new frog species described to science and over a million frog records at our fingertips, we revise and update the Australian Frog Atlas – the most detailed, up-to-date distribution maps of all Australia’s 254 frog species.

A detailed understanding of where species occur is vital to help ensure their conservation. It might seem like something obvious that we would already have a good understanding of, but in fact it is very poorly known for most of Australia’s biodiversity. Until recently, this has been particularly true for some of our most threatened animals - frogs.

In June 2022, we released the Australian Frog Atlas – at the time, the most detailed distribution maps of Australian frogs. Largely informed by expert-validated occurrence records from the Australian Museum’s citizen science project, FrogID, and incorporating records from published literature and the Atlas of Living Australia, we explored frog occurrence records throughout Australia to provide highly detailed maps of 247 frog species. However, with FrogID recently surpassing one million frog records, and recent scientific advances in our understanding of Australia’s frog diversity, it was time for an update!

The new, updated version of the Australian Frog Atlas has made changes to the maps of almost all species, incorporating small and large range extensions. It’s also added maps for the seven species of Australian frogs that have been scientifically described since the first version (most of them with the help of FrogID data!): the Southern Stuttering Frog (Mixophyes australis), Otway Smooth Frog (Geocrinia sparsiflora), Scarlet-sided Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes grayi), Coastal Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes superciliaris), South Australian Tree Frog (Litoria calliscelis), Kangaroo Island Tree Frog (Litoria sibilus), and Western Laughing Tree Frog (Litoria ridibunda). In addition, four frog species from Western Australia have been re-classified as the newly-described genus Anstisia. By including these new species in the updated version of the Australian Frog Atlas, we now have detailed distribution maps for all 254 described Australian frog species.

For the species included in version 1 of the Atlas, most range extensions have been made thanks to FrogID recordings. While most of these updates have been relatively small map revisions, there have been several large, exciting updates. For example, new FrogID recordings of the poorly-known Cave Frog (Litoria cavernicola) from the Kimberley region in northwest Western Australia have resulted in a 100km south-west extension in the distribution of the species, expanding its known range by 13%! Likewise, new FrogID recordings from remote Queensland have revealed that the Blacksoil Toadlet (Uperoleia trachyderma) occurs over 300km further south-west than we originally thought, also resulting in a 13% range increase! These new records from poorly-sampled, remote areas of the country are providing us with invaluable insight into frog biodiversity and distributions.

Improving FrogID sampling coverage across Australia is key to improving our knowledge of species distributions, particularly within remote areas of the country. To help citizen scientists know which areas are not well-sampled, we have divided the entire map of Australia into 0.5 decimal degree grid cells (roughly 55km), and provided a map of the number of FrogID recordings made within each cell. To date, FrogID citizen scientists have recorded frogs across 37% of Australia - which is incredible, but leaves so much of the country to survey! By targeting poorly-sampled regional and remote areas, FrogID citizen scientists are able to reveal insights into the distribution of our frogs, and help to ensure the Australian Frog Atlas remains a highly detailed and current resource for conservation.

Grace Gillard, Research Assistant, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum & UNSW Sydney. Lead Scientist, FrogID.

Timothy Cutajar, Research Assistant, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute

Acknowledgements:

We would like to thank the Citizen Science Grants of the Australian Government and the Impact Grants program of IBM Australia for providing funding and resources to help build the initial FrogID App; the generous donors who have provided funding for the project including the James Kirby Foundation; the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust and the Department of Planning and Environment – Water, and the Saving our Species program as Supporting Partners; the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Museums Victoria, Queensland Museum, South Australian Museum, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and Western Australian Museum as FrogID partner museums; the many Australian Museum staff and volunteers who make up the FrogID team; and, most importantly, the thousands of citizen scientists across Australia who have volunteered their time to record frogs.

]]>

Norfolk Island Polynesian adze-making site results just published

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +1000

The first new archaeological site excavated on Norfolk Island in almost 30 years expands our knowledge of local Polynesian settlement. Evidence from a recently excavated stone-working site has now been published in the journal Archaeology in Oceania.

In October 2022, archaeological excavations by Nicola Jorgensen (The University of Sydney), Dr Amy Way (Australian Museum and the University of Sydney) and the Norfolk Island community uncovered a new Polynesian adze-making workshop on Norfolk Island. This excavation at Mount Bates revealed the second in-situ Polynesian site to be recorded on the Island, the first being a settlement area on the island’s south coast, discovered in the 1990s. Polynesian settlers arrived and departed long before Europeans set foot on Norfolk Island and many aspects of their settlement remain a mystery. Where did they come from? Why did they leave and where did they go? How were they using the island? Without known living descendants from this population, finding in situ archaeological sites is critical to answering these questions.

The Mount Bates Saddle site sits along a walking track in the Norfolk Island National Park, in the north-western uplands between the twin peaks of Mount Pitt and Mount Bates. Surface collection and excavation of a 1m x 1m pit retrieved over 1,200 basalt artefacts from this site, including two Polynesian adze preforms (partially made adzes). The function of adzes in Polynesian contexts can be quite broad but commonly these tools were used for woodworking activities. As these two adzes were found in an unfinished state and surrounded by stone flakes associated with their production, this site most likely represents an adze manufacturing area. The nature of the site and the type of artefacts found suggest that the worked stone was sourced from nearby. However, the location of this stone source (i.e. a quarry site) still remains to be discovered.

The first Polynesian site on Norfolk Island was uncovered in the 1990s, during excavations at Emily Bay on the south coast. This work established the first Polynesian chronology for Norfolk Island, with material analyses dating Polynesian settlement between the early 13th to 15th centuries CE. Radiocarbon dates from charcoal from the Mount Bates Saddle site returned dates spanning 686-599 (+23) years before the present, which fall comfortably within this same timeframe. This suggests both sites are connected as part of a single phase of Polynesian settlement. It is possible that adze preforms produced at the Mount Bates Saddle site were then transported to the south coast for the final stages of manufacture (i.e. polishing) and use.

The Mount Bates Saddle site corroborates Polynesian settlement between the 13th to 15th centuries CE and is clear evidence of local tool manufacture. This site also provides evidence that the extraction and processing of stone by Polynesian settlers was not limited to the south coast. Although many questions still remain unanswered, this new evidence opens up the entire island to the possibility of further Polynesian sites. Beyond its scientific value, the Mount Bates Saddle site also holds a deep significance for the Norfolk Island community. In the words of a Norfolk Islander local, Arthur Evans, Tahitian descent on his matrilineal line: “Being a part of the recent Mount Bates track excavations of the Polynesian adze artefacts gave me a tangible and deep emotional reminder of where and who we come from (uckluns cum frum)… I as a Norfolk Islander have a deep-seated admiration for the courage and tenacity of those Polynesians who went before us, arriving here on Norfolk Island hundreds of years ago.”

This excavation and recent publication marks the culmination of several years of research and collaboration with the local Norfolk Island community. The Mount Bates Saddle site both expands the known range of Polynesian occupation on Norfolk Island and highlights the potential for future discoveries. Finding additional in situ sites (such as a quarry site) remains a critical target to resolve some of the mysteries surrounding this settlement. We must hope it is not another 30 years before more evidence comes to light.

Written by Nicola Jorgensen, Masters Student, The University of Sydney.

This research and new publication present the preliminary results of Nicola Jorgensen’s ongoing postgraduate research through the University of Sydney. The excavation of the Mount Bates Saddle site was supported by expedition funding from the Australian Museum. Special thanks to my supervisors Dr Amy Mosig Way and Dr James Flexner, and Snowy Tavener, Arthur Evans and Deborah Jorgensen for their invaluable contributions. I am deeply grateful to the Norfolk Island community for their support, thanks f’ucklun (“Thanks for all of us” in Norf’k language).

]]>

Preparing your Eureka Prizes assessor reports

Kate Smith — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +1000

Assessor reports — and testimonials where applicable — play an integral role in the Eureka Prizes judging process, yet entrants and nominators can overlook their importance. A carefully selected set of assessors is essential for maximising the quality and impact of your submission as they support your account of the significance and impact of the entered activity, adding depth and credibility to claims. From planning your approaches to setting assessors up with an appropriate level of detail, we share our tips for preparing your reports.

Approach a broad mix of individuals

One of the most common mistakes is entrants not approaching a broad enough mix of individuals. They key is to ensure you’re offering the judging panel a set of rounded and unbiased perspectives. What that looks like in practice is going to vary between prizes and entries, but at the very least you should be branching out beyond your organisation.

Refer to the assessment criteria when planning your approaches

All roads lead back to the assessment criteria! Remember: the majority of each assessor’s report is a response to it, so consider how well an individual is placed to do that. Although each assessor must respond to all criteria, think about how they can fill any gaps in your own responses. If you feel less confident talking about one criterion, seek out an assessor who can focus on that for you. Similarly, give some thought to how your assessors might complement one another.

Don’t just select the most accessible person

The most accessible person isn’t necessarily going to be the best placed to endorse your work, and taking this route can often lead to a situation where you’ve not selected a broad enough mix of individuals. The prospect of making an approach might be daunting but try not to be deterred by it. Reaching out to someone you really admire, who's an established expert in their field, can be a rewarding experience for you, especially when you're reading what they've got to say! Going the extra mile can really make your entry shine.

Assessors should not be personally or directly involved in the activity entered

You’ll see this line in the prize information and it’s something we receive a lot of questions about. Essentially, you need to be confident that each assessor can offer an unbiased evaluation and wouldn’t enjoy a direct benefit by endorsing your work. Every research scenario is unique so there's not hard and fast rule, which is why we aren't more prescriptive here. What this does mean is that an entry won’t be deemed ineligible simply on account of an assessor being perceived as too close to the work. That said, it’s best if there’s no confusion about an assessor's level of involvement. Put simply, you’re the best judge of someone's suitability as an assessor in relation to this requirement and if in doubt, err on the side of caution and move on.

Brief your assessors 

Setting your assessors up with an appropriate level of detail will make a real difference to the strength of their report. Ensure they have the template linked in the prize information and are clear on how to complete it. Be sure to share the prize information for context and highlight the prize purpose and criteria to them. It’s a good idea to be upfront about your reasons for selecting them as well as whether there’s anything you’d like them to take extra lengths to communicate.

Ensure they provide clear evidence to support their claims

You might recall this one from our earlier post, but it’s also relevant to assessor reports. A key feature of every successful entry is evidence that demonstrates the achievements have been delivered, so it’s important that you get your assessors’ backing with this. Regardless of how much praise exists in the public domain around your entered work, the judging panel can only consider what has been formally submitted — so enlist each assessor's help with ensuring your suite of entry materials includes plenty of specific examples to support claims.

Communicate and manage timelines

You’ve gone the extra mile and approached your ideal assessor, given them some gentle guidance … but come the entry deadline, there’s no sign of their report. When briefing your assessors, make sure you’re also clear about timeframes and the need to return the completed document directly to you. Take things one step further and check in with them before the deadline so you’re not thrown a roadblock to submitting the materials you’ve spent weeks carefully preparing. It’s an unfortunate scenario that we observe each year but, regrettably, assessor reports cannot be accepted separately after the entry deadline.

Preparing a testimonial

If you’re submitting an entry into the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software, Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science or Eureka Prize for STEM Inclusion, you’ll also need to prepare a testimonial. This material is intended to help judges better understand the first-hand experiences of the project or initiative’s target audience. One of the key things that weakens a testimonial is not approaching a direct beneficiary: it’s not enough to have someone who’s observed the impact on the target audience. Each of these prizes has a strong focus on audience or user engagement, so judges need to understand the lived experience of community members in relation to the project’s impact.

In most cases, assessor reports and testimonials make up approximately half of the entry materials you’re asked to submit. While your choice of assessors and the reports they prepare won’t fundamentally change the activity you enter, following these guidelines will ensure each report is optimised, boosting your chances of selection as much as it possibly can.

]]>

A natural move: the Eureka Prize for Sustainability Research

Kate Smith — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +1000

Embracing sustainable practices contributes to a range of development goals including food security, mitigating biodiversity loss and reducing social inequality. By integrating sustainability into policies, businesses and everyday practices, we can build a more equitable, resilient and prosperous world that meets the needs of both current and future generations. Using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a guiding framework, the University of Sydney has made huge strides in this space, with sustainability underpinning everything from its operations to its strategic and research objectives. Given this commitment, partnering with the Australian Museum to present a Eureka Prize recognising excellence in sustainability research was a natural move. We caught up with the Dean of Science, Professor Marcel Dinger, to discuss the role sustainability plays in the University’s mission and learn more about the Eureka Prize for Sustainability Research, now in its third year.

The University of Sydney is committed to sustained and consistent excellence. What role does sustainability play in this mission?
Sustainability underpins so much of our work at the University of Sydney, from our operations to our strategic and research objectives. A key part of the University’s mission is to continually inspire a culture of sustainability, which we hope influences the wider community. Our University culture encourages students and staff to view themselves as global citizens with a responsibility to tackle the greatest challenges our planet faces, especially issues that impact our environment and climate.

We have many researchers developing cutting-edge ways to address the world’s environmental problems, but our entire University community plays a part in our sustainability efforts. We have targets for reducing our carbon footprint by limiting waste that is sent to landfill through responsible recycling and composting food waste (our biodigester produces up to 182 tonnes a year of nutrient-rich compost for our campus grounds), and we encourage our staff and students to travel to campus or for University-related business in a way that is as environmentally friendly as possible. All our electricity comes from renewable sources and we have water-saving irrigation systems.

In 2023, we offered sustainability as an undergraduate study major for the first time, following on from the popularity of our Master of Sustainability program, and in all our campus-wide sustainability endeavours we have embedded Indigenous knowledges and practices of ‘Caring for Country’. We also offer Sustainability Action Student Life Grants to individual students or groups who want to develop sustainability projects, such as leading zero-waste cooking classes and installing green walls on campus as native pollinator projects, as recent examples. So, as you can see, sustainability is a key part of the University’s mission and our everyday activities.

Can you tell us a little bit about the Faculty of Science’s journey and contributions in relation to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals?
The Faculty of Science is guided by the University of Sydney’s ambitious targets, which we measure against the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These cover objectives such as achieving food security by promoting sustainable agriculture; promoting sustainable use of all forms of ecosystems to combat desertification, land degradation and biodiversity loss; and ensuring cities and towns are inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

In the latest QS World University Rankings, the University of Sydney was the top-ranked university in Australia for our sustainability impact measured in terms of SDGs and 11th in the world most recently. We have already achieved so much this decade by aligning our strategic goals with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a guiding framework.

Sponsoring the Eureka Prize for Sustainability Research is something that we feel well placed and extremely honoured to do. It very much aligns with our strategic objectives and values as an institution committed to SDG goals, and our desire to form meaningful partnerships to achieve sustainable development.

The Eureka Prize for Sustainability Research is awarded for research that has directly contributed to new or improved sustainability outcomes. Tell us more about the prize purpose and why this prize is important.

The purpose of the annual Eureka Prize for Sustainability Research is to honour outstanding scientific research and innovation that will have a significant and tangible impact on efforts towards greater sustainability in Australia ─ and worldwide. The Eureka Prizes are Australia’s most comprehensive science awards, and a dedicated prize for sustainability builds on the program’s reputation by showcasing and recognising the vital importance of scientific work in the sustainability research and development space. This is a prize that we, at the University of Sydney, feel enormously proud to sponsor because we are committed to encouraging and rewarding efforts that build a more sustainable world.

I think this prize is particularly important because sustainability research involves engaging communities and promoting awareness about environmental issues, and this fosters a sense of collective responsibility. Individuals, businesses and governments then feel encouraged to actively contribute to the practices being developed by researchers, and this can lead to important policy change. And such research also provides educational opportunities for current and future generations, which of course is at the heart of the University of Sydney’s purpose. We want to continue to encourage the development of programs and courses that equip individuals with the knowledge and the skills needed to address sustainability challenges, and to create positive, transformative change on a global scale.

Who might consider entering this prize?

We encourage entries from anybody doing innovative research that will lead to a significant improvement in sustainability practices and policies. The main requirements are that your ─ or your team’s ─ research methods are scientifically rigorous, demonstrate originality and benefit the wider community. If I can give some examples of recent Eureka Prize finalists, you may be researching new ways to build a low-carbon future. You may be working towards creating transformative solutions to address global environmental challenges that will allow nations to progress towards net-zero targets by 2050. You may be a research team developing innovative ways to use technology that can generate solar energy. You may be investigating different ways to develop sustainable energy resources. Anybody engaging in robust, original scientific work in the sustainability space should consider applying as it’s an effective way to amplify your work within the scientific community and beyond, into the business and wider community.

What practical impacts might the broader community observe in their day-to-day lives due to the types of innovative solutions recognised by this prize?

The types of innovative solutions the Eureka Prize for Sustainability Research recognises and celebrates are anticipated to have a direct impact on people’s everyday lives. Entrants are required to demonstrate how their research has led to the uptake or improvement of sustainable practices and/or policies in Australia or globally in the broader community, and how the innovations impact current and future generations. Again, referring to examples of recent Eureka Prizes finalists, practical impacts resulting from innovative research and solutions may be anything from reducing landfill by transforming waste into valuable resources to developing technology that transforms and recycles carbon dioxide into products such as ethylene, which can be used to make everyday items; or developing windows that can generate solar electricity and completely offset a building’s CO₂ emissions and reduce power costs to the consumer.

What excites you most about this space?

Sustainability research and innovation is one of the most exciting spaces in the scientific and, indeed, the broader community. It’s an area leading the charge in addressing some of the most pressing global challenges ─ challenges such as resource depletion, environmental degradation and climate change. I’m fascinated by the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability research ─ it fosters innovative solutions that consider environmental, social and economic factors, allowing for meaningful collaboration between different interest groups who then can develop holistic approaches that address real-world sustainability issues and lead to policy change. The sustainability space is fertile ground for technological advancements, especially in the development of renewable-energy technologies and sustainable-agricultural practices. It’s also an area of scientific work that creates new business opportunities for entrepreneurs and companies willing to develop and implement sustainable practices, products and services.

]]>

Plant power: the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Botanical Science

Kate Smith — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +1000

Without plants, there would be no life, and in recent times the priority of botanical research has shifted from developing critical economic industries based on plants to an urgent need to document and conserve Australia’s unique flora. The Eureka Prize for Excellence in Botanical Science, sponsored by the Australian Institute of Botanical Science — part of Botanic Gardens of Sydney — recognises the important role that scientific research plays in the conservation of Australian plants. We caught up with Professor Brett Summerell, Chief Scientist at the Institute, to discuss the prize and learn more about the field of botanical science.

The recently established Australian Institute of Botanical Science is one of the nation’s premier botanical research organisations. Can you tell us a bit about its purpose and mission?

The Australian Institute of Botanical Science (the Institute) stems from the historical roots of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney — the nation’s oldest botanic garden and scientific organisation, founded in 1816.

Staff at the Institute are building on more than 200 years of advancements in the fundamental knowledge of plants. Today, our world-leading research and collections continue this work, driving effective conservation to ensure the survival of plants. This understanding of plants and their environment is also informed by thousands of years of knowledge generated by First Nations people to sustainably manage the landscapes of Australia. The Institute aims to generate science that will continue this connection with Country and work in partnership with First Nations people to promote a broader appreciation of Australia’s unique flora.

Climate change, habitat loss and the extinction crisis were all accelerated by the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-2020, which has underscored the importance of ensuring that species are securely conserved. We aspire to look forward and are training and inspiring the next generation of plant scientists, who will work with our collaborators, partners and the community to ensure Australia’s plant species are protected for generations to come.

The Institute consists of the physical and virtual scientific collections, research, services and facilities, and of course, our staff. Our people bring exemplary expertise, knowledge and passion to our mission and their important work is facilitated through and supported by:

The National Herbarium of New South Wales: one of the most significant botanical resources in the Southern Hemisphere, housing a growing collection of over 1.43 million preserved plant specimens and a critical part of NSW and Australia’s scientific infrastructure. It includes more than 800 collections made by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander on the Endeavour voyage to eastern Australia in 1770.

Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience: focussed on providing genetic expertise and evidenced-based information on how to restore, repair and protect native ecosystems confronted by climate change, degradation and the impacts of invasive pathogens. The centre’s flagship project, ‘Restore and Renew’, is one of Australia's most future focussed research projects, applying the very latest genetic technology to conservation in a way that could revolutionise bush regeneration practices.

Australian PlantBank: an award-winning and innovative plant conservation and research centre focussed on saving our flora through ex situ conservation (the conservation of species outside their natural habitats). It is home to the seed bank, which contains seeds of over 5,300 native species and more than 70% of NSW’s threatened species. This vital collection and its cutting-edge facilities provide an insurance policy against the extinction of our native plants in the wild. Research programs at the Australian PlantBank focus on seed biology and storage technology, translocation ecology and threatened species conservation.

Can you tell us a little more about the field of botanical science?

Fundamentally, botany is the study of plants and given the importance of plants to humanity, it’s one of the world’s oldest natural sciences. Botanical science is about advancing fundamental knowledge of flora and is traditionally focussed on the classification and identification of plants, and how they might be used in the service of humans. More recently, the focus has shifted to driving effective conservation solutions to ensure the survival of plants and all of the life that depends on them. Documenting and describing new plants across the environment, protecting threatened species, and supporting and establishing resilient ecosystems is a critical component of this.

The Eureka Prize for Excellence in Botanical Science is awarded for innovative research outcomes that have led to the documentation and protection of native plants. Tell us more about the prize’s purpose.

The Planet is currently experiencing the start of a mass extinction event, caused by the impact of humans on Earth’s environment. Botanical science research is vital to ensuring that plant species do not become extinct — an increasingly difficult challenge in the face of climate change. Our aim is to learn more about each species so that we can better advise conservation agencies and landholders on how to look after them, and to help conserve and strengthen healthy and resilient populations. This prize encourages and acknowledges the important research efforts in this area of scientific discovery.

Who might consider entering the prize?

Botanical science encompasses the scientific study of the physiology, structure, genetics, ecology, distribution, classification and economic importance of plants, so we encourage all researchers and scientists in these fields to review the prize information and consider whether they’re undertaking relevant activity. The botanical science community is extremely diverse, made up of botanists, seed scientists, ecologists, plant physiologists, plant pathologists and evolutionary ecologists.

If you’re working in any such capacity — whether it be a at a university, one of Australia’s many incredible botanic gardens, a research organisation, the private sector or beyond — you might find that your research aligns with the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Botanical Science. If you’re not well placed to put your own work forward, ask yourself whether any colleagues or collaborators might be eligible and either support them in preparing an application, or nominate them yourself.

What practical impacts might the broader community observe in their day to day lives due to developments in botanical science?

Plants are integral to our very existence and without them there would be no life on Earth. They provide us with food to eat, air to breathe, clothes to wear, shelter from the elements and medicine to keep us healthy. Their study is also important in our fight to save the environment. Discovering, documenting and protecting plants plays a crucial role in maintaining and restoring healthy ecosystems, which in turn clean water, purify air, maintain soil, regulate climate, recycle nutrients and put food on our tables.

Botanical science also plays a crucial role in informing the study of crops and the best growing techniques, helping increase food security by preventing crop losses, improving yields and food quality, and boosting the nutritional value of staple crops. Improved seed varieties that can withstand challenging environmental conditions — such as drought and salinity — are also an important product of botanical science, helping farmers in their fight against climate change.

Botanical science is also key to the development of biofuels, which are usually produced from non-edible plant materials such as corn stalks, grasses and wood chips. This is particularly relevant given that demand for biofuels is expected to double in the coming years, and could potentially allow us to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels.

Plants have been used in medicine for thousands of years and discoveries of new species could play a role in boosting health for the entire human population. In the future, we may start to see the emergence of a new class of prescription medicine, containing complex mixtures of plant extracts.

What excites you most about this field of science?

The power of plants can be felt not just by scientists, but everyone. Whether it’s looking up in awe at a towering Flooded Gum tree (Eucalyptus grandis) or being captivated by the intricate flowering of an Old Man Banksia (Banksia serrata), Australian native flora is naturally valued by all. That’s what makes new discoveries in botanical science so exciting. By sharing this knowledge and expertise we ignite curiosity about plants, their importance and the need for their conservation.

]]>

Recognising the indispensable: the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software

Kate Smith — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +1000

Research software is an enabler: most modern researchers rely on it to analyse data, a cornerstone of scientific output. Just as collecting and analysing data takes effort and highly specialised skills, so too does the development of software. While the majority of researchers say that their work wouldn’t be possible without the use of software, its critical role in the science community has traditionally gone unrecognised. The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software represents a significant step toward making these efforts more visible. We sat down with Rosie Hicks, Chief Executive Officer of the ARDC, to unpack one of the most recent additions to the Eureka Prizes program.

Can you tell us a bit about the Australian Research Data Commons’ purpose and mission?

The ARDC accelerates research and innovation by driving excellence in the creation, analysis and retention of high-quality data assets. We partner with the research community and industry to build leading-edge digital research infrastructure that provides Australian researchers with competitive advantage through data. The ARDC is funded by the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).

What role does research software play in the science community?

Those working on the frontiers of research need highly specialised software to create, handle and analyse data, and therefore rely on it. Despite being an essential element in the scholarly research infrastructure ecosystem, this software is often invisible. Not only does it go uncited in journal papers, but the researchers who create and maintain it are rarely recognised for their skill and effort. Because software specifically developed for use in research requires a rare combination of deep research knowledge and technical competency to be produced. Traditional research, however, only incentivises the production of academic papers, not software.

Sometimes innovation in software lies within the development of new methodologies, and this is when entirely new approaches to our understanding of the world are captured as software. For instance, time series analysis occurs in a very broad array of fields, from economic forecasting to speech signal processing. How this is done emerges from research through the creation of new methods, and these methods are made usable through software. When new methods and models are more broadly accepted, they start to enter research and services that impact on our everyday lives. With the increase in available data, as well as the computing power to analyse it, the need for robust and applicable software in research has also increased.

Unlike peer-reviewed papers, high-quality research software allows researchers to actually use the specialised methods and models that are described in papers. This is why the ARDC has established a national agenda to recognise software as a first-class research output. We consulted widely with Australia’s research sector to produce the agenda and now we’re working collaboratively to deliver it.

The Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software is awarded for the development, maintenance or extension of software that has enabled significant new scientific research. Tell us more about the prize purpose.

This award recognises the role of developing and maintaining software as a critical part of research and innovation in Australia. Many researchers realise that they can’t conduct modern research without this valuable tool and admit that its existence has greatly accelerated their work. While some of the most cited papers of all time describe computational methods and models, the practice of formally acknowledging the software used to produce research is not yet common or consistent. Recognising its value is, however, critical for its sustainability.

Software for research is often built under the leadership of experienced senior researchers, but those at early and mid-career stages undertake the labour. An effort might consist of a combination of senior leaders and a small team, who work over many years to build robust software for broad consumption by a range of users. It could be a series of contributions by Australia-based researchers to larger efforts such as AstroPy, where expertise is folded into one component of an international effort. Or it may be the work of one individual over many years, using their knowledge to keep highly specialised software running for the research community’s use.

The Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software celebrates both the leadership and effort that underpins this work. We see it as an opportunity to recognise what most at the coalface of modern research already know: that we can’t undertake innovative new research without the ongoing availability, stability, robustness and integrity of this software.

This prize has been updated for 2025 to include prize criteria that encourages diversity and inclusion. Could you explain why this is an important addition, particularly in the field of research software?

Adding diversity and inclusion criteria to the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software is needed to ensure that the award is accessible and beneficial to a wide range of individuals and communities. We know that diverse teams outperform homogeneous teams and we want to see if this is reflected in the candidates. We don't only count for diversity in teams but for intentional efforts towards inclusivity in and out of the team, such as the beneficiaries/users of the software. By clearly stating the diversity and inclusion criteria we attract a broader pool of worthy applications to emerge. We want to set an example of what a healthy community looks like when we refer to the creators of research software.

Who might consider entering this prize?

Leaders of team efforts to produce — and especially maintain — software upon which research depends are invited to apply for this prize, as are developers, maintainers and contributors. Entries from both individuals and small teams are eligible, and where a project has been sustained over many years by successive contributions (from post-doctoral researchers, for instance) we urge teams to recognise this succession of contributions in their entry.

Some open-source projects in research like AstroPy or Scikit-learn are enormous, with contributors from all over the world, and individuals in Australia who are involved in these collective efforts are encouraged to submit. Those in both academic and other professional positions who have contributed to applicable projects are eligible to enter. So, if a highly specialised scientist has acquired software development skills, or a skilled software engineer has come to work closely with scientists to produce a program, they might consider submitting an entry.

Most software in research is developed as open-source, but some efforts are closed-source commercial software — projects that employ either mode of sustainability are welcome to enter. Research is not the exclusive domain of academia, either: there are, for example, some fantastic efforts used to deliver citizen science projects, which deserve wider recognition.

If you are a researcher that depends on software for your work, take a moment to explore where and how it is both developed and maintained. Should you find that this effort (in full or part) is based in Australia, consider either nominating the developers directly or contacting the authors to suggest they submit an entry. Software is such a pervasive part of modern life that we don’t often stop to think about where it comes from, the incredible work that goes into its development or the continued effort required to keep it working.

The Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software represents an opportunity to acknowledge the value of many different contributions!

What are some of the practical impacts that the broader community might observe in their day to day lives due to these developments?

Consider the coronavirus pandemic, which has had a profound impact on daily life. It’s because of research software that we’ve been able to understand and predict the spread of the disease and estimate the impact measures to constrain it. This involves bringing together large data collections and then constructing models to analyse them. Tracking changes to the genetic code of viruses requires special software to analyse enormous amounts of data to measure the distance between variants as they develop. The winner of the 2023 Excellence in Research Software — IQ-TREE2 — does exactly this. These activities all need to be carried out both robustly, at a high speed, and at scale. Similarly, understanding how the climate changes over time involves sophisticated modelling of several observable phenomena with enormous amounts of data.

What excites you most about this field of science?

Research software is a uniquely useful way to share knowledge. When a researcher lays down their ideas as software, they are unlocking it for more widespread use and when developed openly, another researcher can come in and see precisely how they are expressing their ideas. This is such a different way of working than through academic journal papers. We see it as a broader change in the way that modern research is occurring and are excited to help accelerate this transformation.

]]>

Insights from a Eureka Prizes judge: Dr Erin Roger

Kate Smith — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +1000

Dr Erin Roger is a Sector Lead at Atlas of Living Australia, former Chair of the Australian Citizen Science Association and a longstanding judge for the Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science — now in its ninth year. We caught up with her to look inside the judging process, discuss why you should consider entering and reflect on the evolution of citizen science.

Each application is reviewed multiple times

I begin by giving each application a skim, to see what sort of projects have entered and look for any I haven’t heard of. Then I read each one thoroughly, giving an initial score and writing notes, which together serve as the basis for discussion with the other judges. If the project has an app, for example, I’ll download it to check out functionality and activity levels. Before submitting my initial assessments, I revisit the applications one last time to make sure I’m happy, then establish my top three entries and the reasoning behind my selection.

Clarity in writing is key

Judges read a lot of applications! When there are so many materials to review, we don’t want to keep re-reading something to understand what an entrant or nominator is saying. Formatting makes a difference in terms of ease of reading and communicating your response to each criterion — for example bolding important words, using bullet points and inserting headings. Figures, diagrams and pictures also help provide a clearer picture of a project.

Make sure you demonstrate the impact

It’s not enough to just describe the impact — make sure you demonstrate precisely how the project has direct benefits for participants and adds value on a larger scale. I like to understand things such as how many people have participated, how users have engaged and what scientific contributions it has made. Some applicants use their own perspective, or their organisation’s, to frame the project, but what judges are really interested in is the community-level impact.

Articulate the benefit to citizen scientists

Not demonstrating the benefit to citizen scientists is the single biggest thing that lets an application down. It’s important for judges to see that project coordinators have thought about how to properly acknowledge — and learn from — participants, and engage in the two-way flow of information that citizen science facilitates. I’m interested in hearing from users, in terms of both how the project has enriched them and how they have contributed. That's why testimonials are so important!

Start your application early

Starting on your application early not only gives you time to review and refine materials but ensures you don’t miss a chance to improve them. For example, if you realise additional information is required to demonstrate how the project meets a certain criterion, it may be possible to quickly survey some users to better understand their experiences and contributions, then build this into your application.

The writing process helps you reflect

Application writing gives you the opportunity to take a step back and focus on communicating the goals and impacts of a project, an exercise that can have significant value beyond the submission itself. This perspective — and the application — can also come in handy when you’re applying for other grants or awards.

Judges don’t agree on one winner from the outset

There are typically five to six applications that each judge scores highly, so we start by discussing all entries and justifying our scores. Often, another judge points out something the rest of us have overlooked or not considered, which helps the panel reach a consensus. The process requires compromise, but I’ll always advocate for at least one of my top three applications to be selected as a finalist. Every judge takes their role and the panel’s decision very seriously. It’s great to be involved in these deliberations.

Selection can raise your profile

Being selected as a finalist or winner can really raise the profile of a project and the organisation delivering it. For example, when I was Chair of the Australian Citizen Science Association, we were frequently contacted by people seeking speakers for events or examples of great projects, and we’d always point them toward these projects. Eureka Prize finalists also made up three of the four projects featured on Australia Post’s special citizen science issue. Who wouldn’t want to win an “Oscar of Australian science”!

… but if you’re not selected, keep trying

I think it’s important to reapply if your project has evolved since last submitting, and you’re able to demonstrate how. Additional functionality or increases in participant numbers are just some factors that can help strengthen your application. It’s also important to note that some years, very little separates finalists from those projects not selected. On these occasions, I wish I could reach out to an applicant and say “You were so close … if you had just done this!”. So, I guess my main message is to keep trying!

The prize has elevated citizen science

There was a paper[1] published a few years ago, which showed that Australia ranked third globally in the production of citizen science scientific journal articles. We’re placed only behind the United Kingdom and United States, both of which have much larger populations, so this is a true testament to Australia. I think the prize has had a real hand in helping to elevate citizen science and its perceived importance among the scientific community.

Citizen science represents the opportunity for a paradigm shift

Widespread uptake of citizen science can fundamentally shift how we engage communities in scientific research. Crucial to enabling this is investment in the provision of infrastructure, resources and tools to allow for the up scaling of good quality data and information across temporal and spatial scales. Through citizen science we can tap into open innovation and mass collaboration to address some of the huge social, scientific and policy challenges facing us globally. It is great to see that global organisations are now thinking about the application of citizen science towards addressing present-day challenges. Citizen science at national and global scales represents the opportunity for a paradigm shift in our ability to inform, enrich and engage with our diverse communities.

Being a judge is a privilege

Being a judge is a real a privilege. I feel lucky to have this insight into citizen science in Australia and be able to review some of the excellent projects that have been developed in this growing field. It’s been a pleasure meeting the other judges — we all come from very different backgrounds, and everyone has such interesting views and perspectives. Also, it is nice to know the confidential result of something in advance. That doesn’t happen to me very often!

^{[1] Pelacho, M., Ruiz, G., Sanz, F. et al. Analysis of the evolution and collaboration networks of citizen science scientific publications. Scientometrics 126, 225–257 (2021).} ^{https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-020-03724-x}

]]>

Preparing your Eureka Prizes submission: tips for entrants

Kate Smith — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +1000

The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are the country’s most comprehensive national science awards, recognising the achievements of scientists, researchers, and science communicators at all career stages. Each year we receive hundreds of entries contributed to by thousands of individuals, which are put through a rigorous judging process to determine just one winner for each prize. To set you on the right path with your submission, we share our insights based on some of the most common mistakes and misconceptions.

Judges aren’t looking for a particular ‘type’ of entry

Meeting the conditions of entry is non-negotiable, and it’s essential that the entered work aligns with the prize purpose and assessment criteria. If you can do this, the work is eligible, and we encourage you to enter. While it might be interesting to know what’s been awarded a Eureka Prize in the past, it’s important to understand that work will be judged strictly against the assessment criteria – not past winners. So, if you’re scrolling through last year’s recipients on our website and making assumptions about the potential of your own work, stop!

Review the prize information – carefully

We know, it sounds obvious, but too often small but critical details are overlooked. Ensure that each entrant meets the requirements, the correct files have been uploaded, you’ve responded to each of the assessment criterion … you get the idea. Believe us – we have to do it a few times each year – advising an entrant that their submission’s ineligible is equally unpleasant for both parties. Don’t be the team leader who has to break bad news to colleagues because details were overlooked.

How you write your application matters

Yes, the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes is about rewarding excellence in science, but how you write your submission matters. So often we hear a judge make the comment “I know this work is competitive, but their application has let them down.” Make sure that your materials are prepared with prize purpose in mind and pay attention to exactly what is being asked of you via the assessment criteria and entry materials. While judges are authorities in their field, they might not be experts in your niche, so never assume they’ll understand what you mean without explanation. It also pays to be concise and specific, avoid jargon and acronyms, and have someone proof your entry.

Strategically select your assessors

Assessor reports aren’t just auxiliary materials, they play an integral role in the judging process and should be prepared accordingly. One of the most common things that lets a submission down is entrants not approaching a broad enough mix of individuals. We strongly recommend that you branch out beyond your organisation, otherwise judges aren’t going to get the rounded and unbiased perspective they’re seeking. It’s also worth keeping in mind the most accessible person isn’t necessarily going to be the best placed to endorse your work, so going the extra mile could strengthen your entry and boost your chances of selection.

… and apply the same thinking to testimonials

This won’t be applicable to all entrants, but if you’re required to prepare one or more testimonials, be aware that this is a distinctly different ask. In these cases, you need present the perspective of an end user or project beneficiary, such as a participant or volunteer. It’s not enough to simply approach someone who has observed the activity in action — judges are seeking an account from the target audience to help them assess its true impact at a community level.

Communicate timelines clearly

We acknowledge that works takes place on a continuum, but it’s crucial that your submission concentrates on activity that’s taken place within time limitation specified for the prize you’re entering. Judges need to be confident that this condition of entry has been met, and can sometimes get nervous when timelines aren’t clear. Once you’ve prepared your materials, take the time to include dates (month and year) and emphasise with bold text. While it’s expected that you might need to provide some context to the entered activity, you shouldn’t make this a focus as it won’t be formally considered by the judges.

Don’t make assumptions about eligibility

You know your work better than anyone, however if you’ve reviewed the prize information and aren’t sure whether your work is eligible, reach out and we can review your circumstances together. True story: recently a prospective entrant contacted us because they weren’t confident their project met a requirement. After exchanging a few emails, we determined that the work was eligible; it was entered and eventually selected as the winner from a competitive pool of submissions. Don’t let assumption deprive you of a potential opportunity!

Provide evidence to support your claims

You need to communicate achievements effectively for them to be considered – and the panel can only consider what has been submitted for the purposes of each prize. One of the more common mistakes we observe during the judging process is a lack of specific examples to support claims. Even if you’ve received widespread media attention for your achievements, both you and your assessors will need to include evidence that demonstrates they’ve been delivered.

Pay attention to page limits

Another seemingly simple one, but you’d be surprised how many people overlook it. Page limits are in place to create an even playing field for entrants, to encourage you to communicate your work succinctly, and to ensure that judges can effectively assess each entry in a reasonable timeframe. Additional pages will be removed without exception before your entry is sent to the judging panel. We’ve done our best to communicate parameters clearly, but if you’re unsure, please play it safe and contact us for clarification.

Don’t leave it until the last minute

Late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances – so don’t do anything that might affect your ability to meet the deadline. Although the entry system is open for a few months, in a typical year the vast majority of submissions come through in the last 48 hours. We’re consistently approached with requests for concessions which, in the interests of fairness, we decline without exception. Slow internet speeds, assessors who haven’t followed through, overlooked details, and problems with attachments are among the most widely cited and easily avoided reasons for not getting an entry in on time. You’ve been warned!

While there need to be some ground rules, the last thing anyone wants is for you to feel utterly overwhelmed by the submission process. Refining your materials will take time and energy, however that extra effort won’t go unnoticed by the judges – in fact, you might be pleasantly surprised by the outcome!

]]>

Today, and every day, we celebrate women in science

Kate Smith — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +1000

From Professor Veena Sahajwalla and Dr Stephanie Partridge to Dr Emma Camp and Dr Noushka Reiter, the Australian Museum is proud to have recognised the achievements of many exceptional women throughout the Eureka Prizes’ 34-year history. This International Women’s Day, we reflect on some of the most recent recipients, who include trailblazing researchers, an interdisciplinary team and a young filmmaker.

Who Dr Stephanie Partridge, University of Sydney

Why Dr Stephanie Partridge harnesses technology and nutrition science to improve youth wellbeing. Putting adolescent experiences at the heart of her research and advocacy, she collaborates with young people to learn how technology can help them live a healthier lifestyle. Her work has informed major public health policies in Australia and globally.

Awarded the 2023 Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science

Who Professor Veena Sahajwalla, UNSW

What Materials scientist and engineer Professor Veena Sahajwalla is the pioneering inventor of a new generation of ‘green’ materials and sustainable products. Through her rigorous research and extensive community and industry engagement, she is shifting the mindset of the nation to see unwanted materials not as waste, but as a valuable resource.

Awarded the 2022 Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science

Who Dr Tess Reynolds, University of Sydney

What By developing technology to better guide robotic imaging during surgery, Dr Tess Reynolds is improving the view for surgeons as well as outcomes for patients. Partnering with the world’s largest medical device company, her pioneering techniques offer clearer, more complete images for complex cardiac and spinal surgery.

Awarded the 2022 Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher

Who Anna P., PLC Sydney, NSW

What In Green Infrastructure: The Solution to Coastal Erosion, Anna uses humour and graphics to explain the phenomenon of coastal erosion and its causes in an accessible and entertaining way. She also highlights how green solutions such as vegetation and natural barriers can be used to protect homes and assets.

Awarded the 2023 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Primary

Who Dr Dana M. Bergstrom, Australian Antarctic Division and University of Wollongong

What For decades, Dr Dana M. Bergstrom has championed evidence-based science in biodiversity, biosecurity and the impacts of climate change. Skilled at science translation and distilling complexity, she has led the exploration of ecosystem collapse from Australia’s tropics to Antarctica, delivering innovative options for modern conservation.

Awarded the 2021 Eureka Prize for Leadership in Innovation and Science

Who Lindell Bromham, Felicity Meakins, Xia Hua and Cassandra Algy, Australian National University; University of Queensland; and Karungkarni Art and Culture Aboriginal Corporation

What Bringing together an Indigenous community member, linguist, mathematician and biologist, this team is studying Gurindji, an Indigenous language of northern Australia. Their research is developing new ways to understand the processes of language change and factors that help keep Indigenous languages strong and vibrant.

Awarded the 2021 Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research

Who Dr Noushka Reiter, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

What Dr Noushka Reiter leads an internationally recognised orchid conservation program, which has bolstered the populations of 14 endangered species by up to 260%. Using innovative methods to study pollinators and symbiotically propagate over 20,000 plants across 80 endangered species, her work safeguards Australia's unique botanical diversity, providing a blueprint for global plant conservation.

Awarded the 2023 Australian Institute of Botanical Science Eureka Prize for Excellence in Botanical Science

Who Dr Emma Camp, University of Technology Sydney

What Dr Emma Camp’s discovery of corals thriving in extreme conditions is informing new adaptive management solutions in both Australia and abroad. Together with government and nature conservation agencies, she is developing improved management strategies for coral reefs worldwide, while using her work as a platform to advocate for action on climate change.

Awarded the 2021 Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher

Who Professor Kerrylee Rogers, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong

What Professor Kerrylee Rogers is a professor in the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences at the University of Wollongong, a passionate advocate for environmental sustainability and the mum of two teenage boys. She’s made a significant contribution to our understanding of how coastal and aquatic ecosystems respond to climate change, work that earned her and her fellow researchers recognised in the 2019 Eureka Prizes.

Awarded the 2019 NSW Environment, Energy and Science (DPIE) Eureka Prize for Environmental Research (co-winner)

Who Dr Michelle Blewitt, AUSMAP Program Director, Total Environment Centre

What The Australian Microplastic Assessment Project (AUSMAP) is a world-first, national citizen science program that empowers people of all ages to document microplastic pollution. An immersive experience, participants are educated on the prevalence of microplastics around our waterways and trained to collect scientifically valid data that is used to design effective mitigation strategies for plastic pollution.

Awarded the 2021 Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science (co-winner)

]]>

Three new endemic species of Weedfish from Temperate Australia

Amanda Hay — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Living among the seaweed of our temperate rocky reefs are fishes of the family Clinidae, aptly called Weedfish. These perfectly camouflaged and rarely seen fishes have kept taxonomists guessing, and after decades of building up our knowledge, we now have the information needed to describe three species as new to science, and unique to temperate Australian waters.

If you’ve ever been swimming, snorkeling or diving in the beautiful temperate rocky reefs around Sydney or the sheltered shorelines of southern Australia, watching the seaweed ebb and flow with the waves, then you would have unknowingly encountered Weedfish. Weedfish represent one of the most speciose groups of fishes distributed across southern Australia. They are cryptobenthic fishes, meaning they are generally small, hidden and camouflaged. So cryptic are two of our new species that they have never been photographed alive underwater. Being cryptic means that it has taken us a long time to gather enough data, morphological and genetic, to describe these three species as new to science in our paper published in Zootaxa.

These three new species, Coleman's Weedfish, Heteroclinus colemani, Longtail Weedfish Heteroclinus longicauda, and Whitley’s Weedfish, Heteroclinus whitleyi, are part of the Heteroclinus heptaeolus complex of species, which are distinct in having three segmented dorsal rays with the last two closely spaced and widely separate from the first ray. The species are primarily separated on the basis of live colouration and pectoral ray, dorsal spine, anal ray and gill raker counts; typical morphological characters used in ichthyology.

Coleman's Weedfish, Heteroclinus colemani, is distinctive from other species in usually having a reddish body coloration; 3 bars radiating from the eye, pectoral rays 13; second dorsal fin with 24–25 spines and anal fin II,18-19. Another distinguishing feature is the 6–8 clear windows between the spines. Reaching a maximum standard length of 83 mm, it is a deep bodied species often associated with red algae around rocky reefs from depths of 5–15 m. Known from Sydney, New South Wales to Kangaroo Island, South Australia, including Victoria and scattered localities in Tasmania. This fish is named for Neville Coleman, an Australian naturalist, underwater nature photographer, writer, and educator who sadly passed in 2012.

Longtail Weedfish, Heteroclinus longicauda, is readily distinguished from all other Australian Heteroclinus Weedfish by the absence of an orbital tentacle, and the elongate caudal peduncle. Overall head and body colour is greenish to light brown, with variable dark brown markings on the body, often faint ventrally. Another feature that distinguishes this species from other Weedfish is the dorsal fin origin further back on the head and body with stripes or horizontally elongate oval spots in life. Reaching a standard length of 141 mm and associated with sand, rock and algae to a depth of 8 m; often reported from tall kelp forests and dense Zostera beds. Known from Sydney, New South Wales to Queenscliff, Victoria and from northern Tasmania.

Whitley’s Weedfish, Heteroclinus whitleyi, looks very similar to the more common H. heptaeolus, but differs in having fewer spines in the second dorsal fin III, XXIII–XXV (rarely XXV), 2–3 (usually 3); and fewer anal rays II, 15–18 (usually 17). Overall colouration of the head and body is green, purple, or reddish brown. This species is known from Minnie Water, New South Wales to Wilsons Promontory, Victoria and Gulf of St. Vincent to Spencer Gulf, South Australia, and Fisherman Island to Recherche Archipelago, Western Australia, but apparently absent from western Victoria. Reaching a standard length of 80mm it is associated with small brown algae to depths up to 10 m. Additional features that separate H. whitleyi from H. heptaeolus include a body with stripes or horizontally elongated spots; round dark spots on the back that are broader than the interspaces between spots; and second dorsal and anal fins with distinct clear windows between spines, sometimes with the window containing one spine. This fish is named for Gilbert P. Whitley, formerly Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum.

A challenge for the underwater photographers and citizen scientists out there: we would love to see images of Coleman’s and Longtail Weedfish in their underwater habitats. Please upload any Weedfish images to our Australasian Fishes project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/australasian-fishes.

Environmental DNA tools have proven useful as well, with a monthly seawater sampling campaign at Camp Cove and Parsley Bay in southern Sydney Harbour detecting the presence of six species of Weedfish, including four species of Heteroclinus, though none of these were the new species described here.

These new species highlight that there is still considerable undescribed fish biodiversity in Australian waters. With one fish species described as new to Australian waters every week, this means that there are new fish species waiting to be discovered on the doorsteps of our major cities, beautiful temperate rocky reefs, tropical seas, deep oceans and museum collections.

Hoese D.F., Hay, A.C. and DiBattista, J.D., 2024. A review of the Heteroclinus heptaeolus complex (Pisces: Blennioidei: Clinidae), with three new species and discussion of misuse of proportions in taxonomic studies. Zootaxa. TBC

https://australian.museum/learn/collections/natural-science/ichthyology/
https://australian.museum/blog/amri-news/bridging-the-dna-barcode-gap/

]]>

Landmark study reveals new ‘Tree of Life’ for all birds living today

Dr Jacqueline Nguyen — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +1100

The largest-ever study of bird genomes has produced a remarkably clear picture of the bird family tree. Published in the journal Nature today, our study shows that most of the modern groups of birds first appeared within 5 million years after the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Birds are a large part of our lives, a sign of nature even in cities – popular among the general public and well studied by scientists. But placing all of these birds into a family tree has been frustratingly difficult.

By analysing the genomes of more than 360 bird species, our study has identified the fundamental relationships among the major groups of living birds.

The new family tree overturns some previous ideas about bird relationships, while also revealing some new groupings.

Previous studies showed that the bird family tree has three major branches. The first branch contains the tinamous and ratites, which include flightless birds such as the emu, kiwi, and ostrich.

The second branch holds the landfowl and waterfowl – chickens, ducks and so on. All other birds sit on the third branch, known as the Neoaves, which include 95% of bird species.

The Neoaves branch includes ten groups of birds. Most of these are what biologists have named the “Magnificent Seven”: landbirds, waterbirds, tropicbirds, cuckoos, nightjars, doves and flamingos. The other three groups are known as the “orphans” and include the shorebirds, cranes, and hoatzin, a species of bird from South America.

The relationships among these ten groups, especially the orphans, have been incredibly difficult to resolve. Our genome study shows that a resolution is within reach.

Our genome study revealed a new grouping of birds we have named “Elementaves”. With a name inspired by the four ancient elements of earth, air, water, and fire, this group includes birds well adapted for success on land, in the sky and in the water. Some of the birds have names relating to the sun, representing the element of fire. The Elementaves group includes hummingbirds, shorebirds, cranes, penguins and pelicans.

Our study also confirms a close relationship between two of the most familiar groups of birds in Australia, the passerines (songbirds and relatives) and parrots. These popular birds dominate the Australian Bird of the Year polls.

Songbirds make up nearly 50% of all bird species and include birds like magpies, finches, honeyeaters and fairywrens. They had their humble beginnings in Australia about 50 million years ago, then spread across the globe to become the most successful group of birds.

A further goal of our study was to place a timescale on the bird family tree. We did this by modelling the evolution of genomes using a tool known as the “molecular clock”. By drawing on information from nearly 200 fossils, we were able to constrain the ages of some of the branches in the bird family tree.

Our study shows that all living birds share an ancestor that lived just over 90 million years ago. But most groups of modern birds emerged about 25 million years later, within a small window of just a few million years after the end of the Cretaceous period around 66 million years ago.

This coincides with the mass extinction of dinosaurs and other organisms caused by an asteroid striking Earth. So it seems birds made the most of the opportunities that became available after these other dominant life forms were wiped out.

The genome study is the product of nearly a decade of research, conducted as part of the Bird 10,000 Genomes Project. The ultimate goal of this project is to sequence the genomes of all 10,000 living bird species.

The current phase of the project focused on including species from every major group, or family, of birds. The study of these 363 genomes was a truly international effort led by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, University of California San Diego and Zhejiang University.

Even with such a huge amount of genome data, one branch of the bird family tree remains a mystery. Our analysis could not confidently determine the relationships of one of the orphans, the hoatzin. Found in South America, the hoatzin is a highly distinctive bird and the sole survivor of its lineage.

Our study shows that some relationships in the tree of life can only be determined using huge amounts of genome data. But our study also demonstrates the power of studying genomes and fossils together to understand the evolutionary history of life on Earth.

Disclosure statement

Jacqueline Nguyen receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Simon Ho receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

]]>

Exploring diversity in Australia’s banjo frogs or ‘pobblebonks’

Tom Parkin, Dr Jodi Rowley, Grace Gillard — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +1100

The Australian banjo frogs or ‘pobblebonks’ are a spectacular group of four medium to large (3–9 cm) burrowing frog species, recognisable by their distinctive ‘bonk’ and ‘tok’ mating calls (which sound similar to the pluck of a banjo string).

The Western Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes dorsalis) occurs in south-west Western Australia, while the remaining three species: the Giant Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes interioris), Northern Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes terraereginae) and Eastern Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes dumerilii), are found in southern and eastern Australia. The Eastern Banjo Frog is currently considered to include five subspecies.

The Northern Banjo Frog has the largest distribution of all species in the group, encompassing a range of wet to semi-arid habitats from central New South Wales to the northernmost tip of Queensland. Remarkably, some populations even thrive in the acidic coastal ‘wallum’ swamplands of eastern Australia, earning them a title as one of the most acid-tolerant animals in the world.

In a recent study, we explored phylogeographic diversity within the Northern Banjo Frog and its close relatives, by analysing variation in genetic structure, body shape and appearance (morphology) throughout the species range. We also used a comprehensive analysis of call recordings submitted by citizen scientists to the Australian Museum’s FrogID project to investigate geographic variation in mating calls.

Our study found some key differences between geographically isolated populations in far north Queensland. Interestingly, the Northern Banjo Frogs from Cape York Peninsula appeared to grow much larger and have more vivid patterns than populations further south. We also found that the length and pitch of the Northern Banjo Frog call is highly variable throughout the species’ range, with populations from Cape York Peninsula typically calling with a much lower pitch than populations further south.

Our genetic analyses confirmed the Cape York population as distinct from the southern populations. In our new paper, we redescribe the Cape York population as the Superb Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes terraereginae), while reclassifying the population covering the remainder of their southern range as the Scarlet-sided Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes grayi).

Our study also confirmed that one of the subspecies of the Eastern Banjo Frog (formerly known as Limnodynastes dumerilii grayi – a taxonomic error), is highly distinctive and shares a closer evolutionary relationship with the Superb and Scarlet-sided Banjo Frogs, than to the Eastern Banjo Frog which it was previously grouped with. We reclassify this species as the Coastal Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes superciliaris), resurrecting the first scientific name applied to a specimen collected in Sydney more than 160 years ago!

The Coastal Banjo Frog is the smallest of the three re-classified species and has the most restricted distribution, occurring largely within lowland sandy heath and wallum swamplands from Sydney to the mid-north New South Wales coast. Because of its restricted distribution and the overlap of its habitat with areas of intensive coastal urban development, care will be needed to ensure that this species isn’t pushed towards extinction.

Much is still left to be learned about the distribution and ecology of these species, particularly the Superb Banjo Frog. Due to the remoteness of their habitat in Cape York Peninsula, relatively few records of the species exist on public databases. With that in mind, we send a call-out to any FrogID users who live or travel in Cape York Peninsula – listen out for the distinctive banjo-like “bonk” of a Superb Banjo Frog and be sure to record it with the app. Every recording adds to our knowledge of Australia’s incredible frog diversity!

Superb Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes terraereginae) call

Tom Parkin, Research Assistant, Herpetology, Australian Museum

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum

Grace Gillard, Research Assistant, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum

Professor Stephen Donnellan, Honorary Researcher, South Australian Museum

Acknowledgements

We thank the Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) National Taxonomy Research Grant program for providing the funding required to conduct this research. We also thank the dedicated citizen scientists of Australia whose submissions to FrogID are helping us better understand and conserve Australia’s Frogs.

]]>

Box office gold: Australian Museum’s most successful exhibition

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Local and international visitors have flocked to Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs, making it the most popular exhibition in the Australian Museum’s history, with more than 350,000 tickets sold.

Director and CEO, Kim McKay AO, said it's a privilege to connect so many visitors to the extraordinary exhibition, which features 182 priceless artefacts, treasures and one-of-a-kind relics, some of which have never left Egypt before.

“For most people, Ancient Egypt has largely been explored through books and films. Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs is a great way to experience Ancient Egypt’s civilisation through the dramatic display of exquisite and rare antiquities, the thrilling VR experience, and the dynamic storytelling at the heart of the exhibition,” McKay said.

McKay said seeing audiences interact and enjoy the exhibition made the years of negotiations and planning worthwhile.

“We have a variety of additional events and experiences to enrich the visitor experience, including audio guides and an extensive program of workshops, talks and activities with experts and scholars. We encourage everyone to discover the world of Ancient Egypt before mid-May when the exhibition closes.”

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition.' />

Minister for the Arts, the Hon Minister John Graham, said strong visitor numbers from NSW, interstate and overseas demonstrated the broad appeal of the exhibition.

“This spectacular exhibition has been a huge highlight of the cultural calendar for NSW, and visitors to Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs have injected more than $2 million to NSW-owned businesses as well,” Minister Graham said.

Executive Chairman & Group CEO of presenting partner NEON, Ron Tan, said: "We are deeply heartened by the overwhelming response from visitors to Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs and we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the NSW Government, the Australian Museum, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt for their confidence, trust and support, which has been instrumental in bringing this unparalleled experience to fruition."

"Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs has captivated audiences worldwide and we are thrilled to see the positive response continuing to soar, reaffirming the timeless allure of Ancient Egypt. We are excited to welcome more guests to explore the mesmerising world of Ancient Egyptian culture and to bring this golden experience to even more parts of the world.”

Responding to the exhibition's unprecedented popularity, the Museum will extend opening hours until 9pm Monday to Wednesday. And during the upcoming school holidays (from 13 April), the Museum will open until 9pm every day until 19 May.

Book now, don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Whether you’re an Egyptophile or just Egypto-curious, check out the Museum’s A Gateway to Egypt programs for a richer understanding of Ancient Egypt. Let leading experts, scholars and curators show you a glimpse of life on the Nile Valley in this exclusive season of lectures, conversations and experiences.

Teachers, bring your students to Ramses, explore the Museum’s other exhibitions or attend an educator-led session, with our A Day At The Museum program. Through the generous support of the Australian Museum Foundation and the Neilson Foundation, schools with an ICSEA value <1000 can access this incredible exhibition for FREE.

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs is presented in partnership with Neon, World Heritage Exhibitions and the Houston Museum of Natural Science, with the support of Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Proudly supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW Blockbusters Funding initiative, Adventure World and Accor Hotels.

]]>

Combating climate change with olivine

Professor Tim Flannery — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Australia is very rich in silicate rocks, which may hold the key to unlocking new climate solutions. As world leaders in mining technology, we have the capacity to lead the charge in using silicate rocks to absorb CO₂ establishing Australia not only as a leader in renewable systems, but also nature-based climate solutions. Below, Tim Flannery discusses an exciting mineral, olivine, and how it can be used to tackle climate change.

When I was about 16 years old, I was quite taken by a farmer who collected rocks from a scoria (a volcanic rock) quarry on the side of a volcano. He picked up a piece of lava which was around the size and shape of a football; a ‘volcanic bomb’ which had been ejected out of the volcano when it had last erupted thousands of years ago. He broke the bomb open, and in the centre glowed a mass of beautiful green crystals. This was olivine, which the volcano had brought up from Earth’s upper mantle, then ejected with great force - the lava surrounding it solidifying into its distinctive shape as it flew. The Australian Museum has specimens in its collection from a volcano in Western Victoria which is very similar to the one I saw (Figure 1).

Peridot is another name for the crystalline mineral most commonly known as olivine. Olivine is just one of a group of minerals known as silicates, which all share a characteristic that makes them important in the fight against climate change. As olivine rocks decompose, they absorb atmospheric CO₂ and bind it into carbonates in the soil, thereby removing it permanently from the atmosphere. Olivine and some other silicate minerals are so efficient at capturing CO₂ as they degrade that less than a litre of crushed olivine can capture the CO₂ released by burning a litre of oil. To capture carbon, atmospheric CO₂ must combine with water to create carbonic acid. When this acid interacts with silicate minerals it triggers an Urey reaction^[1], which traps the CO₂ in soil carbonates.

While the Earth was still young and its atmosphere filled with CO₂, the Urey reaction reduced atmospheric CO₂ to levels that made the planet habitable. Over geological time, the Urey reaction responds to planetary warmth and balances the release and absorption of CO₂, keeping atmospheric CO₂ at low levels. The Urey reaction will eventually absorb the CO₂ that humans have put into the atmosphere, but that will take hundreds of thousands of years – too long to save us from catastrophic climate change. What we need is to speed up the Urey reaction; but how?

Some scientists think that olivine and related minerals might be the answer to combatting climate change. In the coming decades, we will need to draw vast volumes of CO₂ out of the atmosphere, and silicate rocks like olivine offer one of the most efficient ways of doing so. These scientists estimate that if we of it, crush it up and spread it on Earth’s beaches and agricultural fields, we could speed up the Urey reaction and be drawing down gigatons of atmospheric CO₂ by 2100.^[2]

Unfortunately, there is an impediment: to use these rocks, they must be blasted, transported and crushed to the consistency of sand, a process which currently burns a great deal of fossil fuel. Most of the CO₂ emissions associated with using silicate rocks come from transport. In one study where the rock quarry was 65km from the field where the crushed rock was spread, the process took 110g of CO₂ emissions for every kilogram of CO₂ removed from the atmosphere.^[2] But the study warns that if the rock needs to be transported more than around 600km, then as much CO₂ will be emitted as the rock will absorb. Until we can use clean energy to quarry and crush silicate rocks, we can’t take full advantage of their amazing ability to absorb CO₂ and store it in the earth.

Australia is very rich in silicate rocks, and we are world leaders in mining technology. We also have an exceptionally large agricultural industry. In addition to absorbing carbon from our atmosphere, minerals like olivine return elements to depleted soils, benefiting agricultural operations.^[4] A recent study has shown that if we added crushed basalt to the agricultural land of China, India, the United States and Brazil, we would draw down 2 gigatonnes of CO₂ per year!^[5] When the benefits of using this material are so varied, it is a wonder why we are not improving our mining operations to maximize the use of silicate rocks. If we green our energy and transport systems quickly, we could become a world leader in using silicate rocks to absorb CO₂. Thus, olivine may hold the key to establishing Australia as a leader in renewable, nature-based climate solutions.

]]>

International Women’s Day: Advice from women in their dream jobs at the Australian Museum

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +1100

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is ‘Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress’.

When Kim McKay AO, current Director and CEO, was appointed to her role at the Australian Museum in 2014, she became the first female Director and CEO in the museum's 190-plus year history.

Since then, important progress has been made at the museum and across the sector, ensuring more women have opportunities to lead. Today, the Australian Museum boasts an Executive Leadership Team where 67 percent of positions are held by women.

On International Women’s Day, 8 March, we wanted to share a snapshot of some of the outstanding women who work in our museum, in diverse areas, such as climate solutions, cultural collections, and science.

Curator, Climate Change – Climate Solutions Centre

I help people understand climate change and step up to tackle the crisis. At the Climate Solutions Centre (CSC), we collaborate with a diverse range of people and communities who are advancing solutions on the ground, and communicate these powerful stories for positive futures. We produce exhibitions, design and publish programs and digital resources, research, and present talks.

What I love most about what I do is learning from other people, and helping people learn how we can better care for each other and other species.

Take the leap

I’ve had a lot of people invest with kindness and generosity throughout my career. I remember clearly being in a senior colleague’s office when I was a research assistant at the Australian National University’s Centre for Cross-Cultural Research, talking about next steps, when she suggested I pursue a PhD. I laughed and said something about a PhD not being something that I could do – and she said, ‘Of course you could do it.’ I remember the leap of hope and excitement. My PhD was by far the most wonderful phase of my career – all that time and support to pursue my own area of investigation and discovery. It opened the door to a life of wonderful experiences -- thanks, Julie Gorrell! I also appreciated being appointed as a curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York despite being pregnant with my third son -- thanks, Dr Laurel Kendall!

Make a difference

My advice for women and girls interested in climate change is to throw yourself into learning more – join a group that appeals to you, my choices are 1 Million Women, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, or Australian Parents for Climate Action. Talk about climate change and take action at home, in your community and the wider world. It’s rewarding stepping up. There’s so much you can do that can make a difference.

Pasifika Consultation Officer – Cultural Collections Enhancement Project

I am privileged to work with the Pasifika Collections at the AM.

Last year, I worked on the special exhibition, Bilas: Body Adornment from Papua New Guinea and our new permanent Pasifika exhibition, Wansolmoana.

This year, I am excited to be working on the Cultural Collections Enhancement Project as the Pasifika Consultation Officer. In this role, I research the collections and consult cultural knowledge holders to return Indigenous names to objects and enhance the Australian Museum's records.

Reconnect with culture

As a lifelong history lover with a Master of Museum Studies, I feel very lucky to be able to do what I love every day. What I love most is the opportunity to work with my own culture and community – I am of Fijian and Anglo-Australian heritage – it has been amazing to be able to reconnect and learn about my culture. I also love the opportunity to engage with other Pasifika communities and cultures to learn more about our part of the world.

I’m fortunate to be a part of the Australian Museum’s First Nations Division, which has so many amazing women managing and working within the team. From Director, Laura McBride; to Head of Pasifika Collections & Engagement, Melissa Malu; and Cultural Collections Enhancement Manager, Meredith Lynch Underwood, I’ve been fortunate to receive continued support in my career and opportunities to work on exciting projects to gain more experience and skills.

Acknowledge your responsibility

It's important to recognise the privilege and responsibility that comes with working with culturally significant collections. These collections hold deep meaning and importance for living communities. I would encourage any women or girls interested in cultural collections to delve into the history of how these collections came to be in museums. Understanding this history is crucial for comprehending the legacies we are working with. Many of the people I work with come from diverse work and education backgrounds – there are lots of different paths that can be taken to work with cultural collections.

Lead Scientist for FrogID & Curator of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology

In one way or another I’ve been involved at the Australian Museum for more than 20 years. I became a frog biologist – a herpetologist – when I fell in love with frogs. I saw these amazing creatures at university – they looked like plastic, sort of shimmery, with big eyeballs. Then, when I realised how much trouble they were in and how much they needed our help, I began to do what I could do to help frogs.

Follow your passion

The Curator of Herpetology is a diverse role. Day-to-day, I could be teaching students in the morning at UNSW Sydney, or out in the field across Australia studying frogs. I’m passionate about making NSW, Australia and the world a better place, to make sure that future generations get to inherit a planet with as much awesome biodiversity as we’re lucky to have right now.

I’ve been incredibly lucky to have a lot of people invest in me and my career, including Kim McKay AO – who trusted me to be the face of and the scientific lead of the FrogID Citizen Science Project. It’s been a massive opportunity and a real privilege.

Break new ground

Women in STEM still experience major issues. I am the first non-assistant female in the Herpetology department at the Australian Museum in 190 plus years.

A lot of women enrol in STEM degrees, however, we tend to lose women over time. By the time you reach my level, you tend to see a lot of men in these leadership roles. Hopefully, I can be a role model, but I am also trying to make it easier for women to stay in science – that’s hard to do because a lot of scientific funding is short-term. It’s incredibly important we try to fix the 'leaky pipe' to stop losing women as they move up the ranks.

]]>

Lacking tooth and claw: Fighting frogs reveal their true colours

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Our new research published in the journal Evolutionary Ecology aimed to unravel the ways male frogs identify other males as territorial threats, the results surprised us.

Deep in the Peruvian jungle, there’s a species of tiny frogs that are famous for two things: their huge array of colours and patterns, and their aggressiveness. The Mimic Poison Frog (Ranitomeya imitator), is a striking example of Müllerian mimicry. This adaptive phenomenon has led to a dazzling array of colour ‘morphs’ among these frogs, each mimicking another species’ colour and pattern for mutual benefit. As each species is poisonous, predators have evolved to avoid these warning colours and patterns.

The unique evolutionary journey of Mimic Poison Frogs doesn’t stop with their appearance. Mimic Poison Frogs exhibit a monogamous mating system that features complex biparental care, where both the male and female help to rear their offspring, an exceedingly rare behaviour in amphibians. These frogs aggressively guard their territories to defend from threats such as extra pair copulation (infidelity) and brood parasitism. Brood parasitism involves laying eggs in a neighbour's nest – or in the case of most poison frogs, in water-holding plants – with the expectation that the neighbour will raise their young.

Mimic Poison Frogs have been the subject of much research, which drew me to work with them at East Carolina University with Dr. Kyle Summers. Pretty quickly, I noticed that some of these territorial males enthusiastically fought (imagine mini sumo wrestlers!), while others ignored each other. I wondered, what cues are males using to identify each other as threats? Why are some males seemingly perceived as harmless while others raise the alarm? For many poison frog species, we know that colour is involved in mate selection, so as a species with so much colour and pattern diversity, I guessed that colour was somehow involved in regulating aggression as well. Because of their unique mating system and behavioural traits, answering this question would help us deepen our understanding of how behaviour influences evolutionary processes and how evolution influences animal behaviour.

To find answers, we traveled to the native range of the Mimic Poison Frog, in the remote Peruvian Amazon. It was here that I set up a makeshift wrestling arena. We traveled to different regions of the rainforest to find males of each colour morph. Frogs squared up against frogs of their own colour morph as well as frogs of other colours. From these ‘aggression trials’ we recorded the amount of time frogs spent in combat.

To our surprise, we found that they show no difference in aggression level based on colour, yet, using results from a genetic analysis, we determined they are more aggressive towards more closely related frogs. This raises the obvious question, if they aren’t using visual cues based on colour or pattern, how are they recognizing their genetically similar counterparts? We tested size differences, and still, that had no effect. Simply put, we still don’t know what cues they are using. Differences in territorial calls or pheromones may be key. More research could help us solve this puzzle.

These results are important in our understanding of evolutionary biology. As a species with such unique behavioural traits, studying the Mimic Poison Frog can teach us how their mating habits influence behaviours like aggression. This is crucial for predicting whether such behaviours will lead to the formation of new species or maintain diversity within the species. All in all, our research invites more questions about the intricate social behaviours of amphibians and urges us to look closer.

Eli Bieri, Student, Australian Museum

Acknowledgements

We thank Instituto de Investigación Biológica de Las Cordilleras Orientales (INIBICO) for their assistance with housing and caring for specimens. We are also appreciative of the support received from Manuel Panaifo in providing local knowledge, identifying field sites, and locating study specimens. The National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF REU) program and a NSF DEB grant (ID#: NSF-DEB1655336) provided funding for this project.

]]>

How to elevate your Eureka Prizes submission, according to judges

Kate Smith — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +1100

While the sheer volume of Eureka Prizes submissions means that the Australian Museum can’t coordinate personalised feedback for each entrant, a recent survey of judges revealed that much of it would be grounded in the same themes. We considered these insights alongside a review of hundreds of comments left during the judging process, to uncover the key attributes of a strong submission. Make no mistake: a foundation of impressive research, leadership or science engagement is essential, however employing these six strategies will help elevate your entry or nomination and better align it with the expectations of the judging panel.

Communicate in plain English

It might seem counterintuitive, but one of the hallmarks of a strong entry is that it’s not pitched at subject matter experts — it’s written for an educated, but non-specialist audience. While judges are authorities in their field and each panel brings together a wide range of knowledge and experience relevant to the prize, assuming they share your level of expertise can harm your chances of being selected. Ultimately, if your work can’t be understood, it can’t be effectively assessed. Avoid jargon and assume minimal prior knowledge, ensuring that anyone, regardless of their expertise, can appreciate your work's significance. Don’t minimise achievements by oversimplifying them, just consider how you can best communicate relevant information to your target audience. Judges don’t want to spend time unpacking your materials and doing their own research to unearth the impact of your work. “Impossible for a non-expert to understand” is probably not the assessment you want left beside your entry!

Provide supporting evidence

It’s difficult for an entry to shine if claims aren’t substantiated with concrete examples, quantitative data, and references supporting the entered activity’s impact and outcomes. Not just a tool for demonstrating the tangible impact of your work, evidence is fundamental in showcasing your robust approach and validating the significance of your contributions as they relate to the prize purpose and assessment criteria. One of the most frequent comments left by judges during their initial reviews relates to a lack of evidence to validate claims, and this will almost certainly see your submission marked down. Achieving a balance is just as important — embellishment rarely goes unnoticed for all the wrong reasons, while cramming your entry with too many examples can dilute their effect.

Craft a narrative

This is not a storytelling competition: the science must come first. By leveraging storytelling techniques, however, you can transform factual information into a memorable narrative, potentially making your submission more engaging for the judging panel. Consider how you can take your audience on a journey to discover your achievement, keeping them invested in the outcome and impacts. Frame your materials with a clear structure and logical flow, using plain and concise language to convey your ideas. Select your most relevant and captivating examples as evidence and think about whether you can use visuals to complement your pitch. Teams will be asked to identify the role of each contributor and many prizes assess real world impact — each an opportunity to humanise your work. While you mustn’t lose sight of the guidelines and entry requirements, getting a little creative has the power to make facts more vivid and memorable.

Respond to the assessment criteria

It more common than you might think for a judge to note that an entry hasn’t addressed the assessment criteria, either adequately, or at all. That’s not to say they don’t always think entered work is worthy of broader recognition: one way entrants miss the mark is by focusing on notable achievements that aren’t relevant to the Eureka Prize they’re entering. Another common mistake is not customising information. While it can make sense to draw on materials from other submissions, take the time to review it in the context of the criteria and ensure your responses are precise. Writing a short essay without itemising your responses might also fall under this heading: expecting judges to distil your ideas then link them back to the assessment criteria will demonstrate, perhaps more than anything, a lack of respect for their time. So, avoid generic content or a one-size-fits-all approach. Tailoring your submission shows that you understand both the unique requirements of the Eureka Prize you’re entering, and how your activity aligns with them.

Feature carefully selected assessors

As we’ve noted, a carefully selected set of assessors is essential for maximising the quality and impact of your submission. Different viewpoints offer valuable insights and contribute to a more comprehensive assessment of your work. They support your account of the significance and impact of the entered activity, adding depth and credibility to claims. Given the weight they carry, getting your assessor reports right is crucial if you want to make a good impression on the judging panel. Approaching assessors just from within your own organisation will almost always attract commentary during deliberations, and generally do your submission more harm than good. Unless requested in the prize information or they can support your entry in a truly unique way, it’s also best to avoid asking a direct report to contribute as an assessor. Following on from our last point — and for all the same reasons — it’s essential that not just you, but your assessors are responding directly and precisely to the assessment criteria.

Comply with guidelines

Throughout the prize information and online entry system, we’ve provided guidance that’s intended to make the judging process that little bit more manageable. What we’re talking about here is related more to formatting and readability than the content itself. Judges review a lot of submissions that can often span very different subject matters, and they’re often doing so within a condensed timeline in between their usual work and personal commitments. We’ve provided templates and additional specificity around exactly what needs to be addressed in materials like your research summary, and set margins, selected a font size and established page limits. We’ve directed you to save your entry materials in .pdf format because it’s generally easier for judges to manage dozens of files when they’re in the same format. Most of the time we require entrants to upload materials instead of sharing links that require judges to be online to assess your work. Assessing entries is a big job, so help judges out by following the guidelines — they’ll appreciate it.

While these insights might seem general in nature, harnessing them will help optimise your submission by communicating the impact and significance of your achievement in the clearest possible way. Additionally, incorporating these strategies will increase the likelihood of your submission resonating with the judging panel, improving your chances of selection. If you’ve gotten this far and there’s no new information, you’re probably on the path to delivering a standout entry or nomination!

]]>

My time at the Australian Museum, what it was like and how I've grown

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +1100

In October 2023, Justine Charles joined the Marine Invertebrates Department for work experience. This is how she spent her week.

As a kid I was convinced that I would grow up and become a world-famous marine biologist, but the problem was that I really had no idea what marine biologists even did. My careers advisor told me I needed to gain some work experience, so my dad suggested I get in touch with the Marine Invertebrates Department at the Australian Museum Research Institute, where an old friend of his, Professor Shane Ahyong, is the head. Shane introduced me to Dr Claire Rowe, the Marine Invertebrates Collection Manager, who would host me for a week of work experience at the Museum.

When I arrived at the Museum, I was anxious to see what my week would be like, and what kind of people I'd be working with. Much to my joy, everyone was wonderfully nice, from Claire, who I’d never met in person, to the volunteers and everyone in between. Everyday there was a small morning tea where I was able to talk to some of the team that I didn’t see otherwise and hear their stories. I did, however, have some degree of impatience that meant every day I would sip my tea before it was cool enough to drink. My tongue was burnt for the whole week!

On my first day, Claire gave me a tour of the marine invertebrates research collection within the Museum. I never knew they could be so diverse and stored in so many different ways. It was explained to me that because there is such a vast number of specimens, storage space and keeping up-to-date with the taxonomy (scientific classification) is one of the many challenges that is faced by the Museum. I still enjoy telling people that the specimens are all stored in a building called the Spirit House, because of its somewhat double meaning name.

My roles at the Museum included sorting through jars of specimens, identifying them, and separating them into their own jars, topping up the ethanol in specimen jars stored in the Spirit House, and putting specimens into more appropriately sized containers. During all the work I was doing with the specimens I had the opportunity to look at them under a microscope, an experience that was incredibly valuable and fun. One of the creatures I was looking at was an amphipod, it is a very small crustacean that looks a little like a shrimp. However, at one point I came across a different type of amphipod, something called a Hyperiidea. It was fascinating to see the diversity of animals even within their orders. During the week, I was also able to listen to a number of seminars by university students involved with the Australian Museum, which were on a whole range of topics and very fascinating.

Overall, my time at the Australian Museum was a wonderful experience that helped me to both gain the knowledge that I need to decide my future and grow courage and confidence in myself.

Because of the opportunity that I was given through work experience, I learnt about what was really out in the world, how the world works and how it could be changed for the better.

]]>

Vale Michael R.B. Gray, former Australian Museum Arachnologist

Helen Smith — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +1100

In late August 2023 we sadly farewelled a former colleague, arachnologist Dr Michael Gray, who passed away at the end of July, age 81 years. Mike joined the Australian Museum in early 1968 and essentially built up the Arachnology collection we have today, which ranks among the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.

When Mike started at the Museum as Assistant Curator (Arachnology), spiders and the other arthropod groups now comprising the Arachnology collection formed a fairly small and rather neglected subset of the Entomology collections. Mike soon introduced modern curatorial techniques and standards and with aid of an assistant, started databasing specimens in 1977. By Mike’s retirement in 2009, the number of databased specimen lots was over 109,000.

Mike enthusiastically embarked on an extensive field collecting programme to grow the Museum collections and sample habitats throughout the state and further afield. Later, he was involved with many significant surveys such as World Heritage Rainforests (with the Queensland Museum), Lord Howe Island, and the North East Forests Biodiversity Survey (with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service). Today, almost 11,000 specimen lots are registered in the AM database with Mike listed as collector.

Of course, if your name is on so many specimen labels as a collector, you end up with specimens named after you. Mike accrued an impressive tally of 23 spider specific patronyms and 2 spider genera, Grayenulla Zabka 1992 and Graycassis Platnick 2000 (also named after Gerry Cassis, who worked with Mike on the North East Forests survey). Many of Mike’s collections also contained animals other than spiders, so there may well also be patronyms among species of insects and other terrestrial invertebrates that I haven’t been able to track down.

An important part of Mike’s role as a public service employee was always public engagement. Public interest in spiders has always been high, and Mike fielded a heavy load of public enquiries, talks, magazine articles and a very successful in-house production of the Spiders! Exhibition in 1997. Alongside all this, Mike also served a lengthy stint as the Head of Division of Invertebrate Zoology. Many staff remember Mike as a caring and considerate boss, who would always make time to work through your issues.

Through the years, Mike somehow managed to find time to carry on an active research programme, and as public service roles changed over the years, he moved from a mixed curatorial remit into a Research Scientist position, moving up through the ranks to become a Principal Research Scientist in 2003. One of Mike’s initial and enduring research interests was in cave spiders, in fact many of his published generic reviews contained at least one troglobite or troglophile – a species that may have originally piqued his interest in the group. Of the 140 genera and species authored or coauthored by Mike, 17 species were taxa found in caves and five new genera were only known from caves (although one of these now also has epigean species described). This may not sound like many, but cave spiders often exist at a low density and can be difficult to find as adults – so it is actually quite a notable achievement.

Two other research projects that were not cave related but had considerable impact were Mike’s work on funnel-web spiders, and his collaboration with medical doctor Geoff Isbister on spider bites. The revision of Australian funnel-web spiders (now in their own family, the Atracidae) was the subject of Mike’s PhD project, which he completed in 1986. However, Mike knew that there were ‘issues’ with variation in characters in some populations, issues that he could not resolve within the framework of his PhD studies. So instead of publishing straight away, he held off, hoping to get further clarification as technology improved the range of tools available to him. As often happens, though, other projects were by then demanding more urgent attention and the funnel-webs were put to one side, not to be published until 2010. Despite the delay in publication, Mike’s knowledge of funnel-web spiders enabled him to contribute greatly to the dissemination of information on this medically important group.

The spider bites project resulted in a series of five papers co-authored with physician Geoff Isbister. Dr Isbister arranged with medical facilities around Australia to retain specimens brought in by bite patients who presented with the spider that had bitten them. Mike identified the specimens, and it then became possible to link species to symptoms. Through this, the pervasive myth of the flesh-eating necrosis supposedly caused by the bite of Australian White-tailed spiders (Lampona spp.) was laid to rest. This White-tailed Spider bite paper saw Isbister and Gray nominated as Eureka Finalists in 2004 for the Australian Skeptics Eureka Prize for Critical Thinking.

Over the years, Mike supervised a number of Honours, Masters, and PhD students and was an Honorary Associate in the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources at Sydney University from around 2000 until 2006. He was also mentor to Graham ‘Wishy’ Wishart, a retired pharmacist who took an interest in the trapdoor spiders and other wandering mygalomorphs that fell in his swimming pool. With Mike’s encouragement and guidance, Wishy published several papers on the trapdoor spider fauna of New South Wales.

Mike retired in 2009 and his final publication was as a co-author in 2022. Mike leaves behind him a substantial legacy of work across many unique southern taxa and he was a pioneer of cave spider research in Australia. Through his unpublished notes and through the training, mentorship and encouragement of others, his contributions to Australian arachnology will continue for many years.

]]>

Nine reasons to enter the Eureka Prizes

Kate Smith — Sun, 11 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Entering the Eureka Prizes is often driven by the aspiration to be celebrated as a winner — and understandably so! But it can also serve as a multifaceted journey that presents a series of opportunities before the judging outcome is even revealed. From reflecting on your contributions and raising awareness of your work, to paving the way for aspiring scientists to follow in your footsteps, we explore nine reasons to participate in one of the nation’s leading science recognition programs.

Reflection and learning exercise

Entering a recognition program like the Eureka Prizes can compel you to step out of your day-to-day work and reflect on the purpose and impact of your contributions. Moving through the submission process encourages introspection, helping you articulate your achievements, outputs and strengths. It’s also an opportunity to reflect on opportunities for growth and refocus on your ambitions and professional plans. Collecting evidence and quantifying what you’ve accomplished can both offer a fresh perspective and serve as a powerful motivator, in turn contributing to your professional development.

Prepare valuable resources

The materials that you’ve invested time and energy into preparing don’t have to be limited to one-time use. Upon completion of the submission process, you’ll have a series of fine-tuned documents that you can refer to for other activities — regardless of the judging outcome. These might become valuable resources that can be adapted and built on for grant applications, presentations, reports and submissions to other recognition programs.

Open a conversation with someone you admire

Requesting assessor reports or testimonials is an opportunity to open a conversation with your collaborators, supervisors, partners and others you admire within your professional network. Seeking their input not only represents a chance to re-connect with peers — a diverse range of perspectives can produce insights that have value beyond the scope of your submission. The prospect of making an approach might be daunting, but reaching out to someone you admire can be a rewarding experience. You can learn more about preparing your assessor reports in this post.

Be part of a national publicity campaign

Congratulations – you’ve been selected as a finalist! Each year the Australian Museum engages a team of publicists to showcase the achievements of finalists via a national media campaign. We work with you and your institutions to maximise coverage in interstate, regional and suburban outlets, which has the potential to further raise your profile, both within the scientific community and among the public.

Receive external validation

Recognition through programs like the Eureka Prizes has the power to help validate your work, which can be especially rewarding in a team setting. While you’re most likely doing your work because it’s meaningful, receiving external validation and acknowledgment of your contributions can be encouraging. “Winning a Eureka Prize affirmed that the work we are doing is important and special at a national level”, says Anna Abela, co-winner of the 2023 Eureka Prize for STEM Inclusion. “We do the work because we love it, and there’s no expectation beyond that. But it’s very exciting to step outside of the bubble and see that people are paying attention.

Attend an industry event

Each year the Eureka Prizes program culminates in a celebration of finalists at an award ceremony, which is also attended by prize partner representatives, judges, state and federal government ministers, and media. The gala event is not just a wonderful opportunity to establish new connections and broaden your professional network, but a chance to gain exposure to new ideas and discuss your own work. It’s also an incredibly inspiring and fun night!

Engage with the public

Beyond the award ceremony, the recognition associated with being selected as a finalist or winner can serve as a platform to communicate your work and messages to a broader audience. It can be an opportunity to engage with the public and promote scientific literacy, generate interest in your research field, and strengthen trust between the science community and public. At a time where effective science communication might be more important than ever, consider how your selection could help bridge the gap between complex research and the public’s understanding — and support of — scientific endeavours.

Build credibility and trust

Being endorsed and recognised by a program like the Eureka Prizes has the potential to enhance your credibility as a scientist or science communicator, building trust among your peers, major institutions and the public. By no means is this association a silver bullet, but it can further enhance professional reputation and serve as a stepping stone to other opportunities. Several Eureka Prize winners have reported that being awarded has helped foster new professional partnerships and secure funding. Just ask five-time Eureka Prize winner Sonya Pemberton: “The first one I’ll never forget, it changed my career.”

Inspire the next generation

Don’t underestimate the power of your work and recognition to inspire the next generation. There are plenty of school students with a passion for STEM – just look at some of the work being entered into the Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize. Learning about your research and its impact might just nurture this interest, encourage participation in a new STEM experience or even serve as the catalyst for enrolment in a science degree and a fulfilling career.

While walking away with a Eureka Prize is most likely your ambition, all is certainly not lost if you don’t get selected by the judging panel. Simply preparing a submission can be an important stepping stone in your professional journey, while being chosen as a finalist offers many opportunities and benefits that you might think are reserved for winners. If you’ve been considering putting yourself forward but are unsure whether it’s worth your time and energy, remember that the journey can be just as valuable as the destination!

]]>

Something to whistle about: Two “whistling” frogs in South Australia new to science

Tom Parkin, Dr Jodi Rowley — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +1100

A taxonomic assessment of the Brown Tree Frog reveals two additional undescribed species in South Australia, including a species endemic to Kangaroo Island.

The Brown Tree Frog (Litoria ewingii) is a medium-sized (up to 4.5 cm) and common south-eastern Australian frog species, known for its characteristic whistle-like call. The species is widespread but has a fragmented distribution which spans more than 350,000 km² across southern New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and southern South Australia.

The Brown Tree Frog lives in a range of habitats and is often found in urban areas, such as backyards and suburban parklands. They can be found from sea level to 1,200 metres elevation and an introduced population even thrives in the comparatively cooler conditions of New Zealand.

In our new paper, we re-assessed the systematics and taxonomy of the Brown Tree Frog and sought to understand how biogeographic processes have shaped their evolution in south-eastern Australia. Using comparisons of their DNA, body shape and mating calls submitted by participants of the Australian Museum’s FrogID project, we found that the Brown Tree Frog is not a single species, but a composite of three geographically isolated species. Amazingly, the species appear to have evolved from their common ancestor around 2 to 3 million years ago and they have been isolated across major biogeographic barriers since at least the end of the last Ice Age.

In the study, we scientifically describe two of the species, both from South Australia, including the South Australian Tree Frog (Litoria calliscelis), which is found in the Mount Lofty Ranges, Fleurieu Peninsula and Adelaide coastal plain, and the Kangaroo Island Tree Frog (Litoria sibilus), which is restricted to Kangaroo Island.

Luckily, the Brown Tree Frog and South Australian Tree Frog appear to be relatively abundant throughout their large ranges. However, the Kangaroo Island Tree Frog is likely to be of high conservation concern, given its restricted distribution (<4,405 km2) and the potential threat posed by the 2019–20 Kangaroo Island bushfires, which were the largest in the island’s recorded history. Now we know how range-restricted the Kangaroo Island Tree Frog is, we can prioritise further research to better understand what threats it faces and determine if conservation management is required to ensure its long-term survival.

This study, along with many other recent species discoveries, highlights that much is still left to be learned about Australia’s biodiversity, even for our most common backyard frogs and the important role that members of the public can play in these discoveries!

Tom Parkin, Research Assistant, Herpetology, Australian Museum.

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum.

Professor Stephen Donnellan, Honorary Researcher, South Australian Museum.

]]>

FrogID Week 2023 – over 31,000 frog records gathered across Australia

Nadiah Roslan — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +1100

The sixth annual FrogID Week has once again rapidly gathered data for frog conservation thanks to tens of thousands of citizen scientists.

Frogs face significant challenges, with 1 in 6 frog species in Australia threatened with extinction. However, a significant obstacle to frog conservation lies in our limited understanding of these small and elusive creatures. The Australian Museum’s FrogID project serves as a pivotal solution to this obstacle by enabling smartphone users to record and submit frog calls through the free FrogID app. Every frog species in Australia has a unique call, and each FrogID submission is listened to by at least one frog call expert at the Australian Museum, contributing to our expert-verified occurrence records of frogs. This dataset significantly advances our knowledge of Australia’s frog species, revealing insights into their distribution, helping identify new species to science, and providing valuable information for frog conservation.

An integral part of FrogID is the annual FrogID Week held every November. FrogID Week gathers an intense snapshot of frogs across Australia, engaging thousands of citizen scientists to record frog calls with the free FrogID app. Beyond engaging the public and fostering awareness about the crucial role of frogs in healthy ecosystems, FrogID Week gathers a substantial volume of frog records, amplifying to the continuous national FrogID dataset.

During 3-12 November 2023, the Australian Museum hosted its sixth annual FrogID Week representing one of the most rapid data collection events for frogs globally. The 13th of November was when 4,249 frogs were recorded in just 24 hours - that’s over three frog records per minute!

Main's Frog (Cyclorana Maini) and Shoemaker Frog (Neobatrachus sutor) submitted by Stephanie Ross from the NT during FrogID Week 2023

FrogID Week 2023 witnessed the most public engagement to date, with 4,743 contributors collectively submitting over 17,700 frog call recordings. Our team processed the outstanding number of submissions as fast as possible, resulting in a massive 31,000 verified frog records! This amounts to approximately 3% of the national FrogID dataset, which only recently surpassed one million total frog records in just six years!

A remarkable 112 frog species were recorded during FrogID Week 2023, representing just under half (45%) of all frog species in Australia. A stand-out submission during FrogID Week 2023 included the Critically Endangered and newly scientifically named Wollumbin Pouched Frog (Assa wollumbin), known only from Mount Wollumbin, NSW. Other notable records included the Otway Smooth Froglet (Geocrinia sparsiflora) from VIC, a species recently named with the aid of FrogID recordings, and the unique Turtle Frog (Myobatrachus gouldii) from WA. These species face threats such as disease, habitat loss, introduced animals, and drought.

Another significant achievement of FrogID Week 2023 was the recording of frogs in areas previously unrecorded. Frog records from FrogID Week 2023 spanned approximately 12% of Australia, and we successfully obtained records from three areas that had not been sampled before – specifically from Peak Vale QLD, Irymple NSW, and Canteen Creek NT. These records from more remote regions enhance our spatial coverage and contribute to filling knowledge gaps in areas where limited scientific information on frogs is available.

Congratulations to our FrogID Week 2023 Top Frogger

A big congratulations to Michele Brooke from New South Wales, the winner of our FrogID Week 2023 Top Frogger competition! Michele secured the top spot by submitting an impressive total of 312 recordings, resulting in 830 frog records! Kat Hadley and Vinci Carolan also showcased outstanding dedication with 157 and 127 submissions, respectively.

By amplifying the expert-verified FrogID dataset year-on-year, successive FrogID Week events play a crucial role in frog conservation in Australia, gathering the information scientists and land-managers need to identify trends and monitor changes in frog populations over time. The efforts of thousands during FrogID Week 2023 near and far from home have not gone unnoticed. We thank everyone for taking part, and for playing an active role in monitoring frogs and the broader health of our environment with every recording.

Save the date: the next FrogID Week will take place November 8th to 17th, 2024.

More information:

Scientific outputs of FrogID
FrogID Week 2022 blog
FrogID Week 2021 blog
FrogID Week 2020 blog
To become a FrogID Week partner, please contact our Partnership Sales Manager on (02) 9320 6450 or on partnerships@australian.museum.

Acknowledgements

Thank you, New South Wales Biodiversity Conservation Trust for supporting FrogID Week 2023. We would also like to thank the generous donors who have provided funding for the project; our Museum partners, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Museums Victoria, Queensland Museum, South Australian Museum, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and Western Australian Museum; the many Australian Museum staff and volunteers who make up the FrogID team; and, most importantly, the thousands of citizen scientists across Australia who have volunteered their time to record frog calls with FrogID.

]]>

Fighting the flames – how did frogs fare after the Black Summer bushfires?

Britt Mitchell — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +1100

FrogID citizen science data collected before and after the bushfires shows where frog populations persisted and where they might need our help.

Fire is not always a bad thing. In fact, it’s important for many Australian species to complete their life cycles, such as Banksias, which rely upon the extreme heat from fires to open their seed pods. Or even pink flannel flowers, which we saw only come to bloom once smoke and ash had covered the ground. However, as climate change rapidly increases, we are seeing fire become more severe, and with more catastrophic effects. The 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires were an example, making it paramount to understand how species are responding to these more intense fires, especially those already under threat and in decline.

Unfortunately, one group of animals that is in rapid decline globally are frogs. In fact, over 40% of amphibians worldwide are threatened with extinction. Understanding how they respond to major environmental disturbances is crucial to their ongoing conservation.

But how do we find out how a frog species responds to fire? The best way to do that is to measure how a particular species is doing before fire and then compare that with how they are faring afterwards. But this is not always a straightforward task. Environmental disturbances like fire can be unpredictable. So, whilst it is usually easy to collect data after an environmental disturbance, we don’t always have access to records before the disturbance for comparison. However, citizen science data – like FrogID, eBird, or iNaturalist - has begun to change this, providing scientists with data they likely would not have been able to collect alone.

This is where the FrogID dataset proved invaluable. This dataset is based upon people across Australia recording frog calls with the FrogID app and, since November 2017, has gathered over one million frog records. As a result, we have frog occurrence records from across the areas burnt in the Black Summer bushfire, providing us with almost two years of ‘before’ data. And thanks to FrogID users from across the fire-zones, we had frog occurrence data within days after a fire had passed.To undersand how frogs respond to those devastating fires, we combined thousands of FrogID records with remotely-sensed (satellite) data revealing where and when a fire occurred, and how severe it was.

Remarkably, we found that while some areas were negatively impacted by fire, with a reduced number of frog species, some areas had the same or even a higher number of frog species after fire! The severity of the fire didn’t seem to have much influence on species richness. The reason for this varied response is unclear, but it is possible that the high rainfall of late 2020 (thanks to La Niña) meant that there were many more opportunities for frogs to breed after the fires - especially compared to the dry conditions prior. Additionally, the rainfall may have led to vegetation growing back quickly and more food resources, tempting some frog species to move into a nicer neighbouring area, where the grass is greener...literally. Perhaps in the areas where we saw frog species decline after fire, resources were not so plentiful.

While this is promising news, it’s important to note that range-restricted and rare frog species had fewer records, so we need more data to better understand their responses. It will also be crucial to continue monitoring our frog populations for any longer term implications.

Overall, thanks to the help of FrogID users, we are now able to better understand how frogs responded to the Black Summer bushfires in the two years after the fires and how to better conserve our frog species. Knowing which areas saw declines in frog species richness (and which areas didn’t) helps us focus our conservation efforts. So, when you’re next outside and hear a frog, please record it for the FrogID project. Every recording helps!

Britt Mitchell, PhD Candidate, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute. Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of BEES, UNSW Sydney.

]]>

Egypt - In Conversation: An Introduction to Egypt

Sun, 14 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Tune in as curator and Egyptologist Dr Melanie Pitkin chats with author, journalist and podcaster Caroline Baum for An Introduction to Egypt.

As the Senior Curator of the Nicholson collection of antiquities at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, Melanie shares insight into ancient Egyptians and their world view. Learn about key personalities, events and periods of pharaonic history to the interrelationship between religion and society.

Recorded live at the Australian Museum on 13 December 2023, as part of the Gateway to Egypt program series, created to support Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition.

Melanie Pitkin is Senior Curator of the Nicholson Collection of antiquities and archaeology at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney, and an Egyptologist. She has more than 15 years of experience working in museums in Australia and the United Kingdom and providing support to colleagues at museums in Egypt.

Melanie holds a PhD in Egyptology from Macquarie University. Her thesis examined the understudied First Intermediate Period through a study of its false doors and stelae, which was recently published by Golden House Press. Prior to joining the Chau Chak Wing Museum in February 2022, Melanie worked as a Research Associate (Egyptian Antiquities) at the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge.

Author, Journalist & Podcaster Caroline Baum is the author of Only, A Singular Memoir. She is a journalist, broadcaster and hosts the Life Sentences podcast about contemporary biography. Caroline is also the curator of the True Story Festival each November at the South Coast Writers Centre in NSW. She has been a judge for literary awards including The Stella Prize, Premier’s Literary Awards and the Walkleys.

]]>

Saturday Lecture Series: Journey to the Afterlife

Sun, 14 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Come on a Journey to the Afterlife with archaeologist Dr Anna-Latifa Mourad-Cizek and explore everything from beliefs and practices to tombs and funerary equipment.

Using key pieces from the exhibition Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs, Macquarie University’s Dr Mourad-Cizek explains how pharaohs, princesses, artists and others prepared to join the realm of the dead, to become eternally divine.

Recorded live at the Australian Museum on 23 December 2023, as part of the Gateway to Egypt program series, created to support Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition.

Dr Anna-Latifa Mourad-Cizek is an archaeologist and historian who explores the links between cultural encounters and socio-cultural transformations. Her research focusses on relations between ancient Egypt and Western Asia during the Third and Second Millennia BCE. She received her PhD from Macquarie University for a thesis on the ‘Rise of the Hyksos’ and Egyptian-Levantine relations from the Middle Kingdom to the Second Intermediate Period (2014).

She was later a postdoctoral fellow with the ERC Advanced Grant project, 'The Enigma of the Hyksos' at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (2017-2020). In 2019, she was awarded a Macquarie University Research Fellowship for a project investigating networks of contact and exchange in the first half of the Second Millennium BCE. Dr Mourad-Cizek has worked with archaeological expeditions in Australia and Egypt. She currently teaches archaeology at the University of Sydney, holding honorary research fellowships at Macquarie University and the Australian Institute of Archaeology.

Fran Dorey is Head of Exhibitions, at the Australian Museum, leading the Exhibition team responsible for the curation, design, preparation and maintenance of the Museum’s permanent, temporary and touring products.

She has co-curated and project managed some of the AM’s most ambitious exhibitions including 200 Treasures, Dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family, Aztecs, Alexander the Great, Life Beyond the Tomb, Art of the Pharaohs and Climate Change – our future our choice.

Fran has a BA (Honours) majoring in archaeology and ancient history from the University of Sydney and a Dip Ed (Secondary) from Charles Sturt University. She remains passionate about archaeology and history, as well as palaeontology and palaeoanthropology, and writes and maintains the AM’s popular Human Evolution webpages.

]]>

Saturday Lecture Series: The Afterlife of Ramses II's Tomb

Sun, 14 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Listen to Professor Malcolm Choat as he takes us on a journey through time to explore how the “afterlife” of the tomb of Ramses II - and the Theban Necropolis - teaches us as much about Ancient Egypt as the New Kingdom does.

Tomb KV7 had a life that extended beyond a pharaonic burial chamber. Ancient tourists inscribed their names and impressions on its walls, Christian monks made their homes there and transformed the necropolis into a holy city. A thousand years later, a new wave of tourists from Europe began recording their impressions of Egypt.

In this captivating lecture, hosted by the Australian Museum’s Chief Experience Officer Russell Briggs, learn what happened in the years between the interment of the great Pharaoh in the 18th Dynasty, and the contemporary excavation of the tomb in the 19th Century.

Recorded live at the Australian Museum on 25 November 2023, as part of the Gateway to Egypt program series, created to support Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition.

Malcolm Choat is Professor of History and Head of Department of History and Archaeology in the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University. His current research interests centre on discourses of authenticity, debates over cultural heritage, and the reception of the ancient world. He is interested in the way the ancient world is experienced today, and our interactions with the nations and peoples whose pasts we study. His research also focuses on early Christianity, monasticism, scribal practice, and magic in Roman and Late antique Egypt, which he studies via Greek and Coptic papyri, especially documentary papyri from these periods.

]]>

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28)

Madison Kuras — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +1100

The United Nations Climate Conference (COP28), currently underway in the United Emirates is the first time that the Australian Museum (AM) has been invited to participate in this global event. Madison Kuras, Project Officer at the AM’s Climate Solutions Centre, discusses the Conference and what it means for the future of climate action.

This year, at the Australian Pavilion, the AM will be presenting two digital exhibitions; Spark which explores the inventions and innovative approaches Australians are using to offer positive solutions to the climate crisis and Mt. Resilience, a collaboration between our national broadcaster ABC and our national environment body, CSIRO, focusing on how communities can plan for and respond to the impacts of climate change. This webAR experience is twenty minutes of interactive content designed to show participants how to weather the impacts of climate change in real time.

COP28 is particularly important as it is part of the new phase of moving from agreements and negotiations to a focus on concrete action and accountability.

At this year’s conference, we have already seen some positive advances, including agreements on financial commitments from industrialised nations to support non-industrialised nations on the frontline of climate change (the Loss and Damage Fund). Australia, represented by Climate Minister Chris Bowen, announced a contribution of $150 million to Pacific and global climate funds, a positive indication of increased international cooperation on climate change. However, observers are keeping a wary eye on the overall outcomes of COP28, as the fossil fuel industry has an especially powerful position in the proceedings this year. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the 28 petrostates (with a financial interest in maintaining revenue) and COP28’s president, Sultan Al Jaber, also stands at the head of the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). There has been concern about his ability to remain impartial during the climate summit.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the primary decision-making body of the convention and is also the world’s only multilateral decision-making forum on climate change, boasting membership of almost every country in the world. The annual meeting brings together tens of thousands of delegates, leaders, scientists, First Nations peoples, and other experts, to assess progress and negotiate next steps. The COP acts as the theatre for the world to come together to agree on ways to address the climate crisis.

Since the early 1990s, the United Nations overseen global decision-making and planning on steps to safeguard our future, officially formalised in 1994 through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In the decades following, the Kyoto Protocol and The Paris Agreement were also established, enacting the UNFCCC in efforts to reduce emissions (Kyoto Protocol) and limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times (Paris Agreement).

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has stated that greenhouse gas emissions must be cut by almost 50% by 2030 to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, thereby avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. Parties involved in COP28 are called upon to identify and urgently implement climate solutions, by presenting ambitious climate action plans, accelerating the green transition.

The first global stocktake will conclude at COP28. Taking place every five years, the global stocktake means countries and stakeholders will see where they stand in their progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. Unfortunately, the global stocktake’s results from the past five years have shown we are not on track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. The time to act is now.

Most importantly, COP28 is the first of these summits to consider committing to a “phase out” of fossil fuels and a tripling of renewable energy and doubled energy efficiency by 2030. Previous COPs have seen only a “phase down” of “unabated” coal and a “phase out” of inefficient subsidies; however, the IPCC report’s dire warnings have added new urgency to the summit.

A failure to agree to a phase out would push the globe past the 1.5 degree limit and cause irreversible damage to planetary systems, warns Alok Sharma, the UK’s former climate chief and president of COP26. Importantly, Chris Bowen suggested Australia, the world’s third largest fossil fuel producer, may support a global commitment to phase out fossil fuels.

COP has showcased a huge array of tools and solutions, including the Australian Museum’s digital exhibitions on show at the Australian Pavilion, where delegates can find some of the innovative solutions tackling climate change in Australia and learn more about best-practice approaches for communities to build resilience to climate impacts.

The AM’s Manager of Climate Change Projects and curator of Spark, Dr Jenny Newell, says experts across Australia are working collaboratively to advance climate solutions. “Fom the wisdom and work of our First Nations peoples to the extraordinary potential of the next generation, the AM continues to present the latest information and developments on clean transport and energy, algae technologies, regenerative agriculture, seaweed farms and biodiversity protection.”

Through these digital exhibitions at the Australian Pavilion throughout COP28, the AM hopes to inspire visitors to think about climate action from a systemic and individual lens, through these positive, innovative stories.

The United Nations Framework on the Convention for Climate Change says: “COP28 must be a ‘can-do COP’ where countries show how these tools will be put to work in the crucial next two years, to urgently pick up the pace.” Unlike previous COPs, this summit will hopefully prove to be a site of action and accountability, as well as negotiation and agreement.

Director of Destination Zero, Catherine Abreu, states that “the task [of keeping 1.5 alive] is enormous and will require courage and conviction”.

Not simply on behalf of governments, this call to action applies to cultural institutions and civic spaces as well. The Paris Agreement includes a commitment to advancing ‘Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE)’ - ensuring civil society has access to learning about and participating in effective responses to the climate crisis. As public-facing institutions whose information is widely trusted, museums are increasingly called upon to take stances on climate action and advance ACE. The AM is proud to be a leader in the Australian climate sector, and to use our programming to spread awareness about positive climate solutions.

Madison Kuras, Project Officer, Climate Solutions Centre.

]]>

Safeguarding Australia's unique botanical diversity

Kate Smith — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Who Dr Noushka Reiter, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

Winner of the 2023 Australian Institute of Botanical Science Eureka Prize for Excellence in Botanical Science

You’ve built a career around orchid conservation. What initially attracted you to this space?

As a child my parents often took us camping, sometimes we went on adventures around Australia or interstate to explore national parks and Australia’s amazing natural history. This fostered a love of the natural world and conserving it.

Can you tell us a little bit about the causes of orchid decline and the scale at which you’re witnessing it?

Unfortunately, orchids feature prominently as some of the most threatened plant species, both in Australia and overseas. Due to their unique biological requirements, they’re reliant on many factors in our environment to thrive. Most orchids depend on only one or a few pollinator species, have an obligate relationship with mycorrhizal fungi (fungi that have a symbiotic relationship with the roots of many plants) for germination and often have very particular habitat requirements.

Since European invasion of Australia, large-scale habitat destruction has seen many once-common Australian orchid species pushed to the brink of extinction. Almost two hundred species unique to Australia are threatened with extinction and many more are in severe decline. Habit destruction, combined with habitat degradation through introduced weeds and animals, has further impacted these species and their pollinators.

The orchid conservation program you run has been incredibly effective. What underpins its success?

There has been solid applied research into the ecology of each of the species we work with. This includes developing an understanding of the pollinators and their distribution, the mycorrhizal associations, symbiotic propagation methods and specific habitat needs. We also monitor translocation (the movement of plants grown in the nursery back into the wild) outcomes for each species and perform demographic analysis, which informs and improves future translocations. The success of both applied research and translocation has been underpinned by large-scale symbiotic propagation of the orchids.

The program’s success can also be attributed to the enthusiasm and dedication of the many volunteers and organisations who have been involved with it over the years. Volunteers, for example, play a huge role in the program — they are involved in every aspect of it, helping in the laboratory and nursery, and helping plant endangered species back into the wild. I find their dedication inspiring!

What are some of the broader impacts you hope to see from your work, beyond orchid conservation?

I hope that this work will inspire the community and next generation to conserve threatened plants. I’d also like to see the applied methods we’ve developed to conserve and introduce orchids used more broadly to conserve and translocate other threatened plants. In the process of understanding the ecology of each of these species, it’s also my hope that we’ll discover new species of fungi and pollinators, and uncover insights into previously unknown pollination strategies.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

I’ve worked on this conservation program for 15 years, largely funding both wages and consumables through grants and donations . My lab is an old portable that we refitted nine years ago using donations. Most of the time I’m head down, beavering away on conserving species in the lab nursery and field with volunteers, students, and colleagues. I often wonder how we’ll fund the conservation of these species into the future, so it was a surprise to even be considered for this Eureka Prize and heart-warming to receive it. To be honest, it was a very emotional experience! It’s fantastic to see the conservation of some of our most threatened plants recognised by this award.

]]>

Back from the brink: Snail success stories

Meagan Warwick, Dr Isabel Hyman, Dr Frank Köhler — Sun, 05 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Members of the Australian Museum Malacology team – Dr Frank Köhler and Dr Isabel Hyman – and Taronga Zoo colleague, Parnee Bonson, visited Phillip Island as part of the AM-led Norfolk Island expedition. The team were on the look-out for Critically Endangered snails, and the results were astounding!

The Malacology team had undertaken several trips to Norfolk Island previously, but for the 2022 AM-led Norfolk Island expedition, the teams’ efforts were focused on new or previously poorly surveyed sites, particularly Phillip Island. The Norfolk Island Group has five land snail species listed as Critically Endangered. Two of these (Advena campbellii and Advena suteri) are found on Norfolk Island and are the subject of a current conservation project being led by the Australian Museum, in partnership with Taronga Zoo, Parks Australia, the Norfolk Island Regional Council and the Department of Infrastructure.

However, Phillip Island is the last known location of three Critically Endangered land snail species (Advena grayi, Advena phillipii and Advena stoddartii). Advena grayi was last collected alive in 1982 (which was about the worst point of deforestation for Phillip Island, caused by rabbits). Shells of all three species were reportedly collected in 1996, but the identities of the shells have never been verified and these species were feared extinct. The shells were held in the private collection of Owen and Beryl Evans, Norfolk Island locals and naturalists, but couldn’t be located. In 2020, our team specifically searched Norfolk Island for Advena grayi but only found a few old and worn shells and no evidence of any living populations.

In the most recent visit to Phillip Island, the AM team searched some sites that seemed promising (reasonably moist, and around the site of the only tree to survive the rabbits) but found nothing. Then they headed up towards Jacky Jacky Ridge, as this was the last known site for Advena grayi. Frank, Isabel, Parnee, James Tweed (PhD student from the University of Queensland) and Mark Scott (Norfolk Island local and citizen scientist) stopped there for lunch. While getting ready to leave, James started foraging for insects in the nearby flax plants – and found freshly dead snail shells! This prompted the whole team to start searching, leading to many fresh shells being found. Mark found the first live specimen, followed by several more – about 12 live specimens in total – in the flax plants throughout the patch.

The team will return at some stage for a more detailed search of the island to get a better idea of their distribution, but we are happy to confirm that the species found was Advena grayi, the species that was last collected alive in 1982! It was found alive and well, and in reasonably good numbers, which is extraordinary news. This means that Mark Scott was the first person in 40 years to find the rare snail Advena grayi. The achatinellid species Tornatellinops novoseelandicus was also found living on Phillip Island, where it had not been previously recorded.

About 400 collections of around 140 species were made during the visit to Norfolk Island Phillip Island. It is so exciting to confirm that three of the Critically Endangered species (Advena campbellii and Advena suteri on Norfolk Island and Advena grayi on Phillip Island) are still alive – and the hope is that in the future we can confirm that Advena phillipii and Advena stoddartii have survived.

]]>

Fostering active participation in turtle conservation

Kate Smith — Sun, 05 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Who Associate Professor Ricky Spencer, Western Sydney University, Co-Program Lead of the 1 Million Turtles Community Conservation Program

What The 1 Million Turtle Team’s Community Conservation Program uses the TurtleSAT app to involve citizen scientists in hands-on activities such as habitat construction and restoration, nest protection and fox management. Emphasising STEM literacy and First Nations knowledge, the Australia-wide program has influenced policy, and saved over 1,000 freshwater turtles and 200 nests in 2022 alone.

Co-winner of the of the 2023 Department of Industry, Science and Resources Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science

What were some of the key factors that led to the establishment of the 1 Million Turtles Community Conservation Program?

The establishment of the 1 Million Turtles Community Conservation Program was a response to a confluence of factors that painted a compelling narrative, blending inspiration and action.

First and foremost, the program was spurred by the alarming findings of long-term researchers along the Murray River who had discovered worrying declines in turtle populations. These declines served as a clarion call for conservation efforts, prompting the need for immediate action to protect these remarkable creatures and their ecosystems.

The journey to establish the program involved immersive discovery tours where we engaged in candid conversations with local communities and First Nations people. Their shared observations and concerns further confirmed the stark reality of turtle population declines. This direct engagement with these communities became a pivotal moment that underscored the urgency of the conservation cause.

In the car and at the motels during these discovery tours, a moment of innovation emerged with the development of the TurtleSAT app. It became evident that consistent trends of turtle population decline needed a systematic way to capture valuable sightings and quantify the impacts of threats such as foxes and road mortality. The app, born from these realisations, played a crucial role in the program's foundation.

A significant driving force behind the program was the universal love and passion people held for turtles. Not only did they cherish these fascinating creatures, but they also revelled in discussing them. This passion offered a tremendous opportunity to mobilise individuals and stakeholders in the conservation efforts.

In addition to igniting passion, the program sought to transform the traditional one-way citizen science model into a dynamic two-way street. It was envisioned as a framework that could empower citizen scientists to evolve into engaged community conservationists, fostering a sense of ownership and active participation in safeguarding turtle populations.

Beyond its immediate goals, the 1 Million Turtles Community Conservation Program aspired to provide an enduring framework for citizen science. It aimed to cultivate a community-driven approach that would not only protect turtles and their habitats but also provide a model for conservation efforts that could be sustained for generations to come. The program is a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and the collective love for these unique and charismatic native animals.

Can you tell us a little bit about the 1 Million Turtles citizen science community and the work that they do?

The 1 Million Turtles citizen science community is a diverse and inclusive network of individuals who share a deep passion for turtle conservation and the preservation of their natural habitats. This community is united by their common love for the local wetlands and the remarkable turtles that inhabit them.

Members of this community represent a wide spectrum of backgrounds, ages, and levels of experience. It's a place where individuals, from those encountering turtles for the first time during guided turtle tours around urban lakes to passionate conservationists with a lifelong commitment to all things turtle-related, come together to make a positive impact.

One of the distinctive features of this community is its commitment to education. We actively engage with primary schools, offering programs that introduce young students to the significance of turtle conservation. One of our initiatives, the National Nest Predation Survey, involves schools in monitoring foxes and safeguarding turtle nests, providing children with a hands-on experience of wildlife conservation.

The 1 Million Turtles community also values local engagement, involving farmers who play a critical role in their efforts. Farmers protect turtle nests in their fields and, when necessary, relocate turtles to ensure their safety. This collaboration emphasises the importance of involving diverse stakeholders in the protection of these ecosystems.

Another wonderful aspect of this community is its intergenerational participation. Residents of a local retirement home actively contribute by recording turtle sightings around their pond. This simple act of involvement provides valuable data that contributes to a better understanding of local turtle populations.

At the heart of the 1 Million Turtles community is a shared passion for local wetlands and the turtles that inhabit them. This love unites its members, regardless of their differences, and motivates their collective commitment to the conservation of these vital ecosystems. Through their collective efforts, they play a significant role in safeguarding these ecosystems and the invaluable biodiversity they support.

How does the program approach conservation?

The 1 Million Turtles program adopts a unique approach to conservation by viewing citizen science as a two-way collaboration rather than a one-sided data collection effort. Instead of considering citizen scientists as mere data collectors, the program empowers them to actively participate in the conservation of turtles and their habitats.

Central to this approach is the TurtleSAT app, which serves as the program's cornerstone. This app is more than just a data collection tool; it is a real-time data visualisation platform. When a citizen scientist records a turtle observation, the data becomes instantly accessible, allowing individuals to understand its significance right away. For example, TurtleSAT highlights crucial information like hotspots for turtle road deaths and nest predation by foxes, which are updated in real-time. This immediate feedback fosters a deeper sense of engagement among participants.

Integral to the 1 Million Turtles program is its commitment to education and engagement. Citizen scientists are provided with a range of scientifically valid tools, enabling them to evolve into active community conservationists. These tools not only empower individuals to identify conservation issues but also equip them to take tangible actions. This may involve rescuing turtles from roads, safeguarding nests from potential threats, or even contributing to the construction of turtle nesting islands. The program recognises that everyone, regardless of their background or experience, can play a vital role in protecting turtles and their habitats.

In essence, the 1 Million Turtles program places great emphasis on the active engagement of citizen scientists in conservation efforts. It utilises technology, such as TurtleSAT, to facilitate real-time data collection and visualisation, making it accessible and actionable for all. Furthermore, it goes beyond data collection, focusing on education and empowerment to create a community of individuals who actively contribute to turtle conservation. This approach promotes a sense of shared responsibility and encourages local communities to take direct, meaningful actions in the protection of turtles and their vital ecosystems.

1 Million Turtles collaborates with First Nations Peoples to maintain cultural knowledge of turtles. Can you share a little about this aspect of the program?

1 Million Turtles has established a close collaboration with the Ngarrendjeri Aboriginal Corporation (NAC) and the South Australia Riverlands and Murraylands Landscape Board to facilitate a series of Yarning Circles. These circles create a nurturing environment for Ngarrendjeri Elders to impart their invaluable knowledge regarding turtles and environmental changes spanning over the past seven decades. Within these sessions, our active engagement involved inquiring about various facets of turtles, allowing Elders to guide the discussions towards topics they considered most significant.

NAC has diligently documented these interactions and is currently in the process of creating a video that will serve as a timeless repository of this wisdom. This video will play a vital role in preserving the profound cultural ties of the Ngarrendjeri people to their land and its wildlife for generations to come. As a direct outcome of our engagement, we have initiated turtle population surveys within the South Australia Lower Lakes region, guided by the expressed desires of the Ngarrendjeri community. Our collaboration extends to working closely with the University of Adelaide and the South Australia Department of Environment and Water.

Furthermore, we have partnered with the South Australian Aboriginal Learning on Country (ALoC) Program. ALoC is committed to providing training and employment opportunities for Aboriginal individuals, enabling them to strengthen their connection with the land and acquire skills and knowledge to contribute to turtle conservation and land management efforts along the Murray River. ALoC trainees participate in on-the-job and coursework training, working towards achieving a Certificate III and/or Certificate IV in Conservation and Land Management over two years. Additionally, school-based trainees are actively involved in turtle and nest surveys using TurtleSAT, contributing to their progress toward the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE).

Our aspiration is that this engagement model can be extended to connect with other First Nations Peoples across Australia who share a deep cultural connection to turtles.

What role does technology play in the 1 Million Turtles program?

We are pushing the boundaries between citizen science data and artificial intelligence (AI) at 1 Million Turtles. Technology plays a pivotal role in the 1 Million Turtles program, serving as a powerful enabler for individuals of all levels to actively participate in turtle conservation. The program leverages technology in several key ways to make a positive impact and engage a diverse range of participants.

In addition to data collection and visualisation, the 1 Million Turtles program utilises advanced technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), to develop tools that are outward-facing and easy to use. For example, we've developed a turtle habitat and nest predictor tool that is solely based on the extensive dataset gathered through TurtleSAT. With this tool, anyone can enter their address and access information about turtle nesting hotspots in their local area. This not only aids in conservation efforts but also helps community members develop a more profound connection with the turtles that share their environment.

Furthermore, technology is integrated into their educational efforts. By providing scientifically valid tools and resources, the program equips citizen scientists to become active community conservationists. These tools empower individuals to take tangible actions, such as rescuing turtles from roads, protecting nests, or even constructing turtle nesting islands. The program's use of technology is designed to break down barriers and make conservation accessible to people from all backgrounds and levels of experience.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

Winning a Eureka Prize holds profound significance for us. It serves as a validation of the path we've chosen for citizen science, one that empowers individuals and transforms them into active, influential conservationists. It means that our efforts are not only recognised but celebrated as a pioneering approach to environmental stewardship.

This accolade underscores the idea that, through our work, people are not merely passive observers of nature but rather integral stakeholders in their local environment. This shift in perspective is critical, as it paves the way for fostering lifelong connections with the natural world. It's about nurturing a sense of responsibility and a deep-seated commitment to preserving the planet and its unique ecosystems for future generations.

Moreover, this recognition acknowledges the powerful collaboration that exists between researchers and communities across the country. The synergy between these two groups is genuinely rewarding, as it underscores the importance of collective effort in the field of conservation. Winning the Eureka Prize is an acknowledgment of the shared dedication and the combined impact of this partnership.

Ultimately, accepting the Eureka Prize is not just an individual honour but a collective celebration. We accept this award on behalf of everyone involved in the 1 Million Turtles program, as it symbolises our shared commitment to making a positive and lasting difference in the world of conservation.

]]>

Smells like home: Assessing the differences in odour profiles of Shingleback lizards

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +1100

As part of her PhD research, Dr Amber Brown, with supervisors Dr Greta Frankham, Dr Maiken Ueland and Dr Barbara Stuart, assessed Shingleback lizard odour profiles across the species distribution. This resulted in a new method of detecting and identifying this highly trafficked and smuggled species.

Odour is commonly used in the detection of illegally smuggled objects. It may or may not come as a surprise that the odour of living organisms is influenced by many factors, including habitat, diet and genetics. In our new study, the odour profiles of Shingleback lizards (Tiliqua rugosa) were assessed across their species distribution to form the basis of a new method of detecting and identifying this highly trafficked and smuggled species.

The analysis of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), or the chemical compounds responsible for odour, has been utilized in many fields of forensic investigation. Specifically, BVOCs have been targeted for detection (e.g., ignitable liquid residues, human remains) or identification (e.g., drugs) purposes. To complete this analysis, the entire range of BVOCs emitted by a target (known as a volatilome) are analysed using sensitive analytical instrumentation.

BVOCs are also emitted by living organisms, although studies of living organism volatilomes have been limited. We were interested in investigating volatilomes as a future method for detecting illegally traded live wildlife contraband. To do this, we would first need to know how volatilomes differed across a species distribution as it has been previously shown that volatilomes are influenced by dietary, genetic and environmental factors. However, it was unclear how much variability is attributed to habitat.

We had previously published a sampling method for Shingleback lizards, as they are one of the species most highly trafficked out of Australia. The Shingleback distribution extends over one million square kilometres, ranging from the Australian east coast through South Australia, to the islands off the coast of Western Australia. Shinglebacks inhabit many Australian environments, including deserts, saltbush, grasslands, mallee, shrublands, coastal dunes and woodlands. Depending on the environment and season, Shingleback diets change with access to different food items.

To determine whether or not targeting BVOCs for the detection of Shinglebacks being illegally trafficked in transit was a viable forensic option, Shinglebacks were sampled across their range to find BVOCs that were shared across all habitat types. We also aimed to determine whether volatilome assessments could help determine geographic origin(s) of trafficked Shinglebacks post confiscation and how volatilomes differed from their captive counterparts.

Eleven habitat types were sampled across the Shinglebacks range; 44 compounds were found to be shared across all habitat types and were identified as potential detection targets. It was determined that volatilome profiles differed across all habitat types, likely associated with dietary preferences or metabolic states. This work also determined that captive Shinglebacks' volatilomes differed from their wild counterparts. The volatilome of one confiscated Shingleback, whose geographic origin was known, but which had been in captivity for over a year, was compared to a volatilome from the wild. This Shingleback's profile was found to more closely resemble the average captive profile compared to the average habitat profile from which it originated.

This work has set the foundation for future live animal volatilome analysis and its application in wildlife forensic science. With the application of this new technique, we can more accurately detect trafficked animals and inform our current conservation and biosecurity policies.

]]>

Ulysses to Frankham: Celebrating award winning science

Meagan Warwick, Dr Mark Eldridge — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Emeritus Professor Richard Frankham, an influential biologist, researcher and long-standing Research Associate of the Australian Museum, has recently been awarded the prestigious 2023 Ulysses S. Seal Award for Innovation in Conservation. This award honours the legacy of the IUCN Conservation Planning Specialist Group’s founder and first Chair, Dr Ulysses S. Seal.

Emeritus Professor Richard (Dick) Frankham has been awarded the 2023 Ulysses S. Seal Award for Innovation in Conservation, an award given biennially to an individual who exemplifies innovation and the application of science to conservation. And Professor Frankham certainly fits the bill – as a leading researcher, thinker and innovator in conservation and evolutionary genetics for over 50 years, holding positions around the world and publishing significant, foundational works, Dick has been honoured with this award in San Diego, California USA at the Conservation Planning Specialist Group’s annual meeting.

The award honours the legacy of Dr Ulysses S. Seal, an influential scientist, who was passionate about how novel science could be most effectively applied to solving problems in wildlife conservation. An integral part of Ulie's work was to emphasise the importance of recognising and championing those who are making innovative contributions. Past recipients of the award include Dame Georgina Mace (the driving force behind the establishment of the Red List Categorization System for endangered species), Bengt Holst, Susie Ellis, Jeremy Mallison, and many more.

Professor Frankham was nominated and awarded the honour recently, for his significant contributions to conservation biology and genetics, including laboratory animal modelling, computer modelling, meta analyses, and Darwinian syntheses. As a highly influential and internationally renowned expert and researcher, Dick has held positions at the University of Chicago, Macquarie University and Harvard University and most recently was awarded a MJD White Medal of the Genetics Society of Australasia in 2017 in Dunedin, New Zealand for his career contributions to conservation and evolutionary genetics and a Whitley Book Award by the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales in 2019. Dick has published nearly 200 research papers which have been heavily cited, and has led international teams, writing the first ever textbooks on conservation genetics and on genetically managing fragmented animal and plant populations. This substantial body of novel and highly impactful scientific research have wide applications and have been pivotal for educating and training future generation of scientists.

Professor Frankham and his collaborators have made, and continue to make, pioneering, innovative, and highly influential contributions to the relatively young discipline of conservation genetics, a field that contributes to saving the planet’s biodiversity. Dick uses his platform to showcase Australia’s unique fauna, wildlife management challenges and solutions to an international audience.

Congratulations to Emeritus Professor Richard Frankham, a truly deserving recipient of this award!

]]>

Ancient Egyptian Lecture Series

Nadiye Cicek — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Our Photographic Archives team have uncovered lantern slides from a 1925 Ancient Egypt Lecture Series delivered by Museum Ethnologist, William Walford Thorpe.

Celebrating Dr Anne Hoggett AM and Dr Lyle Vail AM and the 50th anniversary of the Lizard Island Research Station

Meagan Warwick — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +1100

At the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation 50th Anniversary dinner, Dr Anne Hoggett AM and Dr Lyle Vail AM were awarded the 2023 Australian Museum Research Institute Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of their tireless work in advancing our understanding of coral reef biology.

Always a highlight of the year – Wednesday night’s annual Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF) dinner was a particularly special evening. Not only celebrating 50 years of scientific research and discovery undertaken at Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS), but also recognising the life-long contribution of Directors, Anne and Lyle, in developing LIRS into the powerhouse it is today. We were delighted to recognise their legacy with this award.

Established in 2014, the award recognises eminent researchers and science communicators who have made an outstanding contribution to science and biodiversity conservation. Anne and Lyle have been awarded the 2023 award in recognition of their significant, life-long contribution to coral reef science and committed management of the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Station over 33 years. Since 1990, when they became joint Directors, Anne and Lyle have comprehensively redeveloped LIRS and welcomed thousands of researchers, students and fellows, greatly increasing its scientific productivity and impact. Their extensive knowledge of coral reefs, expertise in the systematics and ecology of marine invertebrates, passion for mentoring early career scientists, and their remarkable management, stewardship, and vision have made LIRS what it is today.

Held at the Australian Museum, the evening was a celebration of the inspiring work conducted by the scientists at LIRS, and by what Anne and Lyle have achieved in their 33 years at the station. Joined by four marine scientists – Dr Pat Hutchings, Dr Jeffrey Leis, Dr Alison Green and Professor Andrew Hoey – whose research at LIRS collectively spanned the past five decades, the scientists shared their insights as to how the Station has contributed to our understanding of reef science.

The evening also included a silent auction, raising funds for two important additions to LIRS – a new air-conditioned laboratory, to accommodate up to 8 researchers and their equipment, and additional staff accommodation, to facilitate the growing visitor base (now up to 8000) per year.

Founded in 1973 by former AM Director, Professor Frank Talbot AM, LIRS is widely recognised as one of the world’s best tropical marine field research stations, with research at LIRS covering virtually every aspect of understanding and managing the coral reef marine environment.

Previous recipients of the AMRI Lifetime Achievement Award have included Professor Tim Flannery, Mr Robyn Williams AM, Professor Frank Talbot AM, the 1971 Lord Howe Island Environmental Survey Group, Catherine Livingstone AO, Professor Lesley Hughes, Dr Val Attenbrow, Professor William Sherwin and Mr Brian Sherman AM.

]]>

2023 Sydney Science Trail: A record-breaking time!

Meagan Warwick — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +1100

For the fourth year running, the Australian Museum hosted the Sydney Science Trail (August 14-19) – and with record-breaking numbers! Learn how our scientists, education and programming teams took part in this jam-packed program with primary and secondary students, teachers and families.

Sydney Science Trail (SST) is a unique opportunity for students to experience, think, and talk about the science conducted at both the Australian Museum and the Royal Botanic Garden of Sydney. This year was no exception – more than 57 organisations were involved in SST, with 31 AMRI scientists and 28 education experts (including several staff from our Climate Solutions Centre, Public Programming team and First Nations team) taking part throughout the week to teach the public all about the wonderful science that happens behind the scenes at the Australian Museum.

Incredibly, we welcomed record-breaking numbers to the AM, including 1,777 students from 35 schools and home school networks over five days and an incredible 7,536 visitors to the Australian Museum’s Community event on Saturday 19 August!

There were many parts to this mammoth week, and our scientists and staff took part in the following:

Talking science and workshops!

Throughout the week, our fantastic scientists took part in a series of panel talks and workshops at the AM and at the Royal Botanic Garden of Sydney. Dr Yi-Kai Tea spoke passionately about scientific innovations in Ichthyology and Dr Jodi Rowley taught us about the growing field of citizen science with FrogID. In addition, Dr Greta Frankham spoke on a panel discussion about 'Wildlife Detectives' as part of the Nights at the Museum: Celebrating National Science Week event. A fun time was had by all!

At the AM on Monday and Tuesday, our fantastic Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics team worked with the AM Education team to deliver a series of ‘Cracking the Genetic Code’ workshops, teaching kids all about the application of DNA and more.

Expertise in the Expo

From Monday to Friday (14-18 August), our scientists were part of the Expo, representing each branch of AMRI. Staff from Collection Care and Conservation, the Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, our Digitisation and citizen science teams, Arachnology and Entomology teams and Marine Invertebrate and Ichthyology scientists all took part across the week. From a live crayfish and upside-down jellyfish, to seeing shocking and inspiring spider specimens, kids loved learning about science at the Museum in a variety of ways. Our fantastic education teams were at the Expo all week around teaching kids all about our science and school programs.

We also ran a ‘name that fish’ competition with Dr Yi-Kai Tea throughout the week! With a new species to name in a pending publication, some of the suggested names for the new species were Fishy McFishFace, Sam Kerr, Flame gradient and MyFishsaurus! Stay tuned for more news on the upcoming paper.

Record-breaking Community Day

With 26 activities across the AM in addition to the Expo, it is no wonder the Museum was abuzz with so many visitors! AMRI staff were on the Citizen Science stall and the AMRI stall, teaching everyone about FrogID, arachnology and zooarchaeology. Our pop-up Collection Care and Conservation stall was busy in the morning and we had two talks on the day from Dr Elena Kupriyanova (Under the Sea Discoveries) and Dr Helen Smith (The Secret Life of Spiders).

AMRI features online

AMRI took part in the Sydney Science Online Trail, which provided everyone with the opportunity to explore science videos and podcasts, and learn through an online quiz. From AMRI, we included the following (which can also be found on our website):

What was Eric's last supper? Discover what 'Eric' the opalised plesiosaur fossil ate!
My Museum with Ross Pogson. Meet Ross Pogson, the Australian Museum’s minerals and rocks expert who has been the caretaker of the Mineralogy Collection since 1979.
FrogID. Learn how to identify frogs by their unique calls with FrogID!
What is Ichthyology? The fascinating field of marine and freshwater fish study revealed.

A huge thank you to Alison Mellor and the Public Programs team, who brought this great Science Week celebration to life, and everyone who took part in SST, from staff to volunteers, who made this such an amazing event.

We’d like to express gratitude to our partners the Australian Government for funding support as part of National Science Week, and the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) and the University of New England (UNE) for their support in promoting science to our community. Their presence and insights were highly valued across Sydney Science Trail. A thank you also to our collaborators and staff who dedicated their time, energy and passion to these programs – you made this a wonderful week of science! Save the date for next year’s Sydney Science Trail, which will be held from 10 – 18 August 2024 .

]]>

The Norfolk Island puzzle: Identifying new insect and spider species

Helen Smith, Chris Reid — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +1100

The ongoing identification of insect and spider specimens collected during the Australian Museum-led Norfolk Island expedition is throwing up a host of new family and species records and plenty of puzzles. The AM Arachnology and Entomology team tell us about these exciting finds and the work ahead.

The insects and spiders of Norfolk Island and Phillip Island are incompletely known so we need to improve our knowledge of what species are present to inform conservation measures. During Phase 1 of the Australian Museum-led Norfolk Island expedition, we collected a wide variety of spiders and targeted certain groups of insects, specifically plant-feeding beetles. The techniques used were hand searching (e.g., looking beneath woody debris, night collecting), sifting litter over a tray, knocking animals off vegetation into a tray (a technique called ‘beating’) and setting overnight traps on the ground.

One problem with faunal surveys for invertebrates is that identifying specimens takes a long time and there are many difficulties in such identifications. Some species may be quite easy to identify – they may be part of a group that has been thoroughly revised in the region so we have keys and illustrations, or they may already be known to occur on Norfolk Island (and/or on nearby Phillip Island). But many insect and spider groups are less well known, and for a place out in the ocean where colonization might have come from any direction, that is quite a problem.

The Norfolk Island region has faunal and floral biogeographic links with Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia, not to mention the potential for human introductions over many years of settlement. As a result, it is often not possible for us to be sure of the status of a species we find – is it a unique endemic species that occurs nowhere else in the world, or is it a poorly known or unidentified species that is actually quite widespread? If the latter, then is it native to the island, or have people brought it here?

Our AM beetle expert, Dr Chris Reid, has now examined the Coleoptera and reports 69 species, including 7 longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), 7 leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) and 29 weevils (Curculionidae) – these were the plant feeding target groups and several of these species are undescribed. The most interesting beetle capture is a new flightless species of Phanodesta (Trogossittidae) – a genus previously only known from New Zealand, Lord Howe Island and the Juan Fernandez Is (Chile). For insects in general, however, most of the specimens are still being identified but we do know that there is a new species of crane fly.

Among the spiders, we have almost 60 species separated and identified as far as possible. Some exciting finds include spiders from nine families that have never been recorded in the Norfolk Island region before 2022. Images of four of these were posted to iNaturalist prior to our visit but another five are completely new records. The conservation status for most of the nine is unclear; so far three have been identified as known (non-endemic) species, one falls into the ‘puzzle’ category, and one cannot be identified further without more specimens. The other four are in groups that have not been worked on in the region.

Menneus sp. From Norfolk Island.' />

In both insects and spiders, we keep encountering puzzles – specimens that look very similar to one or more named species, but not quite. Are the differences significant? Our Odonata expert and AM Research Associate, Gunther Theischinger, is working on the identification of a damselfly species that doesn’t seem to have any previous records on Norfolk Island but does not quite match species in Australia. One of the spider puzzles is a species of net-casting spider, Menneus sp. These spiders are relatively large, so you might think they would have been noticed years ago, but the first records are from iNaturalist, such as in the photograph above from early 2022. We collected two specimens in November 2022, and those seem to be intermediate between two species known from Australia. What does this mean? Further work will be needed to solve this puzzle.

On the other hand, some of the species we found are well-known and have almost certainly been introduced quite recently. Some of these are already widespread and common on Norfolk Island itself (but mostly not on Phillip Island), both around people and in the National Park and reserves. Island ecosystems are constantly evolving and the addition of new species, which are often effective colonisers, can be a disaster for locally evolved endemic species. The new arrivals may be adaptable and/or aggressive, they may take over suitable habitat, or even directly feed on the native species. To enable effective conservation, it is vital that we take stock of the current situation - and this means trying to identify all our specimens as far as possible.

We will carry on with our identifications and make our findings publicly available. In some groups we hope to describe new species in collaboration with specialists in those groups – maybe we will need to collect more specimens to resolve some of the puzzles and decide that the species is new. But many specimens will only get fully identified in years to come by being included in more widescale projects that look at a whole group of species and where they are found. This is where museum collections are particularly valuable because they make specimens available to researchers. The diversity of insects and spiders is so immense that invertebrate taxonomists by necessity need to specialise on certain groups. Such specialists work not only in our Australian museums but in similar institutions and universities around the world. After we have identified our specimens to a group and entered the data into our collection management system, external researchers can access the specimen data online. They can then request a loan of the specimens or high resolution images if those are suitable for identifying the group.

]]>

Smooth operators: Introducing a tiny new smooth frog from southern Victoria

Tom Parkin, Dr Jodi Rowley — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Hidden in plain sight in the forests of Victoria’s Otway Plains and Ranges, we describe a new smooth frog to science, with an unusual reproductive mode.

The Australian smooth frogs (Geocrinia) are found in moist, temperate habitats of south-eastern Australia, with a single species, the Ticking Frog (Geocrinia leai), found in south-western Western Australia. Smooth frogs are generally small (up to 3.5 cm) and have an interesting mode of reproduction, where their eggs develop on land. Males will staunchly guard the terrestrial nest and it’s not unusual for them to attract multiple females to lay their eggs in the nest pile (they certainly are smooth operators!). After several months, predictable winter or spring rainfall eventually floods the nest and the tadpoles hatch and complete their development aquatically.

Two species were thought to occur in south-eastern Australia: the Southern Smooth Frog (Geocrinia laevis) and the Eastern Smooth Frog (Geocrinia victoriana). The Southern Smooth Frog is distributed in Tasmania, western Victoria and the extreme south-east of South Australia, while the Eastern Smooth Frog is distributed across south-eastern Victoria and just into NSW. The two species can be very difficult to tell apart based on appearance, but they have strikingly different sounding calls – one sounds like a creaking door and the other like a pedestrian crossing! Where the species overlap, a small hybrid zone exists, and the hybrids have a strange call that sounds half-way between the two species.

By listening to over 800 recordings of smooth frog calls submitted by citizen scientists to the Australian Museum’s FrogID program, we began to hear subtle differences across each species’ ranges. We also noticed the populations seemed to be fragmented across major biogeographic barriers, which can often indicate long-term isolation.

In our recent study, we took a deeper look at the south-eastern smooth frogs using a combination of genetics, comparisons of body shape, and analyses of acoustic recordings submitted to the FrogID program. Our investigation revealed that instead of two species in the south-eastern group, there were three! The third species, which we name the Otway Smooth Frog (Geocrinia sparsiflora), is found only within Victoria’s Otway Plains and Ranges. The species is very similar in overall appearance and call to the Eastern Smooth Frog, however, it is genetically divergent and can be distinguished by the bright, flower-like spots which are often present on its back and sides. We believe that the Otway Ranges have provided a refuge for the Otway Smooth Frog through thousands of years of climate instability in southern Australia.

The Otway Smooth Frog has the most restricted distribution of all the species, which is of concern when it comes to their long-term survival. However, at present, the new species appears to occur in relatively high abundances and have some tolerance for disturbance, being found breeding in modified habitats in agricultural and suburban areas.

While the Otway Smooth Frog does not currently appear threatened with extinction, future climate change projections in southern Victoria are concerning. Projections for increases in temperature, changes in fire regimes, and overall decreases in autumn and winter rainfall (when the species breeds) may have significant consequences for its ongoing survival. Thankfully, now that the Otway Smooth Frog has been formally identified and scientifically named, it will be included in future biodiversity and conservation assessments.

]]>

A new global update on amphibians reveals species threatened with extinction

Dr Jodi Rowley — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +1100

The first global update on amphibians in almost two decades reveals the emerging threat of climate change, and a continuing decline in the status of frogs and other amphibians. The study finds 1 in 5 Australian species, and 2 in 5 global species, threatened with extinction.

In 2004, the first global assessment of amphibians was carried out, and involving amphibian biologists around the world. That assessment for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species was a pivotal moment – it was the first time we realized just how bad things were for amphibians. Now, almost two decades later and with much more information, including expertise from over 1000 experts across the world, we’ve completed another comprehensive assessment of amphibians – published recently in Nature and unfortunately, it’s not great news.

Sadly, the conservation status of amphibians worldwide continues to deteriorate. Back in 2004, 39.4% of all amphibian species assessed were threatened with extinction (Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable). Now, it’s 40.7%. To put that into perspective, the current percent of threatened mammals, reptiles and birds is 26.5%, 21.4% and 12.9%.

Horrifyingly, the number of Extinct amphibian species has also risen, from 33 in 2004 to 37 species. The four amphibian species added to the official list of extinct species are the Chiriquí Harlequin Toad (Atelopus chiriquiensis) from Costa Rica, the Sharp Snouted Day Frog (Taudactylus acutirostris) from Australia, and the frog Craugastor myllomyllon and the Jalpa False Brook Salamander (Pseudoeurycea exspectata) from Guatemala.

What’s driving the global decline of amphibian populations? Globally, the biggest threat remains habitat loss and degradation, but climate change effects are now thought to be impacting a quarter of all threatened amphibian species! This is perhaps not surprising as amphibians are highly sensitive to weather and climate, and over the last few decades, an increasing body of research has begun to reveal the impacts of a changing climate on biodiversity, but particularly amphibians.

But it’s not all bad news. Since 1980, 120 amphibian species became less threatened, with their conservation status improving! Positive changes were largely due to conservation actions such as habitat protection and management. Amphibians do often have the capability to ‘bounce back’ if given a helping hand.

This new global amphibian assessment sheds light on Australian frogs. Almost 1 in 5 of Australia’s frogs are threatened with extinction. However, the percent of threatened frogs varies across Australia, with New South Wales having the highest percent of species threatened – almost a third (29%). Major threats to frogs in Australia were identified as climate change (considered a threat to 87% of Australia’s threatened frog species) and invasive species.

Although this new amphibian assessment is sobering, it is a call to action and a reminder that we must up our game in terms of amphibian conservation. Amphibians are an important part of healthy ecosystems, and the consequences of losing amphibians are widespread. We know that we can work together and improve the situation for amphibian species, and we now have a better idea of what needs to be done to curb amphibian declines and extinctions.

]]>

Funnier than the original: Introducing the Western Laughing Tree Frog

Dr Jodi Rowley — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Citizen scientists across Australia have helped uncover a frog species new to science in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and western Queensland. Find out more about this funny Aussie frog, which has a longer ‘laugh’ than the original tree frog species.

Roth’s Tree Frog, or the Northern Laughing Tree frog (Litoria rothii) is a large, charismatic tree frog from northern Australia and southern New Guinea. The species is generally cream or brown in colour and it has a distinctive bright red upper iris. The frog is commonly encountered throughout its range, and its call is hard to miss – a loud cackle resembling a laugh.

For some time there have been clues that Roth’s Tree Frog may be more than one species. Firstly, the species has a huge distribution, spanning over 1.5 million square kilometers across Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland, and crossing many different biogeographic barriers, which is rather rare for frog species. Secondly, the call of the species in the western part of its range sounded noticeably different to the call of the species in the east. This became even more obvious as thousands of calls of the species were submitted to the Australian Museum’s FrogID project.

Because of these clues, we decided to determine once and for all if Roth’s Tree Frog really was a single species. To do so, we examined the genetics, appearance, and call of the species from across its range. Before the FrogID project, we wouldn’t have had enough recordings of the species to understand how its call varied across its range, but thanks to people across Australia using the FrogID app, we were able to harness the enormous database of over 8,000 recordings of Roth’s Tree Frog to find calls from across the range of the species to analyze. The natural history collections held in Australian museums were vital in determining their genetic relationships.

After analyzing all of these data, we concluded that Roth’s Tree Frog was not one, but two species! Roth’s Tree Frog is actually restricted to Queensland, the eastern Northern Territory in Australia and southern Papua New Guinea, and another species, until now scientifically unnamed, occurs in western Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. We scientifically named the second species the Western Laughing Tree Frog (Litoria ridibunda). Unexpectedly, we found that these two species weren’t even each other’s closest relative, with Roth’s Tree Frog being more closely related to Everett's Tree Frog (Litoria everetti) from Indonesia than it was to the new species!

With the help of the FrogID project, we confirmed that the Western Laughing Tree Frog had a longer ‘laugh’ (9-18 notes) compared to Roth’s Tree Frog (5-10 notes). Interestingly, this difference was most obvious in western Queensland where the two species overlap- possibly a strategy to help ensure they don’t get each other confused when it comes to finding a mate.

Roth’s Tree Frog recording by Dane Trembath.

Western Laughing Tree Frog recording by Dane Trembath.

In appearance, the two species are very similar. However, we found that the colour and pattern on the back of the thigh was the best way to tell the species apart. In Roth’s Tree Frog, the thighs are more boldly patterned with glossy black and yellow, while the new species sports a less distinct dull black and yellowish patterning on the back of the thighs.

FrogID submissions helped reveal the breeding biology of the Western Laughing Frog. The new species is most commonly recorded in suburban backyards and rural areas (>60% of FrogID records of the species) and most records of the species were from ponds and flooded areas rather than streams or creeks. The peak calling season for the species is the summer wet season from October to February (>84% of all FrogID records of the species).

The Western Laughing Tree Frog is the 248th species of native frog scientifically known from Australia. It may seem surprising that a large, commonly encountered frog species can be “hidden” in plain sight for so long, but it just goes to show how much we still have to learn about frogs. Our research also demonstrates the power of citizen science. Recordings from the FrogID project were important in distinguishing this species and learning more about its biology, and future recordings submitted to the FrogID project will continue to contribute to our understanding of Australia’s frogs, including the Western Laughing Frog.

]]>

Supporting young scientists across the nation

Kate Smith — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +1100

As we continue to navigate uncertain times, the crucial role that science plays in solving some of today’s greatest challenges is being underscored on a global scale. Now, more than ever, we must guide school students in developing a deeper appreciation and understanding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

The University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize is a short film competition that encourages school students to communicate a scientific concept in a way that is accessible and entertaining to the public while increasing their science knowledge or, as prize patrons Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Adam Spencer like to say, "Learn something without even noticing”. Delivered as part of the prestigious Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, it supports budding young scientists across the nation, who will be our future leaders in research, discovery, and communication.

Students are asked to focus on a scientific concept, discovery or invention, or their own scientific hypothesis; judges then make their selection based on a five-point rubric that covers two broad areas: science communication skills and entertainment. So, what are some ways you can assist a student with preparing a well-organised and imaginative response that addresses the assessment criteria?

]]>

Exploring the human eye

Kate Smith — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Who Chase M., Shellharbour Public School, NSW

What The human eye discerns more shades of green than any other colour. In Nurinnurun-Green: The SEEN Colour, Chase combines drone video, claymation and stop-motion graphics to explain how the retina and the colour green (or Nurinnurun, in the local Dharawal language) have impacted human evolution and survival.

Runner-up in the 2023 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Primary.

Congratulations on being selected as one of three runners-up in this year’s Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize! What’s been your favourite part of the journey?

Hearing that I was a finalist. I was ecstatic!

Your short film is about the human eye. Can you tell readers a little more about what you explored in your research?

The human eye can recognise more shades of green than any other colour and this has probably evolved due to our need to find food, recognise poisonous plants and avoid predators.

You filmed Nurinnurun-Green: The SEEN Colour on Dharawhal Country and learned some traditional language. What did you discover about the language?

That it is very different to the English language and that it has been passed on from generation to generation. Dr Jodi Edwards is a custodian of the Dharwal language, and she has written a book that children can read and enjoy at the same time as learning about the language.of the Dharwal people.

This year’s theme was ‘Green’. How did you decide on your topic?

I thought about everything green and recalled something I'd heard about humans recognising more shades of green than any other colour. I wasn’t sure it was correct, so I investigated.

What’s the most surprising thing you learned when making your short film?

That there are more red cones than green cones in our eyes, but we see more shades of green than red or any other colour.

What was the most challenging part about the filmmaking process?

Having to do it on a very old and slow computer!

]]>

Increasing representation of diverse voices in STEMM

Kate Smith — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Who That’s What I Call Science co-managers Anna Abela, Kate Johnson and Olly Dove.

What Based in Tasmania, the volunteer-run radio show and podcast, That’s What I Call Science reaches over 10,000 people a week with programming designed to increase representation of diverse voices in STEMM. Since 2019, they’ve given the science community a platform to upskill and create engaging and accessible content for a breadth of listeners.

Members of the 14-person team awarded the 2023 Department of Industry, Science and Resources Eureka Prize for STEM Inclusion

Can you tell us a bit about the inception of That’s What I Call Science?

Anna: After a suggestion from the president of Edge Radio, a community station based in Hobart, medical researcher Niamh Chapman asked several local STEMM professionals if they would be interested in doing a radio show. The original crew was Niamh, Ash Russell, Bianca Deans, and me. Through training sessions and coffee catchups, That's What I Call Science (TWICS) was born in 2018.

The program was broadcast live from Edge Radio, where each co-host was also the producer and editor of their episodes! I remember going into the community to interview guests and putting the recordings on USB stick. We would play different clips and chat about them with Niamh, who was the regular host, all of us scrambling between song breaks to get everything working. I'm happy to say it's a much smoother process now — we have a larger team, and our episodes are pre-recorded for the radio show and podcast.

Representation of diverse voices is a driving force behind your programming. How do you approach its design?

Anna: TWICS's original intention was to be a program run by women in STEMM. While supporting women continues to be a pillar of our mission, our team is no longer exclusively women. As the team grew so did our understanding of representing diverse voices and it now includes members with disabilities, neurodivergences, indigenous and culturally diverse backgrounds, and LGBTQIA+SB members ranging from students (undergraduate and PhD) to senior lecturers and industry professionals.

They choose the topics and guests for our programming. We are completely independent so there are no restrictions on what is covered. It gives our team members the opportunity to showcase their expertise and interests while reaching a wider network. We also ensure that we focus not only on the STEMM, but the people behind it, giving an opportunity for our guests to be their authentic selves. Through our team, our audience is introduced to an incredible variety of people doing phenomenal work.

What have been some of the unexpected outcomes of the radio show and podcast?

Kate: Gosh, the positive outcomes are endless. What comes to mind for me is that the support we have for each other within TWICS. It’s something special and the degree to which this positively impacts us each individually was unexpected. While we’re all here at TWICS because we have a common passion for science communication, diversity and inclusion, we ourselves are very diverse, coming from different STEMM and STEMM-adjacent fields, and different career stages.

I think this means we can support each other in ways that none of us expected. We share opportunities that other team members would never have known about, bring very different perspectives and all want to see each other succeed, which is so confidence-building. In terms of our content, several our guests have been offered other media, academic and community engagement opportunities after people have listened to their TWICS episodes. This is amazing for us to see, as it’s evidence that we upskill and uplift the people we interview.

What excites you most about radio and podcasting?

Olly: I find it so exciting that you can reach people so far away from you. It seems like such a simple feature of radio and podcasting, but connecting listeners to scientists who they might not have otherwise come across is wonderful. There’s so much in this world to learn about that it’s impossible to know everything but through TWICS, a listener could discover a field of research they’d never heard of before and it could ignite a new interest for them, which is such a fantastic thing.

Are there any plans or ambitions for That’s What I Call Science that you’d like to share with readers?

Kate: We’re currently in the process of becoming a not-for-profit. This is super exciting for us as it means we’ll be an official incorporated group, and that we’ll be able to receive grants and sponsorships to keep producing our weekly content, and do more activities and events. We love engaging with the greater community, particularly children and youth, in creative ways and we’re really pumped to be on the path to doing much more of this — so keep an eye out!

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

Olly: As a team, it means gaining the recognition the show deserves — so much hard work goes on behind the scenes that it’s wonderful to have our efforts rewarded. As an individual, it means that the funny looks and judgement I receive when I tell people I spend my free time working on science communication have all been worth it. Not that recognition is why we do it, but blimey, does it feel great.

Kate: It feels so good. We have all put a little piece of our heart into TWICS, and we dedicate so much volunteer time, so for the 14 of us and our alumni it’s quite emotional. The way we work together to build capacity and confidence within our team and with our guests sometimes feels like the antithesis of the competitiveness that can be hard to escape in an academic career. To win a Eureka Prize for a project that isn’t about winning demonstrates the power of this model of working and is more fulfilling and special than I can express.

Anna: Winning the Eureka Prize affirmed that the work we are doing is important and special at a national level. When you're living on an island and working together as volunteers, you’re in a bubble. We do the work because we love it, and there's no expectation beyond that. But it's very exciting to step outside of the bubble and see that people are paying attention. As we become a not-for-profit, it feels like a push that we're taking the right direction. I can't wait to see where we change and grow next!

Listen to That’s What I Call Science

]]>

Dr Stephanie Partridge: improving youth wellbeing

Kate Smith — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Who Dr Stephanie Partridge, University of Sydney

What Dr Stephanie Partridge harnesses technology and nutrition science to improve youth wellbeing. Putting adolescent experiences at the heart of her research and advocacy, she collaborates with young people to learn how technology can help them live a healthier lifestyle. Her work has informed major public health policies in Australia and globally.

Winner of the 2023 Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science

Nine out of 10 Australian teenagers don’t eat a well-balanced diet – a concerning statistic. What are some of the key factors contributing to this?

It is a concerning statistic, and it’s a consequence of the environment in which young people are growing up. Our society doesn't always support young people to eat well. Take, for instance, the convenience of fast foods. Research has shown that the increased availability of these options, especially around high schools, can drive unhealthy food choices among the youth. Add to this the rising popularity of meal delivery apps. Backed by celebrity endorsements from stars like Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry and Kim Kardashian, these massive global companies entice young people into the ease of ordering fast food right to their doors.

On the flip side, there's a lack of health promotion strategies tailored specifically for adolescents. Many of these strategies, even if well-intentioned, aren't designed with young people and therefore don’t consider their unique needs. Consequently, young people are navigating an environment that neither encourages healthy eating nor provides age-appropriate strategies to guide them through these challenges.

How are you leveraging the benefits of digital technology to positively influence adolescent behaviours?

My research aims to improve adolescent health within an ever evolving, interconnected digital landscape by making them front and centre of the research that affects them. A key area of the digital technology I am investigating is meal delivery apps, evaluating how health promoting policies might help young people make healthier food choices.

Additionally, I use digital technologies – like messaging apps, social media , and telehealth – to reach and support young people. Our Health4Me intervention exemplifies this approach, transforming everyday digital technologies into health-promotion channels. Throughout, I’m committed to ensuring digital advancements remain inclusive, benefiting every adolescent.

Did you set out to focus on the lifestyle behaviours of this age group when you started your research career, or did this come about more organically?

My path into adolescent health evolved organically and I'm glad it did. Initially, I was attracted to the digital health given the positive impact it could have on population health. What's made this journey rewarding is working closely with young people. Their insights, especially in digital health, are invaluable since they're often the first to embrace new technologies. Plus, the community of researchers and health professionals in adolescent health has been supportive and kind, making this area even more fulfilling.

What have been some of the most interesting outcomes of your work to date?

One interesting outcome has been the establishment and contributions of my youth advisory group, known as the Health Advisory Panel for Youth at The University of Sydney (HAPYUS). I founded this group to empower adolescents, giving them a voice in research priorities and involve them as co-researchers. Evaluating such initiatives isn't always straightforward within traditional scientific structures, pushing me to adopt innovative and contemporary methods of knowledge sharing.

A proud moment was an article authored by the group, which was published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, a journal focused on research in the fields of health psychology and paediatrics. Additionally, our investigations into the effects of meal delivery apps on dietary choices highlighted a new challenge for young people’s nutrition, prompting responses from major corporations and calling attention to policy changes. These outcomes highlight important issues for young people but have also led to new innovative research ideas that we are working on now.

What are some of the larger impacts you hope to see from your research in the future?

Thinking big picture. I hope to harness the potential of digital technology to create healthy societies and improve health of adolescents. As digital technologies continue to evolve, I want to ensure they do so in tandem with our society's health and well-being. I aim for our research to create positive policy changes, ensuring that meal delivery apps and similar platforms prioritise healthful food choices for customers. I hope to establish scalable and accessible health programs that engage adolescents across Australia, providing them with support for their health and wellbeing.

But what drives me the most is ensuring adolescents' needs, priorities, views and values inform all aspects of my research. By creating opportunities for young people to work as co-researchers, I hope to build leadership opportunities and challenge traditional scientific structures, making science accessible to everyone. I am excited to see how these kinds of opportunities impact their lives.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

I am very honoured to receive this award and for the spotlight it brings to adolescent health. Adolescents are largely forgotten in prevention research. We need to move towards innovative prevention solutions that actively engage young people as co-researchers. I am most proud my team, particularly my PhD students and youth advisors, who are share my vision and drive for prevention science and who constantly motivate and inspire me.

]]>

Turning DNA data into crucial evolutionary insights

Kate Smith — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Who Dr Minh Bui and Professor Robert Lanfear, Australian National University

What Dr Bui and Professor Lanfear combined their computer science and biology expertise to develop IQ-TREE2 – free, open-source software that turns DNA data into crucial evolutionary insights. Used to investigate everything from early life forms to the virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic, this user-friendly tool, first released in 2019, has become a staple for life scientists worldwide.

Winners of the 2023 Australian Research Data Commons Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software

What role does IQ-TREE2 play in the science community?

It allows researchers across the life sciences to infer evolutionary histories from DNA sequence data, often at dramatically different scales. For example, over the past few years IQ-TREE2 has been used to track the origin and spread of the coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has also been used to make inferences about the origins of life on earth – a process which occurred billions of years ago.

IQ-TREE2 is open-source software. Can you explain what this means and how this feature influences its evolution?

Open source means that the software is free to use, modify and redistribute, if proper attributions are given to the original authors. In the case of IQ-TREE2, the source code is freely available on the hosting platform GitHub.

The fact that IQ-TREE2 is open source serves at least three purposes. First, it means others can easily build on and improve our work, facilitating faster scientific progress. Second, there is more trust in IQ-TREE2, because everything in the program is transparent to everyone who can understand the code. Finally, being open source means that anyone can contribute to the project. As IQ-TREE2 grows in popularity, the community of contributors also grows.

What have been some of the most challenging aspects of working on this software?

The number of things that can potentially go wrong! IQ-TREE has hundreds of options, which allow users to perform a myriad of different types of analyses. It’s almost impossible to test how all combinations of these options work with each other. And if you combine this with all the inventive ways that people try to use the software, it may break unpredictably.

Moreover, it’s difficult to find funding to keep the software working well. A complex piece of software is like a large piece of infrastructure, for example, a telescope or other major facility. Just like a telescope would need someone to keep it running, complex software requires constant maintenance to keep it working, because things like computer chips and other bits of software that IQ-TREE relies on are constantly evolving. On top of that, the more users we have, the more people ask us questions or have requests for small – or large – updates and changes. It’s extremely difficult to find funding to just maintain software in Australia, let alone improve it.

What might readers find surprising about the field of research software?

That it’s completely free to use, and that anyone can see every line of code which makes it work – and can make their own copy and edit it as much as they like! The open-source community is a huge benefit to research software, although it does bring the challenge of how one funds the development and maintenance of such software.

What are some the practical benefits that the broader population might experience due to IQ-TREE2?

IQ-TREE2 is used to power many inferences in public health and the management of diseases. For example, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic researchers around the world were using IQ-TREE2 both to figure out where the virus came from, and to track its spread from country to country and person to person. IQ-TREE was pivotal in many early contact tracing efforts, because often the genomes of the coronavirus had enough information to figure out who gave the virus to who. For example, it’s exactly this kind of analyses which pinpointed the source of the Melbourne outbreaks to leaks from quarantine hotels.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

It’s great! It’s wonderful to be recognised, and on a personal level we hope it will help us to continue developing this software in the years to come. More importantly though, we don’t think it’s really the winning that counts here – there will only ever be a few finalists and one winner, and there’s far more amazing research software than can be recognised in a list that short.

The most important aspect of this Eureka Prize is that it raises the profile of research software. Most scientists rely on research software of one kind or another, but software can be surprisingly undervalued when it comes to things like funding and promotion. The establishment of the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software really helps to raise the profile of software in Australia, and that helps underpin a crucial part of the scientific endeavour.

]]>

When an ancient amphibian fossil met a 12-year-old Palaeo-fan

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Arenaerpeton supinatus was a predatory amphibian that lived over 240 million years ago – the fossil of which was found whilst building a retaining wall in 1996. A few months later, this impressive fossil inspired me, a budding 12-year-old palaeontologist. I now work at the Australian Museum and have formally described the species!

In October 1996, landscaper David King was building a garden retaining wall at the home of Mihail Mihailidis on the Central Coast of New South Wales, with rocks obtained from Kincumber Quarry. At the end of the job, David hosed the dirt off the freshly laid stones, and as he cleaned off the top layer, was astonished to find a 240-million-year-old fossil appear from under the dirt.

David alerted Mihail, who contacted the Australian Museum for the first time about the fossil in early 1997. It was observed by Australian-based palaeontologists Dr Alex Ritchie, Dr Anne Warren and Robert Jones, as well as Canadian palaeontologist Dr Stephen Godfrey, who happened to be working on the Dinosaur World Tour exhibition stop in Sydney at the time. Dr Warren identified the fossil as belonging to a temnospondyl, a group of extinct amphibians which look a little like a cross between a crocodile and a giant salamander.

Arenaerpeton supinatus, the distant relative of today's Chinese Giant Salamander.' />

Such was the excitement about the fossil (it caused quite a media stir!) that Dr Godfrey agreed to temporarily include it in the Dinosaur World Tour exhibition for the Australian public to see for the first time. It was then that I, as 12-year-old palaeontology-obsessed kid, saw it for the first time too. Mihail generously donated the fossil to the Australian Museum in 2000, where it has been carefully stored waiting for a researcher with the time and expertise required to accurately describe it. 20 years after the donation, I was offered the job of working with this fossil as part of my PhD, an opportunity I took with both hands. The description has recently been published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

The fossil is undeniably remarkable. It not only has the skull of the animal still attached to the skeleton, but it also contains the impressions of the animal’s soft tissue (skin) around the body. The skeleton is only missing the tail and back legs, but is preserved “belly up”, so we can’t see features of the top of the skull, such as sutures between bones and eye sockets, which are usually very helpful in identifying species.

After comparing it to many other temnospondyl amphibians, I discovered that it was indeed a new genus and species, which I have named Arenaerpeton supinatus (pronounced Ah-ree-nah-er-pet-on / soo-pin-ah-tus). “Arena” means “sand”, and “erpeton” means “thing that creeps” in Latin. This is a reference to the sandstone block in which it lies, and the fact that it was an amphibian that was probably doing its fair share of creeping around. “Supinatus” translates to “supine”, or “lying on its back”, which is how the animal is preserved. So, the name therefore means “supine sand creeper”.

Through studying Arenaerpeton I have learnt a tremendous amount about temnospondyl amphibians. Temnospondyls are an important case study in the fossil record, as they survived two of Earth’s “Big 5” mass extinction events, including the “Great Dying” at the end of the Permian period which wiped out over 80% of all living things. Arenaerpeton belongs to a group of temnospondyls called chigutisaurids, which also contains the last-ever temnospondyl, Koolasuchus cleelandi from Victoria. Koolasuchus was enormous, perhaps up to 5 metres long. Arenaerpeton, while not so big (probably about 1.2 – 1.5 metres long) was still quite large for its time, as other chigutisaurids that lived during the early-middle part of the Triassic period were smaller. This shows that this amazing group of survivors was already starting to evolve into large sizes not long after the most catastrophic extinction event in Earth’s history.

Arenaerpeton supinatus is a key part of Australia’s fossil heritage. Not only is it a unique fossil with incredible preservation, that adds a vital data point in understanding the evolution of vertebrates in Australia, but it also holds a treasured place in the memories of many who would recall its discovery. This is highlighted by my own personal connection with this fossil, from seeing it as a child to being lucky enough to work on it for my PhD.

Perhaps one day another kid like me will see it at the Australian Museum and be as inspired as I was.

]]>

The crazy world of chlorophyll

Kate Smith — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Who Darcy B., Ashfield Boys High School, NSW

What In his short film The Crazy World of Chlorophyll, Darcy investigates the dominant colour in nature: green. With the help of animation and stop-motion, he explains why so many leaves and plants share the same traits, visualises the photosynthesis process and shares just how many living things rely on the superpower pigment, chlorophyll.

Winner of the 2023 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Secondary.

You set out to learn why most plants are green. What did you uncover?

I found out that the main reason for their green colour is a tiny pigment called chlorophyll, which is in plants’ chloroplasts and helps a lot with photosynthesis. In the photosynthesis cycle, chlorophyll absorbs the sunlight and turns it into chemical energy. This energy allows the plant to turn carbon dioxide and water into glucose. So, chlorophyll is essential for photosynthesis in plants, but that doesn’t explain why they’re green.

I kept researching and learned that this has to do with the wavelengths from the sun. You see, when the sun shines, we can only see the whitish light (though please don’t stare at the sun to test this!). But in this light, there’s a range of colours that aren’t visible to us. Each colour has its very own size or length, called a wavelength. Some colours have longer lengths, and some have shorter ones. Chlorophyll molecules absorb light most efficiently in the blue and red parts of the electromagnetic spectrum but do not absorb green light as effectively, so it is reflected to our eyes, making plants appear green!

What sparked your interest in this topic?

When I first saw the theme ‘green’, I thought about it for a while. Of course, the first thing I came up with of was plants, but I decided that was too boring, so I kept contemplating. When I couldn't come up with anything better, I considered some deep, scientific questions about plants and that’s when I thought of a question that was so simple yet unknown to many kids. ‘Why are most plants green?’ I was amazed that I had never wondered this and knew it would be my topic!

What was the most interesting thing that you learned during your research?

I was very surprised by how complicated the reason for plants being green was. I thought it was just a gene or something but learnt there was a lot more to it!

What did you enjoy most about the film-making process?

I loved doing all of it but probably enjoyed editing the video the most. I’ve always liked filming and editing short movies with my sister and cousin, so this was a fun opportunity to do that and win a prize!

Why did you decide to enter the Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize?

My dad told me about it around the start of the year, he manages social media for a science company and saw the competition. I didn't really investigate until a few months before entries closed. I love filmmaking so it looked fun and it also had a pretty good prize. I researched and filmed for a week or two, and a few months later, I won!

]]>

Green infrastructure: a solution to coastal erosion

Kate Smith — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Who Anna P., PLC Sydney, NSW

What In her short film Green Infrastructure: The Solution to Coastal Erosion, Anna uses humour and graphics to explain the phenomenon of coastal erosion and its causes in an accessible and entertaining way. She also highlights how green solutions such as vegetation and natural barriers can be used to protect homes and assets.

Winner of the 2023 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize - Primary

Congratulations on being awarded a Eureka Prize! What were you thinking as you made your way to the stage?

I was very surprised and shocked but happy, trying to take it all in.

You explore green infrastructure as a way of avoiding and controlling coastal erosion. What was the most interesting thing you learned about this practice?

I learned how much of a problem coastal erosion is not only in Australia but all over the world, and how there are simple eco-friendly ways to avoid this destructive problem. I also learned about solutions that have already been put in place on the coast of NSW and the new seawalls that are going to be built.

Your film is filled with interesting effects and demonstrations. Which was your favourite to create?

My favourite one to create was the very first scene where there are two of me. I had to learn how to use a greenscreen, and it was fun recording the scene where I’m talking and listening to my other self.

What did you enjoy most about making your film?

I enjoyed doing the experiment in the middle of the film as it was fun to make the house and create waves that took away the sandy ‘shore,’ making it fall. I also enjoyed putting together the beginning scene of the film as I got to see two of myself at once.

What did you find most challenging?

The most challenging part was putting all the clips and videos together into one main film. This took lots of editing, cropping and fixing. I also had to keep track of time, so it didn’t go over two minutes as I added all the information.

]]>

Eureka Talks Series: I'd Like to Thank the Australian Museum

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Ages: Recommended for ages 14+

The future is female! We turn the spotlight on some of the incredible 2023 Eureka Prize winners and finalists who represent the future of science in Australia.

Listen to the last of our Eureka Talks Series, as Associate Professor Alice Motion chats with some of the incredible 2023 Eureka Prizes winners and finalists. We will sit down with Dr Stephanie Partridge, Associate Professor Noushin Nasiri and Scientia Associate Professor Kate Quinlan and delve into the unique challenges and achievements of these three remarkable scientists, whose research and inventions are literally helping to save lives.

Recorded live at the Australian Museum on 23 September 2023.

The Eureka Talks Series shines a light on research and innovations changing the fields of Climate, Health and Science Communication. Hear from Australian Museum Eureka Prize winners, finalists and other science leaders as they share their experiences, challenges and discoveries in their particular fields of research. The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes were established in 1990 to celebrate the work of Australian scientists, and how their contributions are producing world-leading results that can influence the lives of many across the globe.

Westpac Research Fellow, Deputy Director (External Engagement and Academic Development) Sydney Nano Institute

Alice is recognised as a leading international science communicator and was awarded the Eureka Prize for Promoting Public Understanding of Science in 2020.

Alice’s research explores open source drug discovery, ways to connect people with science and make research more accessible. Alice is the creator of Live From The Lab, founder of the Breaking Good citizen science project, and co-host of ABC Science podcast Dear Science.

Senior Research Fellow and National Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow at the University of Sydney

Dr Stephanie Partridge's research is focused on harnessing digital technology to improve the lifestyle behaviours of adolescents to keep them healthy and productive throughout their life. Her research is centred on digital health and has a strong focus on research translation. She applies an adolescent rights’ approach to her research by incorporating direct adolescent participation and research co-production.

Head of NanoTech Laboratory, Macquarie University

Associate Professor Noushin Nasiri invented Sun-Watch, a smartphone-connected, wearable device designed to alert users in real-time to UV radiation overexposure. It relies on a nanostructure that allows a large surface area within the minuscule design. Customised to individual skin types, Sun-Watch will soon enter its next research evaluation stage.

Scientia Associate Professor, School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences at UNSW Sydney

Kate Quinlan is a Scientia Associate Professor within the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences at UNSW Sydney. She received her PhD from the University of Sydney in 2006 and, following postdoctoral appointments at the Children's Hospital at Westmead and the University of Cambridge, established her research group at UNSW Sydney in 2018. Kate has spent her research career studying gene regulation and metabolism. Along with a dedicated team of PhD students and honours students, Kate is applying this expertise to sickle cell disease and obesity with the aim of finding new therapies for these diseases.

]]>

Six new species of Western Australian trilobites

Dr Patrick Smith — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Six new species of trilobites have been found deep underground in the Canning Basin of Western Australia. Dr Patrick Smith at the Australian Museum and Heidi Allen from Geological Survey of WA tell us how this discovery has reshaped our understanding of ancient life and geological time in the region.

The discovery of a new species of trilobite (extinct crustacean-like marine animals) has the potential to challenge our perceptions of time and space – so it is groundbreaking when scientists discover multiple new species! Resulting from a stratigraphic drilling program by the Geological Survey of Western Australia and Geoscience Australia, we recently published the discovery of six new trilobite species.

What is stratigraphic drilling and why do we do it?

Stratigraphic drilling involves a vertical cylindrical section of rock (core) being extracted from the ground using a special cutting rig. For this study, the purpose of the core was to explore how this sequence of rock in the southern Canning Basin may relate to those farther north. Previously, it was reported that the core contained a diverse fossil assemblage which were all marine animals, including brachiopods (shelled animals), graptolites (colonial animals), bivalves (clams), nautiloids (shelled squid), gastropods (snails), ostracods (seed-sized crustaceans) and trace fossils. The majority of these fossils (including the new trilobites) came from a kilometre thick sequence of rocks called the Nambeet Formation, which starts approximately 1.3 km down in the core.

Why were the results unique?

The discovery of trilobites at such a time and place is not too surprising. However, what was unexpected was the diversity and abundance within this core. Normally, cored rocks only have a small area for fossils to be captured so usually there’s little chance of hitting a fossil, let alone something useful for identification. Yet, in this sequence trilobites were so abundant that almost every single layer of rock contained a fragment. In fact, the rock is entirely made of trilobites in places, stacked one on top of each other, like a pack of playing cards!

Amongst the six new species of trilobite identified were a few highly unusual forms. For example, one species had a subtriangular tail with an extraordinarily long backwards pointing spine ornamented with blade-like serrations on either side. This feature appears to be characteristic of the genus Sanbernardaspis and is not found in other closely related trilobites. Given the tail spines resemblance to a fearsome sword, it seemed fitting to name the species after something equally medieval. Therefore, we called it Sanbernardaspis excalibur, after the mythical sword of King Arthur Excalibur that was pulled from a stone (in reference to the species having been extracted from a similar rocky tomb).

Sanbernardaspis excalibur, after the mythical sword of King Arthur Excalibur that was pulled from a stone (in reference to the species having been extracted from a similar rocky tomb).' />

The dense layering of the trilobites meant that we could segment the core into different zones, each with its own characteristic species. The study defined these as:

Apatokephalus sp.–Veeversaspis jelli Assemblage (2177.50–2382.94 m depth and dated to the latest Tremadocian, approximately 479 to 477 million years ago),
Asaphellus trinodosus Assemblage (2030.07–2177.52 m depth and dated to the latest Tremadocian, approximately 479 to 477 million years ago), and
Asaphellus zheni Assemblage (1595.83–2001.88 m depth and dated to the middle Floian, 474 to 471 million years ago).

The core had previously been dated using microfossils called conodonts (hagfish-like animals) and pollen from the earliest land plants. These suggested a broad “Early Ordovician” (479 to 470 million years old) age for the rocks. This was accurate, but, not very precise. However, using the trilobites zones we were able to get much more specific age for the layers of rock within the core. In particular, they could place the boundary between the Tremadocian to Floian stages to exactly 2001.88 m in the core. It also revealed an intriguing time gap between some of the rocks of the Asaphellus trinodosus and Asaphellus zheni assemblages.

Why is this so important?

This discovery has been vital in providing a greater precision for dating rocks in this part of Western Australia. Scientists can now more closely compare related geological cores and rock exposures in areas, like Broome and the Emanuel Ranges. Preliminary work (still ongoing) suggests a close relationship with these areas and it has also permitted correlations with rocks further afield in areas such as central Australia, Victoria, western Queensland, and even as far as northern China and South Korea.

This project highlights the value of collaboration between the Geological Survey of Western Australia, Geoscience Australia and the Australian Museum. These institutions are at the frontiers of exploration and geoscience, making essential discoveries about Australia’s hidden geological past. These institutions are also applying it to a green energy future by providing the raw data necessary for activities such as prospectively searching for helium or hydrogen gas, geothermal energy and potential for CO_² sequestration, all of which are essential for Australia’s move into a green energy future.

]]>

Australia’s dazzling flasher wrasses!

Yi-Kai Tea — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Flasher wrasses are a group of dazzling, colourful little fishes. Of the twenty or so species found globally, three are known to occur in Australia – or so we thought! A new study re-examines this group, and includes a species new to science, named after an Australian Museum superstar.

The flasher wrasse genus Paracheilinus include some of the most spectacular fishes to be found on coral reefs, most notable for their captivating colours and stunning courtship displays. They are small, brightly coloured fishes, many of which have ornamented fins adorned with trailing filaments. Their true beauty however is best appreciated several hours before sunset, where males erupt in dizzying acts of courtship that includes rapid swimming, fin flaring, and displays of iridescent neon colours. However, there are a number of taxonomic problems that plague this iconic group – which a new publication, co-authored by the Australian Museum’s Dr Yi-Kai Tea, attempts to rectify.

The flasher wrasses attain their highest diversity in the Coral Triangle, with 13 of the 20 known species occurring there. Despite Australia’s northern half abutting the Coral Triangle, the distribution and occurrence of flasher wrasses in Australia and its remote territories are not well understood. Based on previous surveys of Australian coral reefs, three species of flasher wrasses have been reported as extant – they are: Paracheilinus filamentosus, the Filamented Flasher Wrasse, Paracheilinus flavianalis, the Yellowtail Flasher Wrasse, and Paracheilinus rubricaudalis, the Redtail Flasher Wrasse. Paracheilinus flavianalis was described from specimens collected off northwestern Australia but the status of the remaining two species in Australia has been doubtful.

Paracheilinus XX, XXX Flasher Wrasse.' />

An in-depth survey of the literature and examination of specimens in all state museums in Australia however revealed a surprising state of affairs – that we know very little about these incredible fishes living right under our noses! There were several issues that needed rectifying here, the first of which was the identity of P. rubricaudalis, the Redtail Flasher Wrasse. This species is known primarily from Melanesia, including Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Vanuatu. In Australia, it has been reported from the Coral Sea and the northern Great Barrier Reef. Examination of museum specimens and photographic records reveal that the Australian population represents a highly distinct and geographically isolated species different from the “true” P. rubricaudalis. To solve this first problem required describing the Australian population as a new species, which we named Paracheilinus amanda, Amanda’s Flasher Wrasse.

The new species honours Amanda Hay, Collection Manager of the Ichthyology collection at the Australian Museum. Amanda’s 25 years of experience in ichthyological collections and research has not only contributed significantly towards the study of Australasian fishes, but also supported and assisted the research endeavours of so many ichthyologists of all career stages working at the Australian Museum. Congratulations Amanda!

The second issue concerned P. filamentosus, the Filamented Flasher Wrasse. Pull out any field guide of fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and this species is bound to be depicted. Yet, no verifiable Australian records of this species exist. Is this fish a myth? A story of he said, she said? Turns out, Australian records of this species are a result of anecdotal accounts perpetuated in the literature. A deep dive into our collections revealed a single specimen of the Filamented Flasher Wrasse collected from Lizard Island in 2001. The specimen was collected by Jeff Leis and Amanda Hay, and for 22 years it sat on the shelves untouched and unnoticed, until this year, where it serves as the only proof of this species existence in Australia. How did the existence of the Filamented Flasher Wrasse in Australia come to be then? We’ll never know the beginning, but at least we now have an end – 22 years in the making!

Paracheilinus filamentosus, the Filamented Flasher Wrasse. Although elusive and poorly known from Australia, the species enjoys a much wider geographical distribution, and can also be found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.' />Paracheilinus flavianalis, the Yellowfin Flasher Wrasse.' />

While looking at flasher wrasse specimens across Australia, one specimen stood out as being different. The specimen, housed in the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), did not agree with any of the known species of flasher wrasses in Australia. It was a specimen of Paracheilinus nursalim, Nursalim’s Flasher Wrasse, an exceptionally stunning species previously known only from the Bird’s Head Peninsula region of West Papua. But, West Papua is some 1,200 km away. Fortunately, the Australian Museum has two paratypes of P. nursalim for comparison. In addition to some underwater photographs taken by local divers, the identity of the Northern Territory specimen was confirmed to be P. nursalim, the fourth species of flasher wrasse extant in Australia.

Paracheilinus nursalim, Nursalim’s Flasher Wrasse. This beautiful species is a new record for Australia’s Northern Territory, a 1,200 km range extension from its previous known locality of West Papua.' />

This research highlights the importance of museum collections and methodical sampling. Even specimens collected 22 years ago from reefs so heavily studied like Lizard Island can have their day in the sun, helping shed light on our understanding of Australia’s coral reefs. If the most colourful and iconic of coral reef fishes can go unnoticed, imagine the biodiversity crisis affecting some of the less noticeable species.

Paracheilinus amanda.' />]]>

Can farm dams help support frog conservation?

Dr Jodi Rowley — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +1000

With the help of tens of thousands of citizen scientists across Australia, scientists from Deakin University and the Australian Museum explored the value of farm dams to frogs and determined what features of dams support more frog species.

One of the main drivers of biodiversity loss worldwide is habitat loss, and nowhere is this more evident than in freshwater habitats. Freshwater environments like wetlands, streams and lakes are amongst the most threatened habitats on earth and have higher species extinction rates than terrestrial or marine habitats. Given the dramatic loss of natural waterbodies and the biodiversity they support, creating or modifying artificial waterbodies to better support freshwater biodiversity is vital. However, there is little information at large spatial scales about the factors promoting biodiversity in artificial waterbodies.

To better understand the biodiversity value of artificial waterbodies, we examined frog records in dams across Australia to work out which landscape or local features contribute to high numbers of frog species. Farm dams are among the most abundant waterbodies in agricultural landscapes, important for maintaining water security for livestock and crops but also holding promise as a refuge for biodiversity. Frogs are susceptible to environmental change and can act as “surrogates” for broader freshwater biodiversity, as their species richness patterns are highly correlated with other freshwater taxa.

Gathering data from across Australia to answer this question has only just become possible thanks to the efforts of tens of thousands of citizen scientists and a new spatial database of Australian farm dams. A huge citizen science dataset provided records of calling frogs from across the continent from the Australian Museum’s FrogID project (86% of frog data used), supplemented by data from the Frog Census. Our overlay of frog records with farm dams resulted in over 100,000 frog records near 8,800 Australian farm dams – allowing us to answer these questions at a greater spatial scale and with the largest dataset so far!

A remarkable 107 frog species were detected calling near farm dams – over 40% of all Australian frog species. The most common frog species were the common eastern froglet (Crinia signifera), Striped Marsh Frog (Litoria peronii), Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog (Litoria fallax) – all abundant species along the east coast of Australia. However, threatened frog species were also detected at dams, including the Southern Bell Frog (Litoria raniformis), Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea), Sloane’s Froglet (Crinia sloanei) and the Northern Heath Frog (Litoria littlejohni). This highlights the value of farm dams to frog species of high conservation concern.

The farm dams that supported the greatest number of frog species were old (>20 years), of a medium size (0.1 ha in surface area), near other freshwater systems such as streams or natural wetlands, near conservation sites and situated within small or medium water catchments (<10 ha). This pattern held true when we looked at relative frog species richness (the number of frog species near farm dams relative to the expected number of frog species in the area), although here catchment size was no longer important.

Our work highlights the ecological value of farm dams to Australia’s frogs, but also to freshwater biodiversity in general. Farm dams are already widely distributed across Australia, and enhancing farm dams to better support and promote local biodiversity may be a powerful tool to help support our frogs, and freshwater biodiversity in general.

]]>

Statement regarding the Voice to Parliament

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +1000

The Australian Museum (AM) shares a vision for reconciliation that is a united Australia that values and respects First Nations cultures, histories and knowledges. The AM aims to achieve this vision through truth-telling and First Nations self-determination enabling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to represent themselves and their cultures at the AM.

As a leading voice for the richness of life, the Earth and culture in Australia and the Pacific, the AM’s role is to be a strong advocate and provide platforms for First Nations culture.

Through the Museum’s collection, exhibitions, permanent displays, programs that provide connections with living cultural practice, and ongoing consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, the Australian Museum aims to address the gaps in the knowledge of the history and to deepen public understanding of First Nations culture in Australia.

As a scientific research and education institution, the AM brings together a broad range of perspectives from science and history to exchange ideas, discuss and debate issues.

In providing a broad education and understanding about Australia’s past, the AM takes a leap towards the reconciliation of this nation.

The AM views the Uluru Statement from the Heart as an extension of its core values of respect, inclusion, scientific rigour and excellence.

The Australian Museum supports conversations around the Voice to Parliament and the Uluru Statement from the Heart through public programs and encourages Australians to walk together for a better future.

]]>

The fish that devoured the moon

Kent Elson Sorgon, Yi-Kai Tea — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Public wet markets and trawl surveys unveil a new species of razor wrasse from the Philippines and Western Australia, adding to a group of fishes that live curious lives away from the megadiverse coral reefs.

Iniistius bakunawa, the Eclipse-spot Razor Wrasse.' />

The discovery and description of species new to science often conjure imagery of exhilarating expeditions of scientists in the middle of the tropical rainforests or underwater exploring vibrant coral reefs or the deep abyss. But sometimes, the quiet halls of museum collections and the loud hustle and bustle of wet markets may yield new species hiding in plain sight. A study led by the Australian Museum’s Chadwick Biodiversity Research Fellow Dr Yi-Kai Tea and Kent Elson Sorgon of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, along with colleagues from the Philippines National Museum, describes a new species of razor wrasse (genus Iniistius) collected from public markets in the Philippines and trawl specimens from Western Australia.

Iniistius bakunawa, new species, showing the eclipse-like spot on the rearmost part of its dorsal fin (inset), on both live (top) and preserved (bottom) coloration.' />

The new species, Iniistius bakunawa (Eclipse-spot Razor Wrasse), resembles other members of the genus in coloration, but differ in having a pale yellowish to jade green body and a white oval spot with a black central spot on the rearmost edge of its dorsal fin. Iniistius bakunawa is named after the Bakunawa (baa·koo·naa·waa), a serpentine figure in Visayan mythology in the Philippines believed to be responsible for causing eclipses by devouring the moon or the sun. The common name is given after the white-margined black spot, which is reminiscent of what a total solar eclipse would look like. The white margin disappears when the species is preserved in alcohol for a long time, alluding to the ephemeral nature of eclipses.

I. bakunawa from Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia, showing colouration in life.' />

Unlike their coral reef-associated relatives, razor wrasses live almost exclusively in wide sandy habitats. Since these habitats are often overlooked by divers, the biology and taxonomy of razor wrasses are poorly known. Consequently, representation of these fishes in museum collections are similarly depauperate. Kai and colleagues described the new species based on only nine specimens deposited in museums in the Philippines, the United States, Japan, and Australia. The holotype sits in the National Museum of Natural History of the National Museum of the Philippines. Three paratypes are housed in Australian museums; one at the Australian Museum and two in the CSIRO Australian National Fish Collection, Hobart. The description of the new species is accompanied by a brief discussion on the status of the genus Iniistius. When some characteristics for distinguishing Iniistius from other related wrasses were revisited (i.e., the presence of cheek scales and a notch on the front of their dorsal fin), these were found to be inconsistent throughout the genus. The genus, and perhaps its relatives as well, are in need of a formal reappraisal to better understand how these wrasse species are related to one another.

I. bakunawa from public markets (A-C) and X-ray photographs (D-F).' />

New species continue to be described annually, some from colourful adventures, others from unexpected places like a public market on a humid noon in April. Much remains to be explored about these wrasses and other fishes that live in seemingly barren areas like sandy habitats. Their presence in wet markets speaks to the diversity of fisheries in the Coral Triangle, which makes “basic” research such as taxonomy even more important to better understand how we can manage our natural resources. All in all, we are still gnawing at the surface of the astounding diversity of fishes, and a species completely new to science might be on your dinner plate right now.

]]>

Faded out: What environments did Australian frog populations disappear from due to disease?

Dr Jodi Rowley — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +1000

By looking at historical and recent frog records across Australia, including from FrogID, we reveal how Australian frog distributions have changed in response to the introduction of a deadly pathogen.

Globally, biodiversity is in trouble, with hundreds of species already extinct and others threatened with extinction. Disappearance can be swift for many species – but for others, it’s a gradual process where they disappear from parts of their range and persist in smaller, fragmented patches of habitat. For conservation purposes, it’s important to understand not just the geographic location of lost populations, but also whether species disappear from particular environments, such as cooler or wetter places. Although this is much harder to figure out, it is vital to understand, because if a species no longer persists in much of its former environmental space (or niche), it may be more susceptible than we think to other threats.

Our recent study sought to understand how the geographic range and environmental niche of frog species across eastern Australia have changed since the arrival of the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) on the continent. Thought to be introduced in the late 1970s, this fungus is responsible for the potentially deadly disease, chytridiomycosis, which is likely to have driven 7 Australian frogs to extinction and caused dramatic declines in dozens of others. Using the combined data, we then examined changes in the geographic area and environmental space occupied by each species after the amphibian chytrid fungus invaded Australia.

We focused on 55 frog species from eastern Australia, categorising each as either affected by the amphibian chytrid fungus or not. We obtained occurrence records of Australia’s frog species from several sources, including the Australian Museum’s FrogID database. As we needed precise records of each species to understand the environmental conditions at each site, we checked these in great detail. Thousands of recent records obtained by people recording the calls of frogs on their smart phones via the FrogID project were vital, particularly as they were so precise due to the in-built GPS of the phones. We then examined changes in the geographic area (extent of occurrence) of each species and their environmental space, particularly temperature, rainfall and elevation.

We found that the frog species most impacted by the amphibian chytrid fungus disappeared from colder, drier areas with greater temperature variability and/or from areas at higher elevation. This fits with previous research that has shown that frogs at cooler and higher elevations tended to be hardest hit – but this was the first time it had been shown across so many frog species.

Interestingly, we also found that frogs in eastern Australia experienced greater reductions in their environmental space (i.e., their niche breadth, the range of environmental conditions across which different populations are found) compared to their reduction in geographic extent after they were impacted by the amphibian chytrid fungus emergence. This was particularly true for the frog species most impacted by the amphibian chytrid fungus.

Our findings have important consequences for Australian frog species and biodiversity in general. They demonstrate that the degree of impact the amphibian chytrid fungus has on susceptible frog species is strongly mediated by the environment and that some species can persist in environmental refuges from the pathogen. If we understand the characteristics of these refuges, we can focus our conservation efforts upon them. This is especially important, as having a much narrower set of environmental conditions to call home may well increase a species’ vulnerability to other threatening processes such as climate change. Moving forward in our conservation management of threatened species we should consider not only shrinking geographic distributions, but also shrinking environmental space.

]]>

The ultimate hide & seek champion: Pygmy blue-tongues can stay hidden in flooded burrows

Sun, 20 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Did you know that endangered pygmy blue-tongues are champions at holding their breath? These lizards can temporarily suspend their breathing for almost 40 minutes in rain flooded burrows. Kim Michael, recipient of the 2022/23 Peter Rankin Trust Fund for Herpetology, tells us more.

The pygmy blue-tongue (Tiliqua adelaidensis) is the smallest species of blue-tongue – and, it turns out, an ultimate hide and seek champion. Considered extinct since 1959 until 1992, this species of lizard was discovered by chance in the belly of a dead brown snake. So where had they been hiding all this time? Pygmy blue-tongues are able to hide in spider burrows, as small in diameter as a 10 or 20 cent coin in agricultural grasslands, making them tricky to monitor and translocate.

Monitoring endangered species and understanding how they interact with their environment is essential to their conservation, particularly post-translocation. The pygmy blue-tongue was historically found in Adelaide, however, they are now only found in a 150 km range of mid-north South Australia. Like many species, pygmy blue-tongues are threatened by habitat loss and climate change. The known populations are all isolated due to habitat loss, and the lizards face a predicted extinction due to climate change. Species distribution modelling has shown that by moving the lizards back towards Adelaide, we can aid in their conservation (and hopefully by migrating the species further south, mitigate a second extinction).

PhD candidate and 2022/23 Peter Rankin Trust Fund for Herpetology recipient, Kim Michael, investigated this species' burrow preferences at an experimental translocation site, located on a private sheep farm near Adelaide. This site had a natural spider population (and therefore spider burrows), and the habitat was supplemented by artificial burrows (a hollowed wooden dowel hammered vertically into the ground). Once the pygmy blue-tongues were translocated, Kim and the team discovered a new adaptation.

During the 2022 surveys, there were heavy rainfalls which subsequently flooded both spider and artificial burrows, making it difficult to monitor the lizards. Typically, an endoscope is used by researchers to monitor lizards in these burrows (see images below). This season, the lizards could be seen completely submerged within their burrows but the lizards did not appear to suffer any detrimental effects or attempt to leave a flooded burrow for a dry burrow. Even though the spider burrows appeared to drain more readily than the artificial burrows, the lizards did not prefer either burrow type, despite the artificial burrows remaining waterlogged for the entire week of surveys. Kim and the team investigated burrow availability and whether the lizards could move out of a waterlogged artificial burrow but found that only 3.3% of burrows were available for them to move into.

So, the question remained: how long could a pygmy blue-tongue hold its breath under water? Kim and the team found the longest time submerged was 38:21 minutes, with the average time submerged 28:32 minutes, and they can emerge to the surface for a short breath and then re-submerge themselves.

This adaptation is known as apnoea. It is likely all pygmy blue-tongues can exhibit apnoea as the translocated lizards were founded from wild populations. Although the team found no evidence that pygmy blue-tongues prefer to occupy a spider burrow rather than an artificial burrow, the results could have been impacted by burrow availability. Conservation of the pygmy blue-tongue will require future translocations, and artificial burrows can be used to supplement burrow availability.

Kim’s work now involves assessing habitat suitability to inform future translocation decisions, such as investigating microhabitat preferences to inform best placement of artificial burrows, and other ways to install artificial burrows to prevent flooding by rain.

]]>

Citizen scientists help date fossil sites

Dr Tara Djokic, Matthew McCurry, Paul Flemons — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Date a Fossil allows you to be a palaeontologist from home! Scientists engaged 271 citizen scientists in the Date a Fossil project, and in doing so, uncovered hundreds of microfossils in a unique iron-rich fossil site located in McGraths Flat, central New South Wales, Australia.

Citizen science has played a pivotal and innovative role in uncovering microfossils at McGraths Flat, an 11 to 16-million-year-old fossil site in central New South Wales, Australia. Composed mainly of the iron-rich mineral goethite, McGraths Flat fossils provide a snapshot of what life looked like in a middle Miocene rainforest. It is thanks to the discovery of microfossils on the surface of McGraths Flat rocks that we know its age and its environmental history.

However, identifying microfossils on the surface of rocks is not the most efficient means of gaining insights. Traditionally, microfossils are extracted from rocks using acid to dissolve the surrounding rock. After dissolving the rock, hundreds to thousands of microfossils can easily be extracted, collected, and identified by investigators. This method relies on the fossils and their surrounding rock having different compositions. The rock is dissolved away leaving the fossil for all to see – though this is not the case for all fossil sites. Some sites, such as McGraths Flat, have fossils and the surrounding rock matrix with a similar composition and so do not permit investigators to use traditional acid extraction methods.

This prompted researchers to develop a novel approach that utilises the power of citizen science to observe microfossils on the surface of these sedimentary rocks. Using automated scanning electron microscopy (SEM) acquisition techniques, researchers from the Australian Museum, University of New South Wales, and University of Canberra acquired a staggering 25,200 high-resolution images from the surface of three McGraths Flat samples, covering a total area of 1.85 cm². These images were made available to citizen scientists through the DigiVol citizen science portal, a collaboration between the Australian Museum and the Atlas of Living Australia, under an Australian Museum project entitled Date a Fossil, where 271 participants contributed their expertise. Together, they successfully identified 300 pollen and spores, more than enough information to determine the age and environmental setting in McGraths Flat.

The introductory video for the Date a Fossil project:

The success of this work showcases the power of citizen science in paleontological research. By engaging the public in the identification of microfossils on the surface of sedimentary rocks, researchers could more efficiently process a large image dataset. This study serves as an inspiration for future collaborations between scientists and the public, highlighting the potential benefits to palaeontology while teaching the public about the scientific process. The findings underscore the importance of citizen science in expanding our understanding of ancient ecosystems and unlocking the secrets of our planet's history.

]]>

Mammalian milestone reached

Dr Mark Eldridge — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +1000

A major update to THE reference book for Australian mammals is out now! “Strahan’s Mammals of Australia” provides accessible and up-to-date information on our unique mammal fauna.

The much-awaited Fourth Edition of “Strahan’s Mammals of Australia” has just been published and is now available for purchase (online and at the Australian Museum shop)! At almost 850 pages, this weighty tome provides a comprehensive and up-to-date summary of what is currently known about each of the 400+ mammal species found in Australia and its surrounding waters.

Australia’s mammal fauna is incredibly unique. Most Australian species are found nowhere else in the world, and it is only in our part of the globe that representatives of all three living mammal lineages (monotremes, marsupials, eutherians) coexist. Unusually, marsupials dominate select ecosystems and ecological niches in Australia, providing remarkable examples of convergence evolution with eutherian mammals on other continents. Often overshadowed by our fascinating monotreme and marsupial fauna, Australia also has spectacular and remarkable radiations of native rodents and bats, which deserve much greater attention and appreciation. In addition to our native mammals – of which there are over 380 species – Australia hosts populations of at least 23 introduced mammal species, many of which have significant impacts on the local species.

What is currently known about each of these species is expertly, succinctly, and accessibly summarised in this new book. The introduction to each major taxonomic group provides characteristics of these groups including the features and biology that unite them. Also included is an updated distribution map, photograph and additional reading for each species.

While some may think we already know almost everything about our mammals, this book proves otherwise. Much has changed from the Third Edition, published in 2008, including the addition of over 20 new species. There have also been species extinctions, significant changes in abundance and distributions (both positive and negative), and much hard-won new knowledge about ecology, reproduction and behaviour has been synthesised and incorporated. It also highlights what we continue to not know about our mammals. This book will be the go-to reference point for any question regarding Australian mammals for years to come.

At least eight Australian Museum staff and Research Associates were delighted to contribute over 70 species accounts and introductory sections to this landmark publication. In addition, the Museum’s Dr Steve Jackson served as Section Consultant for the possums and Dr Mark Eldridge as Section Consultant for the macropods. All contributions highlight the depth of expertise that resides in Museum staff and collections.

A huge congratulations go to the tireless editors, Dr Andrew Baker (Queensland University of Technology) and Dr Ian Gynther (Queensland Department of Environment and Science) for successfully wrangling over 320 authors, procuring hundreds of new photographs, and expertly checking and massaging the text to ensure it is accessible to the general reader.

]]>

Bats, rats and cats – oh my!

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +1000

To gain a holistic biological and historical picture of an area, both native and introduced species should be studied over time. Recently, our mammalogy team surveyed bats, rats and cats on the Australian Museum-led expedition to Norfolk Island.

Historically, when scientists have surveyed an area, there has been a tendency to focus on native species, rather than invasive species. As a result, we now have very few samples of introduced populations represented in museum collections.

During Phase 1 of the Australian Museum-led expedition to Norfolk Island (October-November 2022), our scientists focused on surveying and studying bats, rats and cats; both native and introduced mammals. In terms of mammal diversity, the fauna of Norfolk Island is dominated by introduced species including feral cats (Felis catus), house mice (Mus musculus), black rats (Rattus rattus) and Polynesian rats (Rattus exulans). As Norfolk Island is a volcanic island, native mammal species are limited – mammals not being great over-water dispersers unless they can fly. For this reason, only bats have naturally found their way to Norfolk Island, but humans have introduced a range of mammal species over time.

Our mammalogy team – Dr Mark Eldridge, Dr Sandy Ingleby and Professor Kristofer Helgen – had two aims during the Norfolk Island expedition. The first was to try and identify if Norfolk Island’s only native mammal, the Gould’s Wattled-bat (Chalinolobus gouldii), still resides on the Island. This bat has not been officially recorded on Norfolk Island for over 20 years – and the Australian Museum holds the only known specimens from the Island in its collection. In order to search for the bat, our team deployed ultrasonic bat detectors at 34 sites across Norfolk Island and two on neighbouring Phillip Island. This was the most comprehensive effort yet to try and detect the bat; in addition to the 90,000 sound files recovered from the detectors, our team gathered historic and current bat sighting information from local residents. During community engagement activities throughout the week, our team spoke to many local groups about potential sites and sightings and were invited onto private land to investigate further. Despite these efforts, no bat calls were detected on either Norfolk or Phillip Islands during the survey.

The second aim was to collect samples of the introduced mammal species on the Island. Though invasive species like rats and cats tend to not be collected a great deal by museums, all of these species have had a significant impact on the Island’s biodiversity so it’s important to understand them and document their presence. The team set out Elliot and cage traps in remnant native vegetation and around buildings to document what invasive species were present, and to collect high quality genetic data. Pivotal to understanding where to place traps was local knowledge, including local, Arthur Evans, who permitted our team to set traps on his property.

There is increasing interest in documenting introduced species around the world because they tend to parallel human movement and history (as humans introduced them). Hence, a lot about can be learned about human populations based on these data. This is true in the case of Norfolk Island. The Polynesian rat was introduced about 500 years ago with Polynesian settlement; house mice were introduced with convict settlement in 1788; and during WWII or perhaps earlier, the black rat appeared. Each of these introductions have had a major effect on the native flora and fauna, and each has an interesting history in terms of human movement around the globe.

As invasive species are poorly represented in museum collections, there are few to no tissue samples available for genetic studies. So, collecting these specimens has filled a significant gap in global museum collections and has provided material for future studies. It has also established base-line data for Norfolk Island to help answer future research and conservation questions – including steps in potential eradication programs. The tissue from these specimens will provide researchers the opportunity to compare Norfolk Island populations with global populations, helping to unpick the history of the movement of introduced species (and the movement of people) across the centuries. The samples will hopefully help us answer questions regarding genetic diversity; for example, was there a single introduction or were there multiple introductions from multiple sources? There are questions about adaptations of introduced species to novel environments which can’t be answered if we don’t have samples from specific time periods, so our recent collecting work on Norfolk Island helps to establish this ability for now and into the future.

]]>

From the Director: Let’s celebrate beautiful Bilas body adornment

Kim McKay, AO — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Sometimes a culture’s dominant expression of its history is shared as powerfully in images as it is in words.

Woven straight from the spirit of a community’s lore and showcased by way of physical adornment, you see the sensory might of newly commissioned Bilas – 33 new pieces for the AM – on display in our exhibition Bilas: Body Adornment from Papua New Guinea. It is the first time these adornments have been commissioned for an Australian institution.

This is the most stunning body adornment language, expressed in colour, texture and shape.

Back in 2016, at one of our Live Talks at the AM, Jim Gahiye, a performer and one of the Holosa region’s mud mask makers, was here as part of our community engagement outreach. I’ll never forget his gentle, low-key explanation to the audience that kids from the Holosa area actually start learning to roll clay for these incredible “mud men” masks at just four years of age through to adulthood. A nature-based sensory and ultimately creative way into learning their own diverse cultural story into adulthood where more than 850 languages are spoken across PNG.

So, this joyful post is simply celebrating the living art form through self-decoration.

Up close, the physicality of the Bilas brings immediacy to the storytelling, in a put-down-the-phones-and-stare-in-awe way. And the new pieces are accompanied by photographer Wylda Bayron’s renowned and arresting images.

The AM has around 60,000 Pasifika objects in the Pasifika collection, which we’re pleased to be showing more of permanently when the new Pasifika Gallery opens in October. Our goal is to encourage deeper bonds with Pasifika’s many communities while remembering that the Pacific is literally on our doorstep.

I’m keen to soon be able to welcome Highlanders from three PNG cultural groups: Koki, in the Laiagam District Enga Province; Yalu, Kagua District in the Southern Highlands Province; and Meingik, in Koinambe, Jimi District in the Jiwaka Province, to tell us more of what they’re seeing in their home communities right now, their existential environmental challenges and, of course, about the new cultural adornments they’ve created for the AM collection for the Bilas exhibition.

While Bilas is breathtaking, you may have also seen the media coverage of the incredible Ngatu Me’a’ofa, Tongan Tapa bark ‘rug without a floor’, stored at the AM’s offsite collection facility, and whose unfurling in full last month for the first time in 50 years needed two cranes under the watchful eye of Her Royal Highness Princess Angelika Lātūfuipeka Halaevalu Mata’aho Napua Okalani Tuku’aho, Princess of Tonga, female leaders of the Tongan community and Melissa Malu, our Manager of the Pasifika Collections and Engagement. Measuring 29m x 15m and one of the largest in the world, this Tapa bark cloth is well worth a look.

]]>

Rock-wallabies star in new musical creation

Dr Mark Eldridge — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Australia’s rock-wallabies are world famous for their variation. Now, rock-wallabies take centre stage in a major new oratorio: Origins – of the Universe, of Life, of Species, of Humanity.

The late, great Australian researcher Des Cooper was fond of saying, "Rock-wallabies form new species every time they cross a creek." Famous for their variation, rock-wallabies take centre stage in a new oratorio, performed by Heidelberg Choral Society and Orchestra and conducted by Peter Bandy.

Conceived and co-written by well-known Australian evolutionary geneticist, Prof Jenny Graves, it tells the creation story from science, emphasising how new species can emerge when populations become genetically different.

Dr Mark Eldridge, Principal Research Scientist at the Australian Museum, agrees that rock-wallabies are a wonderful model system to understand speciation. Over many years, he and his colleagues have been studying the relationships amongst Australia’s 17 species of rock-wallaby and trying to understand the processes by which new species have originated. What they have discovered is that some species formed only recently, within the last half million years, and that although they look very similar major differences in the number and shape of their chromosomes prevents them from successfully interbreeding.

The role of chromosomal and other genomic changes in driving species formation makes rock-wallabies a textbook example of speciation. One that is justifiably famous as a model system in global scientific circles.

Origins is a full-length oratorio with 21 movements. In her number on speciation, Jenny wrote a double chorus that represents a population of rock-wallabies that start off as one species and end up as two. Women sing the hippity hoppity part of little nimble animals with stripey tails that scamper up the cliffs, and men sing the slow and relaxed part of darker animals with bushy tails, lazing in eucalypt shade.

“I know of no other attempt to describe speciation in music,” says Jenny Graves. “This could become a classic and a fun teaching tool.” Origins will be premiered on July 18th 2023 in the Melbourne Recital Centre by a 100-voice choir, full orchestra and well known soloists. It will be a night to make you think, despair, laugh and celebrate the role of science in our understanding and stewardship of our beautiful little planet.

“It is very pleasing to have rock-wallabies recognised in this major new artistic work,” says Mark. “Jenny is to be congratulated for taking on such a monumental endeavour combining science and art”.

]]>

What We Can Learn from Nature: Australian Museum x Vivid Ideas

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Nature speaks, but are we listening? Hear from photographic artist and activist, Leila Jeffreys, renowned naturalist, Tim Low, and author, David Gandelman, as they explore how improving your relationship with nature can, in turn, improve your relationship with yourself.

Drawing from personal experiences, Leila’s delves into how her work as a photographic and installation artist has deepened her understanding of the importance of interconnection and belonging for all living things. Discover invaluable insights into the natural world as Tim shares his learnings from decades of research and writing (including best-seller books Where Song Began, Feral Future and The New Nature) and discover practical approaches to mindfulness from David Gandelman.

Leila Jeffreys is an Australian contemporary artist represented by Olsen Gallery, Sydney. Best known for visceral and mysterious images of birds that explore and subvert the traditions of portraiture, increasingly, Leila’s work as an artist is inextricable from her concerns as an environmentalist.

Leila has held solo exhibitions in Hong Kong, New York, London and Sydney, and over the last 18 months her work has been exhibited in Los Angeles, Stockholm, Paris, Talin, Toulouse, Istanbul, and Brussels. Leila has published three books including award winning Birdland.

Tim Low is an ecologist and best-selling author of seven books. His Where Song Began became the first nature book ever to win the Australian Book Industry Award for best General Non Fiction. Feral Future inspired the formation of a conservation group, the Invasive Species Council.

Tim has written reports about climate change impacts on nature for the Australian and Queensland governments. He has worked as a nature guide in Australia and Borneo. As a teenager he discovered new lizard species, including one that he named and one that was named after him.

David Gandelman is a spiritual teacher, author and guide, whose mission is to awaken souls on their path of growing into being human, and living an enlightened, purpose-driven life. He is the founder of the Meditation School app and host of the Meditation School, Energy Matters, and Grounded Sleep podcasts. His meditations have been streamed millions of times.

David holds a B.A. in Western philosophy from Rutgers University, which combined with his studies in Eastern spiritual traditions living in the Himalayas, as well as his experience as the director of a school for intuitive development and mysticism in Hawaii, informs a teaching style that connects energetic experience, ancient wisdom traditions, and humor in order to create a safe atmosphere for people interested in learning to meditate and develop into their potential.

]]>

Eureka Talks Series: Waste Not, Want Not

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +1000

In the first Eureka Talk, Dr Jackson Ryan, winner of the 2022 Eureka Prize for Science Journalism, sits down with the 2022 New South Wales Australian of the Year and two-time Eureka Prize winner, Professor Veena Sahajwalla, to discuss the cutting-edge research that's revolutionising waste.

Learn about the science of decarbonising the world and the importance of collaboration in scientific innovation. Find out how the grounds from your cappuccino could help to eliminate the need for coal and coke. Dive into the four R's - reduce, reuse, recycle, and REFORM - and how they can be applied to create a sustainable future.

Professor Veena Sahajwalla is the inventor of polymer injection technology, known as green steel, an eco-friendly process for using recycled tyres in steel production. In 2021, Veena featured in the ABC’s Australian Story and she was named the 2022 NSW Australian of the Year in recognition of her work.

In 2005, Veena was a co-winner of the University of New South Wales Eureka Prize for Scientific Research. Veena was named the winner of the 2022 Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science and was also awarded the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) Clunies Ross Innovation Award.

Dr Jackson Ryan is the science editor of CNET.com and an Ugly Christmas Sweater ambassador. Jackson completed his PhD in molecular biology and skeletal health at the University of South Australia in 2017 before it dawned on him that he's not cut out for academia. Jackson was awarded the 2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Science Journalism and has been featured in the Best Australian Science Writing anthology in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

]]>

Eureka Talks Series: Zoonotic Diseases

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +1000

In this Eureka Talk, explore the science behind the deadliest event of the 21st century. Australian Museum Eureka Prize winning journalist, Olivia Willis, sits down with world-leading evolutionary biologist and virologist, Professor Eddie Holmes, and our Chief Scientist and Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute, Professor Kris Helgen, to discuss what is being done to prevent future zoonotic outbreaks.

Explore how viruses move between hosts, and the debates over their origins. Learn about the triggers for virus mutations and the cutting-edge research and discoveries that are paving the way towards preventing the next pandemic. Discover the fascinating links between habitat destruction, illegal wildlife trade and the next global health emergency.

Recorded live at the Australian Museum on 8 July 2023.

Olivia Willis is a health reporter for ABC Science and the host of Patient Zero on ABC Radio National. She has worked as a journalist and producer for the ABC since 2014, including for RN Breakfast, All In The Mind, and Ladies We Need to Talk. Olivia's work has appeared in The Best Australian Science Writing, and in 2019, she was the recipient of a Logan Science Journalism Fellowship in the United States. In 2021, Olivia and the Patient Zero team were awarded the highly prestigious Eureka Prize for Science Journalism.

Professor Eddie Holmes is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Professor of Virology in the School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia, which he joined in 2012. Eddie received his undergraduate degree from the University of London (1986) and his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge (1990). Between 1993-2004 he held various positions at the University of Oxford, including University Lecturer in Evolutionary Biology and Fellow of New College. He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA) in 2015 and of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2017. In 2017 Eddie won the New South Wales Premier’s Prize for Science and Engineering – Biological Sciences and in 2020 he won the overall New South Wales Premier’s Prize for Science and Engineering. In 2021 he received the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science.

Professor Kris Helgen is Chief Scientist and Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI). Prior to joining the AM in 2020, Kris was Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Adelaide. He has focused his research primarily on fieldwork with living animals and research in museum collections to document the richness of life, understand global change, and contribute to important problems in biomedicine.

Originally from Minnesota, Kris gained his undergraduate degree in Biology at Harvard University and his Ph.D. in Zoology as a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Adelaide. From 2008-2017 he served as Curator-in-Charge of Mammals at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

]]>

Hydroides of the World: Book out now!

Dr Elena Kupriyanova — Sun, 02 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +1000

The first ever fully illustrated guide to Hydroides is out now! This genus of calcareous worms is one of the largest and most ecologically and economically important group of marine invertebrates in the world.

Serpulid polychaetes are a unique and highly specialised group of marine segmented worms that inhabit self-secreted calcium carbonate tubes (hence their common name, “calcareous tubeworms”), attached to hard substrates. Although these animals are found in oceans all around the world, at all depths, one serpulid genus is of special concern and importance to human endeavours. This is the genus Hydroides – and the first ever fully-illustrated book of this global genus has just been released through CSIRO publishing.

The genus includes notorious biofoulers and common bioinvaders that travel around the world hitchhiking on ship hulls ("biofouling" is when unwanted organisms attach and grow on submerged objects. This has major economic impact due to the costs associated with removal of the tubes from ship hulls and other structures, such as floating oil rigs and water intake pumps of power stations and aquaculture facilities, as well as lost revenue from fouled commercial molluscs.

The genus currently includes over 100 recognised species. According to recent studies, currently 28 species of Hydroides are found in Australia, but this number is likely to grow both as a result of new species discoveries and due to new bio-invasions by non-native species. Reliable identification tools are needed for end-users to distinguish known and cryptic Australian tubeworms from potential alien invaders that constantly arrive from overseas and threaten Australia's maritime transport, trade, and mariculture.

For the first time, this book provides comprehensive world-wide coverage of all species. The publication includes detailed information on morphology, life history, ecological and economic impacts, phylogeny, and biogeography, as well as methods of collecting and identifications of species within the Hydroides genus. The taxonomic key includes all species, illustrated with high quality original micrographs and supplemented with information of their bioinvasion and fouling status.

If you are curious, this book is for you! Whether you are an invertebrate zoologist, marine ecologist, student, oceanographer, fisheries biologist, aquaculture manager, a naturalist or simply have an interest in the marine environment, this book is for you.

]]>

Wonderful Worms around the World: Celebrating International Polychaete Day

Dr Elena Kupriyanova, Dr Pat Hutchings — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Today is International Polychaete Day! On this day, we celebrate polychaetes for their extraordinary diversity, beauty, and the important role they play in marine and estuarine communities.

Since 2015, the world has been celebrating International Polychaete Day on the 1st of July. This date was chosen to honour Dr Kristian Fauchald (1935-2015) whose birthday fell on this date. Dr Fauchald was the former Polychaete Curator of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C., USA. Dr Fauchald was an influential researcher who dedicated over 60 years to studies on polychaetes and made important contributions to our understanding of their biology, ecology, reproduction, and phylogeny. He visited Australia multiple times and spent several months working on Australian polychaetes at the Australian Museum.

Dr Fauchald attended the very first International Polychaete Conference held in August 1983 at the Australian Museum. This conference attracted 95 participants from 16 countries and included a local field trip and a two-week field trip to Lizard Island Research Station. For many researchers, this was the first time they had a chance to put "faces" to the names they had only seen in publications (keep in mind, this was before the internet!). In his plenary talk, Dr Fauchald raised the issue of ‘cosmopolitan’ species – at the time, it was widely accepted that polychaetes were unusual animals as they often had wide distributions. Now most ‘cosmopolitan’ species have been found to include suites of distinct species in different parts of the world.

As a testament to the success of the 1983 conference and the need for such meetings, polychaete conferences have been held every three years around the world in Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Spain, UK, and USA. The papers presented at these conferences have been published in dedicated proceedings. After 30 years, the 11th International Polychaete Conference returned to the Australian Museum in 2013. Once again, it included a two-week field trip to Lizard Island Research Station, which resulted in a significant dedicated volume of Zootaxa where 91 new species were described. Dr Fauchald attended every meeting until his passing in 2015 and was an active and enthusiastic supporter of these conferences. In 1995, at the 5th meeting in Qingdao, China we even celebrated his birthday and managed to find a birthday cake!

We are about to participate in the 14th conference in Stellenbosch, South Africa in July 2023, 40 years since the first one at the Australian Museum. These conferences have provided a tremendous opportunity for collaboration and a transfer of knowledge from established researchers to the next generation of scientists.

Today, we are very proud to celebrate International Polychaete Day and to honour Dr Fauchald who was a great scientist, a valued mentor, and a friend for so many of us.

]]>

Our tiny green hitchhiker: Citizen science reveals the frog popping up across eastern Australia

Dr Jodi Rowley — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Thousands of people using the FrogID app have helped reveal just how much the Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog (Litoria fallax) is establishing populations outside its native range.

The Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog (Litoria fallax) is a commonly encountered tree frog, native to eastern Australia. Whilst only a couple of centimetres in body length, it’s a bright apple-green colour and sits out on vegetation during the day, so is often spotted. It also has a surprisingly loud advertisement call, and its unmistakable “screeeech-pip-pip” is a familiar sound from central-eastern Queensland in the north to the border of New South Wales and Victoria in the south.

The Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog (Litoria fallax) calling.

However, this little frog appears to be particularly good at hitchhiking around the country and establishing populations outside its native range. Far flung populations of the species were first reported in the 1990s, from around Melbourne, over 400km away from their native range. A decade later, populations in north-eastern Victoria, around 220km outside their native range, were reported.

This may seem like no big deal – after all, it’s just a small frog that is native to Australia. However, invasive species, even if they are native species, can have serious economic and ecological consequences. The most likely impacts are on the local frog species that now must deal with a new frog on the block (or rather, in the pond!), one that is likely to compete with them for food and other resources and that may also even spread disease. For species that are already in trouble (and unfortunately, there are many), this extra bit of pressure might just be the final straw.

With that in mind, we really need to get a handle on just where the Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog is. However, this is a huge logistical challenge. Conducting scientific surveys for frogs across thousands of kilometres, quickly, just isn’t possible. Or is it?

Thankfully, tens of thousands of people across Australia are already doing frog surveys across Australia, using the Australian Museum’s FrogID app! Simply by using the app to record calling frogs, they’ve already built an enormous database of frog records across the country! We used this amazing FrogID dataset to determine just where this frog was – were the already reported populations still there, and were they spreading? And are there any new places that this frog species popped up?

From late 2017 until mid-2022, almost 6,000 people submitted recordings of about 50,000 Eastern Dwarf Tree Frogs to FrogID, and 500 of these were outside their native range. These records confirm the persistence and likely spread of populations around the already-known populations in Melbourne and northern Victoria. The population in northern Victoria was also documented extending into NSW for the first time. The species was also detected in Canberra in the ACT, Griffith and Wagga Wagga in NSW, and Mirboo North in South Gippsland, Victoria – all outside their native range.

So how did this tiny frog travel hundreds of kilometres and set up new populations? Possibly by hitchhiking on horticultural products or fresh fruit. Their small body size, habit of sheltering in vegetation, often well away from water, and their relatively high tolerance of urbanisation makes this species particularly good at stowing away on things being moved from one place to another.

In these newly established populations, the Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog is now living alongside frog species that it never has before. We don’t know what the consequences of a new neighbour will be for the long-time residents such as the Endangered Sloane’s Froglet (Crinia sloanei), but the continued use of FrogID, alongside scientific surveys, will be vital in determining this.

By working together using FrogID, we’ve been able to gather an enormous amount of information on Australia’s frogs in a relatively short time. The project is giving us insight into the health of our frog populations and their environment and helping inform frog conservation on many fronts, including the detection of species outside their native range. Continued submission of FrogID recordings from citizen scientists across Australia will be critical in understanding how our frogs, and the ecosystems in which they live, are faring over time, and how best we can protect them.

]]>

The 1964 Australian-American meteorite expedition

Giorgia Gakas — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

A Photographic Archives Digitisation Project discovery.

In 1963, Mr Elliot Price received an unusual telegram inquiring if the salt basin near the edge of his Muloorina outback property would be suitable for Donald Campbell to race on to attempt a new Land Speed World Record. The basin in question was Lake Eyre, officially known as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre by the Traditional Owners of the Lake Eyre Region (Kati-Thanda), the Arabana people, which sits in one of the most arid and deserted parts of outback South Australia. While Campbell attempted to break the world record in 1963, efforts were paused with rainfall and flooding. It was only in 1964 where Campbell set a new land speed world record of approximately 403.1 mph.

This unique spectacle was photographed by none other than Robert ‘Oliver’ Chalmers and museum staff during the 1964 Australian-American Meteorite Expedition. These 35mm colour slides were recently discovered by the Photographic Archives Digitisation Project in the newly digitised Chalmers collection which comprises of both personal and departmental photographs in addition to personal diaries, correspondence, research papers and publications as well as papers relating to the Gem Association of NSW and Australian Museum Minerals Department administration and history.

In 1964 Chalmers accompanied Dr Brian Mason of the American Museum of Natural History, and Dr Ed Henderson of the Smithsonian Institute in the USA, on a second meteorite searching expedition to South and Central Australia. Although no great success was met in respect to meteorites, a very considerable number of australites were found on an expedition navigating through Muloorina, Clayton, Peachawarrina, Etadunna, Coopers Creek and most significantly Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre.

The Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre Basin was used as the location of Campbell’s attempt from 1963-1964 to break the record as it had approximately 725 kilometres of dried salt where a drought had lasted over 20 years. In 1963 efforts to construct the causeway were often postponed by sudden rainfall and threats of flooding from the Cooper Creek and Diamantina River in Queensland where Campbell would remove the Bluebird as precaution to avoid being marooned on the lake. In 1964, work recommenced and a new track called “Hobson’s Choice” was constructed with the salt surface level making it in a good condition for trial runs.

Approximately two million pounds (contributed from 70 British firms), went into the design and construction of the jet-powered car and preparation costs of the event. There were close to 100 people at Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre until the Australian Defence Force and South Australian Police arrived where daily numbers reached close to 200, making food and other supplies difficult to retrieve from Adelaide.

This hidden story behind analogue photography is one of many that is championed by the Photographic Archives Digitisation Project, and it is with great hope that all members of the AM and greater public can view the vast timeline of the Museum and forgotten regional and rural areas of Australia (and neighbouring countries) from c.1860 to 1999.

]]>

The sea urchins of Sydney

Sun, 25 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Sydney sea urchins are diverse and live in a variety of habitats – you may find them in rockpools and kelp forests. They are also an important part of what makes our local biodiversity so special. Learn more about these Sydneysiders!

Sea urchins are not just spiky kelp-eating machines – they are an important part of our biodiversity. In Sydney, we are fortunate to have an amazing diversity of sea urchins, with over 40 species recorded to date. Some of these species are long-time local residents, others have migrated far from home and often come and go. However, all of these sea urchins are important herbivores that help to keep our ecosystems balanced.

What species are common in Sydney?

Recently, the barren-forming sea urchin Centrostephanus rodgersii, commonly known as the long-spined sea urchin, has been getting a lot of attention because of its range extension into Tasmania. This is a native of NSW and is the only barren-forming species in Sydney.

There are two other common species of sea urchin in Sydney that are in the same genus; the short-spined sea urchin (Heliocidaris erythrogramma) and the red sea urchin (H. tuberculata). They are often seen on intertidal and shallow subtidal reefs of Sydney. Heliocidaris erythrogramma and H. tuberculata are sister species, meaning they shared a common ancestor in the past, which split to become the two species that live in Sydney today. They split only about 6 million years ago – a blink of an eye in evolutionary time. H. tuberculata is long-lived and a big one might be over 80 years old. Heliocidaris tuberculata is bright red and Heliocidaris erythrogramma is purple/green while sometimes pink depending on where you are on the coast.

There are many less common species of sea urchins in Sydney that will pop up when you start looking for them. These include the very cute Holopneustes purpurascens, which is usually found wrapped up in some kelp or sea grass. It has a very distinct purple/lavender colour and is about the size of a golf ball when fully grown. You may also see Phyllacanthus parvispinus (pencil sea urchins) tucked away between rocks or boulders. This species, as the name suggests, has very thick pencil-like spines, and often has other marine invertebrates such as barnacles, amphipods, sponges or bryozoans living on their spines. If you look closely, you can see all the different animals living on their spines. Another common sea urchin in Sydney Harbour is Pseudoboletia indiana. This sea urchin is all white, with purple tips at the end of its spines, and it often covers itself in shells or other items from the seafloor to protect itself from predators and the sun. This species is far from home, as it is typically found in tropical areas, but it is a tough species that travels down the East Australian Current in its larval form and can survive winter in Sydney. Finally, you may see Tripneustes kermadecensis (the lamington sea urchin). This species has black skin and short white spines. Despite being described from urchins living in the Kermadec Islands in New Zealand, this species is very common on the east coast of Australia.

What is the largest sea urchin in Sydney?

Centrostephanus rodgersii, the long-spined urchin mentioned earlier, is the largest urchin in Sydney and is important in contributing to the patchwork mosaic that is present in many near shore areas. They have long purple/black spines and form barrens as a natural part of Sydney’s marine ecosystem. The term barren, previously called coralline flats, refers to areas of rocky reef covered in pink encrusting algae where kelp does not grow. Barrens are not deserts; they are full of life and some species prefer to live in barrens! There has been a concern that sea urchin barrens are expanding in NSW, but recent research by the Department of Primary Industries (Fisheries) suggests this is not the case. Sea urchin barrens are a dominant and stable part of the Sydney seascape.

Centrostephanus rodgersii.' />

Should I be concerned if I find a sea urchin?

Despite concern about the long-spined sea urchin and barrens in NSW, we mustn't forget the rest of the diverse and amazing sea urchin species we see in Sydney and that our native sea urchins are beneficial to our local ecosystems. If you are out rock pooling, snorkelling or diving, keep an eye out for them! If you are out fishing for sea urchins, bear in mind that we have many different species in Sydney, so be sure to adhere to bag and size limits as stipulated by NSW Fisheries.

Emily McLaren, PhD Candidate, The University of Sydney in association with the Marine Invertebrates team, Australian Museum.

]]>

Does the venue matter for a banjo frog gig?

Grace Gillard, Dr Jodi Rowley — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Using FrogID citizen science data, we recently set out to discover if habitat can influence the advertisement calls of frogs!

The advertisement calls of animals are known to be highly variable, not only between different species but also between individuals of the same species. In other words, animals have accents! But why is that the case? Numerous theories have been put forward to explain how and why animal calls can vary so much among and within a species, yet our understanding is still incomplete.

One factor that may influence animal calls is the physical structure of the environment (e.g., the height, density, and structure of trees, shrubs, and grasses). This is because the surrounding environment plays an important role in the transmission of acoustic signals by distorting and reflecting sound waves, causing echoes and decreasing the distance the call can be heard from. The effect of the surrounding habitat can influence calls so much, that calls might not reach their intended audience – a male calling out for a mate may not be heard by nearby females. However, habitat effects can be counteracted by subtle changes in the pitch, duration, and rate at which an animal calls. Because of this, the physical environment is thought to be at least partially responsible for the evolution of variation in advertisement calls. But just how true is this theory?

Limnodynastes dumerilii) calling.' />

Recently, we set out to determine the extent to which the physical environment influences variation in frog advertisement calls. To do so, we tested whether differences exist between the calls of frogs in different habitats. For our research, we selected a widely-dispersed group of Australia frogs – banjo frogs. The Eastern Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes dumerilii), Western Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes dorsalis), Northern Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes terraereginae), and Giant Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes interioris) are a group of four closely related species – known collectively as “banjo frogs”. Banjo frogs occupy a variety of habitats and are found extensively throughout eastern and south-western Australia.

To capture the full extent of variation in banjo frog calls, we needed to analyse advertisement calls throughout their entire range and from many different habitats. However, obtaining acoustic data from frogs across such a large geographic area would require tremendous amounts of time and effort. Fortunately, thanks to the work of all the citizen scientists who have recorded banjo frogs using the Australian Museum’s FrogID app, we had thousands of recordings of banjo frog calls at our fingertips. Using data collected through the FrogID project, we analysed nearly 700 banjo frog calls from across their entire range, covering an area of over 1.7 million km2, from Tasmania to Far North Queensland, and everywhere in between.

Our analysis of citizen science data revealed that while banjo frog advertisement calls are superficially very similar, consisting of a single, loud “bonk”, there is actually an incredible amount of variation in the pitch and duration of each individual banjo frog call. Interestingly, we found that this variation was not strongly linked to habitat structure, suggesting that the physical environment is not the main factor influencing banjo frog advertisement calls.

So, what could be driving such high variation in banjo frog advertisement calls? Likely, the evolution of banjo frog advertisement calls has been influenced by the interplay between a multitude of factors, including more fine-scale features of the environment (e.g. microclimate and microhabitat), acoustic competition from other frogs, and noise interference from wind, water, and other animals. However, until further research is undertaken, we are unsure just how all these factors contribute to frog call variation. What we have discovered is that citizen science data provides a never-before opportunity to examine important ecological theories across a huge spatial scale. And that the venue – a dense forest or an open plain – doesn’t matter for a banjo frog gig!

]]>

Celebrating the Australian Museum’s Archives

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the International Council on Archives - celebrations are in full swing for International Archives Week (5-9th June) and International Archives Day (9th June). These events are celebrated to highlight the importance of archives and records in preserving our collective histories.

The International Council on Archives defines archives as:

The Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) state that “Archives matter because they hold much of our personal, corporate, and social memory”. They are a way of maintaining accountability, transparency, and documentation of key decisions within organisations. By looking at records we can connect the present to the past and uncover stories about people, places, and historical events.

The Archives department here at the Australian Museum cares for our history and holds both institutional and collected archives. The institutional archives include Trust Minutes, Annual Reports, Collection Registers, correspondence and photography. The archives are cared for by our archivist who ensures that records are authentic, reliable, and usable. An archivist’s role includes assessing the value, preserving, arranging, describing, and managing the accessibility of records.

The Archives team have been busy digitising and documenting our analogue photography collections through the Photographic Archives Digitisation (PAD) Project. The team have discovered photographs of the Australian Museum building, scientific expeditions, object photography, past exhibitions, and everything in between. One of the exciting parts of our photographic archive is the different format types that we care for which include 35mm negatives (colour and black and white film), mounted slides, glass plates, lantern slides and 120 roll film. The formats in which they were originally photographed tell a story and provide historical context.

The team have uncovered photographs of the Australian Museum's exterior and adjoining streets throughout history. The photographs are a visual window into the past – you may notice some of the landmarks and how they have changed. We hope you enjoy the images!

]]>

Developing ambassadors for behaviour change

Kate Smith — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Who Dr Michelle Blewitt, AUSMAP Program Director, Total Environment Centre

Co-winner of the 2021 Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science

Tell us a little bit about AUSMAP

AUSMAP, a project by the Total Environment Centre, is a nationwide microplastic program using citizen science to document microplastic pollution around Australia. In partnership with Macquarie University, AUSMAP has developed into Australia’s leading microplastic program, and a global first, that provides a fully immersive experience in microplastic collection and analysis.

The program educates, engages and empowers citizens of all ages to identify microplastic hotspots, finds effective remediation strategies and create ambassadors for long-term behavioural change, leading to the sustainability of the project for all levels of the community. AUSMAP builds ambassadors for behaviour change and through this capacity building approach ensures the sustainability of the project into the future. This work enables communities and government to implement behaviour change, regulate industry, and develop better waste management systems.

Plastic pollution is now recognised as one of the world’s most critical environmental issues. Can you tell us about the scope of it?

There are a few pathways through which plastic can pollute our land and waterways. Plastic production globally is projected to increase — more than doubling to 756 million tons by 2050¹ — as it is durable, economical to produce and easy to distribute. It is also deceptively difficult to recycle certain types of plastic, especially without the correct recycling infrastructure. Litter prevention strategies can only do so much, which means we are seeing 8 million tonnes² of plastic entering the ocean every year, globally.

Plastic never breaks down, only up. On land and in our oceans and rivers, plastic breaks up into smaller and smaller pieces called microplastics (pieces less than 5mm long), until they become invisible to the human eye, called nanoplastics. Among the various impacts of plastics on animals, including ingestion or entanglement, microplastics play a particularly dark role. As microplastics break up into the environment, they become virtually impossible to keep track of or remove.

At this point, it would be hard to find a species that has not been impacted by microplastics³. This can lead to starvation in smaller animals and as a result, species-loss. In addition, there is also the worrisome effect of increased levels of toxic chemicals leaching into these animals. The full impact of microplastics requires more research, but what we do know is that this human-caused pollution is not positively impacting our marine environment.

What actions can people take on an individual level to reduce microplastic pollution?

Microplastic pollution starts with the more well-known plastics that we’re all familiar with, including take-away containers, straws, cutlery and coffee cups. However, it is now getting easier to help fight plastic pollution at the individual level. When you buy a new product or get takeaway, consider the materials — are they reusable, are they recyclable or compostable and do you really need to buy it brand new? When you have takeaway, you can opt for no plastic bag, plastic straw, plastic or disposable cup and choose to dine in whenever you can. People can also join local grass root organisations to take actions in removing plastic pollution from their local beach or waterway. It’s a good way to see the extent of pollution, the real issues — the problem is smaller than you think!

Even better, become an AUSMAP citizen scientist or join us at one of our community days to help us collect this all-important data — you can find our latest events here. If you do know of a microplastic hotspot, working together with local councils and communities, AUSMAP can help identify the source and assist with stopping microplastics from entering our waterways all together. Increased knowledge and capacity of communities to ‘take charge’ of the plastic pollution problem in local waterways and engage in positive litter prevention and waste management strategies, is critical to solving the global plastic issue. AUSMAP is contributing to this long-term positive change.

Can you tell us a little bit about the AUSMAP citizen science community and the work that they do?

The AUSMAP citizen science community has grown immensely in the last few years, with over 800 volunteers trained and accredited in the AUSMAP method. Every day we receive microplastic samples from communities, clean up groups, council staff or school groups that are then analysed by our team of scientists to add to our Microplastic Hotspot Map.

Our dedicated volunteer citizen scientists provide incredible detail in their reports and remain committed to sampling their local communities into the future. Some volunteers in South Australia, for example, are spending thousands of hours to help sort and analyse samples. With the help of a core group of amazing volunteers, we identified close to 800,000 microplastic pieces per square metre in a South Australian catchment. Without these volunteers, we wouldn’t have been able to collect this data for the local council, enabling them to implement mitigation strategies that stop more microplastics from going into the waterways.

What have been some of the most significant outcomes of AUSMAP to date?

Most of all, winning a Eureka Prize! In addition, there have been quite a few significant outcomes for AUSMAP in three short years. We have been successful in a number of national funding opportunities, which has enabled us to reach more and more people. In 2020, AUSMAP was awarded the Keep Australia Beautiful NSW Coastal and Waterways Protection Award. More recently, AUSMAP was included in the NSW Plastic Plan, in which our program — the only non-profit organisation — was highlighted as a key study to track progress on the reduction of plastic pollution. We are helping guide governmental decision making on plastic pollution into the future.

AUSMAP continues to grow its reach, both nationally and internationally. Since the program commenced in mid-2018, our team has achieved the following:

3 million microplastics removed and counting
Over 350 samples collected from across Australia — from Christmas Island, to Thursday Island, to Norfolk Island, across the sea to Timor and all the way to Chile!
55 AUSMAP national training events
Over 800 citizen scientists trained
8,000 participants
40,000 citizen science volunteer hours

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

Winning a Eureka Prize is a huge honour. We are so proud to see our program, which we are so passionate about, recognised by the Australian scientific community. Being recognised via a prize for Innovation in Citizen Science means that our dedicated volunteers have won the prize with us. After winning this award, we are more determined to continue mapping microplastic hotspots that will guide key decision makers in the long-term and end our toxic love affair with plastic.

^{1. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/plastic-pollution-huge-problem-not-too-late-to-fix-it}

^{2. https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/marine-plastics}

^{3. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-47078733}

]]>

The FrogID dataset 4.0: almost half a million frog records now online and open access

Dr Jodi Rowley — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

The fourth annual release of the FrogID dataset has just been released, ready to help inform conservation!

Almost all of Australia’s 246 native frogs occur nowhere else on earth. They span the continent, from the lush rainforests of North Queensland to some of our driest deserts. Frogs play a vital role in freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems across the country, but unfortunately, they are in a lot of trouble. Australia has already lost at least four species of frog, and several dozen others are threatened with extinction. Perhaps not surprising, given the sensitivity of most frog species to environmental change including climate change, but it's bad news for frogs and their ecosystems.

A major challenge facing frog conservation, and biodiversity conservation more broadly, is our lack of knowledge. Australia is vast and frogs in particular can be tricky to detect. Incredibly, we don’t yet understand how many species of frog occur in Australia, with species being described as new to science on a regular basis, let alone how the known species are tracking! We desperately need more information on where frogs are and how they, and by proxy, their ecosystems, are faring.

Remarkably, since 2017, tens of thousands of people across Australia, armed with their smartphone and the FrogID app, have come to the rescue. These citizen scientists have now revolutionised our understanding of Australia’s frogs, simply by recording calling frogs with the FrogID app. Here we announce the release of the latest dataset of FrogID records – time-stamped locations of frog species across the country.

The FrogID dataset 4.0 contains almost half a million records of frogs! That’s more than double that of all other frog records gathered since FrogID launched in 2017 and is almost two-thirds of all other frog records in the country (Atlas of Living Australia). This enormous dataset, created by over 23,000 people, spans the continent.

The FrogID dataset 4.0 contains records of 207 of Australia’s frog species, plus the introduced Cane Toad (Rhinella marina) – 85% of Australia’s frog species. The most commonly recorded species in the dataset remains steady across years, with the Common Eastern Froglet (Crinia signifera) again taking out the top spot, with almost 88,000 records! Some notable submissions in the latest dataset include FrogID’s first recordings of the Central Ranges Toadlet (Pseudophryne robinsoni) from north-eastern South Australia and of the Tawny Trilling Frog (Neobatrachus fulvus) from the central west coast of Western Australia.

The FrogID dataset 4.0 contains thousands of records of threatened frog species, including 144 records of the Critically Endangered Myola Tree Frog (Litoria myola) from North Queensland and over 2,000 records of the tiny Endangered Sloane’s Froglet (Crinia sloanei) from inland NSW and north central Victoria. Following ethical data publication guidelines, we consider certain, mostly threatened, frog species as ‘sensitive’ species, and the exact locality of these species is buffered to 0.1 decimal degrees (about 11km). Very highly threatened frog species recorded via FrogID, such as the Critically Endangered White-bellied Frog (Anstisia alba) are not included in the public dataset. This is a tiny fraction of the dataset and the exact locality data for all sensitive species is provided to state biodiversity atlases to help inform conservation. They can also be requested from the FrogID project.

The FrogID database is a huge and growing resource, used by scientists, government, land-managers and people passionate about Australia’s frogs. In the last year alone, the FrogID database has provided insight into what triggers frogs to breed (read more), revealed that frog breeding seasons are longer in the city compared to rural areas (read more), and helped us understand the true distribution of Australia’s frogs, resulting in the creation of the publicly-available Australian Frog Atlas (read more). FrogID data has also been incorporated into publications examining the true frog species diversity in Australia and into conservation assessments of Australian frogs, helping prioritise conservation actions for these species. We thank everyone who has contributed to this dataset, and hope you enjoy exploring the latest version!

]]>

From the Director: Coral reefs in hot water

Kim McKay, AO — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

During my first week on the job as Director of the Australian Museum, in April 2014, I had to support the evacuation of a tropical island on the Great Barrier Reef, 240 km north of Cairns and over 2,000km away from my office in downtown Sydney.

There’s nothing quite like a Category 4 cyclone to trigger your immediate appreciation of Australia’s oldest museum’s operational responsibilities.

Cyclone Ita’s 158km/h winds hit the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS) – and all its marine research staff, students and visiting teams – at 6.30pm on a Friday afternoon.

Founded in 1973 by one of my predecessors, the inspirational Dr Frank Talbot, who was Director of the AM from 1966-75, and led for the last three decades by the inimitable Drs Anne Hoggett AM and Lyle Vail AM, everyone on LIRS was swiftly and safely moved out of harm’s way.

However, the Great Barrier Reef was impacted and its Ribbon reefs in particular suffered from the ferocity of those 2014 storms. In the years following, particularly 2016, 2017 and 2020, huge impact coral bleaching events occurred, also due to significant heat stress.

This year we celebrate 50 years of the AM’s LIRS, a globally-recognised research station devoted to understanding the incredible scale and structure of the Great Barrier Reef which can be seen from space. Thousands of international marine scientists from all over the world have been trained on or conducted valuable research on Lizard Island. Around 100 research projects are annually conducted by some 400 scientists and support personnel – what a place to discover and learn! In the past half century 2,700 scientific publications have been produced from work conducted at LIRS with film crews regularly using it as a base for quality climate engagement documentaries, opening minds with arresting visuals that move us to act.

Co-Director, Anne Hoggett, was our esteemed Speaker for LIRS, and for the reef, at this year’s Talbot Oration, “Coral Reefs in Hot Water” on Wednesday, 31 May, the third in the AM’s ‘Spotlight’ lectures on critical environmental issues.

The reef immediately needs the same level of care as we gave to our teams when we got that call about Cyclone Ita approaching… to be fully protected, without further equivocation.

As Anne and Lyle say, the threats remain many and constant.

Unless carbon emissions are reduced and brought under control – which means government and industry action – the other solutions to combat silt and nutrient runoffs, plastic pollution, overfishing and physical damage to reefs are diminished.

In its own way, the Great Barrier Reef is almost too famous, too stellar, too much ‘part of the furniture’. Corals are animals too. We must get even more serious. We must move Great Barrier Reef’s place in the climate conversation on, and fast.

Australia’s First Nations peoples have long illuminated Caring for Country, to being innately interconnected with the natural world, on land and sea. Denial and fear are part of the natural understandable responses in the human psyche and by extension, our culture, to what seems too big to absorb – something like losing the reef, for example. Rebecca Huntley, who gave last year’s AM Talbot Oration: Inspiring Visions for a Climate Solution, eloquently outlined how we might absorb and re-frame our emotional responses toward simply having conversations with each other about taking action on climate change – regardless of where we are in our attitudes toward it.

Anne and Lyle and LIRS’s staff and partners – including the dynamic Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation – have carried on in a spirit of hopefulness for 50 years, redeveloping this internationally-renowned coral reef research facility and reaching new audiences with ever more ways of ‘knowing’ coral biology. And while there’s no dearth of effort or hope, safe recovery and long-term repair can happen only with protective, pragmatic action.

Simply put, and as Anne outlined on Wednesday, we need everyone to:

Speak up about climate action as a personal priority.
Advocate for pristine, full protection marine parks and ocean conservation.
Adjust your own behaviour locally. So, come along and help us help the reef!

]]>

The Talbot Oration: Coral Reefs in Hot Water

Wed, 31 May 2023 00:00:00 +1000

In this year’s Talbot Oration held on Wednesday 31 May 2023, Dr Anne Hoggett AM, Co-Director of the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS), shared her extensive knowledge about the importance of coral reefs, their complex biology, and the urgent need for action. Learn about the latest research and conservation efforts being made to protect these underwater wonders and what you can do to help.

Following her address, Dr Hoggett was joined by ichthyologist, Dr Joseph DiBattista and Melissa Malu, Manager of Pasifika Collections and Engagement, in a conversation with sustainability adviser and former President of the Australian Museum Trust, Sam Mostyn AO. There will be an opportunity for a brief Q &A with the audience.

As Co-Director of the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS) on the Great Barrier Reef, Dr Anne Hoggett AM has spent the last four decades bearing witness to the impact of climate change on our reefs and marine ecosystems. Along with her husband, Dr Lyle Vail AM, Dr Hoggett has tracked the devastating effects of threats like coral bleaching, cyclones, pollution, and Crown-of-Thorns Starfish outbreaks.

There is hope, but we must act now. In Australia, we hold a unique role as custodians of several reef systems including the largest on Earth, the Great Barrier Reef. We must work together to protect these amazing ecosystems and the incredible diversity they support.

Dr Anne Hoggett AM and her husband, Dr Lyle Vail AM, are Co-Directors of LIRS. Together, they develop and manage the internationally-renowned coral reef research facility on the northern Great Barrier Reef. Since starting at LIRS in 1990, the couple has comprehensively redeveloped LIRS and markedly increased its scientific productivity. Raising funds to enable further research is an important part of their work.

Anne’s background is as a taxonomist specialising in echinoderms. With collaborators, she initiated the Lizard Island Field Guide and continues to expand this valuable resource. The many joys of running LIRS include living at the cutting edge of coral reef research, helping young scientists attain their goals in the field, and maintaining close contact with the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation.

Dr Joseph DiBattista is a NSW Senior Research Scientist and Curator and Group Manager in the Ichthyology Section at the Australian Museum. Joseph’s current research is focused on understanding the origins of reef fish biodiversity and how it is maintained using a combination of traditional and next generation sequencing approaches. He is particularly interested in coastal ecosystems, understanding the effects of tropicalisation on Australian fish species and identifying those that may act as indicators of change, and exploring new ways to track monitor and monitor environmental shifts in our oceans with environmental DNA (eDNA).

Sam Mostyn AO is a businesswoman and sustainability adviser, with a long history of executive and governance roles across business, sport, climate change, the arts, policy, and NFP sectors. She is Chair of Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce, FYA, AIIW, ANROWS and Aware Super, serves on boards of Mirvac and the Climate Change Authority; alongside a broad portfolio of other roles including chairing Ausfilm and the Centre for Policy Development; past President of Chief Executive Women, Chair of Citi Australia and Climate Council board member. Sam was awarded the Order of Australia in 2021 for distinguished service to business and sustainability, and to the community, through seminal contributions to a range of organisations and to women.

About The Talbot Oration

The Climate Cure is a Nights at the Museum special event.

]]>

Choose your own adventure with FrogID

Tue, 30 May 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Fine-tuning citizen science to map frog species richness together.

Citizen science, the collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by anyone with interest, has become an enormously popular hobby. With regular access to smartphones, it has never been easier to contribute an observation about the natural world through an app, to a rapidly growing global database of species distributions. Citizen science datasets are now some of the best and most extensive catalogues of species distributions. However, where participants live and when they have free time forms so much about what we can learn through citizen science. Missing data from some times and places would be super valuable puzzle pieces, helping us draw a more complete picture of where species live. Which is important if we want to understand and conserve them!

Recently, my colleagues and I - scientists at the Australian Museum and the University of New South Wales - attempted to understand not just why people contribute to the Australian Museum’s citizen science project FrogID, but what would motivate them to change when and where they contribute. We learned that FrogID users were overwhelmingly motivated by the aims of the project itself: to collect data on frogs that are useful to science and effective conservation. Importantly, participants said they were willing to change both where and when they contribute data to the project – if they knew it was important.

Seizing on this great feedback, we designed an experiment. We wanted to see if participants would collect records from the areas where we needed them the most, so we created a map of areas where we didn’t yet have enough records to understand frog species richness. Species richness is a simple measure of the number of unique species inhabiting a given area. FrogID submissions from each area range from 1 to 5 points – more points are assigned to the areas we most need frog records. Because estimates of species richness and sampling completeness changes as new information is added, we updated the maps every two weeks, refreshing the priority to reflect the number of recently contributed records.

We invited FrogID participants of four Local Government Areas (LGAs) in New South Wales to join the experiment, which ran from Spring 2020 to 2021. In addition to the colour-coded maps, members of two LGAs could see their local leader board – displaying the value of the records submitted by the top participants based on the points system described above. We sent reminder emails calling attention to the opportunity and updating readers on the project progress and priorities.

We found that FrogID participants used our maps to target high priority areas – just as we hoped! Over the year, people collected significantly fewer records in low priority spots and more records in high priority spots. This was even more pronounced in the LGAs with a local leader board, suggesting that game-like elements can make a difference in keeping people motivated. We know people have limited time and energy, and we appreciate that people really took the opportunity to make an impact.

This is the first time map-based “nudging” has been tested and demonstrated success with citizen science. This is great news for FrogID, and for other citizen science projects that want to improve their project through greater communication and resource sharing with participants. In our study, we picked gaining a better understanding of frog species richness as our aim, but these methods could be adapted to direct positive change towards other aims (like directing attention to areas that have received rainfall events or obtaining records of particular species). Together, we can make sure big data isn’t just bigger but better.

]]>

What you need to know about Australian coral reefs

Dr Pat Hutchings, Dr Sarah Hamylton, Meagan Warwick — Mon, 29 May 2023 00:00:00 +1000

In their recently published essay collection, Dr Pat Hutchings (Australian Museum), Dr Sarah Hamylton (University of Wollongong) and Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg (University of Queensland) delve deep into Australian coral reef history, ecology, management, First Nations cultural significance, and future.

Australia’s coral reefs are unique, ancient and continue to fascinate tourists, scientists, conservationists and many alike. But Australian naturalists have only just begun to unravel the origins, diversity and challenges facing the long-term survival of our reefs. A recently published book edited by Dr Sarah Hamylton, Dr Pat Hutchings and Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg explores our evolving relationship with reefs and highlights what you need to know about Australian coral reefs. Coral Reefs of Australia: Perspectives from beyond the Water’s Edge includes essays by 91 contributors and authors, arranged in eight chapters bringing together the diverse views of First Nations peoples, geologists, biologists, managers, artists, historians, and conservationists.

The book covers a vast geographical scope: 50,000 square kilometres, from the Indian Ocean’s Cocos (Keeling) atoll in the west, to the Paciﬁc Ocean’s Lord Howe Island in the east. The core focus of the book is how we interact with coral reefs, focusing on First Nations culture, coastal livelihoods, exploration, discovery, scientiﬁc research and climate change. Here, Dr Pat Hutchings and Dr Sarah Hamylton highlight some of the key themes in this important compendium.

Changing perspectives and evolving relationships

Reefs were once viewed as perilous nautical hazards by early colonialists, but a shift occurred in the early 20th century, in London. The Great Barrier Reef Committee was created in the 1920s with a purpose to explore and understand the vast Australian coral reef. A major research expedition by the Committee to the Low Isles on the Great Barrier Reef was undertaken in 1928-29. This started an era of empirical and experimental reef science. In the 1980s, this Committee became the Australian Coral Reef Society (ACRS), and ACRS celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2022. As the oldest coral reef society in the world, ACRS has enabled Australian scientists to play a critical role in international coral reef science and management. The establishment of research stations like the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Station allows researchers to study the reef’s diversity, faunal behaviour, and to monitor changes over time associated with climate change. Reefs are now also home to industry (such as the Western Rock lobster industry) and tourism.

Fundamentals of coral reefs

Reefs and their associated fauna are connected, yet complex. Reefs consist not just of corals, but also inter-reefal areas, mangroves, seagrass beds and more. Coral reefs are some of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world, yet they live in nutrient poor “blue deserts”. Corals have evolved to thrive in these environments in partnership with zooxanthellae, which provide corals with energy while the zooxanthellae utilise the coral’s waste products and gain a stable home. This symbiotic relationship is ﬁnely tuned to the environment and very sensitive to changes in water temperature and alkalinity.

Of key importance to the reefs are the phenomenon of mass coral spawning (imperative in connectivity and reef renewal), the intensity and duration of cyclones, and the animals living in the reef. Reefs are dominated by invertebrates, as well as sharks and rays in addition to charismatic dugongs, whales, turtles, and crocodiles.

Reefs also have a deep history. A little-known fact is that today’s coral reefs sit on top of a series of ancient reefs that were exposed and killed during periods of low sea level. In order to unlock this history, detailed scientiﬁc drilling has been undertaken on the Great Barrier Reef. In this compendium, authors provide detailed diagrams to show how sea levels have changed over the past 20,000 years. Although the Great Barrier Reef is typically where our minds go when thinking of Australian coral reefs, it is important to also consider the tremendous variety of islands associated with the reefs, which are also featured in this book.

Conservation and management of reefs

Central to this book is highlighting the importance of First Nations peoples in conserving reefs. As the ﬁrst and continuing custodians of our reefs, the importance of this role and the importance of reefs to culture is outlined by Traditional Owners in this edition. Likewise, the critical threats of climate change have elevated the importance of conserving and managing reefs. This is the focus of the ﬁnal chapters, including for Ningaloo and the Coral Sea.

In recent history, various organisations from NGO’s to museums have contributed immensely to awareness of the value of corals reefs and the threats these ecosystems face. However, there is still a long road ahead. In the face of multiple threats, the authors explore how and if reefs may be rehabilitated and restored. For example, can research develop super corals which can cope with warmer waters? Can experimental work breed corals resistant to bleaching events? These topical issues are discussed with contributions from First Nations peoples, researchers, non-government organisations and the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations.

This book covers many disciplines and is designed to be browsed by anyone who is curious about coral reefs, as well as coral reef researchers (and is available to purchase in the Australian Museum gift shop). An extensive reference list is provided, so the reader can delve into the relevant literature. While some stories are challenging to read in the face of signiﬁcant threats, there is much to celebrate about the beauty, diversity and importance of our coral reefs, and reasons to be optimistic. We can all contribute to the long-term conservation of coral reefs!

]]>

50 years of research on Lizard Island

Mon, 29 May 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Founded in 1973, the Lizard Island Research Station has studied reef ecologies and the impacts of climate change for fifty years. In such an isolated place, dedication to research on the reef becomes a lifestyle, and fieldwork is ongoing, through rain, hail, or shine.

With only four permanent staff, and capacity for around 40 researchers on the island, the resourceful team at Lizard Island have conducted field studies, collected samples and specimens all over the island and its marine surrounds. Over time, these rich datasets can measure rising sea levels, temperatures, ocean acidification and storm activity caused by anthropogenic climate change, or increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

The coral reef surrounding this isolated island makes Lizard Island a significant research site for the impact of coral bleaching events, plagues of crown of thorns starfish, and cyclones on the reef ecosystem.

From humble beginnings on a remote island, building the facility from the ground up, to a hub of internationally renowned research and climate change action, the researchers at Lizard Island Research Station challenge us to contribute to climate action and become custodians of the lands we live on.

Dr Anne Hoggett AM and her partner Dr Lyle Vail AM have been at the forefront of important research conducted on Lizard Island since 1990. This year, the Australian Museum’s annual Talbot Oration takes place on May 31st 2023, and is being hosted by Lizard Island Research Station’s co-director Dr Anne Hoggett AM.

]]>

Frogs need your help again this winter

Dr Jodi Rowley — Wed, 24 May 2023 00:00:00 +1000

In winter 2021, Australia’s frogs suffered a mass mortality event. As temperatures drop, we are worried it might happen again – we need you to help monitor our frogs.

Personally, winter 2021 is one I will never forget. Stuck at home in COVID-lockdown, I sat at my computer and I spoke with and wrote to amazing people across the country who were sending in reports of dead frogs in response to our plea for information. Some sent before and after photos: a plump, healthy-looking frog poking out from a hanging plant on the balcony several months before, followed by that same frog upside down and already drying up, on the ground. Others reported coming home to find dead green tree frogs strewn around their deck. One farmer reported dead frogs strewn across the property, from sheds to paddocks. He’d not seen anything like it in over 40 years running the farm. It was heartbreaking.

Winter 2021 was devastating for Australia’s frogs. As soon as the first cold snap of the season hit, reports came in of an unusual number of sick and dying frogs. At the end of the winter there were over 1600 reports of sick and/or dead frogs. Unfortunately, that’s likely just the tip of the iceberg – the true death toll is likely magnitudes higher. Given the vital role frogs play in healthy ecosystems, from food webs to nutrient dynamics, the consequences could impact entire ecosystems.

Australia has 246 species of native frog, almost all of which are found nowhere else on Earth. Unfortunately, at least four of these species have already been driven to extinction, and another 40 are threatened. Frogs are being driven to extinction by habitat loss and modification, disease, and introduced species, and they are amongst the first species to respond to a changing climate. Things were already extremely precarious for Australia’s frogs before they started dropping dead at people’s doorsteps in 2021.

Reports came in from every state and territory, but the mortality appeared most intense along the East Coast, from southeast Queensland to the South Coast of New South Wales. Although Green Tree Frogs (Litoria caerulea) were the most commonly reported frog species, at least 46 species were reported sick and dying. That’s almost a fifth of all Australian frog species! Four nationally threatened frog species were also reported: the Giant Burrowing Frog (Heleioporus australiacus), Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea), Southern Bell Frog (Litoria raniformis), and Giant Barred Frog (Mixophyes iteratus). The true spatial extent and number of species impacted is likely much larger than reported, extending into remote and protected areas where people were unable to observe these animals, and likely affecting other rare, threatened, or difficult to detect frog species.

These reports triggered an emergency response and collaborative investigation. We frantically manned the phone and email. We helped coordinate people transporting sick frogs to vets and asked them to store any dead frogs for us, so that we could test when travel restrictions allowed us to pick them up. As soon as we could, we collected these dead frogs and worked with Taronga’s Australian Registry of Wildlife Health and colleagues across the country to investigate the cause. Our team also began conducting intensive surveys of frog populations in the wild. We were desperate to understand the extent, cause and impact of this frog mortality event.

We have now tested over 500 dead frogs of dozens of species for our number one suspect, the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis). This pathogen has been implicated in the declines and extinctions of frogs around the world for decades, so it was the obvious thing to test for. While we can now confirm that the amphibian chytrid fungus played a significant role in the 2021 frog mortality event, a relatively large proportion of dead frogs did not test positive for this potentially lethal pathogen, suggesting that it may well have been acting alongside another pathogen, toxin or environmental process. It turns out this is far from a simple story. We continue our investigation, working with colleagues to unravel the deadly mystery – one suspect at a time.

Last winter, we feared a repeat frog mortality event, but thankfully, although we did receive reports of sick and dead frogs throughout the winter, it was nothing like the previous year. Whatever precipitated the mass mortality of frogs in 2021 did not appear to do so in 2022. We hope that continues this winter and that as temperatures drop we won't find any dead or dying frogs en masse in Australia. But we need your help to keep watch.

To help us monitor the health of our frogs this winter and detect and respond to any mass mortality of frogs (should it occur), please keep a look out for any sick or dead frogs and report them. Signs of a sick frog include lethargy, a frog lying out in the open during the day, and discoloured (often dark) or patchy skin. If you see a sick frog (or frogs), please take a photograph and send the photo with your location to the Australian Museum’s citizen science project FrogID via calls@frogid.net.au.

Please consider donating to help support our ongoing investigation into the cause and impact of this mass mortality event, and our monitoring of frog population health. Please also download the free FrogID app and record calling frogs whenever you can, which will contribute to our overall understanding and conservation of Australia’s frogs, including the impacts of the winter 2021 mortality event.

While 2021 was a tough time for Australia’s frogs, that same winter also demonstrated that people across Australia do care about our frogs, and that together, we can make a difference. This winter, please continue to keep our frogs on your radar.

]]>

The beautiful birds of Norfolk Island

Meagan Warwick — Wed, 17 May 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Norfolk Island is home to many beautiful birds – however, Norfolk Island also has an unenviable extinction rate when it comes to its bird fauna. To understand more, our scientists studied the endemic and exotic birdlife of Norfolk Island during the recent Australian Museum-led expedition.

From iconic Green Parrots to soaring seabirds, many birds call Norfolk Island home. However, several of its surviving endemic species are threatened and scientific questions remain regarding the status and origins of the island’s birds. For example, how did Norfolk's endemic species arrive and evolve? How has human settlement impacted these species? Should conservation management policies for Norfolk's birds change, and if so, how? In order to answer these questions, we need to collect rigorous biological data – which is where museums can help.

In October 2022, Australian Museum scientists Emily Cave and Dr Richard Major participated in the AM-led expedition to Norfolk Island to study a variety of bird species. During the expedition, Richard and Emily collected data from both native and introduced species, including collecting genetic samples from native birds.

The first question you may ask is: how do scientists safely collect this data? Early each morning (up before dawn), Richard and Emily would visit different sites around Norfolk Island and set up nets, called mist-nets, for safely catching birds. These nets are nearly invisible to the naked eye – and in the early morning light, sometimes invisible to Norfolk Island’s birds. Designed to catch birds without harming them, various bird species were captured in these nets, enabling our scientists to take their measurements, sample their feathers and blood and take photographs. The base of one tail feather of each bird was marked with non-toxic paint, so that the same bird wouldn’t be sampled twice. As might be expected, some birds became quite grumpy when the cold ruler was pressed against their bums! But it wasn’t long before the bird would be released, without harm, back into the wild.

The week started off slowly – on the first morning Emily and Richard only netted a single native species (a Slender-Billed White-Eye). But every other morning was much more successful, capturing a variety of birds. A call playback app certainly proved useful – this handy mobile app plays the recordings of bird calls, and helped our scientists draw in many Robins! The highlights from the week were the island's endemics, including the Slender-Billed White-Eye, Norfolk Island Robin, Norfolk Island Golden Whistler, and Norfolk Island Gerygone.

Another highlight of the week for Emily and Richard was interacting with the local community. They talked to locals at the many community AM engagement events throughout the week and Richard rekindled a few old friendships from his previous visit as a university student, notably with Margaret Christian who leads the Flora and Fauna Society. As a result, locals were able to help them identify where the best potential sites could be, based on recent sightings, and where introduced species may reside. Locals were also able to voice their concerns and priorities regarding the birdlife of Norfolk – particularly regarding the famous Green Parrot. During the community day held in Rawson Hall at the conclusion of fieldwork, Richard and Emily were able to share with locals their methods and what they had recorded, showing them the mist-nets they used, feather samples they collected, and which species they had found.

All specimens and samples taken will provide researchers with material for ongoing studies of taxonomy, phylogeography (genetic relationships across geography) and the evolution of island faunas. The AM holds bird specimens collected on Norfolk Island from the 1880s to the 1990s, but the most recent period of sustained research activity was in the late 1960s and 1970s. Historically, most specimens in the AM collection from Norfolk Island were of eggs; with only one tissue sample and one skeleton specimen represented. Therefore, all specimens acquired during the expedition are highly significant – the collection now has contemporary specimens of various forms and increased representation of the island's bird fauna. All of these specimens can be used for future research and be made available to the community, so we can help study and conserve the beautiful birds of Norfolk.

]]>

Related species of skeleton shrimp from Australia and Far East Asia

Professor Ichiro Takeuchi, Dr Stephen Keable — Sun, 07 May 2023 00:00:00 +1000

An unusual find of thousands of skeleton shrimp on commercial fishing nets in the Gippsland Lakes, south-eastern Australia has led to the revision of a species from Far East Asia, review of previous records, and recognition of a new species.

Skeleton shrimp are small distinctive invertebrates that are classified in the superfamily Caprelloidea within the order of crustaceans known as the Amphipoda. While nearly 10,000 species (80% marine, 17% freshwater and 3% terrestrial) of amphipods are known, only around 400 of these are caprellids and these only occur in marine or estuarine environments. Caprellids have been given the common name skeleton shrimp because they have narrow cylindrical bodies and reduced appendages that show extreme modification associated with a mode of life that is adapted to clinging to substrates.

This divergence from the body plan of other crustaceans makes caprellids significant in evolutionary theory. They may feed on suspended materials including phytoplankton, prey or graze on other organisms, or forage on detritus. Caprellids can be locally abundant, are important prey for many coastal fishes and have also been found to be sensitive to marine pollution. They can be used as food for other organisms in aquaculture operations, and their unusual appearance and behaviour make them attractive to aquarium hobbyists and divers. Skeleton shrimp are thought to be highly endemic (restricted in distribution) as they lack the planktonic juvenile stage that enables other crustaceans to be dispersed widely by ocean currents. However, they can be transported long distances naturally, by rafting on floating seaweed, or artificially by clinging to biofouling on ships or through aquaculture activities.

Nearly half of the described species of caprellids are classified in the genus Caprella. While Australian skeleton shrimp are incompletely known, with numerous new species described regularly in the last 20 years, approximately 10 species of Caprella have been recorded here.

In 2018, professional fisher Matt Jenkins was surprised to find thousands of skeleton shrimp swarming his nets in Lake Tambo within the Gippsland Lakes, Victoria, a situation he and his colleagues had not encountered previously.

Video of Caprella tamboensis on fishing nets courtesy of Matt Jenkins, used with permission:

Matt was able to preserve some specimens and send them to the Australian Museum Research Institute for identification. Close inspection showed they were clearly different to most other Australian species of Caprella but very similar to a species known as Caprella acanthogaster. This species was originally found as early as 1890 in Far East Asia and has a distribution in that region including Japan. Caprella acanthogaster had also been reported in Mercury Bay, Tasmania, from samples collected in 1993 and 1996, but the occurrence in Tasmania was attributed to an artificial translocation associated with the introduction of scallop spat from the North Pacific as part of aquaculture activities.

This situation led to a reconsideration of the species Caprella acanthogaster based on specimens from Japan, close to the original reported locality, with comparison to the Australian material from Tasmania and the Gippsland Lakes. Results from the study found consistent morphological differences between the Japanese and Australian samples. Crucially, specimens from Japan which were twice the size of those from Australia had fewer segments in the first pair of antenna – this is unusual, because if they were the same species it would be expected that they would have more segments, as these appendages in caprellids have been shown to increase by one or two segments every time the individuals moult their exoskeleton as they mature. Additional differences also include the shape of the grasping limbs the caprellids use to feed and groom with, and in the relative lengths of comparable segments in the antenna.

As a result, a new species with the name Caprella tamboensis has been proposed for the Australian specimens. It is still possible this species from the Gippsland Lakes and Tasmania may have been introduced to those areas but alternatively it could be a native species, widely distributed but as yet largely unrecorded in southern Australia. It has been highlighted in other recent publications that increased analysis of the caprellid amphipods from southern areas is needed to fill gaps in knowledge of the biodiversity and biogeographical patterns of the Australian fauna.

Observations made in the redescription of C. acanthogaster and recognition of C. tamboensis also highlight that further detailed morphological study, possibly combined with genetic analysis, is necessary. This is important for reconstructing evolutionary relationships and for our understanding of the distribution pattern for C. acanthogaster and other species from temperate to cold waters of the northeast Asia – there are several in that region which are also very similar to C. acanthogaster and can be easily confused with it, so clarification is key!

]]>

Collecting better biodiversity data through citizen science

Thu, 04 May 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Will people record calling frogs, everywhere, all at once?

Smartphones have revolutionised the way we collect scientific data, including biodiversity information. Now, thanks to millions of participants on their phones using apps like iNaturalist and eBird, citizen science datasets contain some of the best available data on plants and animals around us and guide global conservation decisions. Participants of the Australian Museum’s FrogID project alone have submitted over 500,000 audio recordings of calling frogs, resulting in 870,000 records of frogs across Australia since 2017! This data has been vital in understanding the impacts of the 2019-2020 black summer bushfires.

But like most biodiversity data, citizen science records can be patchy, with lots of information from some areas and times, and few from others. I love that citizen science is opportunistic – anyone can record wherever and whenever they like. However, this does influence the utility of the data to address conservation concerns, in turn affecting conservation decisions. As far as I was aware, no one had ever asked the participants if they would be willing to change when and where they record, and if so, why?

So in 2020, my colleagues and I surveyed over 1,200 FrogID participants to understand their motivations for volunteering and participating in FrogID citizen science and to find out what would motivate them to help improve the sampling of biodiversity. For example, could the FrogID project highlight places with fewer submissions, or ask for submissions at times of year when submissions are far and few between?

We developed questions addressing: (1) current behaviour (over space and time); (2) motivations for participation in FrogID; (3) prompts that would motivate changes in temporal behaviour; (4) prompts that would motivate changes in spatial behaviour; (5) barriers that limit participation (for example – are you limited by transportation options, safety, or just plain free time?) and (6) how social and competitive design features of the project would influence participation. We made sure to ask about changes that were feasible and would have measurable outcomes, improving the quality of FrogID data as a whole.

The FrogID users who responded to our survey were overwhelmingly motivated by the aims of the program itself: to collect data on frogs that is useful to science and effective conservation. Off to a great start! Amazingly, they also said they were willing to change both where and when they contribute data to the project. The most compelling reasons to change the way they gathered data were to collect information known to add value and to engage in regular sampling of a nearby area. Again, great news – both of those could improve the scientific value of the data.

We found that people’s willingness to tweak their recording habits are very much in line with their motivations for contributing to biodiversity conservation. Willingness to change behaviour wasn't linked with how often they were recording. This means that casual and daily users were both interested in the same types of information – such as where and when data would be most valuable, and why it is important. Small changes among a small number of people can make a big difference towards filling in missing data important for making informed conservation decisions.

This is a game changer for citizen science! By filling in the missing puzzle pieces, we can collectively make citizen science data even more powerful as a conservation tool. The FrogID team is keen to explore ways to collect more meaningful biodiversity data with FrogID participants – stay tuned for further research on this on the FrogID science page.

Maureen Thompson, Technical Officer, Herpetology & PhD Candidate Australian Museum Research Institute & UNSW Sydney.

]]>

What was Eric's last supper?

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +1000

What did the most complete, opalised vertebrate fossil in Australia eat? In an Australian first, PhD candidate Joshua White, Dr Matthew McCurry (Australian Museum) and Aleese Barron and Professor Tim Denham (The Australian National University) used a micro-CT scanner to examine the stomach contents of the Australian Museum’s ‘Eric the plesiosaur'. Learn how the authors reconstructed this unique marine reptile’s diet.

On display in the Westpac Long Gallery of the Australian Museum is one of the most valuable and unique fossils ever discovered in Australia. The near complete, opalised plesiosaur (Umoonasaurus demoscyllus), informally known as Eric, was unearthed in 1987 from the opal mines of Coober Pedy. Named after a song from the comedy group Monty Python, Eric is a marine reptile from the Early Cretaceous inland sea of South Australia. Rather than falling into the hands of private collectors overseas, which would have made scientific studies difficult, Eric was saved by members of the public and ultimately donated to the Australian Museum. Now, PhD student Joshua White has published a study, with help from Aleese Barron, Tim Denham and Matt McCurry, using cutting edge technology to analyse Eric and confirm what its last meal may have been.

Part of what makes Eric scientifically valuable and rare is its stomach contents – the remains of its diet are preserved, giving us an insight into what this unique plesiosaur ate. Traditional methods of describing fossilised stomach contents, and therefore understanding an animal’s diet, involve examining the exterior surface for contents. This approach can be difficult and is limited, due to the rarity of fossilised stomach contents, and there can be more hidden beneath the surface that palaeontologists cannot see. It is nearly impossible to identify what is beneath the surface without destroying the fossil. However, in this study, the authors examined the internal morphology of Eric’s stomach contents using one of The Australian National University’s micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scanners.

By using a micro-CT scanner, Joshua was able to look inside Eric’s digitised stomach contents and visualise the remains without doing any damage to the fossil. Joshua was able to identify 17 near complete fish vertebrae and 60 gastroliths (stomach stones) in Eric’s remains. The team was then able to identify the fish remains to the order Teleosti, which encompass approximately 96% of all living species of fish. Unfortunately, the team were unable to identify the fish to genus or species level due to the lack of features on the vertebrae. However, identifying the gut contents of Eric to this degree would not have been possible using traditional methods.

Using the power of the micro-CT scanner, the authors generated high resolution 3D models of Eric’s stomach, which aided in reconstructing its diet and the diet of fossil taxa more generally. Reconstructing the diet of marine reptiles' is important as it allows palaeontologists to observe their evolution through time. As environments changes, so do a marine reptile’s diet and understanding these changes can be used to predict how modern-day whales and dolphins will respond to current and emerging climate challenges. The results of Joshua’s study demonstrate the utility of CT techniques and what they can do to help infer the diet of other extinct marine reptiles around the world.

Joshua White, PhD candidate, The Australian National University and Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Researchers discover new plant species on recent Norfolk Island expedition

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +1000

A team from the Australian Institute of Botanical Science has collected about 400 plant specimens on the recent Australian Museum-led expedition to Norfolk Island, helping the community identify new weeds that potentially could cause havoc to local ecosystems.

Botanic team on a mission to fill knowledge gaps

Norfolk Island, about 1,600km north-east of Sydney, has a diverse environment and provided a great research opportunity for a team from the Australian Institute of Botanical Science (Institute).

The Institute team’s mission was to collect herbarium specimens to help fill knowledge gaps of Norfolk Island’s flora, focusing on areas where no or few collections have been lodged in Australasian herbaria, such as the National Herbarium of New South Wales.

Although weeds are not part of Norfolk Island’s endemic and unique flora, they have the potential to threaten the local ecosystem and became a matter of interest for the researchers. The threat of Oxalis pes-caprae (Soursob), which is a very serious, pernicious weed, was of particular concern.

Senior Botanist Marco Duretto said as well as Oxalis pes-caprae, Soliva anthemifolia (Button Burweed) and Hypochaeris albiflora (White Flatweed) were provided to the team by locals and are new records for Norfolk Island. A new species of fern in the genus Blechnum was also a significant find, and may represent a new, possibly naturalised, species for the island.

While the researchers had their eyes on weeds, team member Honorary Research Associate Matt Renner collected bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts), which are his research speciality. Matt’s collections significantly expanded the knowledge of the bryophyte flora of the region with first records of families, genera, and species for the region commonplace.

All up the team made c. 400 collections (including 160 bryophytes) of c. 140 species and the numbers of species will increase as identifications are finalised, especially that of the bryophytes.

Collaborating with the community to improve conservation

The team also included Senior Technical Officer ID Counter Andrew Orme, Digitalisation Officer Mel Wong, and Plant Information Network Officer Wayne Cherry. They joined forces with the local community, the Australian Museum, Parks Australia and the Auckland War Memorial Museum in a biological survey covering many animal and plant groups.

Marco said building close contacts with the local community to develop long-term relationships was very important in helping the team to discover new flora.

“The local Flora and Fauna group on Norfolk Island has been meeting for many years and has built up a wealth of knowledge,” Marco said.

“We were lucky enough to be able to engage with some of them and hopefully form some long-term relationships so that together we can continue to build on the knowledge and understanding of Norfolk Island’s flora."

“Often scientists like us will sometimes go about our work and not connect with locals but both Museums and the Gardens were very keen to build long-term relationships with the local community.”

“This Oxalis weed is a real scary one – it’s a spectacular species and beautiful to look at – but it has underground bulbs and is a very serious weed. Once it gets into local areas it’s hard to get rid of. It forms monocultures because other things that live on the ground next to get excluded."

“Local people knew it was there, but records didn’t exist in herbaria collections, and now we have a permanent record for this species of weed on Norfolk Island. And our confirmation of the identity will help the local council take appropriate action to eradicate it before it becomes an issue,” Marco said.

Why weed knowledge is important

Weeds are very important in terms of economic and conservation impacts because they are a major threat to native flora communities.

The weeds were brought to Norfolk Island by various settlers, from Polynesians to Europeans, and many weeds are recent introductions.

Wherever people go they bring weeds with them – on their clothes, and in their equipment, and now more people are moving weeds to Norfolk Island all the time.

The weeds smother and out-compete the native plants, and once the vegetation goes, endemic plants as well as habitat for indigenous wildlife can be lost.

Marco said that Norfolk Island has many endemic species and conservation of this flora is a high priority.

“The local agriculture community might want to know it’s there because it’s a very serious weed and outcompetes grass and impacts local animals,” Marco said.

Keeping digital records

Herbarium collections provide permanent records of plants and where they were growing. They are invaluable resources, physically and electronically, that are available to the community and researchers from around the world. The collections are being imaged and these images and associated data are what the public can use.

In addition to herbarium material, the team also collected tissue samples for DNA extraction and analysis for future projects. All material, including tissue samples, will also be made available to researchers far and wide.

“Digitisation of the herbarium collections and having quick access to these images has helped research enormously. For example, 10 or 15 years ago before digitisation occurred, if I wanted to see a plant from Europe I would have to wait a year or two for it to come here as a loan,” Marco said.

“Someone may be researching any of the species we collected and might want to know where they are growing around the world. They may be working on taxonomy or on how to control a weed and so having this information is beneficial,” said Marco.

To view the original article, and to view more Stories from the Garden, please go to: https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/stories/2022/researchers-discover-new-plant-species-on-recent-n

]]>

What do a cat, a dingo, and a goanna have in common? It’s in the iDNA

Tim Cutajar — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +1000

A cat, dingo and goanna in Namadgi National Park were the latest animals recorded via DNA from an insect’s belly. Tim Cutajar at the Australian Museum and Dr Stephanie Pulsford tell us how!

If you’ve ever been out walking in nature, you know some species are not all that easy to spot – what you see is often just a small fraction of what’s out there. How many times have you seen an exquisite bird or rare marsupial, but only on the information signage in a national park? This can happen even to scientists studying and managing those species. We know why this is; some species are secretive or only active at certain times, others may be excellent at camouflage, and some are just plain rare. Knowing why we can’t find a species is a good start, but we also need techniques to make finding them easier.

Recently, we developed a technique for detecting rare frogs using their parasites. There are tiny, blood-sucking flies that feed only on frogs – they find these frogs by following the sounds of their calls. We set mosquito traps playing frog call audio along rainforest streams at multiple forest sites in NSW and caught hundreds of these frog-biting flies. We sequenced the DNA from the flies’ blood meals and detected frog species that we’d not seen or heard out in the forest. This was great news for rainforest frog research.

This new frog detection technique fits into what’s broadly called invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA). Other iDNA studies have used leeches and blowflies and detected other rare animals. Like our study, most were performed in rainforest and/or tropical areas, but we wanted to know if our frog iDNA technique would work in other environments.

At the end of 2020, we ran a trial of the technique in the seasonally cold, dry forest of Namadgi National Park in the Australian Capital Territory. We ran frog call traps overnight at a few sites scattered around the park and returned in the mornings to see what had been collected. We’d caught many flies, but none that we recognised as frog-biting species. Disappointed, but hopeful that perhaps we’d misidentified some true frog-biting flies in our catch, we decided to go ahead with DNA extractions from all of the flies and check them for vertebrate animal DNA.

We were astonished by what we found. Three flies yielded high-quality DNA that matched to vertebrates. Excited to see what frog species we’d detected, we analysed the first sequence … cat – very strange. The next one? Dingo. By the third sequence, we really had no idea what to expect. We would never have guessed it, but it was from a species of goanna, the Rosenberg’s monitor (Varanus rosenbergi).

There are a few possible reasons why we didn’t detect frogs; maybe there are no frog-biting flies in the cool, dry forests of southern Australia, or if there are, maybe they prefer different habitats to where we surveyed. It’s also possible catastrophic wildfires that tore through the area the previous year simply wiped them out – we just don’t know. But our disappointment was eclipsed by our confusion at the eclectic mix of species we did detect.

Our confusion was rooted in a simple fact – flies that parasitise medium to large-bodied animals that don’t vocalise reliably like frogs (i.e. cats, dogs, and lizards) tend to use chemical cues to find their hosts. So how did we collect such flies when the only ‘bait’ we used was frog call audio? The most logical answer is this: coincidence. We think these flies just happened to fly close enough to our traps to get sucked in, and the implication here is huge. Either we were extremely lucky or, more likely, these flies are very abundant in the area. What that would mean is that, with an attractant more appropriate to non-frog specialist flies, this technique could prove extremely useful for the detection of key species in seasonally cool, dry Australian forests.

Rosenberg’s monitor is threatened in some areas and is the subject of ongoing monitoring in Namadgi. Dingoes are common in the area, and are widely studied by evolutionary biologists, making DNA samples important and in high demand. Other actively managed and elusive species in the area in need of improved detectability include the broad-toothed rat (Mastacomys fuscus), alpine skink (Cyclodomorphus praealtus), and the highly secretive Canberra grassland earless dragon (Tympanocryptis lineata).

Our detection of a cat through iDNA is also significant. It highlights iDNA’s potential for early detection of introduced species. Feral cats are widespread in Australia. Although detecting one in Namadgi confirms what we know, there are fenced wilderness areas that intentionally exclude cats and islands where they have never established. In places like these, routine iDNA surveys could be key to early detection of breaches and allow timely intervention.

It turns out iDNA could be an effective tool in cool, dry southern Australian forests where it has never been used before. We could detect threatened and rare species better by adding iDNA techniques to their monitoring strategies, and do the same for invasive predators in predator-free, naïve animal populations for early intervention. The next step is to test these ideas. It’s our hope that some minor strategic tweaks can lead to major improvements in our knowledge of southern Australia’s imperilled biodiversity, and our ability to conserve it.

]]>

Spotting fossil anomalies

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Dr Russell Bicknell, our 2021/22 Australian Museum Foundation/Australian Museum Research Institute Visiting Research Fellow, recently explored the trilobites in the Australian Museum palaeontology collection. Russell tells us more about spotting fossil anomalies!

By examining the fossil record, palaeontologists can help us understand how extinct animals functioned and responded to changes in biological and developmental systems. Recently, Dr Russell Bicknell and Dr Patrick Smith (Australian Museum palaeontologist) studied a group of animals called trilobites from New South Wales and found evidence of abnormal structures.

Currently the Australian Museum holds more than 10,000 trilobites in its collection. Of these, 225 are holotype specimens (i.e. they are the standard from which the species derives its name). In Australia alone there are about 1000 trilobite species currently named, hence the AM holds more than a fifth of the country's name-bearing trilobites.

Trilobites are an extinct group of arthropods that had biomineralised exoskeletons. The exoskeleton, made of calcite, is ideal for preserving examples of developmental oddities or injuries due to predation in the fossil record. Although malformed trilobites have been documented, these are often unique, one-off examples. Russell and Pat decided to shift their approach and assess all specimens of the trilobite called Odontopleura (Sinespinaspis) markhami from a particular location, known as the Cotton Formation. This is a Silurian aged deposit (434 million years old), found in rural New South Wales that preserves trilobites in an exceptional level of detail. Furthermore, there are many specimens of this species within the AM collection, making it ideal to uncover possible records of these abnormal specimens.

In doing so, Russell and Pat found some unexpected examples of specimens with additional spines. They also showed that these specimens occurred in one of the largest growth stages of these animals. Given that they found no evidence of injuries, Russell and Pat concluded that these abnormal spines likely reflect genetic complications that would not have increased the fitness of these individuals.

Examining museum specimens in this way presents important insights into the hidden aspects of the Australian fossil record and how this species experienced and recovered from genetic and developmental abnormalities over time. These studies also show that the largest trilobites may have been important prey species in the ecosystem at this time (for example, by predators such as large nautiloids or starfish in the Cotton Formation). This differs from large trilobites in the earlier Cambrian Period (520-485 million years ago) which often dominated as predators. The switch from large trilobites being “the hunter” to “the hunted” seems to have occurred in the Ordovician (approximately 485-444 million years ago) as is evident in the type and nature of injuries they sustained.

Dr Russell Bicknell, 2021/22 AMF/AMRI Visiting Research Fellow, Palaeontology, Australian Museum.

]]>

Gobsmacking goby fish species found in museums

Yi-Kai Tea — Sun, 19 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +1100

An exquisite new species of goby has just been described – and it was found in a museum! A new publication co-authored by Dr Yi-Kai Tea, the Australian Museum’s Chadwick Biodiversity Research Fellow, describes these showstopping fishes and highlights the importance of taxonomic research in museums.

Describing a species new to science is certainly an exciting endeavour but what many may not realise is that scientists sometimes describe a new species without collecting any new material. This was the case in the newly published study by the Australian Museum’s Chadwick Biodiversity Research Fellow Dr Yi-Kai Tea, and Dr Helen Larson. The authors revised the taxonomy of a species of dartfish belonging to the goby genus Nemateleotris. The species, Nemateleotris helfrichi, is one of only four in this genus. They soon realised however that what was known as N. helfrichi was actually two species of fishes that differed in aspects of colouration, size, and geographical distribution. What is more interesting is that the study was borne entirely out of examining existing specimens housed in museums.

Careful examination of material housed in museums all over the world and comparison of live underwater photographs revealed the presence of two distinct species living in non-overlapping parts of the world. Nemateleotris helfrichi is restricted to the islands of French Polynesia, and the newly described species N. lavandula, occurs elsewhere in the western and central Pacific. Both species are most easily separated in colouration details of the head and snout. Notably, the “moustached” N. helfrichi has a distinct black mark on its upper jaw, which is absent in N. lavandula.

Strangely, for a fish that is so widespread and popular as an aquarium pet, it is very poorly represented in museums. The new species is described based on only thirteen specimens which are scattered across museums in Australia, the United States, Japan, and Singapore. The holotype was selected from a specimen housed right here at the Australian Museum, and is extra special because it now holds two type statuses, the other being the paratype of N. helfrichi.

The description of the new species accompanies a revision of the genus Nemateleotris, with new accounts of osteology, re-diagnosis of all species, and a revised key to species. This study by Kai and Helen is an excellent example of how revisiting historical taxonomic descriptions with fresh eyes can have a direct impact on conservation and species management. In this case, one species, previously thought to be widespread, has been found to harbour cryptic diversity, leading to the understanding that the newly described species is restricted to a much smaller distribution than previously known.

]]>

The Photographic Archives Digitisation (PAD) Project

Giorgia Gakas — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +1100

While many are aware that the Australian Museum is the oldest museum in Australia with a collection that spans more than 22 million natural specimens and cultural objects, one aspect of the Museum that some may not know about are the Australian Museum Photographic Archives, which host a vast collection championing biological, ecological, and ethnographic research, education and discovery.

The Photographic Archives hold images dating from the 1860s to the early 2000s, forming a continuous photographic record of the Australian Museum’s people, sites, major exhibitions, collections, scientific research, fieldwork, and education for over 100 years. The collection consists of images in several formats such as large format black and white negatives, roll film, colour negatives, lantern slides, 35mm and 120 slides, medium and large format transparencies, and glass plate negatives.

The first iteration of a photography department at the Australian Museum began in the early years, circa 1800s, of photography, when preparators began taking photographs of specimens and artefacts for recording purposes and publication. The photographic section was later located above the Old Spirit House, operating through servicing (studio and darkroom) and archive storage. The conditions were subject to great fluctuations in temperature and humidity and were not air-conditioned and many negatives deteriorated due to mould. Under the management of Howard Hughes and then Ric Bolzan, later in the 1990s, the department continue to provide a wide range of photographic services to the Museum and outside researchers, while overseeing management of the historic and modern photography collections.

In early 2022, the Photographic Archives Digitisation (PAD) Project commenced focusing on the digitisation, documentation, preservation, and future storage of this historic photographic collection. In February 2023, the team achieved a huge milestone in the digitisation of over 305,000 analogue film photographs. This large-scale digitisation project is run by Giorgia Gakas (Project Manager) with Olivia Roosen and Nadiye Cicek (Digitisation Officers), working in the Archives team.

The PAD Project has two phases to both digitise and enhance the documentation of photographic collections. Historically, many photographic collections were catalogued at series level. The Photographic Archives Digitisation team have itemised each frame to an individual level.

The digitisation phase of the PAD project has been undertaken by DatacomIT, external commercial digitisation vendors located at Pemulwuy, NSW. The collection was predominately digitised offsite; however, an onsite digitisation stream was created to capture fragile material including magic lantern slides, cold storage acetate negatives and glass plate negatives.

As there is a preservation imperative to digitise the Photographic Archives, the estimated three year digitisation process will create a new digital archival set of master images to be managed as digital archives into the future.

The team will now start the second phase of the project commencing quality control, research and enriching the documentation of the Australian Museum Photographic Archives.

]]>

Five Things: How to help our native bees

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Five Things is a series of talks by Australian ecology experts that offers real-world steps you can take to boost biodiversity and to make your community a haven for native plants and wildlife.

On Saturday 4 February 2023, leading native bee taxonomist, the Australian Museum's Michael Batley and native bee ecologist and science communicator Amelie Vanderstock discussed the importance, beauty and diversity of Australia's wonderful native bees and share ways to bring them to your garden.

Learn five things about the gentle art of watching bees and discover practical tips on how to identify native bees and encourage bee populations in your garden and local area.

Michael Batley is one of only four Australian Bee taxonomists. Described as one of the “map makers of nature”, he has named over 40 new species of Native Bee.

For the last 20 years, following retirement from Macquarie University, Michael has volunteered at the Australian Museum, assisting with the curation of the Native Bee collection.

Amelie Vanderstock is a native bee ecologist, educator and musical performer. As a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney and Hokkaido University, Amelie researches the role of urban greenspaces for promoting pollinating insect biodiversity. She also researches how we can use garden-based education to grow ecological literacy amongst urban populations. Cross-pollinating music and science, Amelie creates original educational music on native bees and gardening for biodiversity as ‘Amelie Ecology’.

]]>

Five Things: How to create a thriving native garden

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Five Things is a series of talks by Australian ecology experts that offers real-world steps you can take to boost biodiversity and to make your community a haven for native plants and wildlife.

On Saturday 3 December 2022, proud Cudgenburra/Bundjalung man, landscaper and Gardening Australia presenter, Clarence Slockee, shared five practical ways to bring beautiful local blooms, birds and butterflies into your garden.

In this intimate session, Clarence busts the myth around the difficulty of growing native plants and explores the art of sustainable and empathetic gardening.

Clarence Slockee is a Cudgenburra/Bundjalung Aboriginal man with a long family history of bushmen, farmers and fishermen growing up in the lush Tweed Valley. Clarence intertwines his love of plants, education, culture, design and the arts into his role as Director of the 100% Aboriginal owned cultural landscape and design company, Jiwah.

For the past 10 years Clarence has been a familiar face on television screens across the nation as a presenter on ABC’s Gardening Australia. With regular segments on the TV series, he continues to educate people about medicinal, cultural and edible native plant species unique to the Australian landscape.

]]>

Five Things: How to help save the frogs

Sun, 05 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Five Things is a series of talks by Australian ecology experts that offers real-world steps you can take to boost biodiversity and to make your community a haven for native plants and wildlife.

On Saturday 5 November 2022, journalist and author, Ali Gripper, sat down with Dr Jodi Rowley for an intimate Q&A on Jodi’s life's work and to learn five things we can do to make our gardens frog-friendly.

Frogs play a crucial role in the balance of our ecosystems. Australia has over 240 known species of frog, almost all of which are found nowhere else in the world. With climate change robbing them of habitat, clean water and food sources, frogs are fighting for their lives.

Since 2017, Curator of the Australian Museum Herpetology Collection, Dr Jodi Rowley, has been championing the protection of frogs through citizen science app FrogID. Through people power, over 700,000 frogs have been documented, giving Jodi and her team of scientists an unprecedented picture of the lives and deaths of Aussie frogs.

Ali Gripper is the author of The Barefoot Surgeon, the biography of eye surgeon Dr Sanduk Ruit, who is restoring sight to the world's poor, published by Allen & Unwin.

She is a journalist and features writer with more than 25 years’ experience across publications such as The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and Country Stylemagazine.

Dr Jodi Rowley is the Curator of Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, leading the Herpetology department, at the Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum & Centre for Ecosystem Science, UNSW Sydney.

A biologist with a focus on amphibian diversity, ecology and conservation, Jodi is passionate about communicating biodiversity conservation. Her research seeks to uncover and document biodiversity, understand its drivers, and inform conservation decisions.

]]>

FrogID Week 2022 – over 32,000 frog records gathered for research and conservation

Nadiah Roslan — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +1100

FrogID Week has once again rapidly gathered data for frog conservation, receiving more than 3 frog records per minute and gathering more than 32,000 frog records from over 4,600 concerned citizen scientists. We are also excited to announce our Top Frogger of 2022!

The Australian Museum’s annual FrogID Week event produces a fundamental dataset for understanding and conserving Australia’s unique frog species. These expert-verified frog records now form part of the national FrogID dataset, which thanks to tens of thousands of FrogID participants across Australia, is helping advance frog research and conservation in Australia like never before.

Australia has 246 native species of frog, many of which are in decline. One of the biggest impediments to frog conservation is lack of knowledge on these small and elusive animals. FrogID is the Australian Museum’s national citizen science project that aims to help address these knowledge gaps, allowing anyone with a smartphone to record and submit frog calls through the free FrogID app. Every recording is listened to by one or more frog call experts at the Australian Museum. Once verified, these scientific frog records help build a better understanding of where frogs are distributed across Australia, when they breed, and what habitats they need to help them survive.

FrogID Week is the FrogID project’s annual snapshot of frogs calling across Australia which commenced in November 2018. The fifth FrogID Week was held during 11-20 November 2022 and was once again the most rapid collection of data on frogs in the world. In fact, the 13th of November was when 4,918 frogs were recorded in just 24 hours - that’s over three frog records per minute! By building a robust year-on-year dataset, repeat FrogID Week events form a vital component of frog conservation in Australia and enable scientists and land-managers to detect trends and changes in frog populations over time.

FrogID Week 2022 saw 4,684 participants submitting more than 17,700 frog call recordings, resulting in more than 32,000 scientific records of frogs! This represents around 4% of the FrogID dataset to date, which has remarkably gathered more than 800,000 scientific records of frogs in just five years. The expert-verified, continental-scale dataset is like no other and is thanks to the efforts of FrogID citizen scientists, many of whom brave challenging outdoor conditions to record frog calls for FrogID.

An incredible 111 frog species were recorded during FrogID Week 2022, representing just under half (45%) of all frog species in Australia. Frogs recorded during FrogID Week 2022 include the Endangered Fleay’s Barred Frog (Mixophyes fleayi) from the ranges of northern New South Wales, and the Critically Endangered Kuranda Tree Frog (Litoria myola) from the wet tropical rainforests of north Queensland. Threats impacting these species include disease, damage to habitat from feral animals, urban development, and drought. Every FrogID recording adds value to our understanding of frogs in Australia and what is required to better protect them.

The data generated by annual FrogID Week events have become an increasingly important resource for understanding and conserving Australia’s frog species. More than 96,300 frog records have been gathered through the past five FrogID Week events and thousands of new participants sign up to the project each year. Since 2017, a total of 13 scientific publications have been produced by the FrogID team at the Australian Museum Research Institute and the FrogID dataset has been utilised and cited by numerous other national and international publications. Without the incredible number of people participating in FrogID, these studies and their advancement of frog ecology and conservation would not be possible. While FrogID Week 2022 may be over, FrogID continues year-round, so please keep the FrogID app handy and help us continue to fill important data gaps through every recording.

Congratulations to our FrogID Week 2022 Top Frogger

We would like to thank and congratulate Matt L from the northwest of the Northern Territory for winning our FrogID Week 2022 Top Frogger competition by submitting a total of 566 recordings, resulting in 1522 frog records. Matt has won a FrogID™ Week pin, T-Shirt, cap, keep cup, FrogID snap cards and an Australian Museum Shop Gift Card valued at A$100. Matt was closely followed by Bryan West and Henry Lewis with 286 and 254 FrogID recordings respectively. We appreciate all the incredible efforts during FrogID Week 2022 and thank everyone for taking part.

]]>

Tiny specimens: Restoring the Museum's smallest specimens

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Think you have a steady hand? Try cleaning the bristles of a 2mm-long fly.

When she was hired, the Collection Care and Conservation team had no idea that their new conservator was an old hand at working with tiny things. In a previous life as a visual artist, Clare Kim created her works using a magnifying glass – miniature pencil drawings of morphing, textual shapes. Now in the lab at the Australian Museum, Clare once again brings her steady hand and lasersharp concentration to minute objects – this time, insect specimens under a microscope.

Clare is undertaking a special job as part of the Museum’s Collection Enhancement Project. Working closely with scientists in the Entomology Collection, Clare is assessing and treating the Museum’s tiniest specimens and preparing them to be photographed for their new digital record. Three years into the project and Clare has examined hundreds of entomology specimens, often just millimetres long, to discern whether they need treatment or if they can be stabilised without excessive intervention.

“There are different reasons as to why we’d be assessing a specimen,” Clare says.

“We assess the specimens first to ascertain whether or not they need treatment. Treatment comes with risks. So, if a beetle has lost a leg, for example, but scientists can still study it in parts, the beetle and its leg can simply be safely re-mounted. We will avoid undertaking further intervention if we can.”

The accumulation of verdigris on some specimens is a primary problem. Verdigris is the blue-green substance that seeps out of metal alloys. In museum specimens, a reaction can take place between an old pin that fastens an insect to its label, and the fats and oils from the specimen itself. The result is verdigris and, if left untreated, it can build up and break the fragile creature into pieces.

“We remove the pin. Then we clean the verdigris off the specimen and insert a replacement pin made from stainless steel, or use a conservation-grade adhesive to stick it to a card, if that’s what the entomology team prefers. Every specimen is different!” Fungal growth is another big problem for these little bugs – spores can become active and destroy the specimen. Any fungal growth must be cleaned off. “This is very satisfying,” says Clare with a laugh. “It’s like I’m giving them a shower.”

Cephalogryllus tau) specimen.' />

Australian Museum entomologist Dr Shane McEvey is clearly appreciative of Clare’s skill and patience. “Clare has been tasked with repairing insects in “the hospital drawer,” he says, referring to the specimens that have been damaged while on loan to other institutions for study, or have been identified as being in danger of degradation.

“Cleaning and rearticulating minute animals comes with risks. In flies, the bristles are very important, as they’re often the feature that is used to identify a species. Thinner than a human hair, bristles are incredibly fragile. The work must be done under a microscope, and with extraordinary care and skill,” he says.

When Clare has finished her work, she will photograph the newly cleaned and mounted insect from all angles. A technical officer will transcribe its label – sometimes hand-written a hundred years ago when the specimen was collected – and together this data will create a digital record that will last forever. In this way, scientists all over the world can continue to study the amazing biodiversity of our planet, far into the future.

Entomologist Russell Cox sees Clare’s careful work as an artform in itself. “Watching Clare restore a centuryold specimen brings to mind an artist reconditioning a Rembrandt painting; these are the same skills and expertise she uses to breathe life back into a diminished butterfly,” he says.

]]>

New acquisition: Stephen’s Banded Snake

Dane Trembath — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Throughout the year, the Australian Museum receives generous donations of biological specimens from a range of donors. These specimens help to grow and supplement the already existing natural science collections. Donors range from government departments and universities to members of the general public. The majority of these specimens are found dead as roadkill. With the growth in social media, a lot of these events are now being captured and shared to promote safety for animals and drivers when on the road. It’s within these forums that there appears to be a growing number of people calling for rare and interesting roadkill to be documented in the Australian Museum collections. We are very grateful for the help of these citizen scientists, as our small staff simply cannot be everywhere to record Australia’s biodiversity and its changes over time.

This year the Australian Museum Herpetology Department travelled nine hours to the Border Ranges, on the New South Wales and Queensland border, to collect a specimen of the threatened Stephen’s Banded Snake (Hoplocephalus stephensii) that had been hit by a car and died. Thanks to a local naturalist who recognised that the snake was unusual, the specimen was collected and kept frozen until our scientists could retrieve it. This species is an inhabitant of coastal forests in NSW and Queensland, where it faces the threat of continued habitat loss and may also have been affected by the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires.

This species was described by the Museum’s first curator Gerard Krefft in 1869 in his book Snakes of Australia: An Illustrated and Descriptive Catalogue of All the Known Species. When a species is first described the description is based on an original specimen, which in turn is deemed the “holotype”. The Australian Museum still holds the original Stephen’s Banded Snake that Gerard Krefft examined over 150 years ago.

The Australian Museum Herpetology Department takes pride in retrieving and preparing these specimens for the collection as each roadkill is an important scientific observation that is otherwise lost.

]]>

Aboriginal boomerangs and King Tutankhamun

Dr Stan Florek — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +1100

In 1910, Gaston Maspero (1846-1916), a French Egyptologist who was still developing and overseeing the Cairo Museum, sent two Egyptian throwing sticks to the Australian Museum. These sticks are from the site of Gourna (Qurna) village on the west bank, opposite the modern city of Luxor, and believed to be from the 18th Dynasty (1550-1292 BCE).

They “are not real weapons,” wrote Maspero, but votive objects “which the Egyptians put into the tomb for their dead to carry with them.” His intention was to exchange the throwing sticks for two Aboriginal boomerangs, as a comparative reference. “If you could send us in exchange one or two specimens of Australian Boomerangs, we would be thankful for the gift.”

In 1911, William Thorpe, then in charge of the Ethnology Collection at the Australian Museum, sent two boomerangs to the Museum in Cairo - one from the Menzies District of Western Australia, and the other from Arrente Country of Central Australia. It is not fully known whether consent of the First Nations Peoples was obtained, and this is yet another example of the frequent disregard at that time for Indigenous Peoples’ rights across the world.

The Aboriginal boomerangs were placed “in the same case in which we have our own Egyptian Boomerangs for comparison” wrote Mespero. It is interesting how the specific Aboriginal language word “boomerang” was readily adopted – and indeed bandied around – for similar-looking objects in other parts of the world. However, the visitors to Cairo Museum could see that compared to votive throwing sticks, Aboriginal boomerangs were often longer, wider, heavier, and with finished surfaces.

Throwing sticks (resembling a boomerang) are depicted in numerous bird-hunting scenes from the Old Kingdom through to at least the Eighteenth Dynasty. Some scholars speculate if such hunting was a “sport”, an activity with ritualistic intention, or purely an economic activity. It appears that fowling in the marshes has an important role in the lives of New Kingdom (c.1550-1069 BCE) rulers. In fact, the tombs of kings Tutankhamun (c. 1341–1323 BCE) and Ay (ruled possibly 1323–1319 BCE) have been decorated with fowling scenes where throw sticks are depicted. Amenhotep II (c. 1427–1401 BCE) and Tutankhamun had throwing sticks included in their burials. It is interesting that modern replicas of these sticks perform their role as well as Aboriginal boomerangs. They fly a fair distance parallel to the ground in a generally straight line.

Throwing sticks of various types were known and used by people since time immemorial across all inhabited continents. The long perseverance of the throwing stick in Egypt would add some credence to the theory of its symbolic, ritualistic and or leisure function.

From my correspondence with Egyptologists associated with Cairo Museum, I learned that in 1967 the Aboriginal boomerangs were transferred to the Tutankhamun collection in order to use as comparisons for the throwing sticks that were found in his tomb. Recently, the head of the Tutankhamun collection located the Aboriginal boomerangs that have been, for decades, stored in a cupboard within the room where Tutankhamen's mask is displayed. And the boomerangs are exhibited again for the public viewing in a display broadly similar to this originally devised by Maspero in 1911 – in fact, they are the only non-Egyptian artefacts in the Museum in Cairo.

Even these snippets of the boomerang’s history remind us how human cultures are globally intertwined and linked through astonishingly complex and old networks of connections. The throwing stick persisted in Melanesia, prominently in the Solomon Islands, but neither it nor the bow with arrow was adopted by Polynesians. The study of cross-cultural similarities and differences in World Cultures collections can help us understand humanity, with its deep history and complex affinities intertwined in diversity.

]]>

Progress Shark

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +1100

As part of Sydney WorldPride’s Rainbow City, we have transformed our iconic shark statue in support and recognition of the LGBTQIA+ community, with the help of Sydney artist George Buchanan. Located at the entry to the Museum on College Street and overlooking William Street, Progress Shark pays tribute to the trailblazers of the first Mardi Gras Parade, then called “Day of International Gay Solidarity”, which took place in Sydney in 1978.

Today the Australian Museum stands in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community and prides itself on being a place where everyone can explore the richness of life, the Earth and culture in Australia and the Pacific.

Rainbow City is an initiative by Sydney WorldPride to transform Greater Sydney into a rainbow wonderland to celebrate the festival. Over Sydney WorldPride, 45 free public artworks will be unveiled to mark 45 years of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

To see the full line-up of rainbow monuments visit sydneyworldpride.com/rainbow-city/. Sydney WorldPride runs from Friday 17 February and until Sunday 5 March.

]]>

New acquisition: The Coughran Crayfish Collection

Professor Shane Ahyong — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Most of us know yabbies (Cherax destructor), the hardy (and delicious) freshwater crayfishes that abound in inland rivers and farm dams throughout inland Australia. Lesser known are their cousins, the spiny freshwater crayfishes of the genus Euastacus that keep to themselves in cool, forested and sheltered bush creeks of eastern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and parts of South Australia. The 54 currently known species are endemic to Australia.

Spiny crayfishes are often vividly coloured and covered in spines. Their species have narrow geographic ranges, often living only in a single river or creek catchment. They grow slowly and require cool, high-quality water. Because of these characteristics, spiny crayfishes are highly susceptible to habitat destruction and climate change, making them a priority for conservation efforts and further scientific research.

During the 2019–2020 megafires that swept eastern Australia, many species of spiny crayfish had their geographic distribution burnt out. In the early 2000s, ecologist and conservationist Dr Jason Coughran made important research collections of spiny crayfishes in northern NSW rainforests.

The collection of about 100 lots, held at Southern Cross University, Lismore, was recently offered to the Australian Museum to ensure its longevity and to make it accessible to other researchers. In April 2022, our team was able to avoid the floods and retrieve the collection. Significantly, it contains many specimens from remote, very difficult-to-access rainforest localities.

]]>

Banana blood worms invade the deep sea

Dr Pat Hutchings — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Blood worms occur in estuarine areas and are commonly used for bait by recreational fishers all around the world. In a world first, three new species of blood worm have been found in deep sea sunken vegetation, off the coast of Papua New Guinea. So how did these species evolve?

Until recently, blood worms (Marphysa spp.) have only been found in estuarine areas where they are dug up for fish bait, either for personal use or for commercial sale – making blood worms an extraordinarily valuable resource. In Australia, six species have been described and more are in the pipeline.

Dr Pat Hutchings, Senior Fellow at the Australian Museum, and Dr Nicolas Lavesque were amazed when sorting through deep water samples, collected in the Bismarck and Solomon seas off eastern Papua New Guinea, that they found three different species of Marphysa living in amongst banana leaves and dead wood.

All the worms were collected from depths of 273-1200 metres during cruises operated by the French Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) and by the French Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), in collaboration with the University of Papua New Guinea. These specimens were housed in the museum in Paris but some of these specimens are now housed in the Australian Museum marine invertebrates collection.

To date, no other species of Marphysa have ever been collected at such depths – there are 83 species known worldwide, with 15 known from the central Indo-Pacific. Typically, they are found in soft sediments in estuarine or shallow protected areas, at depths less than 10 metres.

This discovery (recently published by Pat, Nicolas and co-authors in Zookeys) raised the question of how these three unique species evolved. They are morphologically and genetically distinct from other Indo-Pacific species. The reason for this difference might relate to micro-environments. Following heavy storms, debris from rivers may have washed into the ocean, and pushed into deep-sea floor beds. Over time, this isolated environmental niche may have encouraged these unusual species to evolve. Currently, we have limited knowledge of intertidal and shallow-water bloodworm species in this region of Papua New Guinea or northern Australia, and there are no records of deep-water species of this genus off the east coast of Australia.

Superficially, all blood worms look similar. Careful inspection of the structure of their gills and bristle types can differentiate between the species. These three new species all have very different types of pectinate chaetae, but we have no idea how these chaetae evolved. Why does one species have chaetae with abundant teeth whereas another has only a few? For now, this is a mystery.

Pat and Nicolas also undertook molecular studies and were able to obtain sequences from two of the new species. They form a discrete clade with a species M. regalis, which was found off the coast of Bermuda (Clade 1). This clade is very distant to Clade 2 (below) which includes all other species of Marphysa for which molecular data is available. Therefore, these new species from PNG are genetically distant from the Australian species for which we have molecular data (M. bifurcata, M. fauchaldi, M. kristiani, M. mullawa, M. pseudosessiloa). Far more molecular data is needed to completely resolve the relationships of the 83 known species to each other, and such a study may result in the splitting of the genus which was divided into groups by Fauchald (1970).

We hope that this study will encourage our colleagues working around the world to venture further offshore, especially where vegetation is washed out of rivers or the land and is pushed into deeper water by currents or storm events. This study continues to highlight the amazing diversity of worms that still need to be described in our region, even in such large worms which are highly prized for fish bait.

Dr Pat Hutchings, Senior Fellow, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum.

Dr Nicolas Lavesque, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, Station Marine d’Arcachon, Arcachon, France CNRS.

]]>

Delivering innovative options for modern conservation

Kate Smith — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Who Dr Dana M. Bergstrom, Australian Antarctic Division and University of Wollongong

Winner of the 2021 Eureka Prize for Leadership in Innovation and Science

Was a career in Antarctic science always on your mind, or did you think you would pursue something else when you were younger?

I was one of those weird kids who knew that I wanted to be a scientist by year 5 and an ecologist by year 12. In year 5, my classmates laughed at me, but I ignored them. My high school teachers thought I would follow my big sister, Danelle Bergstrom, into art. They had only seen my more flamboyant male peers dominate in maths or physics, and not tracked my passion for biology.

Professional art pursuits, however, supported me through my Bachelor of Science and Master of Science at university, and are skills I call on to assist me in communicating science. I wrote the script for a professional musical, now called Antarctica, Beneath the Storm, and assisted with the puppet making. The story is about a female penguin biologist who travels to Antarctica for the first time and comes face to face with the reality of climate change.

Much of your work is focused on the impact of humans in Antarctica. Can you tell us a bit about the true extent of these impacts?

The most impact from humans in Antarctica is through climate change — nowhere on Earth is immune from current climate change. Antarctica is both sensitive to climate change and is also the elephant in the room with regard to scale of impacts it will have on the rest of the planet, especially in terms of sea level rise and potential impacts to the ocean conveyor belt. At a regional level, we are seeing both long term and short-term changes to ecosystems, with various impacts such as long-term drying and short-term heatwaves, and even rain. We are tracking signs of ecosystem collapse and all penguin species are facing an uncertain future.

Other impacts are from local activities. Although the disturbance footprint from human across the continent is small (collectively, the equivalent of 22 Melbourne Cricket Grounds), most activity is on the tiny ice-free areas on the coast and creates conflict with the local biota. But some stations, like New Zealand's Scott Base is now being rebuilt with a smaller footprint.

You’ve identified awareness, anticipation and action as being crucial to conserving the natural world. Can you unpack these principles for us?

The 3A's is a simple yet powerful way to plan environmental management no matter what level you are at, be it a government department, non-governmental organisation or local Landcare group.

What are the most challenging aspects of your work?

The most challenging aspect is having knowledge of what is coming down the line with regard to climate change, ecosystem collapse, loss of species, build-up of plastics, impact of non-native species and so forth. The world is not moving fast enough to prevent further damage to our food and water systems, and to the natural world. However, there is a short window of time to take steps towards a less ghastly future. But seriously, it is time to press the panic button!

What advice might you have for young female researchers trying to carve their own path?

Alas, it is still tough, and precariousness of science jobs makes it even harder. But I think some aspects are getting better. The number of wonderful female Eureka Prizes finalists demonstrates this! There will still be times when you are dumped upon, not listened to in a meeting, your ideas taken by others, your work not recognised. But travel through this as authentically as you can. Be an ally to all. Support diversity and recognise others' contributions. At the end of the day, you get to sleep soundly. And in the morning, leap up, knowing your path is one of curiosity and learning and that is so rewarding.

What are you working on right now?

So many things! Antarctic biodiversity conservation, the impact of climate change, some long-term Antarctic science planning. And always telling exciting science stories.

]]>

Why sharks? Why now?

Trevor Ahearn — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +1100

By learning a little about sharks, we’re better equipped to take care of Earth’s biodiversity. Sharks are among the most fascinating animals on the planet.

Rhincodon typus' />

They have been shaped through time by their environments and have survived five mass extinctions. As ancient as they are, they bristle with senses and are as elusive as the most high-tech of modern technology. They are mysterious and awe inspiring, and have captured the imagination of humans forever. They are respected and revered by traditional knowledge holders. Shark motifs appear in countless artworks and objects throughout the world, but especially in our region; Australia and the Pacific. Sharks are kin, they are teachers and guardians. They care for and protect people and culture. In return people must care for and protect them. It’s for all of these reasons that the Australian Museum spent three years building the exhibition Sharks.

There are about 500 species of sharks and they belong to a broad family of fish that includes rays and chimeras who all have cartilage instead of bones. The difference between a shark and a ray is that the ray’s gills are on its underside, facing directly down. They differ from chimeras because the chimera has only a single gill slit on each side. Sharks themselves are very diverse with new species still being discovered. Many ancient sharks looked very different to our modern sharks. There were sharks with bizarre teeth arrangements like the Helicoprion, which puzzled scientists for decades. The biggest fish that ever lived was the Megalodon, which grew to a length of 18m.

It was a relatively recent shark living only about 20 million years ago. As the world changed, environments changed and sharks adapted. Adapting to a changing world is something sharks have been very successful at. We can tell from fossils that sharks maintained a basic body plan from very early on. This basic plan has seen sharks through the shifting of continents, the catastrophic strike of comets and the waxing and waning of ice ages. However, they may not survive humans – damaging our world is something humans have been very good at.

A foundational block in the Jenga tower of Earth’s biodiversity

Why should we care if sharks live or die? They are an apex predator, after all – wouldn’t removing them from the ocean simply allow other species to flourish? The answer is no – and this is the heart of biodiversity. Biodiversity is the Earth’s most important and complex feature – it’s what makes Earth, Earth. It is the ancient interplay between the planet’s millions of species, from bacteria in the soil to birds on the wing, that maintains a functional physical environment.

So, where do sharks fit in? Sitting at the top of the food chain, their existence underpins entire ecosystems. Sharks prey on smaller predators. In open water, when sharks are removed, their prey overpopulate and reduce the numbers of smaller herbivorous fish, which in turn allows algae to become overgrown. In some circumstances, like a coral reef, this can cause total collapse. Meanwhile, in seagrass meadows, sharks preserve the habitats of crustaceans and small fish by controlling populations of turtles and dugongs that would overpopulate and overgraze seagrass if sharks were removed. When the seagrass is gone, the ecosystem is destroyed. Seagrass and seaweed are also major carbon absorbers – the destruction of the ocean’s flora by unchecked populations of herbivores means more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and a fast-track to global warming. No species lives in isolation, including humans. Take out sharks and the balance of oceans falls down, as does the fishing industry, the containment of carbon in the water, the Jenga tower of life as we know it.

A challenge to learn more and act on what we know

The Australian Museum chose sharks as the topic of the 2022-23 blockbuster exhibition because they give us a clear example of our impact and opportunity in the natural world. As the apex predator for so many ecosystems, their removal will have dramatic consequences for life. Simply removing a top predator can turn rich areas into deserts. On the flip side, the measures needed to save sharks will help many more species and habitats. If we focus on sharks we can understand a global problem and imagine global solutions.

]]>

Our time at sea: Discovering the biodiversity of the Indian Ocean Territories

Claire Rowe — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +1100

A team of scientists from the Australian Museum, CSIRO, Museums Victoria Research Institute and Western Australian Museum have recently completed their voyage on CSIRO’s research vessel (RV) Investigator. Find out how this expedition helped uncover secrets of the deep seamounts of the Indian Ocean Territories (IOT).

What is a seamount?

A seamount is an undersea mountain, typically formed by an extinct volcano arising from the seafloor. There are numerous deep seamounts around the Indian Ocean Territories (IOT). However, until now, have been completely unexplored, despite some reaching heights of 4,000 metres above the seafloor and up to 70 kilometres in diameter. To put this in perspective, Australia’s Mount Kosciuszko sits at only 2,200 m height (albeit above sea level), making some of these seamounts the largest mountains in Australian territory. The geological structures of deep seamounts provide a unique habitat for marine life, making them rich in biodiversity. Located around Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands, it is incredible that these seamounts have never been mapped or explored. So, a team from the Australian Museum joined scientists from around Australia on CSIRO’s research vessel (RV) Investigator to map and sample life on these seamounts and create baseline data for this unknown environment.

Why do we collect?

Collecting specimens during an expedition is vital, not only in documenting the overall biodiversity of an area (for example, describing species new to science in the IOT) but also in informing decisions around future conservation management. Additionally, having these specimens stored in museum collections allows for future scientific research; whether researchers need to study species morphology or genetics (as both are collected at a singular point in time), or help in addressing taxonomic concerns, and queries around extinction rates or climate change. Museum specimens provide invaluable data from a range of locations over time – yet so much is still unknown.

How do you collect?

Our voyage was able to provide this baseline data for deep seamounts within the IOT. However, we faced a challenge. How do you collect animals from these seamounts, the base of which can reach 5,000 m depth? We deployed beam trawls or Sherman epibenthic sleds off the rear of the ship and down to the depths below. These devices were towed along the seafloor, collecting animals in their path, before slowly being brought to the surface and on board the ship. The process of collecting the deep-sea animals and bringing them aboard allows the scientists to be hands-on and carefully study the animals, including identifying the animals to species, and extracting DNA to determine how species may be related to each other. And what an amazing array of animals were found!

What did we find?

The scientists on board the RV Investigator specialised in different animal groups, including marine worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fishes, and even slimy sea cucumbers. My specialty is jellyfish, and during this voyage we collected a total of 16 individuals that covered at least 3 different families. The most exciting jellyfish from this voyage belongs to the genus Atolla, which is typically found in the open ocean at depths below 100m, so you would never find it while swimming or washed up on the beach. Some other incredible marine invertebrates that were collected include squat lobsters (Munidopsidae), blind lobsters (Polychelidae), sea stars (Asteroidea) and even a couple of unusual sea cucumbers commonly called “sea pigs” (Elasipodida). Additionally, we collected a wide range of fishes including coffin fish (Chaunax sp.), the scary lizard fish (Bathysaurus mollis), and tripod fish (Bathypterois sp.) that can stand above the seafloor perched on their thin stilt-like fins. It seemed that each deep-sea creature that came up was slightly more unusual than the one collected before it.

Finally, on this trip we mapped the seafloor in 3D, allowing us to study the seamounts including their width, depth, and geological structures. Although previous surveys had captured some depth mapping, this was the first detailed deep-sea bathymetry map of the area. This was done through a high-tech sonar system that allowed CSIRO's Geophysical Survey and Mapping (GSM) team to create incredible images of two main seamounts. This included the seamount that the Cocos (Keeling) Islands sit on top of, and Muirfield Seamount, appropriately named after the ship that ran aground on the shallowest point of the seamount at only 16m depth. Knowing the bathymetry of these seamounts informs the locals of Cocos (Keeling) Islands about their environment, but more significantly gives us a very detailed information about these seamounts, both located within two of Australia’s newest marine parks.

Fly through video of Muirfield seamount (CSIRO).

Fly through video of seamounts Cocos (Keeling) (CSIRO).

As AMRI scientists on board the RV Investigator, we were honoured to be part of the voyage to the unknown and help solve some of the biodiversity mysteries of the seamounts belonging to the IOT. The specimens collected as part of this voyage have been dispersed between museum collections around Australia and will be vital for marine research both now and in the future.

Dr Claire Rowe, Technical Officer, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum.

]]>

New acquisition: Papa He’e Nalu Hawaiian surfboards

Logan Metcalfe — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +1100

I first had the opportunity to engage with Tom Pohaku Stone five years ago when I called on him at his home in Oahu, Hawaii. Tom is a softly spoken practitioner of customary surfing and a Kahuna Kālai Papa he’e nalu – an expert in surfboard construction. He described his observations on surfing and traditional techniques of working with endemic wood and I recognised his deep passion for the cultural practices of his Hawaiian homeland. Years later, the AM Pasifika team was very pleased to commission four of his Papa he’e nalu for our collection.

Handmade from Redwood and Ulu (breadfruit tree) with immense skill and care, the Papa he’e nalu display the diversity of form and purpose of Hawaiian surfboards and the unique cultural practices of the island. In Hawaii, surfing has a direct link with Ali’i (high chiefs). More of a cultural practice than a sport as it is in western nations, there is an inherent spirituality attached to surfing, and an association with flying like birds over the ocean.

The Australian Museum holds approximately 160 objects associated with the Hawaiian Islands including the Kalani’ ōpu’u’s cape and Mahiole helmet replicas, canoes, fishing hooks and trumpet shells. The surfboards complement these highly valued items that relate to life in the Pacific.

By juxtaposing traditional and contemporary themes, we seek to invite the audience to reflect upon the power and gravitas inherent in the objects, and the way in which that power continues to resonate in contemporary communities.

]]>

Out now! New book to identify abundant, diverse and striking decapod crustaceans

Professor Shane Ahyong — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Crabs, lobsters and prawns are familiar to most people as seafood but these decapod crustaceans are also very important at all steps in the food chain. Few realise just how many different types there are and how difficult it can be to identify them. A newly published book provides tools for the task!

When most people think of a crustacean, they think of a decapod. Know it or not, you’ve probably seen or even eaten a decapod crustacean – maybe at a Christmas lunch. Mud Crabs, Blue Swimmers, Rock Lobsters and King Prawns are certainly some of the best-known decapods because they are popular seafood, but they are by far not the only ones. In fact, some 15,000 species of decapods occur around the world, with new species discovered almost daily.

What are decapod crustaceans?

Crustaceans have a body covered by a hard exoskeleton (shell) with many articulated segments, jointed limbs and two pairs of antennae. As decapods, they also have a carapace (main shell covering the front half or most of the body), a tail section with usually seven segments and, as their formal name Decapoda (Latin for ten feet) suggests, five pairs of limbs – of which one or more pairs are usually pincers. Despite these commonalities, decapods sport an amazing array of very different forms, lifestyles and sizes. They include tiny crabs fully grown at only 2–3 millimetres in shell length to the largest known arthropod, the Giant Japanese Spider Crab with a shell length of 370 mm long and leg span of 4 metres.

In nature, decapods are both predator and prey. Most roam or swim freely, but many are commensals on corals and sponges, and some are parasitic inside mussels and oysters. Some have even become serious invasive pests in parts of the world, such as the European Shore Crab (Carcinus maenas), which has been introduced to North America, Australia and Japan. Some species live on land or in freshwater creeks and rivers but most are marine, found from the shore down to ocean depths exceeding 7,000m. Apart from familiar crabs, there are long tailed swimming forms such as shrimps and prawns, armoured crawling forms like yabbies, crayfish and lobsters, the slender burrowers such as mud lobsters and ghost shrimp (often used as fishing bait, under name ‘nippers’), and peculiar hermit crabs, which carry snail shells as a portable hideout.

How do we classify decapods?

Decapods are classified into 12 major subdivisions called suborders and infraorders, each containing a series of nested groups called families, followed by genera (singular: genus) and species. For example, the Blue Swimmer Crab (Portunus armatus) and Flower Crab (Portunus pelagicus) are species in the genus Portunus, within the family Portunidae and infraorder Brachyura (the major subdivision containing true crabs). At present, there are some 189 families and more than 2,100 genera of marine decapods worldwide. Being abundant, diverse, of conspicuous size and often strikingly coloured, decapods are very often met by students, researchers, naturalists, divers, fishers and almost anyone visiting the sea. Because of their sheer diversity however, decapods can be difficult to identify for specialists and non-specialists alike.

New publication!

In identifying and documenting decapods for our scientific work and assisting students and co-workers, my colleague Dr Gary Poore (Museums Victoria Research Institute) and I have often relied on our own unpublished research knowledge or had to consult numerous (often obscure) scientific papers inaccessible to most non-specialists. Knowing where to start with identifying an unknown decapod can be a daunting proposition, especially with no single source with worldwide scope. To this end, we embarked on a major collaboration several years ago to create a single volume identification guide, now newly published as Marine Decapod Crustacea: a Guide to Families and Genera of the World. The book synthesises knowledge of the taxonomy of all marine decapods and provides dichotomous identification keys to all marine families and genera worldwide. We introduce the reader to the anatomical features used for distinguishing decapods, include short diagnoses and illustrations for each family and genus, summarise knowledge of biology, depth and geographic distributions, and show living colours with hundreds of photos.

Our main aim is to provide the tools to identify decapods and to stimulate further research and public interest, as well as showcase these amazing animals. Decapods have held our interest for decades, and hopefully we can open some eyes to see why we find them so compelling!

Professor Shane Ahyong, Head, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Catching prawns in the abyss

Dr Penny Berents — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +1100

The deep sea is the most common habitat on our planet – but we know more about the moon than our own ocean. Dr Penny Berents, Senior Fellow at the Australian Museum, who was recently onboard the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator, delves into the complexities of sampling in the deep sea.

Imagine you have been asked to find out what lives on the floor of a rainforest. Easy, you go for a walk and look for animals and plants living on the forest floor, in the leaf litter and under logs. Now imagine that you have to do this from a helicopter 5 kilometres up in the air, in the dark with no view of the forest floor. This is the challenge of sampling in the deep sea.

We have recently completed our voyage on the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator, where scientists from CSIRO, the Australian Museum, Museums Victoria Research Institute and Western Australian Museum studied the biodiversity of seamounts from 100 metres to abyssal depths of more than 5000 metres. These surveys are vital to understand the unknown biodiversity of newly established marine parks near the Cocos Keeling Islands and Christmas Island in Australia’s Indian Ocean Territories, and to inform current and future conservation policies.

The sea floor is 5000m below in dark, cold water. However, we were not completely in the dark – we were able to map the sea floor before we sampled, thanks to the multi-beam mapping capability of the RV Investigator. Multi-beam mapping uses sound waves to map the sea floor. Sound waves are transmitted in a fan shaped pattern from an array under the ship, and depth is calculated by measuring the time taken for the sound to leave and return to the array. The intensity of the signal reveals information about the nature of the seafloor, such as a muddy or rocky bottom.

Before sampling with a net or a dredge, the area of interest was checked to find a suitable site for study. Rocky or uneven bottom topography was not suitable for sampling with a beam trawl (which could become tangled or caught). The beam trawl is a small net held open by a four-metre beam, which is pulled along the seafloor behind the ship. Tickler chains scraped the seafloor and disturbed animals which swam up into the water column, where they were caught in the cod end of the net. A second smaller mesh (500 microns), called a Gandalf net, was mounted on the top of the beam trawl to catch some of the smaller animals which were washed through the larger mesh of the beam trawl.

Another sampling tool we used on board was the Sherman epibenthic sled, which scraped the sea floor and caught animals in the cod end of a net strung out behind. The ship towed the sled or trawl at a speed of about 2 knots for a distance of 1-2km along the sea floor. Huge winches carrying kilometres of wire were required. For example, more than 7000m of wire must be paid out to deploy the beam trawl at 5000m. A successful trawl tests the skill and teamwork of the ship’s crew, the mapping team and scientists to keep the trawl or sled on the bottom and to avoid tangles and underwater features that could foul the net or sled.

The position of the trawl or sled on the seafloor was tracked with an Ultra-Short Baseline system (USBL). A transponder mounted on the sampling device received an acoustic pulse from a transceiver under the ship and sent an acoustic pulse back to the ship. The distance and bearing of the sampler could then be calculated. The trawl or the sled was winched up from the sea floor and the catch brought on deck.

Once the gear was safely secured by the deck crew, the scientific team eagerly examined the catch on deck. The catch, which included fish, corals, prawns, shrimps, worms, jellyfish, crabs and echinoderms was sorted as quickly as possible and carried below deck to the lab for identification and preservation. To prevent tissue and DNA degradation, it was important to keep the animals cool when the temperature on deck was 27ºC and the animals had come from abyssal depths of 5ºC. The samples were kept on ice while sorted, identified, counted, registered, labelled and photographed. The lab was a production line, with each scientist in the team having a specialised role in identifying particular animals but also assisting with all the steps in the process. A big sample could take our invertebrate team of seven scientists up to six hours to complete the processing. The fish team had a similar system to identify and register the fish collected in the beam trawl.

The collections will be deposited in the Australian Museum, Museums Victoria, Australian National Fish Collection, Western Australian Museum, South Australian Museum and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, where they will be used by scientists to study the biodiversity of seamounts and the abyss of the Indian Ocean Territories.

Dr Penny Berents, Senior Fellow, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum.

]]>

Norfolk Island expedition: Understanding a South Pacific jewel

Paul Flemons, Meagan Warwick — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia is Norfolk Island, a small island with a big history and unique biodiversity. Norfolk Island was chosen by the Australian Museum for its 2022-2024 expedition – the first phase of which has just been completed.

The word “expedition” evokes many images – from famous explorers of the Antarctic to Indiana Jones.

Expeditions are an opportunity to collect specimens, describe new species and study the incredible biodiversity of this planet – expeditions provide us with a snapshot in time of how our biodiversity is tracking, and how we can conserve it. Key to the success of expeditions is community support, knowledge, and engagement – community know their own backyard best, and their support amplifies the outcomes from scientific surveys.

In October and November 2022, Australian Museum scientists, in collaboration with the Norfolk Island community, Parks Australia, the Australian Institute of Botanical Science and the Auckland War Memorial Museum, completed Phase One of the Norfolk Island expedition. Our scientists conducted terrestrial biodiversity surveys of both native and introduced flora and fauna which involved teams from mammalogy, ornithology, herpetology, entomology and arachnology alongside botanists, and an archaeological team. The aim of the three-year expedition is to better understand the existing and evolving ecological landscape of the island, study its more remote biodiversity and help inform future management plans for the animals and plants that call it home.

Why do we go on expeditions?

Norfolk Island is largely underrepresented in the Australian Museum’s collections, so the expedition provides an opportunity to learn more about threatened species and those new to science, to study how pest species such as invasive rodents are affecting the island’s biodiversity, and how we can monitor these effects in future. We cannot conserve what we do not know!

Expeditions don’t happen overnight – they are a complex and multifaceted undertaking involving years of planning and collaboration. An integral part of the process is consulting with multiple scientific teams and community ensuring knowledge exchange between organisations, community and scientific teams, including senior scientists training junior scientists in field methodologies.

Working with community

Local communities offer a wealth of knowledge of locations, species and stories. Respecting and engaging the local community in the expedition means this knowledge and our science work together to ensure we learn as much as possible about the culture and history of the area.

Prior to our arrival, we designed and promoted a week-long community engagement program. Our scientists kicked off the expedition with an opening night event at Rawson Hall, where they met with the Flora and Fauna Society, local citizen scientists, the Council of Elders and many more. Sharing their plans for the week, scientists invited community feedback, concerns and questions at the outset. The locals were exceptionally welcoming, sharing with us their species observations, inviting scientists to survey private land, sharing biosecurity concerns, and highlighting what they wanted from the expedition. Also made apparent was people’s “scientist fatigue” – of scientists coming and going from the island, without being informed of progress or results. Particularly well received was the Museum’s acknowledgement of the Polynesian and Pitcairn origins of the community, penned by Taofia Pelesasa of our First Nations team, and presented as part of Expedition Leader Paul Flemons’ opening address.

Our team hosted a daily morning café hour and afternoon lab hour, where scientists and local people could continue their dialogue. Updates were given on the local radio station, newspaper and Facebook groups. Our entomology team, Dr Helen Smith and Natalie Tees, with PhD student James Tweed from the University of Queensland, led a walk in the Botanic Gardens at night where people of all ages looked for spiders, beetles and all nocturnal creatures! Through these events, our scientists were able to regularly share their work and build sustainable connections with community members – resulting in increased engagement, including locals donating specimens.

The engagement program culminated with a Community Day at the end of the week. This was a three hour “show and tell” with preliminary findings (prepared specimens), equipment (our 3D scanner) and techniques (like our mist-net!). The day was a huge success, with over 50 people attending.

A unique dimension to the expedition was our education and 3D scanning program. The education program was a big hit and proved to be very effective in reaching younger generations, who may have missed out otherwise. Education Project Officer Charlie Kingsford was at the local school teaching each year group about the role of museums, the AM’s Sharks exhibition and more. The school even thanked Charlie in the local newspaper. The 3D scanning program captured the curiosity of all ages – Charlie and Meagan Warwick scanned artefacts from the archaeological site, and at the Community Day scanned objects that locals brought in, including one family’s meteorite and the bell from the Norfolk Island Resolution, brought in by the Norfolk Island Museum.

In the field

Phase One focused on rats, bats, cats, geckos, skinks, insects, spiders, birds, snails and plants! Whether our teams were setting up mist-nets to study the diverse bird fauna before dawn, or soil sifting in the search for spiders and beetles after nightfall, Norfolk Island was abuzz with scientific activity. Our scientists worked across Norfolk Island National Park, regional council parks and private land to survey terrestrial species.

A highlight of the expedition was our trip to neighbouring Phillip Island, a fascinating example of human induced environmental collapse and recovery. Recovery began in 1980 after the last rabbit was removed – at that time, the vegetation on the island had been reduced to a single endemic hibiscus. Led by local Mark Scott, the trip out was an adventure in itself. Climbing aboard the boat whilst suspended from a crane, our scientists sailed across the water with experienced local skipper David Biggs at the helm. In a short time, our scientists were clambering up the steep slopes of the island while on the lookout for the giant venomous centipede. The team stayed overnight in the impressively comfortable Parks Australia hut. They scoured the steep slopes for insects, spiders, geckos and skinks, and set audio traps in the hope of finding elusive bats.

Another outstanding highlight of the expedition was the archaeological excavation. You never know what you’ll find when excavating – so finding an adze on the first day was exceptional! Dr Amy Mosig Way of the Australian Museum and Nicola Jorgensen of the University of Sydney, with local Neil “Snowy” Tavener, uncovered two adzes (similar to stone axes) and hundreds of flakes dating from pre-European, Polynesian settlement. Snowy connected the team with the site after finding basalt flakes on a local walking track in the national park. Prior to this, there had been only one other confirmed Polynesian site on Norfolk Island, in Emily Bay. Finding a Polynesian site on the opposite side of the Island expands the evidence we have for the Polynesian period of settlement, opening opportunities for further research. The excavation was keenly attended by a number of locals fascinated by the island’s Polynesian history, including Arthur Evans whose parents played such a significant role in understanding the biodiversity of Norfolk and Phillip islands.

In the following months, our scientists will be analysing the data and specimens they carefully collected, clarifying the status of vertebrate and invertebrate species, native and introduced, on the main and offshore islands. Already apparent are several species new to science as well as new records for Norfolk Island, across entomology, herpetology and botany (particularly liverworts and weeds). We look forward to sharing their findings in the near future!

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Polynesian/Tupuna/Tipuna who first called Norfolk Island home, whose story is still being written and pieced together. Through our work, we endeavour to add pages to their widely unknown narrative. We honour their connection to this land/whenua and fauna in times gone by and invite them to guide and breathe life back into the treasures which they left for us to uncover and to piece together the story they did not tell.

We extend that acknowledgement to the descendants of the Pitcairn Islanders who still walk this land and whose Polynesian ties link them back to the East of this Great Ocean – Tahiti. We honour their Pacific story on this land, we acknowledge their Tupuna/Tipuna ancestors and the culture they forged here on Norfolk Island. A culture that continues to thrive today.

And finally, we acknowledge the other Pacific Island communities that now call this Island home. The Pacific diasporas from across the Great Ocean – whose connection to this land may be more recent but whose presence also adds to the Pacific narrative of Norfolk Island in the here and now.

]]>

Showcasing the wonders of our universe

Kate Smith — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Who Dr Niraj Lal, Australian National University and Australian Energy Market Operator

What Science communication at its best showcases the wonders of our universe while sparking critical thinking. Dr Niraj Lal excels at both. Through mediums including prime-time television, ground-breaking podcasts and a popular children’s book about gravity, he has increased understanding and appreciation of science among Australians of all ages.

Winner of the 2021 Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science

What philosophies guide your approach to science communication?

It’s still evolving! And continually being informed by communicators I’m inspired by. But my main touchstone is to start with where the audience is and to spend time thinking about what I’d like to convey in a broad sense. Following this, it’s to i) use the lowest-common denominator of shared education as the baseline for communication, ii) to show not tell, and iii) to remember the purpose.

In written form, I try to follow the advice of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style (never use a long word where a short one will do, omit needless words), and George Orwell’s wonderful essay on English. In graph form it’s via the lovely PNAS paper by Rougier et al., and in spoken presentation it’s to “be present, and first connect with the audience” — easier said than done, but probably the single most important thing to do.

A lot of your work is targeted at children. Have younger audiences been a priority from your early days as a science communicator, or did this focus come about more organically?

The most impactful science communication for me is to audiences that aren’t already engaged. I find that adults’ minds (my own included) are often already made up and that we generally self-select content that either we’re already interested in or that confirms our own opinions — something made worse by the closed feedback loops of the modern media environment.

Probably the only time we can reach people that aren’t self-selecting their content is at school, with the message perhaps more impactful the younger one is. It’s maybe a philosophy outlined in Hermann Hesse’s book Glass Bead Game, which is a lovely read for anyone connected with academia. There’s also a great definition of intelligence being ‘the ability to change one’s mind’ — by which I’m getting dumber by the day! But this is what makes science communication so wonderful, fun and impactful with little ones.

Henry the Flying Emu, your second book, introduces physics concepts to children. Can you share the story behind the book?

The idea for Henry the Flying Emu came to me, cliched enough, in a dream! It was about running really fast to go to the beach. I was studying general relativity in physics at the time and I wondered how fast you’d need to travel to go into orbit at the earth’s surface and ‘fly’ there (28,440km/h if you’d like to know!). And I thought about whether any animal could do this, then about emus not being able to fly — and how frustrating that must be — and then the story kind of wrote itself from there.

Over 2015 I refined the rhymes and verses, then in 2016 I was lucky enough to be selected for the ABC’s Top 5 Under 40 program. As part of that I got to turn my story into an audiobook and broadcast it on ABC Radio National's Science Show with Robyn Williams and David Fisher.

Television, podcasts, books — you’ve worked across a broad range of mediums! Are there any others that you’ve got your sights set on?

Cabaret and augmented reality ... nah, just joking — there’s actually some great science communicating happening through these mediums already! I’m really loving working on our podcast for preschoolers – Imagine This on ABC Kids Listen, I find it such a lovely medium for little ones — away from screens and hype but still one-to-one. I’m also writing and recording (in slow time) a kids music album. Our brain’s ability to remember tunes and lyrics is astonishing and I reckon the medium of song is an untapped method for (modern) education …

Can you tell us a bit about your work in the energy sector?

A 100% renewable electricity grid is incredibly doable. Solar panels will get cheaper, batteries too. Electric cars will be everywhere and along with pumped hydro storage, will eventually provide all the storage we need. There’s a bit of work to do in figuring out the smarts to connect it all and provide the essential grid services to keep the grid secure and stable — this is my day job, but it’s all very doable. A little of it was covered in my recent Catalyst episode on ABC TV, The Grid – Powering our Future, directed by Poppy Stockell, and also in a paper I wrote with colleagues at AEMO on Essential System Services in Renewable-Dominated Grids for the IEEE Power and Energy Magazine.

These are the easy things. The harder thing is to do this in a truly sustainable way. Making the silicon that goes into solar panels without destroying old-growth forests for charcoal in Australia or using forced Uyghur labour in re-education camps in China. Mining the copper for wires and transmission lines without devastating waterways in Papua New Guinea. Mining the lithium and cobalt for batteries and electric vehicles without toxifying the groundwater in Tibet or the Congo. Building new things without disrespecting the global rights of workers to a fair wage and fair working conditions.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

It’s a real honour. It was a privilege just being named in the company of the other finalists, but a surprise and a delight to be recognised alongside the work of the wonderful people I’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with over the years. The real value of awards like this is to help this kind of work continue in the future, and that's what I hope to do in promoting the understanding of science.

I’m donating half of my prize money to organisations that support kids to engage with science, critical thinking, creativity, performing arts, civics, or connection to country and our natural world. I’m also keen to mentor and help provide connection where I can, to help pay my privilege forward.

]]>

Advancing our understanding of blue carbon science

Kate Smith — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Kerrylee Rogers wears many hats. She’s a Professor in the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences at the University of Wollongong, a passionate advocate for environmental sustainability and the mum of two teenage boys. She’s made a significant contribution to our understanding of how coastal and aquatic ecosystems respond to climate change, work that earned her and her fellow researchers the 2019 Eureka Prize for Environmental Research. We caught up with Professor Rogers to chat about what sparked her interest in the natural sciences, the implications of her research and empowering the next generation.

Can you tell us a little bit about where your interest in environmental sustainability began?

I grew up on the south coast of New South Wales and spent a lot of time having exciting adventures with my sisters and cousins in and around Jervis Bay, where all my grandparents lived. I had such a fantastic time and I think this sparked my interest in the natural sciences and environmental sustainability. I’m still happy to traipse around the shores of Jervis Bay and St Georges Basin, but now I get to call it ‘work’. These days, I’m aware that the coast is where the land meets the sea, and where geology meets ecology and hydrology; it’s such a diverse and multidisciplinary space to be working in and this suits me perfectly.

Much of your research focuses on the response of coastal and aquatic ecosystems to climate change. Can you talk us through some of these responses?

As I mentioned, the coast is the interface between the land and the sea, and it’s not surprising that variation in sea level — whether due to tidal fluctuations, storm surges, climatic variability or human induced climate change — has a significant influence on the morphology of the coast and the distribution of coastal ecology. Coastal wetlands such as mangrove, saltmarshes and coastal floodplain forests are front and centre of this interface, occupying a ‘narrow niche’ within the intertidal zone.

Sea level has already been rising around the Australian coast, estimated to be in the order of about 25 centimetres since 1880, and accelerating sea-level rise is one of the most profound impacts of human induced climate change. Sea-level rise will force humans to adjust to the new form of the coast, and actions typically ascribed as protecting assets, adapting to the altered conditions or retreating from the risk.

Sea-level rise will also impose similar responses on coastal ecosystems. These coastal ecosystems can adapt to the increase in water levels associated with sea-level rise by increasing their elevation, allowing them to maintain their position with respect to sea level; this is achieved largely by accumulating sediments and organic material from vegetation within their substrates. Alternatively, they can retreat to higher elevations, and this will largely result in changing distribution of ecosystems — we are already seeing this pattern of change with mangrove forests beginning to retreat to higher elevations that are typically occupied by saltmarshes. Protection of coastal ecosystems is largely a human response that’s intended to improve their capacity to either adapt or retreat. Our actions, such as creating protected buffer zones around coastal ecosystems that will serve as future pathways for retreat, will be critical.

Some readers may wonder why we would be so concerned about the response of coastal ecosystems to sea-level rise; well, it’s because they provide a lot of goods and services that are of direct benefit to humans. Commonly termed ‘ecosystem services’, or ‘nature’s contributions to people’, these benefits include wildlife habitat and food sources for a range of biota including commercially important species, coastal protection services achieved by buffering wave action and binding sediments, nutrient and carbon cycling services and many other benefits that have both social and economic benefits. Carbon sequestration services, for example, are receiving considerable interest now due to the need to mitigate climate change and coastal wetlands can be, under the right conditions, particularly efficient at delivering on this service.

The Eureka Prize-winning research you led revealed that coastal wetlands are incredibly effective at capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. What have been the implications of this finding?

Blue carbon — carbon captured by the world’s ocean and coastal ecosystems — plays a significant role in climate change mitigation, and blue carbon science has advanced considerably in the past few years. The uptake of knowledge is increasing and I like to think that the research we undertook played a role in this. Very recently, the Commonwealth Government of Australia, through the Clean Energy Regulator, developed a blue carbon methodology within the Emissions Reduction Fund that provides the framework for granting Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) for carbon sequestration in biomass and soils, and avoided emission from the restoration of coastal wetland following tidal reintroduction.

ACCUs can be traded back to the government or to a third party to offset their emissions, and are intended to contribute towards Australia’s efforts to mitigate climate change. The work we undertook demonstrated the role of sea-level rise as a driver of blue carbon storage within wetlands, and it provided evidence of potentially many opportunities for coastal wetlands within Australia and across the southern hemisphere, to respond to sea-level rise by sequestering carbon within soils and biomass of coastal wetland vegetation. Facilitating an ecosystem response to sea-level rise could generate ACCUs – which is a better outcome than protecting the coast from sea-level rise and preventing adaptation by coastal ecosystems.

This work effectively increased confidence that blue carbon generated as sea level rises and as coastal wetlands retreat, would be resilient and provide the necessary permanence (minimum of 25 years) for a blue carbon methodology to be viable. The next step will be to see broadscale uptake of the methodology and further methods developed that focus on activities that facilitate adaptation to sea-level rise, such as land-use change from agriculture to coastal wetland.

What are some of the larger impacts you hope to see from your work in the future?

The blue carbon methodology within the Emissions Reduction Fund focused initially on tidal restoration activities, but I would like to see the method expanded to consider the blue carbon additionality that occurs as coastal wetlands adapt to sea-level rise, particularly via retreating to higher elevations. This would require a method allowing ACCUs to be provided when an activity is undertaken that facilitates adaptation to sea-level rise, and would include activities that remove any barriers to the natural adaptation response of coastal wetlands to retreat, such as incompatible land-use — for example agriculture.

In many cases, sea-level rise will impose a land-use change, particularly on low-lying agricultural land on coastal floodplains, which may already have limited viability — opportunities we’ve already started identifying. The larger impact of a sea-level rise methodology could be a shift in the way coastal floodplains are managed with an increasing focus on ‘working with nature’ to provide blue carbon services, and many other co-benefits. This shift differs to the prevailing approach to coastal management of ‘holding back the tide’ and will be critical if sea-level rise accelerates as projected; holding back the tide cannot be effectively applied across the broad coastal floodplains of the vast coast of Australia, and cannot occur indefinitely — a different management approach will be needed.

As a mother, how are you educating and empowering the next generation when it comes to environmental sustainability?

I am very passionate about environmental sustainability and hope that I’m passing this on to my own children. My two teenage boys are both very active and heavily involved in outdoor activities (as I was as a child), and I anticipate that their awareness of the natural environment is growing. They playfully tease me about this passion, as teenage boys would do to their mum. Nevertheless, I‘m acutely aware that we are failing the next generation by passing on a world littered with environmental mismanagement, and as an outcome, I’m persistent and know some of it is sinking in.

As the academic program director for the University of Wollongong’s environmental science program and a supervisor of postgraduate students, I’m in the fortunate position of also influencing the next generation of environmental scientists. The director role, in particular, is incredibly rewarding as I get to witness fresh, aspiring first-year scientists increase their knowledge and nurture passions for the natural environment, and ultimately achieve their own goals of improving environmental sustainability.

Has winning a Eureka Prize resulted in any unexpected opportunities?

Well, it still surprises me when I’m at a meeting and get introduced as a “Eureka Prize-winning environmental scientist”. There’s so much great environmental science generated in Australia, and I still need to pinch myself that we received this award. The immediate increase in my profile and that of the team was, without a doubt, a fantastic outcome (and why others should apply for the prize) and has really strengthened our collaboration. This enhanced profile has definitely increased opportunities for collaboration, both in Australia and internationally, which will allow us to continue making progress towards improving coastal management.

]]>

Meet the interdisciplinary team studying factors that keep Indigenous languages strong

Kate Smith — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Who Lindell Bromham, Xia Hua (Australian National University) Felicity Meakins (University of Queensland), and Cassandra Algy (Karungkarni Art and Culture Aboriginal Corporation)

Winners of the 2021 Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research

You are a four-person team that brings together skills from a broad range of fields. How did you initially come to work together on this project?

Felicity and Cassandra have worked together for the past two decades, documenting the way the Indigenous language Gurindji is used by different generations in the remote communities of Kalkaringi and Daguragu in the Northern Territory. They have built up the largest corpus of language recordings of any Australian Indigenous language. The connection with Xia and Lindell came about through the Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language (CoEDL), a multidisciplinary research network. Felicity recognised that the evolutionary approach that Xia and Lindell were taking to language evolution could be useful for understanding change in Gurindji over generations.

We could see the amazing potential of the Gurindji data to answer important questions in language evolution. Lindell still has the notes we scribbled the first time we met to discuss the Gurindji data over coffee – we could see that this was a perfect case study for applying methods from evolutionary biology to language change. In fact, we were so excited we could hardly contain ourselves!

Can you tell us a little about the role that each of you play in the team’s research?

Cassandra is a talented researcher who makes the whole project possible, we couldn’t do this work without her. It’s important to have a local community member who can collect linguistic data because we don’t want people to modify their speech to make it easier for outsiders to understand. We want to capture how people in the community speak to each other. So, Cassandra a fluent speaker of Gurindji Kriol and member of the Gurindji community, is the centre around which the project revolves — she records people speaking, plays word games that reveal language variation, gets people to tell stories, supervises computer-based tests, and so on.

Felicity is a linguist who has been working on Gurindji for over two decades and has recently published a dictionary and a grammar of Gurindji, which is such an important achievement. Her detailed documentation of a new language that is emerging in this community, Gurindji Kriol, has made it one of the most well-studied cases of a mixed language — a language that forms from the fusion of two very different languages. It’s Felicity’s detailed knowledge of the processes of language variation and change that is the bedrock of this project.

Lindell’s role as an evolutionary biologist is to see how we can frame the processes of language change in terms of evolutionary principles, and to work out a framework for asking interesting questions. She looked at Felicity and Cassandra’s data as a natural experiment in language change, where we can see the frequency of different language variants changing over generations. In many ways, the evolution of species, genes and languages are similar but in some important ways they are different. We need to think carefully about what ideas and methods we can adapt from evolutionary biology to looking at language change.

Xia is a brilliant mathematical biologist, trained as a biologist but now working in a mathematics department. She sees elegant analytical solutions to complex problems. She has both the evolutionary understanding and the mathematical skills to see how we can adapt classic evolutionary theory to work with language data – while some aspects of the theory are the same, in other ways the models must be modified to fit the way that language evolves differently from genes. Her solutions are both beautiful and practical!

Your work focuses on the processes of language change. What are some of the factors that help keep Indigenous languages strong and vibrant?

Thanks to the unique dataset that Felicity and Cassandra have constructed, we have information on so many aspects of language for such a large proportion of the community that we can investigate the way an individual’s life experience and environment shape the language that they use.

All languages change, but some change faster than others, and the language spoken in the Gurindji community is changing rapidly as the younger generations blend elements of Gurindji (the traditional language of this area) and Kriol (a newer Indigenous language spoken across much of northern Australia), along with new innovative features that are found in neither source language. But what influences that mix? We have shown that there are some factors that result in more Gurindji being used by members of the younger generations – for example, kids who have grown up with elders in their household tend to use more Gurindji language elements.

The most important, and worrying, result is that for all three generations — grandparents, parents and kids — the more years they spend at school, the less Gurindji they use. In this community, schooling is entirely in English, not in Gurindji. This result mirrors findings in other Indigenous communities around the world — monolingual education can result in an erosion of Indigenous language proficiency. In fact, the average number of years of schooling is a global predictor of language endangerment.

How can we use these findings to keep Indigenous languages strong? Bringing local languages into schools, and increasing the involvement of elders in education, could help to keep Indigenous languages vibrant and make sure they will keep being learned by younger generations. International research supports bilingual education not only as a way to improve Indigenous language vitality, but to improve educational outcomes in all areas of the curriculum.

What has been the team’s most significant finding to date?

It is usually assumed that languages that are created through the contact between different languages — like Creoles or mixed languages — are simplified. Because we have data from three generations of people in the Gurindji community, we can track the way that elements of the traditional language Gurindji, and the newer language Kriol, have been combined to create the new mixed language Gurindji Kriol. We found that while the amount of Kriol in the mix increases each generation, this doesn’t seem to be due to preference for simplicity. Sometimes complex Kriol forms will be adopted over simpler Gurindji forms, and sometimes complex Gurindji language elements have been retained in the language even when there is a simpler Kriol alternative.

More generally, we have shown that with a big dataset and these new powerful analytical methods, we can test ideas about language change that have been debated for a long time, for example the role that generational differences or social groups within society play in language divergence over time.

What are some of the impacts you foresee — or hope to see — from the team’s research?

We hope that it will encourage others to work together across discipline boundaries! When you bring together Indigenous expertise, linguistic knowledge, evolutionary methods and mathematical tools, you can answer some really interesting questions.

This research focusses on a key part of Australia’s shared cultural heritage — our Indigenous languages — but more generally it helps us to understand the way that languages change over generations. For a language to thrive, it must be learned by children, but children change the language and make it their own.

We are so grateful to Gurindji people for sharing their knowledge and language with us so that we can gain a better understanding of language change. We hope that by studying language change in this particular Indigenous community, we can shine a light on some of the factors that help to keep Indigenous languages strong, like time spent with elders, and schooling that encourages rather than inhibits Indigenous language proficiency.

What excites you about interdisciplinary scientific research?

We have found it such a privilege and an honour to work with each other, it has been one of the most joyful collaborations of our careers. Interdisciplinary research is hard — unlike working with people from the same field, you have to start from scratch to develop a shared language, common understanding, and mutual set of goals. And when you work outside your own discipline you always have so much to learn! That, to us, is what makes it so intellectually stimulating, being constantly stretched to think in a new way, take what you know and apply it in totally unfamiliar situations, learn fundamental concepts from another field, and get to grips with a whole new way of looking at things.

Luckily, all of us are very patient in answering each other’s questions, so every day of working together is a day when we are learning new and exciting things — we can’t believe how lucky we are!

]]>

Developing improved management strategies for coral reefs

Kate Smith — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +1100

Who Dr Emma Camp, University of Technology Sydney

Winner of the 2021 Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher

A marine biologist, you’ve built a research career around the ocean and worked in some beautiful locations. What initially attracted you to marine science?

I have always been fascinated by the ocean. As an eight-year-old I was lucky to snorkel with my family in the Caribbean. This sparked my love for coral reefs. As a young person, I didn’t realise that there was a job such as a marine biologist. It wasn’t until I was at university and took an environmental science course that I learned how important coral reef ecosystems were from an environmental and socio-economic perspective. Furthermore, I learned of the threat marine systems, such as coral reefs, were facing from human impacts. It was this knowledge that drew me to the marine sciences. I wanted to understand how systems such as coral reefs function and what we could do to try and conserve them.

You recently discovered that certain species of coral have a natural capacity to survive stress. What are the implications of this finding?

This was such an important discovery to aid our predictions on how coral reefs will be impacted in the future. The mangrove corals have an enhanced natural capacity to survive stress and can be utilised in active management efforts, such as coral propagation or assisted migration. Furthermore, studying naturally tolerant corals provides a natural laboratory to better understand the mechanisms that support coral resilience and any fitness trade-offs that support coral survive in hostile conditions.

What would surprise people most about your work?

That many locations globally appear to have mangrove lagoons that house corals living in extremely hostile conditions (warmer, more acidic, lower oxygen than your typical reef). This makes them potentially important reservoirs of stress hardened corals. The more locations we explore, the more ‘extreme’ coral habitats we find.

Many people also think that I spend the majority of my time on the reef, but I actually spend quite a lot of time both in the University of Technology Sydney lab, and supervising students. I can’t wait to get back to the reef once we can travel again.

The impact of climate change on coral reef health is supported by extensive scientific evidence. As the issue continues to intensify, what gives you hope?

At times it can be hard to remain hopeful for the future of coral reefs. I do, however, remain optimistic for a few reasons. Firstly, we know what is harming reefs and we do have the tools to fix it. While not simple, we know that addressing climate change will help safeguard a future for coral reefs. If we had no idea why we were seeing coral bleaching events and loss of corals, then it would be hard to remain hopeful.

Secondly, young people have immense knowledge and drive to protect the environment. Their passion and action give me hope. And finally, we still have amazing coral reefs around the world. We have not lost coral reefs and for these reasons I remain hopeful and driven to help secure their future.

You’re also part of the Coral Nurture Program, a finalist in the 2021 Eureka Prize for Applied Environmental Research. Can you tell us a bit about this project?

The Coral Nurture Program is a world-first partnership between science and tourism to retain and rehabilitate high value Great Barrier Reef sites. The program incorporates site stewardship and novel research to optimise best-practice for growing and planting coral at scale. To date, the program has out-planted over 50,000 corals in efforts to increase local site resilience while also building socio-economic resilience through diversifying reef tourism stewardship.

What are some of the larger impacts you hope to see from your work in the future?

Through disseminating my research findings to a diverse range of reef stakeholders, I hope I can contribute to positive action to address climate change. Furthermore, I hope that knowledge from my work can help inform ways to improve existing active management efforts for coral reefs, while also identifying new management strategies. I also hope that through my work and actions I can inspire more girls and women to consider Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM). The enormity of the environmental challenges we face requires diverse thinking, and as many minds at the table as possible to come up with the novel solutions we ultimately require.

]]>

Reflections on Global Conferences: COP15 & COP27

Dr Jenny Newell — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +1100

At the Australian Museum’s Climate Solutions Centre we are delighted by the historic outcome of the global summit for nature, just concluded in Montreal. The 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) resulted in an agreement signed by nearly 200 nations to protect 30% of the planet for nature by 2030.

The agreement crucially places a strong emphasis on indigenous leadership in conservation, redirects US$500billion of environmentally destructive subsidies, and triples funding for conservation in developing countries. The commitment also includes restoring 30% of the planet’s degraded ecosystems and some (limited) reduction to pesticide use. Global cooperation on these fronts has been a long time in the making and it is critical to ensuring a liveable biosphere.

COP 15 had started with the UN calling for a ‘ceasefire’ on nature. Negotiators, including Australia’s Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, finally resolved the agreement on 19th December at 3:30am Montreal time. Australia was an important contributor, signing up for the global leaders’ pledge for nature. During the two weeks of COP15 Plibersek introduced an ambitious target of zero new extinctions in Australia and is on board with ’30 by 30’ - protecting 30% of land and sea in Australia by 2030.

At the AM, we support species conservation through research and education. The research carried out by the scientists in the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) increases our understanding of animal life and the impacts of climate change and other pressures on species over time, through fieldwork, wildlife genomics, other collections-based and lab-based research and data collection through citizen science projects. All of this builds the knowledge needed for more effective biodiversity conservation. The AM’s exhibitions, digital resources, public programs and education programs help to bolster awareness of how individuals and groups can support species conservation. The Climate Solutions Centre contributes to this work, highlighting nature-based solutions to the climate crisis.

This year’s global climate conference, COP27 (the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change), in Sharm el-Sheikh last month may not have achieved the significant ratcheting up of emissions reduction targets that we need, but it did bring some wins for climate solutions. Most notably, the assembled countries forged an agreement for long-term high emitters to send ‘Loss and Damage’ funds to developing nations being hit hard by climate-induced disasters. Another reason for optimism was the strengthening of the united efforts of governments, business and community leaders in the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP). The partnership established actions to advance the hugely significant commitment by 140 countries at COP26 to halt deforestation and land degradation by 2030.

Australia joined the Global Offshore Wind Alliance and our Climate Minister, Chris Bowen, announced a bid to host COP31 in 2026. Australia’s improved emissions reduction target was noticed, but overall global reduction commitments are still insufficient to deliver a safe climate. The final Sharm-el-Sheik agreement failed to include a reference to the emissions needing to peak by 2025 to keep the goal of 1.5°C warming alive. Fossil fuels are not being phased out quickly enough and global emissions, unfortunately, continue to rise.

We were therefore glad to see advances in the area that the Climate Solutions Centre works in most directly: Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE). Advancing ACE is a Paris Agreement commitment – to advance public education and engagement, to enable fully-informed, effective responses to the climate crisis. To tune into panel discussions relating to ACE, including a Ministerial Session, ‘Youth Demand Quality Climate Education’:

ACE & Civil Society Day COP27 recordings and reports.
Network of European Museum Organisations (NEMO) – webinar with Henry McGhie on ‘Museum action for climate empowerment’.

If we want informed communities, able to ramp up solutions and prepare for disasters, then museums and other institutions interfacing with the public need to do much more to support ACE. We need to open up awareness about the climate and ecological crisis and highlight ways to take action. At COP27, there were talks and pavilion displays by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the Climate Heritage Network, Climate Outreach, America Is Still In and others representing the cultural sector. At the AM’s Climate Solutions Centre we are curating on-site and touring exhibitions, events, digital content (visit our climate change pages!) and developing new climate education resources.

We continue to need everyone, everywhere, to tackle this crisis. To find out more about what you can do, visit our Climate Solutions page or our ‘Changing Climate’ exhibition on the 2nd floor of the AM or, from now until the end of January, our ‘Future Now’ touring exhibition of dioramas about the benefits of regenerating nature and living sustainably in the AM’s Hintze Hall.

Feel free to email the Curator of Climate Change at the AM’s Climate Solution Centre, Dr Jenny Newell, if you have questions or if you’d like to join our mailing list to be kept up to date on our climate programs.

]]>

A picture is worth a thousand words

Annie Post — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Photos and videos are a powerful tool when documenting the natural world where often, there is an awful lot to say. But once we capture the moment, how do we use images effectively for science? And why should we collect them?

Photography is a spectacular blend of science and art. Since the camera’s inception and subsequent technological advances, the ability to instantly capture an accurate image forever changed the way we document the world around us. The digital age has also changed how we record information as part of scientific research, and how we use images to inspire and connect us with our natural world.

So, once captured, how do we effectively link images to research? Photo identification work is one such use – providing digital records of individuals of a species through time and space, culminating in an extensive database. One example is FinBase, a photo-ID database for marine mammals. Scientists can take photos of identifying features such as notches on dorsal fins and enter these into the system to be catalogued. The system then runs searches based on the attributes to look for any matches in the database. Through these records, we can track movement, estimate population growth and decline, identify home ranges, and more.

The Australasian Fishes project, a collaborative AM citizen science project and hosted on arguably the largest citizen science platform in the world (iNaturalist), allows anyone to upload, identify, and comment on observations of Australian and New Zealand fishes. The site has built an extensive 'image library' that can be used to identify fishes, map their distributions, investigate changes in growth, pattern, and shape and more. This is a tool that not only connects and informs the public but also provides crucial data on effective conservation and fisheries management.

Camera technology also helps us track environmental changes. From time lapses of glaciers moving and melting, to comparative photography spanning decades that show the impacts of coral reef bleaching, there are several scientifically important uses of visual media. Videos that follow a tape measure laid out on a patch of ocean floor below, and a camera rocking back and forth with surging waves can make one quite nauseous (a subject on which I can speak with personal experience!) but this footage provides valuable data for statistical interpretation. These kinds of techniques can help us track our changing world and provide irreplaceable records for years to come.

In addition to providing scientific data, wildlife images give us a glimpse of the incredible biodiversity of our planet, including the stories from species we’ve lost. The thylacine, an extinct and unique Australian species, was fortunately captured on film prior to disappearing. These images, alongside preserved natural history specimens in museum collections, form an important historical record. We are currently facing another mass extinction and will likely see the last of many more species; the images we capture now will be important records for future generations if our efforts to conserve them fail.

Observing and capturing unique behaviours, expressions, and personalities of different animals can generate that all important emotional connection and engagement with our natural world. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t felt a level of awe while watching an Attenborough documentary – stunning images from the heart of some of the world’s most incredible natural events and visual stories sharing the weird and wonderful lives of many different species.

I have spent hours sitting and watching wild animals, looking for the behaviours and the moments that will lead to an emotionally engaging image or be useful in telling a story. On one occasion, a lioness I had been with had begun to stir in the late afternoon, getting ready to hunt for her supper. When she looked over at the vehicle, she fixed us with a stare that the rangers referred to as her ‘reading the menu’ expression. Capturing this look on camera has been a humbling reminder of just how these big cats have gained their fearsome reputation.

The trailer for Midway, a film by Chris Jordan is a powerful example of how images (and well selected music) can share the weight of an issue whilst creating emotional connections. It also poses a question that I have carried with me through nearly every wildlife encounter I have had over the last decade:

“Do we have the courage to face the realities of our time and allow ourselves to feel deeply enough that it transforms us, and our future?” ~ Chris Jordan, Midway.

In order to save species and protect biodiversity, we need to understand our world and to care about it – on a local and global scale. Natural history and wildlife photos and film remind us that we are not the only ones here; we co-exist with so many other incredible species. Out of sight is often out of mind, so we need these images to see the extraordinary diversity of awe-inspiring life around us – and we need to protect it.

Annie Post, AMRI Administration and Research Support Officer, Australian Museum; Wildlife photographer and cinematographer.

]]>

An Australian origin story? Turning mammalian theory on its head

Professor Tim Flannery, Professor Kristofer Helgen, Meagan Warwick — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +1100

It has long been asserted that ancestors of the placental and marsupial mammals originated in the northern hemisphere – but a new study by Prof Tim Flannery and Prof Kris Helgen at the Australian Museum has rewritten the origin story of modern mammals.

For almost 290 years, it has widely been asserted that Theria (marsupials, placentals and their ancestors), originated and evolved in the northern hemisphere. But a new study by Prof Tim Flannery, Thomas H. Rich, Patricia Vickers-Rich, E. Grace Veatch and Prof Kristofer M. Helgen has turned this theory on its head – and in turn, the team have revealed a profound part of the Australian story.

Theria are a diverse subclass of mammals; many of which today live in the northern hemisphere, where there is also an abundant fossil record. The only living non-therian mammals are the monotremes (platypus and echidna), which are found only in Australasia. The Theria are characterised by their sophisticated molars, known as tribosphenic molars, which are able to crush, puncture and cut through food simultaneously. This adaptation was likely a key component to their evolutionary success.

The study (published in the journal Alcheringa) examined fossilised tribosphenic molars from Madagascar, South America and India, which date to the early and middle Jurassic. The discoveries are particularly significant because these fossils predate the oldest firmly dated tribosphenic molars from the northern hemisphere by 50 million years. The researchers were able to show that, while clearly part of the same lineage, considerable evolutionary change occurred between the Jurassic fossils and related forms from the Early Cretaceous of Australia. The oldest of the Jurassic fossils had structures in their jaws and premolars that resembled those of very primitive mammals from the Triassic which are ancestral to both the Theria and the Monotremata, while the Australian Cretaceous fossils share characteristics with both the Jurassic southern hemisphere fossils and the modern northern hemisphere Theria.

This research provides evidence that Theria may have originated in Gondwana, evolving there for 50 million years before they migrated from Australia to Asia via volcanic island arcs. Within 20 million years of reaching Asia, the Theria had spread to Europe and North America where the first marsupials evolved. Much later, both marsupial and placental mammals would reach Australia.

But why did the early Theria die out in Australia, and when? One possibility is that they went extinct when the marsupials arrived in Australia, via Antarctica, around 55 million years ago. The fossil record is too incomplete to say what happened on the other southern continents, but it is clear that none of the early southern hemisphere therians have survived, with all lineages with living representatives descending from species that migrated from Australia to Asia. ‘It is astonishing to think that a part of the evolution of the Theria occurred in Australia,' says Helgen, noting that the discovery was entirely unexpected.

Professor Tim Flannery, Honorary Associate, Australian Museum.

Professor Kris Helgen, Chief Scientist and Director, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Meagan Warwick, AMRI Project and Communications Officer, Australian Museum.

]]>

News from LIRS: Big coral spawning event in 2022

Dr Anne Hoggett — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Each month, a selected blog from the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF) is featured at the Australian Museum. LIRRF supports scientific research and education at the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. This month, we feature: Big coral spawning event in 2022.

Most species of hard corals on the Great Barrier Reef take part in a mass spawning event over a short period, once a year. It’s a remarkable sight and, every year, most people at LIRS are keen to go out and see it – even if their research has nothing to do with it. This year was no different. Many of us went out over two nights, 11 and 12 November, and were rewarded both times.

The event starts a few hours after sunset and is triggered by the change in light level. Researchers who are doing aquarium studies that involve spawning can exploit that trigger to stagger spawning times – which is helpful when they have a lot to do in a very short time. By closing the door to the aquarium room and turning off the lights at about 3 pm on the day of spawning, corals inside are tricked into ‘thinking’ that it’s several hours earlier than it is, so they spawn earlier. Other corals in outdoor aquaria, exposed to the normal light regime, will spawn at the same time as corals on the reef, hours after the ones that experienced an earlier, false sunset.

The challenge is to work out exactly which night is THE night. At Lizard Island, it’s usually on the 3rd, 4th or 5th night after the full moon in November or December. Whether it’s November or December depends on when in the month the full moon occurs. If it’s late in the month, then November is by far the best bet. But if the full moon is early in the month, as it is this year, then a ‘split spawning’ is likely, with some corals spawning after the November full moon and others a month later.

This year, the full moon was on 8 November. Determined not to miss it, researchers at LIRS signed up to go out for a group snorkel on either the 3rd or 4th night after that. It’s always pitch black when we head out in boats at about 8:30 pm and navigation needs to be precise. Even with GPS, we place marker buoys with lights to assist at critical parts of the route where reefs are plentiful and the channel is narrow. The large waning moon rises while the spawning is happening, and it’s an amazing sight for the person who remains in the boat to watch over the snorkellers. Moonlight makes it much it easier to find the way back to the station at about 11 pm.

On 11 November, we went to Clam Garden in Watson’s Bay where the spawning was just beginning as we got into the water at about 9 pm. It built in intensity for more than an hour and the quantity of spawn was substantial but it wasn’t the ‘main’ night. Other island visitors had gone to North Point that night, about 2 km away, and they didn’t see any spawning.

On the night of 12 November, the second team of LIRS people went to North Point where the coral community is vibrant, having recovered fantastically since the devastation wrought by cyclones and marine heatwaves in 2014-2017. There we were treated to a massive spawning event.

By 9 pm, there was already a lot of spawn in the water and a large proportion of Acropora coral colonies were visibly ‘setting’, with egg/sperm bundles bulging at the mouth of each polyp prior to being spawned. Then the bundles are released and they drift slowly towards the surface where a visible slick forms. There, the bundles eventually break apart into their microscopic components and sperm seek out eggs from a different colony, the corals’ one chance in a year to mix their gene pools.

By the time we left at about 11 pm, most of the corals observed setting had spawned and the water was thick with it, reducing visibility markedly.

As usual, there was a lot of other life in the water too. Many species of starfish, brittlestars and sea urchins spawn at the same time as corals, coming out at night from their daytime hiding places within the reef. And huge numbers of planktonic shrimps and worms are attracted to light so they congregate in the snorkellers’ torch beam, making it difficult to see beyond them. It’s an exciting time to be on the reef.

By Dr Anne Hoggett | Co-Director, Lizard Island Reef Research Station

To view the original blog, and to view more LIRS blogs, please go to: https://lirrf.org/big-coral-spawning-event-in-2022/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised over $13.2 million to support science on the Reef.

The Research Station is seeking to sustain its current operations, expand its Fellowships & Grants program, enhance its function as a Biodiversity Hub and further energise its engagement with science students and visitors.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

FrogID, Atlassian Foundation and Engage4Good

Nadiah Roslan, Jen Cork — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +1100

The Australian Museum collaborated with Atlassian Foundation through the Engage4Good program, a program designed to connect subject matter experts with a real-world challenge.

This project supported two Atlassian team members to volunteer their time and skills to help us enhance our much-loved FrogID project to ensure the best outcome for frog research and conservation over the long term. In our case, it was a matter of matching our unique acoustic dataset with the identification capabilities of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technology, through through Atlassian employee expertise.

About FrogID

FrogID is a national citizen science project run by the Australian Museum. The project enables anyone with a smartphone to record frog calls as a measurement of frog distribution and ecosystem health across the country. There are 246 native frog species in Australia, many of which are under threat from habitat loss, disease, pollution and climate change. Frogs are integral part of healthy ecosystems in Australia, yet we lack so much information about them. Every FrogID recording contributes to a national database of frogs that helps fill knowledge gaps that helps better conserve our frogs.

Since 2017, over 40,000 FrogID participants have contributed to the national FrogID project and over 500,000 recordings have been submitted. The accuracy of frog recording identification is key to the integrity of FrogID, as it is the only continental-scale citizen science project in the world with expert review and validation for frog call identification. Maintaining scientific accuracy is critical for our project to continue to inform frog research and conservation.

This collective information directly aids frog conservation, environmental monitoring and helps inform biodiversity and conservation management decisions. Through thousands of audio submissions from citizen scientists across the country, FrogID has rapidly built a unique, continental-scale database of frog records like no other in the world.

The problem

Currently Australian Museum staff manually identify FrogID recordings. After five years, the FrogID project has been so successful, with submissions continuing to grow, that we can't always keep up with speedily validating submissions. The project needs deep technical expertise to help take FrogID audio identification from a ‘people-powered’ problem to an ‘in-product’ solution.

The FrogID team had previously explored how to build an algorithm to automatically identify frog species in submitted recordings. But this work is for data science problem-solving experts, as frog species vary in their call traits and many FrogID recordings have multiple frog species calling at the same time with varying background noise, making identification challenging.

Matching frog calls in FrogID recordings is also not as straight forward as a Shazam for matching music recordings. We would need to isolate call patterns from each other to ensure that all species present in a call are identified. This is where we wanted to leverage Atlassian Foundation’s expertise to work towards an automated solution.

The automation of frog species identification would benefit FrogID in many ways, including:

Reduce operational costs.
Increase capacity to receive submissions.
Provide a larger scientific dataset to inform biodiversity and conservation management.
Increase user retention, with users seeing their FrogID contribution immediately.
Provide a long-term solution for frog monitoring, new frog species discovery and acoustic monitoring for biodiversity more broadly.

Audio fingerprinting

Each frog has it's own unique call, much like humans have unique fingerprints. Their calls vary in duration, frequency and intensity. Similarly, other common sounds we record like humans, birds, insects or running water and wind also have their own distinguishable pattern.

Spectrogram of frog species sounds

Spectrogram of other sounds

Engage4Good Program

The FrogID project was selected for the Atlassian Foundation Engage4Good program mid-March 2022, allowing Geoff Sims and Michael Cooper from the Atlassian team to come on board the FrogID project and volunteer their worktime towards solving how to automatically identify FrogID recordings.

Collaborating with experts in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence helped re-frame problems and gave meaningful next steps for the Australian Museum to action. The program has allowed the Atlassian Foundation team to apply tangible work with direct outcomes in frog conservation and land management. More rapid acoustic identification through advances in Machine Learning will improve our understanding of how species are responding to a changing planet, and not just frogs, but other animal groups monitored acoustically. The Australian Museum FrogID team are actively working to integrate aspects of the work completed during the Engage4Good program. The aim of this activity is to reduce strain on our frog call validators and also help reduce project costs. This will be tested in the live FrogID environment to evaluate the real-world application of audio triaging of submitted audio recordings. Watch this space for more!

Engage4Good has been transformative for FrogID and is a true example of how strategic collaboration can drive mutual impact. For the Museum, it has sharpened our understanding of what’s needed to apply this technology to masses of acoustic frog data provided by our passionate citizen scientists. For Atlassian, it has offered experts the opportunity to apply their skills in a different environment, contributing directly to addressing the real-life challenges facing biodiversity conservation today. None of this would be possible without the support of Atlassian Foundation.

Please keep those FrogID submissions coming to help us grow our powerful acoustic dataset.

]]>

Meet Kai the Fish Guy: Australian Museum's Chadwick Biodiversity Research Fellow

Yi-Kai Tea, Meagan Warwick — Sun, 11 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +1100

The Chadwick Biodiversity Research Fellowship provides a recent PhD graduate an opportunity to establish a career in biodiversity research at the Australian Museum. Dr Yi-Kai Tea is our newly appointed Fellow, in our Ichthyology division – we sat down with Kai to hear about his first few months, and future plans.

Many already know you as Kai the Fish Guy on Twitter – but for those of us who are unfamiliar with your work, please tell us a bit about yourself!

Although I go by ‘Kai the Fish Guy’ on my socials, I’m interested in all sorts of biodiversity as a whole – my first love was actually butterflies! When I’m not working on fishes, I like to spend my time out in the bush, or in rainforests, photographing all sorts of wildlife. That being said, I am obviously very passionate about fishes; I’m interested in uncovering hidden biodiversity and the evolutionary histories of coral reef fishes. Our coral reefs are brimming with new species, most of which live in threatened habitats not explored by us. My postdoctoral research focuses on making sense of this biodiversity on coral reefs.

I am also obsessed with photography; it’s a huge part of who I am, and I try to incorporate my photography in as many ways as I can, ranging from my own personal research to my efforts in science communication. I love creating content to engage a huge range of people, whether I’m translating complex scientific data or sharing what I’ve seen on my recent trips in the field. I didn’t come from a strict academic background (and I certainly haven’t had a linear career path). I spent many years as a journalist and editor covering stories in the ornamental fish industry, so a part of me still enjoys connecting people from academia and the public sector in my current line of work. I think connecting people to science is really important – so many people have an interest in science but don’t necessarily have access to it, so hopefully my work inspires others to pursue that in other non-traditional ways.

It sounds as though you will be able to bring a lot of your interests into this role. What have these past few months been like?

I started my Chadwick Biodiversity Research Fellowship in Ichthyology in August, and I am loving the role so far. I’ve jumped straight into research! I submitted by PhD thesis not long ago but had actually finished writing it up earlier this year – which I’m excited to say, has now been accepted and is available online.

The extra time between finishing and submitting made transitioning from a PhD to a job a little easier. It’s also given me time to think about research projects, but I didn’t know how I was going to progress them, and what direction my research would take. Now that I’ve started this role, it’s great to finally be out of research purgatory! I have a new environment to fully focus on it which has been really exciting.

I was able to do some of my taxonomic research during my time at university, which was very well supported, but it’s fantastic to be working full time in the collections, with all the facilities and staff available, including other avid taxonomists – it’s just fantastic. Our fish collection is so exciting to work in. It’s the fourth largest in the world for coral reef species, and the largest in the southern hemisphere.

I’ve recently just got back from a six week expedition sampling for deep sea biodiversity in the remote Indian Ocean Territories of the Cocos-Keeling and Christmas Islands. The CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator voyage explored the mysterious creatures of the deep, and mapped sea mounts of an area that had not been scientifically surveyed before. It’s been an amazing opportunity to get involved in field research so early on in my new position here, representing the Australian Museum in such a collaborative workspace with other regional institutions. It really is quite the privilege to be working alongside other experts in the field, and outside your field, all working together to achieve a common goal. Not to mention the incredible array of organisms we get to see – many of which live in remote areas few humans have ever been.

So you’ve already finished up Indian Ocean Territories (IOT) voyage, processed incoming specimens and have publications in the works…you’ve certainly hit the ground running! What excites you the most about the fellowship going forward?

I’m intent on continuing my research on wrasses; I published on the evolutionary history of fairy wrasses last year (how they came to be, drivers of their evolution, what they’ve faced for millions of years), but the work is far from finished. I want to revise the genus, which in itself is an onerous task, and made more difficult in that the primary types for many species are scattered in museums all over the world – it’s a lot of work.

I also want to expand my research interests and develop new skills by working on taxonomic groups outside of wrasses. The great thing about museums is that you can find a new species from the depths of Japan or Hawaii, and you don’t even need to leave the CBD! So much of our undiscovered biodiversity already resides in museums, quietly sitting on the shelves awaiting its day in the sun.

I am also really excited about being involved in the various Australian Museum outreach programs, engaging with the public and kids, teaching, and hopefully naming species with people! I like the prospect of being able to work across disciplines, and to learn how museums operate. There aren’t many places in the world where you can do dedicated taxonomic work, with support and funding, so the Chadwick Fellowship at the AM is a unique opportunity for early career researchers interested in taxonomy.

Exciting times ahead! We touched on this before, but I wanted to ask, of all of the animals available to study, why study fishes?

My dad was always interested in fishes, and I’ve always had a fish tank in my house for as long as I can remember – so I’ve always had a love for fishes and was exposed to them early in life. As a teenager growing up, no one taught me how to access the literature, and sometimes I would send e-mails to fish scientists directly asking them all about fishes. The amazing thing is that they would answer me! These were curators from major museums and other big scientific names and they would always get back to me. It’s hard to imagine that I get to call some of these legendary scientists my friends, colleagues, and mentors now. The enthusiasm for fishes that these people have is clear, and deep down they are just fellow fish geeks like me. It’s been a very welcoming environment, where people are keen to teach and pass on knowledge. I try to embody this in my research and make my enthusiasm and passion accessible for people at home, who maybe have an interest in fishes but don’t quite know how to tap into that.

In terms of my academic pathway, I started out working as a writer for an aquarium fish magazine, but through this managed to networked with a range of scientists and found my way into fish taxonomy quite organically. I’ve always had an interest, but I didn’t always know I would pursue it academically. A big game changer in science engagement and research has definitely been social media. I can jump on places like Flickr, Facebook, iNaturalist, and Twitter to see where certain species occur in the wild and who has seen them – the information is so readily available, and you can cast such a wide net and engage with so many inquisitive minds. It’s hard to imagine not having those resources available now. Our museums are quickly entering a digital age as well – we can go online, type in a name, and see if they have it. We have so much information at our fingertips to make informed decisions on what we need and where to look. It’s a great time to be a fish scientist!

Dr Yi-Kai Tea, Chadwick Biodiversity Research Fellow, Australian Museum.

Meagan Warwick, AMRI Project and Communications Officer, Australian Museum.

]]>

My museum: Ross Pogson

Ross Pogson — Sun, 04 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +1100

I always knew what I wanted to do, and my early interests and hobbies all centred around rocks and minerals. I can trace my geological interest back to a family holiday at Thirroul, New South Wales, when aged about four years I was fascinated by the smooth stones on the beach. This progressed to collecting minerals in volcanic ‘blue metal’ gravel covering my primary school playground (I still have those specimens). Throughout high school I was collecting, buying and swapping minerals, and I learnt to recognise many hundreds of species by sight alone, together with their properties and localities. I read extensively, absorbing classic mineralogy books which were normally university texts. One book I treasured was Australian Rocks, Minerals and Gemstones by Robert Oliver Chalmers, Curator of Minerals at the Australian Museum. Little did I know at the time that I would later work at the AM and get to know Oliver as a friend and colleague.

I went on to study at the University of Technology, Sydney, where I fine-tuned my knowledge and experience thanks to dedicated lecturers. I undertook an Honours project making my own electrical prospecting equipment and conducting electrical surveys over a small lead sulphide deposit near Goulburn, combining my interests in geology and electronics. I also developed an affinity with computers and wrote programs to solve complex geological calculations in three different computer languages, a skill used extensively at the AM doing research on volcanic rocks. I managed to diversify my studies, which later came in handy at the AM – I did two semesters of biology, which helped me to understand the work of my museum colleagues. Being very good with a microscope also helped me get a job at the Museum – my parents had given me my first microscope when I was eight.

This is now my 43rd year of working at the Australian Museum. I started at the AM in January 1979, hired initially to reorganise the rock collection. My AM career progressed through a series of promotions and increased responsibilities, leading to Senior Technical Officer, then Scientific Officer, Mineralogy Collection Manager and Group Manager, Geosciences and Archaeology. Today at the AM I manage a collection of over 60,000 minerals and 20,000 rocks. I have extensive knowledge of these collections and remember many individual specimens – their histories and what they look like.

I became intensely interested in the meteorites, thanks to previous Curator of Minerals Oliver Chalmers, who taught me a lot about this subject. The mineral collection has many silicate minerals known as zeolites, which grow in volcanic rocks. There was a problem with identifying these as many look similar and the usual tests were time- consuming. So, I went back to university to study a new cutting-edge method called laser Raman spectroscopy, which I hoped would help the identification task. My work was successful and led to the awarding of a MSc.

For the past 30 years, my main research project has been a study of minerals at Jenolan Caves, which I first visited as an 8 year old. The caves always held a particular fascination for me so it was a delight to do work there with Armstrong Osborne from Sydney University and AM Research Associate David Colchester. Our work led to the identification of 15 mineral species previously unknown from Jenolan, and a much older date of formation for the caves.

I enjoy being a mentor to students of geology and anyone with a geological curiosity. I take every opportunity to participate in AM public programs such as the Sydney Science Trail and of course exhibitions, sharing my passion and enthusiasm for minerals. I was a member of project teams for the Planet of Minerals gallery which opened in 1986, the Albert Chapman Collection in 1996, the Chapman mineral display at the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum, Bathurst, in 2019 and the new Minerals Gallery, which has just opened. I very much enjoyed writing and selecting the highlighted minerals for the gallery catalogue.

My interests have led to membership of nine scientific societies covering geology, mineralogy, cave studies and astronomy. I have been Vice President, Secretary, Education Officer and Librarian of the Mineralogical Society of NSW. I have contributed to over 60 papers in scientific journals and conference abstract volumes on such diverse topics as mineralogy, meteoritics, petrology, laser Raman spectroscopy, medical technology, palaeontology and archaeology. My contributions to AM collection management and research were recognised with the awarding of the Australian Museum Research Institute Medal in 2020.

This article was originally printed in Explore, the Australian Museum Members' magazine.

]]>

Meet the junior scientist with a passion for physics

Kate Smith — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Who: Leon H., St Andrew's Cathedral School, NSW

A self-proclaimed car enthusiast, Leon was fascinated by how his tiny toy cars defied gravity and travelled upside down around a loop track without falling to the floor. In Tour de Force, he uses a delightful combination of demonstrations, illustration and performance to examine the role of centripetal force in this natural phenomenon.

Awarded third place in the 2021 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Primary

Why did you decide to enter the Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize?

I thought it would be a great opportunity to investigate a topic that fascinates me and delve into an area of science that isn’t what I learn at school. I’m also inspired by science presenters like David Attenborough and was keen to try my hand at presenting on camera.

Your short film is filled with so many creative demonstrations! How did you come up with them all?

I tried to think of examples of centripetal force in everyday life, like my toy car track, a tennis ball on a string and spinning round with a friend. I don’t have a computer graphics program at home, but one of my favourite hobbies is drawing, so I decided to explain centripetal force with my own illustrations drawn with a pen on a white board. Then I thought about the moon rotating around the earth and how I could represent that. I like to dance, so decided it would be a fun to perform with costumes and music!

What was the best part about making your film?

It was great to learn more about one of my favourite subjects, physics!

What was the most difficult part?

I wasn’t always a ‘one-take-wonder’! Sometimes it took many times to record my presentations on camera without any mistakes!

What was the most interesting thing that you learnt?

I found it fascinating how the law of inertia related to centripetal force.

Anyone who’s watched Tour de Force will know that you love cars. Tell us about your collection.

I have been collecting diecast cars since I was about two years old. I now have around 300 models of historical and modern vehicles. After I memorised all the model names and specifications, I became interested in the physics of how they work. When I grow up, I want to be a car designer or work in the electric vehicle industry.

]]>

Home sweet home: the creatures of ancient underwater volcanoes

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +1100

PhD student, Beth Flaxman, who was recently onboard the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator, sampled the mysterious creatures of the deep sea. Find out more about how scientists sampled these creatures that call ancient underwater volcanoes home.

On 30 September 2022, myself and 31 scientists and technical staff from the Australian Museum, Museums Victoria Research Institute, CSIRO and Western Australia Museum began our 36-day voyage onboard the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator to the Indian Ocean Territories (IOT) (Christmas and Cocos Islands). This ‘laboratory-at-sea’ can be in operation for up to 60 days without returning to land to refuel, allowing extensive surveying of remote parts of the ocean.

We visited the IOT seamounts because they have not been explored or scientifically surveyed, and recently, the Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands were both designated as Marine Parks. Marine Geophysicists from CSIRO onboard the RV Investigator used multibeam sonar to map the “landscape” of the seafloor, referred to as bathymetry. The high resolution data was used to produce detailed 3D images of the seamounts to enable visualisation of this expansive deep-sea environment. In the deepest parts of the ocean, the sonar can reach a width of 30 km across the seafloor!

A few of my favourite facts that I’ve learned about these seamounts are:

The seamounts in the region are aged between 50-100 million years old
They were formed by the spreading of tectonic plates as the Indian, Australian and Indonesian plates moved away from each other
The Muirfield seamount rises from 4,500 metres to within 17 metres of the surface and was discovered when a cargo ship (MV Muirfield) crashed into it in 1973!
The Cocos Islands sit atop a seamount that reaches the surface, from 4,900 metres below

Once we had vision of the seamount landscape, the science team chose a safe pathway to deploy a 4-metre beam trawl to collect a sample of fish and invertebrates from these isolated patches of seafloor. It can be very tricky to find a suitable patch to deploy the beam trawl in this environment, given the rocky and craggy texture of the seamounts. Once the trawl miraculously arrived back onboard, all hands were on deck to sort, label and preserve the catch for future research back at the museums.

It was a wonderful experience, particularly for a student, to be in the presence of biologists from a range of disciplines: we had experts in fishes, corals, brittle stars, worms, crustaceans and more! Each day was filled with new facts and enthusiastic discoveries. The unique excitement of deep-sea trawls in unsampled territory is that you truly never know what you are going to find. I can also say that I’ve honed my microscope skills by practising extracting worms from their tiny sediment tubes whilst they sway across the petri dish in rhythm with the waves.

In my master’s and PhD studies, I have made use of the invaluable collections at the Australian Museum, so it was fascinating to see exactly where these specimens come from and the intricate process of preserving and transporting them to the museum, where they will be used for research in the decades to come!

Beth Flaxman, PhD student, Marine Invertebrates, University of Sydney and the Australian Museum.

]]>

How do you weigh an extinct amphibian?

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Estimating the mass of a long-extinct animal is a challenging endeavour – and there is often no “one best method” of doing so. But Australian Museum, UNSW and UNE scientists have just helped us answer the question, in a newly published case study: how do you weigh an extinct amphibian?

Understanding the weight, or body mass, of living animals is vital, as an animal’s weight influences how much it eats, how it moves, its metabolism and its ability to regulate its body temperature. So, it is of great interest to scientists to know the mass of animals. In most living animals, finding out their mass is easy – you just need to put them on a scale.

But for extinct animals, it’s a little harder. We can’t exactly put the fossil of a T. rex on a scale and presume that is the correct weight of the animal in life. So, palaeontologists have developed a range of methods to estimate the mass of extinct animals.

Why do we need a range of methods? Wouldn’t one “best” method be enough? Well, the answer to that is in the fossils. Fossil skeletons of animals are often incompletely preserved. This means that they are missing bones, or even whole regions of the body. There are effective methods of body mass estimation that create 3D shapes out of the skeletons of the animals – but you really do need the entire skeleton to do this.

As such, scientists have developed a swathe of other methods that use dimensions of parts of the body, such as the width of the skull, the circumference of the legs, or the head to tail length. These methods have, in the past, been applied to a range of extinct animals, from dinosaurs to dodos, but there has been one major group that has been left out: temnospondyls.

Temnospondyls are a weird group of often very large amphibians, which look a bit like a cross between a crocodile and a salamander. They have a fossil record which spans about 210 million years – which is longer than all non-avian dinosaurs.

In a new study, scientists from the Australian Museum, University of New South Wales and the University of New England have applied a total of 19 different body mass estimation techniques to two temnospondyls; a lumbering land-walker called Eryops and a swimming croc-like fish eater called Paracylotosaurus. They have also applied the techniques to five living animals which either live or look like them, such as crocodiles and salamanders. They found that 5 of these 19 methods were accurate in estimating the mass of the living animals (whose weight we already know), which tells us that these same five methods would be appropriate for use in temnospondyls.

Why is this important? Across their 210-million-year history on Earth, temnospondyls survived two of Earth’s “Big 5” mass extinction events (at the ends of the Permian and Triassic periods). We are currently living in the midst of the sixth. Most of these mass extinctions feature climate change to some degree. Temnospondyls provide an opportunity to analyse how the body mass of animals change through time, especially on either side of these catastrophic events, and through this we can see how animals physically react to climate change. By knowing this, perhaps we can help slow down the rate at which our living species are going extinct, or at the very least learn to read the warning signs, so they don’t end up like dinosaurs, dodos or temnospondyls!

Lachlan Hart, PhD Candidate, UNSW & Technical Officer (Palaeontology), Australian Museum.

]]>

Harnessing interdisciplinary research to understand how healthy and unhealthy diets impact the environment

Kate Smith — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Who Professor David Raubenheimer, Professor Manfred Lenzen, Dr Arunima Malik, Dr Mengyu Li and Navoda Liyana Pathirana; University of Sydney

What What we eat affects both individual and environmental health. Researchers from fields spanning economics, engineering and nutrition have developed advanced data modelling techniques to trace billions of supply chains, linking food producers and consumers. Their work highlights the drivers of dietary choice and is informing policy for the United Nations and other international bodies.

Winners of the 2022 Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research

You’ve combined expertise from fields spanning economics, engineering, computing, nutrition and entomology. How did your research collaboration begin?

The University of Sydney established the Sydney Food and Nutrition Network, an inter-disciplinary network of researchers with an interest in food and nutrition. Through interaction within the network, David, Manfred and Arunima recognised that there was substantial overlap in our interests, with complementary skills that could allow us to make unique contributions to the field. As a first step, our teams were awarded two Australian Research Council Discovery Project grants, which enabled Mengyu to join the team as a postdoctoral research fellow. Navoda was then recruited as a PhD student, funded by a prestigious Faculty of Science Dean’s International Postgraduate Research Scholarship.

Can you tell us a little about the role that each of you play in the team’s research?

Navoda is responsible for integrating large nutritional and dietary data sets with the global economic-environmental supply-chain models. Mengyu runs these models and produces the research output, which she and Navoda then jointly visualise. Arunima uses her experience with global governance networks to distill meaning, interpretation and significance of the results. The economics and computing team is led by Manfred, David leads the nutrition team and both are responsible for the foundational methodological and conceptual developments. David and Manfred are also Navoda’s PhD supervisors.

What have you uncovered about how food consumption habits drive up carbon emissions?

We have made two important discoveries.

First, it is well known that diets rich in animal products are associated with high carbon emissions, and it is therefore important to replace animal foods in the diet with alternatives. Our work showed, however, that the environmental benefits depend on which foods replace animal foods. If the replacements are unprocessed or minimally processed plant foods, such as beans, vegetables and whole grains, carbon emissions are reduced significantly. But if the replacements are highly processed foods, such as mass-produced pizzas, biscuits and ready-made meals, carbon emissions are not reduced — or can even increase. This is because such foods are less satiating than real foods rich in protein (many animal and plant foods) and fibre (plant foods), and their excessive consumption increases carbon emissions. Since overconsumption also drives obesity and associated diseases, highly processed foods are an important target for policy that will benefit both the environment and public health.

Our second important discovery is that carbon emissions associated with the transport of food are much higher than previously estimated — approximately 2-5 times higher. We established this using powerful methods that measure not only the transport of food itself, but also the transport of all equipment, fuels, fertilisers and other materials associated with food production and consumption. There are many reasons why it’s important to take this approach. The environmentally conscious consumer might, for example, select locally produced foods without realising that products used in its production are transported over long distances, and are therefore responsible for high carbon emissions.

What have been some of the most challenging aspects of your research?

Manfred: Our data often look like a confused mess! So much time goes into aligning them, especially given they come from such different sources, as reflected by the fields of expertise among our interdisciplinary team.

David: Nutrition is itself a very complex subject, involving many nutrients combined in countless combinations, throughout numerous foods — which are in turn merged into a diverse range of diets. Combining this with the immense and complex data sources that Manfred, Arunima and Mengyu study is extremely challenging. Working with Navoda, we have developed a new systems framework for combining these complex data and linking diet to environmental and societal issues. However the most challenging — and important — part of our work is yet to come: translating this valuable information into policy and behaviour changes that ensure a sustainable future.

Arunima: Interdisciplinary research requires integration of more than two disciplines, and bridging definitions, theories, data sets, methodologies and concepts across these disciplines. This requires significant dedication and can only be achieved in a highly committed team environment.

What are some of the impacts you hope to see from your team’s work in the future?

Manfred: That we can finally see the light and stop abusing our natural environment.

David: Exactly as Manfred says, but to that I would add “and health”. Our work enables us to identify foods and diets that will benefit the environment, health and important societal issues, such as nutrition equity and the economy. This information can help consumers make sensible dietary choices, but the responsibility cannot be borne by consumers alone. At least equal responsibility falls on government and industry to help create an environment that enables sensible dietary choices. My hope is that as a society, we will act on the information that’s now available, creating and supporting policies that will benefit generations well into the future

What excites you about interdisciplinary scientific research?

Manfred: One never stops learning, but in interdisciplinary research especially, learning seems to accelerate!

David: Different research fields have unique sets of concepts, knowledge and skills. Working across them enables teams to combine each in a new way and discover things that would not otherwise be possible. It also provides opportunities to meet and work with wonderful people. I couldn’t recommend it more highly!

Navoda: Interdisciplinary research offers the chance to think outside the box, not limited by the field of knowledge and expertise. You get to study diverse fields and explore how they can all come together to tackle big problems in the world.

Mengyu: Our interdisciplinary research brings us into contact with researchers working in diverse fields ranging from environmental science, economics and nutrition, to health and engineering. Two heads are better than one, as they say — mixing different ways of thinking can greatly inspire new approaches to solving problems in fields that weren't thought of before.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

Manfred: I am grateful for the award because it provides publicity for a good cause: to highlight, and ultimately abate, the worsening exploitation and destruction of our natural environment. It pleases me no end to see talented younger colleagues succeed.

David: I am delighted that our Eureka Prize has highlighted work that I believe has huge potential to benefit both environment and society. It’s especially pleasing the award is in the interdisciplinary category, an approach to research that is essential for solving the world’s most “wicked” problems. Like Manfred, I am particularly happy to see the talent and commitment of our young colleagues rewarded. The future is in their hands!

]]>

News from LIRS: Lizard Island’s smallest fish, and where to find them

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF) is featured at the AM. LIRRF supports scientific research & education at the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. This month, we feature: Lizard Island’s smallest fish, and where to find them.

Finally, a long-delayed field trip takes place! Dr Chris Goatley (University of New England) and Dr Simon Brandl (University of Texas Austin) were jointly awarded The John and Laurine Proud Postdoctoral Fellowship for 2020. After two years’ delay forced by COVID-19, they were able to make the first of two annual field trips to Lizard Island in 2022. Here is their report from that trip.

Our project focuses on a group of tiny, camouflaged reef-dwelling fishes known as cryptobenthic fishes or, more simply, cryptos. These fishes are highly abundant on many of the world’s coral reefs, often accounting for half of the fish present on a reef. However, because many crypto species spend their lives hidden from view, they are very difficult to study and have often been overlooked. Recently, we used information on the abundance and lifespans of cryptos from coral reefs around the globe to calculate their potential importance in coral reef food webs. Remarkably, we found that these tiniest of reef fishes may provide more than two-thirds of all the fish tissue consumed by reef predators. In essence, cryptos may form a critical foundation supporting communities of large reef fishes (or anyone who wants to catch or eat those big fish). While this role is clearly important, we currently have a limited understanding of which cryptos live on reefs around the world and an incredibly poor knowledge of what these little fishes eat to support their growth (and, in turn, that of the predators that eat them). In our project, we aim to discover what species of cryptobenthic fishes live on the reefs around Lizard Island and to explore how they differ in their habitat use and diets.

During our first fellowship field trip to Lizard Island, we used a combination of techniques to survey the crypto communities at Lizard in unprecedented detail. The current “gold-standard” technique for studying cryptos is using enclosed anaesthetic stations, in which we cover a small patch of reef (about the size of a double bed) with a tarp and then pump in a fish anaesthetic (we use clove oil dissolved in alcohol) before collecting all of the anaesthetised cryptos with tweezers and zip-lock bags. This technique is great, as it allows us to collect all of the small fishes in a known area that you would normally never see (the large fishes are usually scared away by the process), but it does mean that you have to remove the fishes from the reef.

The second technique we applied aims to reduce our need to collect fishes, by using modern DNA technology. By filtering water through a fine, sterile filter, we can collect “environmental DNA” released by fishes and other reef organisms as shed scales, mucous or faeces. Then, we can amplify the DNA very carefully to avoid contamination and compare the genetic barcodes we recover against known DNA libraries. This means we end up with a list of fishes that have occupied the water we sampled just by doing “filter forensics”. This technique is still relatively new, so by comparing the eDNA data and our enclosed anaesthetic data, we can begin to design new techniques to make our work more fish-friendly in the future.

The final technique we applied focused on understanding the habitats used by crypto species. Modern software and improvements in computer processing power mean we can now build accurate 3D computer models of anything we can photograph. For each of the anaesthetic stations we surveyed, we also made these 3D models, allowing us to compare the shape of the habitat, the availability of crevices for cryptos to hide in, and the species of corals and encrusting reef organisms present in the area. Together these techniques will allow us to begin to build an accurate understanding of the abundance and distribution of cryptos and how habitat availability affects their populations.

While we are still very much in the data-analysis stage following our fieldwork, we are beginning to see some interesting findings from our data. Compared to our pilot research conducted in 2018, we were surprised to find smaller numbers of cryptos in our censuses, recording two and a half times fewer fish in 2022 than in previous surveys. Whether this is a reflection of summer versus winter sampling or the major changes that have occurred on the reefs at Lizard in recent years is unknown and a target question for our return trip in 2023. This being said, there are still lots of cryptos out there, with more than ten fishes in every square metre of the reef. Our collections will allow us to assess their diets and look carefully at the species present around Lizard. We have already identified two species that are likely new to science from our collections and are working on describing them with our colleagues in the coming year.

By Dr Chris Goatley | now at University of Southampton, UK, joint 2020 John and Laurine Proud Postdoctoral Fellow. More about Chris and colleague Simon Brandl

To view the original blog and more LIRS blogs, please go to:https://lirrf.org/lizard-islands-smallest-fish-and-where-to-find-them/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised over $13.2 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

The fish list: A decade in the making

Dr Joseph DiBattista — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Home to the billowing sails of the Opera House and the shimmering arches of the Harbour Bridge, Sydney is famed for its magnificent harbour – but what lies beneath the water’s surface? In a recent study, Australian Museum scientists delve into the remarkable biodiversity of Sydney harbour.

In a recent study published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, Australian Museum scientists delve into our incredible fish biodiversity by generating an up-to-date, annotated checklist of all fishes ever recorded from Sydney Harbour – which was no small feat! This new checklist is based on specimens held at the Australian Museum dating back to 1868, as well as newly available citizen science observations, recorded since 2009 via the Australasian Fishes Project and Reef Life Survey. Although absolute numbers of fish observations are important, we wanted more than their names: namely, where and when were these fishes detected, what function they serve in the Harbour, if they are endangered or economically important in NSW, if they could stand to live in some of the more polluted sections of Sydney Harbour and if they like it hot or prefer cooler waters.

Based on independent data sources, the number of fish species recorded from Sydney Harbour now stands at 675 – an increase of 89 species (15%) when compared to the most recent publication by AM Senior Fellows Dr Pat Hutchings and Dr Mark McGrouther (and colleagues) in 2013. The two greatest increases in fish data records occurred in the 1880s and 1970s; this appears to coincide with growth in the activity of colonial naturalists (1880s) and AM employment of expert ichthyologists with dedicated collection programs and improvement of SCUBA technology in the 1970s. The earliest recorded fish in Sydney Harbour was a Manta Ray Mobula alfredi collected in Watsons Bay, Sydney Harbour. This specimen became our ‘holotype’, an individual of a species that is used to formally describe the species. In 1868, Australian Museum Director Gerard Krefft made this fish famous by naming it in honour of the visiting Prince Alfred from England. Some of these 675 fish species are protected by a variety of national and international laws and treaties including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Convention on international Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act in Australia. Some of the fishes are also protected in at least one Australian state or territory and include 84% of the most commercially and recreationally important fish species in NSW.

Manta alfredi (Krefft 1869). AMS 1.1731' />

The increase in fish diversity over a relatively short period of time can be attributed to newer citizen science programs. Participation in citizen science has exploded in Australia (just think about FrogID!) with increased access to technologies such as smartphones and underwater cameras, as well as slick and user-friendly web platforms like iNaturalist. This increase can also be attributed to the influx and survival of fishes in the harbour with preferences for warmer waters. The East Australian Current (made famous in the film Finding Nemo by the Pacific Green Sea Turtle, Crush, who called out, “Grab shell, dude!”) brings warm water and tropical fish larvae to the Sydney region from the north. Given that we are nestled in one of the hottest of the climate change “hotspots” globally, Sydneysiders should get used to seeing both kelps and corals alongside each other in the harbour with increasing ocean temperatures.

Some fish families were overrepresented in the more urbanized and polluted sections of the harbour. In this study, we used the Sydney Harbour Bridge as an imaginary dividing line. This distinction between the East and West of the habour is based almost entirely on a legacy of poor environmental management practices and waste disposal (yucky dioxins and heavy metals) at sites to the west of Sydney Harbour Bridge. Not-so-fun food fact: the NSW Food Authority warns against eating any fish or shellfish collected west of the Bridge. We found Labridae (wrasses), Mullidae (goatfishes), and Pomacentridae (damselfishes) to the right (east) of it; Eleotridae (sleeper gobies), Gobiidae (true gobies), and Monacanthidae (leatherjackets) to the left (west). Fish families overrepresented west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge have known affinities for freshwater, brackish water, and/or are capable of straddling both fresh and saltwater. These fishes may also be more resilient to marginal environments and residual sources of pollution in the western sections of the Harbour.

Human impacts on marine biodiversity in Sydney Harbour are many; residential expansion, chemical contamination, recreational fishing, nutrient and turbidity elevation, marine debris and boat traffic, invasive species, habitat modification, and climate change are all part in stressing out our fishes – with no magic solution to fix it. Our exploration of fish records from multiple sources in this study made it crystal clear that we need more collaborative citizen science programs and natural history collections to track the inevitable changes in fishes found in Sydney Harbour.

Dr Joseph DiBattista, Curator, Ichthyology, Australian Museum.

]]>

Professor Veena Sahajwalla: shifting the mindset of the nation

Kate Smith — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Who Professor Veena Sahajwalla, UNSW

Winner of the 2022 Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science

You’re a widely respected voice in the field of recycling science. What initially attracted you to this space?

I grew up Mumbai, which is such a fabulous city with so much going on. As a child, it was about understanding, first and foremost, how people actually made a living. It always impressed me that people would do this by fixing shoes, clothes and all kinds of electronic stuff that we had at home. To me, the creation of all these products out of things that were supposedly broken was really fascinating. I see my work not just as science and engineering, but as wider social reform.

The science we are developing, called ‘microrecycling science’, reveals what happens at the micro level (and below) when materials react with each other. It’s not just about the metals, glass or plastics — it’s about each individual material, component and part. They are all so intricately connected, and that needs to be recognised so they can be reformed into high value materials that can be used again. Consider a magnet that contains a rare earth element like neodymium. How do we isolate that element to recycle it? It comes back to understanding microrecycling science. If somebody gave me a brand-new machine that can crush these magnets down to a fine powder, that is not going to help me — we need science to show us a way to reform the material.

What have been some of the most significant outcomes of your community and industry engagement to date?

It’s essential that society strives to develop a circular economy whereby we keep materials in use for as long as possible. Further, we must establish new business supply chains that will better manage waste as a resource and create new jobs, while also delivering other economic, social and environmental benefits. Various technologies and capabilities that reform much of this unwanted material into new products and manufacturing feedstock are already available right here in Australia. Together, these reduce both the need for landfill, and the mining and production of ‘virgin’ materials.

The community and industry are keen for change that will deliver more sustainable outcomes. Solutions available such as those identified by UNSW researchers at the Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre, which I lead, are now recognised as world-leading, and have attracted support from many industrial partners. These include our Green SteelTM Polymer Injection Technology and our various MICROfactorieTM Technologies, which are used to transform different wastes into value-added products such as high-grade filaments for 3D printing and green ceramics for the built environment.

What are some of the larger impacts you hope to see from your work as a science communicator in the future?

In relation to net zero, recovering critical and valuable materials from waste has a big role to play in electrifying the world as we move towards renewable energies and reducing our carbon footprint. Many of the commodities and critical materials needed for this electrification are being subject to record prices and supply constraint issues. Through innovative manufacturing practices, New South Wales can play a leading role when it comes to the growth in the components needed for electric vehicles, wind turbines, domestic solar systems and batteries.

Innovative supply chains based on new technologies, which align sectors by using waste as a feedstock for manufacturing, are needed to create a true circular economy and enhance sovereign capability. Businesses and organisations generally rely on traditional supply chains, where reformed materials are usually not part of the chain. We need to ensure that alternative solutions to current common supply chain practices, adopt new and local supply chains that incorporate resources made from our own waste. The future of global manufacturing lies in small-scale, decentralised technologies that will enable communities to produce many of the products, materials and resources they need locally, by largely using inputs that are unwanted or thought of as waste. The severe impact of COVID-19 on global supply chains presents a significant case for this transition.

Technologies such as MICROfactories™ can enable the lateral integration of different industrial sectors by recovering and reforming so-called ‘waste materials’, to create new and localised supply chains, materials and products, offering a range of economic and environmental benefits. The science and technology already available to us now make it possible for a complicated waste stream to produce value-added materials, which can then feed into different industrial supply chains for manufacturing products.

This emerging model will profoundly disrupt today’s centralised, vertically integrated model of production, where — for instance — a single material or part available only from an overseas supplier can interfere with the manufacturing process. Through our Green Steel technology, millions of tyres have already been diverted from landfill, partially replacing coke in electric arc furnace steelmaking. This is just one example of sectors not normally aligned becoming so by using waste as a resource. Other materials, such as glass, textiles, biowaste and e-waste are being transformed into feedstocks and products like metals, industrial grade ceramics and plastic filaments, which are then used in 3D printing. Market forces alone are extremely unlikely to ensure the uptake of these practices to a point where sustained benefit will be achieved.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

It’s an incredible honour to be awarded the 2022 Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science, and it’s such a privilege to be able to share the important role science plays in our daily lives, with the wider community. Without science, we would not be able to enjoy most of the things we now take for granted.

Science has become much more mainstream than ever before, and its role in seeking solutions to issues like COVID-19 and our pressing waste, sustainability and climate challenges, has created a wider thirst for knowledge and optimism. The team and I at the UNSW Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre are dedicated to collaborating with the community and industry to tackle the challenges we face, to help deliver better social, environmental and economic outcomes.

]]>

Exploring animal adaptation

Kate Smith — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Who Genevieve S., Bucasia State School

What In Adaptation: Now That’s Change! Genevieve examines how animals fit into their environment and what they must do to survive if their habitat changes. Combining graphics and close encounters with cuddly — and not-so-cuddly — creatures, she shows how adaptations happen over time and the sort of features that develop to help animals thrive.

Winner, 2022 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Primary

Why did you decide to enter the Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize?

I decided to enter because my three favourite subjects are science, technology and visual arts. The Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize was a great opportunity to combine my love of these subjects while having fun and learning something new.

This year’s theme was ‘Change’. How did you decide on your topic?

I decided on my topic, animal adaptation, because I love animals and want to be a wildlife carer when I grow up. I had also listened to a podcast that informed me of a zebra’s adaptations, specifically their stripes, which helps to keep flies from biting them. I found this very interesting and wanted to learn more about how animals adapt, so I decided to start researching. I found lots of information and decided it was a good topic.

Making a film takes a lot of planning! Where did you start?

The first thing I did was choose my topic. Once I was satisfied with it, I started collecting information by researching. I used this research to write my script, learning what information was important and consistent throughout the research and using it to structure my report. I also explored videos on how to make a story engaging. Then came the fun part: filming! When I had finished filming, I put my video together, then I was done.

What was the best part about making your film?

The best part of making my film was the filming, because I got to go to Billabong Sanctuary and interact with the animals I’d been learning about. I also had the opportunity to listen to and speak with the park rangers, which helped to confirm my information. I was able to learn new things, and experience what it would be like to work as a wildlife carer.

What was the most interesting thing that you learnt?

The most interesting thing I learnt was how adaptations are passed down through generations. In particular, I enjoyed learning about DNA, chromosomes and cells. I found this the most interesting because I’ve always wanted to know what organisms are made of. Although I found it very interesting, it wasn’t easy to understand. I had to ask my parents for help and together we did further research in books and online, watched videos and drew diagrams.

What was it like accepting your Eureka Prize on stage in front of so many people?

When I heard my name announced as the winner, I was shocked. I couldn’t believe I had won! Although it was nerve wracking walking up onto the stage to accept my prize, I also felt very excited and honoured. I was proud as my video was shown on the big screen and enjoyed talking with Dr Karl on the stage. I’m very grateful for the experience and would like to say thank you to everyone who was involved in making it possible.

]]>

Neuroplasticity: changing your brain

Kate Smith — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Who Iestyn R., St John's Anglican College, Forest Lake

What Brain scanning technology shows that the human brain can adapt throughout our lives. In his film Neuroplasticity - You Can Change Your Brain, Iestyn uses colourful graphics to explain how neurons connect via synapses. Through everyday examples, he shows that when connections become crowded with data, learning prompts an editing process that makes space for new information.

Winner of the 2022 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Secondary

Your short film explores neuroplasticity. What sparked your interest in this topic?

I really enjoy watching shows about how the brain functions and find how people see the world interesting. To be honest, I like all shows related to science. Originally, I was introduced to this topic because of my year five teacher, she continually spoke about it to get us all to learn our times tables. When I say continually, I mean every day! I chose this for my short film to represent the theme ‘change’ as it was a topic everyone could relate to. Combining it with my love of how and why people behave the way they do made it the perfect topic.

You did a lot of research when producing your short film. What’s the most surprising thing that you learnt?

The most surprising thing I learnt was that we have more synapses (a synapse is a small gap at the end of a neuron that allows a signal to pass from one neuron to the next) when we are a toddler, than when we are a fully grown adult who has gone through 13 years of schooling. This surprised me as I believed that we would have more connections because of our experience. Imagine what we could accomplish if we could maintain those connections!

What was the most challenging thing about making your short film?

The most challenging thing about this film was culling the script to two minutes. It’s much tougher than you think. Normally I would have been excited about only needing to speak for two minutes but it’s really difficult. How do you shorten the film while keeping the key information and ensuring it makes sense? This will be the toughest part of any entry.

What did you enjoy most about the film-making process?

I enjoyed delving into how and why we learn what we learn, and why we retain some things and not others. Most of all I enjoyed creating the animations that featured in the film. My grandad bought me the software for Christmas, and it was the first time I‘d been able to use it to create something so important. I found it interesting and entertaining to see what I could create to add interest to the film.

We couldn’t help but notice the many books you had in the background when recording! What topics do you most like reading about?

I love reading about anything! Fantasy, sci-fi, science, maths, action-adventure, detective fiction and more. Some of my favourite book series are Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, and anything by Adam Spencer. Mum and Dad complain all the time about books laying around the house, I usually have about four on the go at once. I was so excited when I received a gift voucher from Abbey’s Bookshop as part of my prize. It was the first place we visited after the awards night. I purchased a book on string theory another on game theory as well as a Dr Karl book I didn’t already own, to add to my collection.

What’s your advice to other students thinking about entering the Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize?

My advice to future entrants is to go in with a plan and stick to it. If you just dive in headfirst without thinking through your topic you may end up losing your way. Decide what you are passionate about and follow through. Mum tried to influence me a bit on the topic, but in the end, I went back to where I started because it was something I felt passionate about. Good thing I didn’t listen to her! Just be you and let your passion shine through.

]]>

Will you answer the call? Help us understand how your local frogs are faring

Dr Jodi Rowley — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +1100

In winter 2021, thousands of dead frogs were reported across Australia. To help us understand the impact of this event on our frogs, we need your help.

A mass mortality event of frogs occurred across Australia in the winter of 2021, the scale of which was unprecedented. Reports of the deaths spanned the country, and impacted thousands of frogs of over 40 species. The ongoing impacts on our frog species from this event is yet to be fully understood and could be devastating. Since spring 2021, our team at the Australian Museum has been conducting frog surveys across the east coast to find out how are frogs are faring in the wake of this event. But we can’t do it alone – we need your help, particularly if you live in or visit one of five priority areas in New South Wales. We need you to help us by recording the calls of frogs using the FrogID app.

Many of Australia’s frogs suffered in winter 2021. Dead frogs were reported across rural paddocks and suburban backyards, and sick frogs were found sitting out in the open during the day, often discoloured and with patchy skin. In total, in that winter alone, over 1600 reports were received by people across Australia of sick and dead frogs. And it wasn’t just a single species – over 40 species of frog were reported sick and dying, including threatened species such as the Giant Burrowing Frog (Heleioporus australiacus), Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea), Southern Bell Frog (Litoria raniformis), and Giant Barred Frog (Mixophyes iteratus).

This awful event was national in scale, with reports from every state and territory, but was most intense along the east coast, from southeast Queensland to the south coast of New South Wales. As frogs are often tiny, camouflaged and highly secretive, the true number of dead frogs, where the event occurred and the number of species impacted is likely much larger than reported. Although thankfully not at the enormous scale reported in 2021, sick and dead frogs were also reported this winter.

The 2021 frog mortality event was so large that it may have serious population-level impacts on Australian frog species. This is particularly worrying, as many of Australia’s frog species are already threatened with extinction. If you’re a frog species that’s already been pushed to the brink from habitat loss and modification, disease, drought and fire, could this spate of frog deaths be the last straw? And while it’s undoubtedly bad news for frogs, because frogs are such an important part of healthy ecosystems, there’s the real potential for the impacts of this event to be felt across entire ecosystems.

To understand just what impact the terrible winter of 2021 has had on our frogs, the Australian Museum’s Herpetology team has been out surveying frogs since spring 2021. We’ve also been analysing data contributed by people across the country using the Australian Museum’s FrogID app. We’re cautiously optimistic that our frogs can bounce back, but it’s too early to be sure, and we really need more data. We simply can’t understand how our frogs are faring without your help.

Please help us by listening out for calling frogs and recording them with the free FrogID app. While recordings from anywhere across Australia are important, we are particularly interested in receiving submissions of calling frogs from five priority areas in New South Wales:

The Glen Innes/Guyra area on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales.
The Gloucester/Barrington area in the Upper Hunter area of New South Wales.
The Terrey Hills/Cottage Point area in the Northern Beaches of Sydney.
The Cranebrook/Londonderry area of Western Sydney.
The Katoomba area of the Blue Mountains.

Our team will be conducting fieldwork in these areas, but to gain a better understanding of the health of frog populations in these areas, we need your help.

While every single FrogID submission will help us understand how our frogs are faring, if you live in or are visiting the five priority areas, your FrogID submissions will be particularly important. Only together can we gather the information we need to understand the impact of the winter 2021 mortality event on our frogs and make conservation recommendations to help ensure all our unique frogs are around for future generations.

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum & UNSW Sydney. Lead Scientist, FrogID.

You can also help Australia’s frogs by taking part in FrogID Week from 11-20 November 2022. Learn more and get involved: https://www.frogid.net.au/frog-id-week

]]>

Transforming the humble glass microscope slide into a diagnostic lab

Kate Smith — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Who NanoMslide; La Trobe University, University of Melbourne, Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

What By applying a patented coating created with cutting-edge nanofabrication technology, the collaborators behind NanoMslide are turning the humble glass microscope slide into a diagnostic lab. Cancer cells interact with the coating and produce an instant colour variation, enabling fast, accurate, cost-effective diagnoses without the need for specialised equipment.

Winner of the 2022 ANSTO Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology

Can you tell us a bit about the technology you’ve developed?

The NanoMslide is a patented nanofabricated coating for a regular glass microscope slide that allows you to ‘sense’ the chemical content of cancer cells and transform this information into striking colour under the optical microscope. These ‘smart’ microscope slides contain billions of nanostructures, which interact with light and the tissue section touching the slide to make abnormal cells light up with specific colours.

The key innovation behind the NanoMslide is that it completely removes the need for performing any chemistry or using staining, which has been the standard approach for imaging the microstructure of cells and tissues since the 1800’s. Whereas previously tissue pathology has required significant technical expertise and resources, the mass production and application of our nanotechnology to this field means that anyone with access to a basic optical microscope can now generate full-colour tissue images.

What medical applications will benefit from it?

La Trobe University in partnership with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Garvan Institute for Medical Research have spent the past six years developing our NanoMslide technology to detect early-stage breast cancer. These types of samples can be difficult to diagnose and the comparatively high discordance rates in early cancer diagnosis are major contributors to morbidity and health costs worldwide.

Our data show that NanoMslide has the potential for improved efficacy in the detection of very early-stage breast cancer compared to clinical biomarkers that are currently used in breast biopsies. This initial finding is now being substantiated through a larger, statistically significant patient study and we have plans to commercialise the technology so that it can be used in a clinical setting to detect cancer cells.

What areas of expertise have been involved in the development of this technology to date?

The NanoMslide is a truly interdisciplinary collaboration — the six members of the NanoMslide team include a physicist, a materials scientist, a cancer researcher and a cancer pathologist. Only by drawing on the expertise of all these disciplines working together were we able to translate our technology into something with real-world impact.

What are some of the larger impacts you hope to see from your work in the future?

The direct conversion of cellular optical properties into characteristic colours opens an entirely new and exciting frontier in tissue and cellular imaging. By investigating and documenting changes in the optical properties of several different types of cancer cells (for example lung, skin and prostate) versus healthy cells, we hope to expand the applications of NanoMslide well-beyond the detection of breast cancer.

We believe that this work will also have far-reaching and unforeseen impact across multiple areas of medical imaging, which may extend beyond cancer detection. Globally each year, more than 1 billion tissues are subject to staining on microscope slides. The fundamental concept behind the NanoMslide (‘nanotechnology vs. chemistry’) could one day impact every single one of these tests, forever changing the way in which we visualise cells and tissues.

What have been some of the more challenging aspects of this project to date?

Interdisciplinary research can be challenging. It took time to develop a common understanding and to share knowledge effectively, as well as understand the key tasks that needed to be addressed. However, by working towards a clearly defined common goal we were able to overcome all barriers and work together effectively.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

This Eureka Prize is a wonderful validation of the past six years of effort in developing the NanoMslide. It's been a real privilege to receive this award and it has already opened new doors and new opportunities for collaboration. We have a long journey ahead to make sure that this technology realises its full potential but winning a Eureka Prize feels like a hugely important milestone on that journey.

]]>

Dr Tess Reynolds: improving the view for surgeons

Kate Smith — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Who Dr Tess Reynolds, University of Sydney

Winner of the 2022 Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher

What initially attracted you to the field of biomedical imaging?

The potential to make an impact on people’s lives. My pathway to entering the field of biomedical imaging was, however, a little unconventional. I’ve always been passionate about physics and how it provides a pathway to understanding the fundamental way the world works, which led me to study astrophysics during my undergraduate and honours degrees.

After spending a year attempting to identify the possible origin locations for high energy cosmic rays (high speed particles that travel through space) for my honours research project, I began my PhD. It was at this stage that I took my first steps towards the biomedical field, where I developed whispering-gallery mode biosensors using optical fibers and lasers. For those reading, a whispering gallery mode biosensor is an optical device that monitors changes in optical resonance – how a beam of light circulates in a microcavity, as biological material attaches to the surface. This research opened my eyes to the possibilities of leveraging advances in the fundamental understanding of physics to improve the performance of devices that could have real-world impact.

Much of your research is focused on clinical imaging challenges. Can you tell us a little bit about these?

Two of the main clinical imaging challenges my research is trying to address are patient motion and limited field-of-view.

Patient motion Patients are dynamic, constantly experiencing involuntary motion — such as breathing, a beating heart, coughing and swallowing — and each of these actions can result in motion blur in the final images. One aspect of my research is to program imaging hardware to ‘beat in sync’ with the patient, acquiring images when heart and lung motion are minimal, eliminating most of the motion blur.

Limited field of view Current intraoperative volumetric imaging is often limited to capturing small anatomical sites in a single image, such as a couple of vertebrae, yet procedures often focus on long anatomical site — such as the entire spine. Being able to visualise these entire sites in 3D while in the operating room would allow registration of the patient’s anatomy on the day with planning images, enabling in-room surgical verification of the procedure. Another aspect of my work, then, is developing new techniques that leverage the flexibility of robotic images, allowing small sites to be captured in a single image.

You’ve established several international partnerships in recent years, both with academic institutions and Siemens, the world’s largest medical device company. What role do these collaborative relationships play in your research?

The partnerships and collaborations I have with industry and international academic institutions are fundamental to my research. Science is very much a team sport, so while I may be receiving accolades for my Eureka Prize, it’s only possible because I’m able to lead a team and work with multidisciplinary researchers who individually bring new perspectives, ideas or specific pieces of knowledge to the challenges we are collectively tackling.

What are the more challenging aspects of your work?

One of the most challenging (and unexpected) aspects of my work in the last few years has been working with animal cadavers, which are often used to optimise the image acquisition (for example, dose, frame rate and scan time) and image quality of new imaging techniques before moving to humans. With my background in physics, I never thought I would be involved with research that required animal cadavers.

What are some of the real-world impacts you hope to see from your research in the future?

I hope that the imaging techniques and technologies I’m developing can be made available to every patient undergoing an interventional procedure — helping surgeons to provide the best possible treatment and outcomes for their patients.

What does winning a Eureka Prize mean to you?

It’s hard to put into words, but it certainly means a lot. It’s a real honour to be recognised on a national stage and to be able to share the moment with my parents, family and friends. There’s a lot of unseen and unrecognised work behind every publication and scientific advancement, so holding this Eureka Prize makes every unsuccessful day in the lab, funding rejection and midnight call to an international collaborator worth it.

]]>

Catching Lizards to stop Lizard catchers: New genetic tools to prevent shingleback poaching

Amber O. Brown, Dr Greta Frankham — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +1100

In a world first, PhD candidate Amber Brown with supervising scientists have developed and validated a fit-for-purpose mitochondrial DNA kit to identify shingleback DNA – and created one of the only phylogeographic genetic databases to track the genetic lineage of confiscated shingleback lizards.

Many Australians view shinglebacks (Tiliqua rugosa) as ordinary visitors in their back gardens – commonplace lizards that they regularly encounter. In Australia, these animals have their own set of nick-names: “bobbies”, “sleepies”, “pinecone lizards” or “shinglebacks”. Shinglebacks, one of Australia's iconic blue-tongue skinks, are marketed as the "romantic lizard" or “Godzilla pets” – and overseas, these animals are highly valued as exotic pets.

Unfortunately, it is comparatively easy to poach a shingleback lizard. They are docile in nature, easy to catch by hand and are relatively easy to traffic as they are non-vocal. These factors, coupled with the low-risk of prosecution for these crimes, has resulted in hundreds of shinglebacks being trafficked from Australia each year. When shinglebacks are identified and confiscated in transit, we often cannot tell where in the wild they came from and biosecurity risks prevent them from being re-released into the environment. Therefore, the fate of most trafficked shinglebacks is a life in captivity or unfortunately euthanasia. This is particularly devastating, as shinglebacks are considered “monogamous” – finding the same mating partner year after year. So, deterring animals being removed from the wild in the first place is the best outcome for this species.

With this in mind, discussions between the Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics (the only ISO/IEC 17025 accredited wildlife forensics facility in Australia) and State and Federal agencies responsible for investigating wildlife crime, took place. These agencies highlighted the need for forensics tools to assist with shingleback trafficking. From these discussions, we aimed to develop a cost and time effective genetic method to identify from where in the wild confiscated lizard originated.

Shingleback lizards are distributed from the east to west coast of Australia. Therefore, we used mitochondrial DNA sequencing to help us narrow down where poaching is occurring – vital intelligence needed to mitigate this trade. Additionally, we wanted to develop genetic tools to identify if shingleback DNA was present in suspected poaching events, but when the actual lizards are no longer present. These samples can include empty tanks or packaging from which indirect samples (swabs, faeces, sheds) can be retrieved. To do this, we developed protocols to reliably retrieve very small amounts, as well as highly degraded, shingleback DNA.

We needed to compile a shingleback genetic database that extended across the entire range of the species to capture as much of the genetic diversity in the species as possible. To do this, we conducted fieldwork across Australia to collect genetic samples from wild shingleback lizards. Despite the challenges of the 2019-2020 bushfires, followed by COVID-19 restrictions and border closures, we were still able to collect DNA samples from wild shingleback populations from New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia. To fill in sampling gaps in areas that we could not access, we also used DNA samples archived in the Australian Museum, the Western Australian Museum, the Queensland Museum and Museums Victoria collections to compile our database. Furthermore, captive shinglebacks and those confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade, now held at Featherdale Wildlife Park and the Australian Reptile Park, were also sampled to help test, optimise and validate our protocols. The result was the development of a validated genetic toolkit that could be used to generate intelligence data on where shingleback poaching is being carried out, as well as provide robust DNA evidence in for any prosecutions related to shingleback trafficking. It is also of one of the few species-wide genetic databases in wildlife forensic science.

In response to trafficking pressures, shinglebacks, along with all other Tiliqua skinks – including the iconic Blue tongue lizard (Tiliqua scincoides) – were proposed by the Australian Government as warranting regulation under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). As of June 2022, shinglebacks are listed as an Appendix III species, which is a major step towards their conservation. With these additional regulations, the creation of this validated forensic toolkit will aid law enforcement in prosecuting individuals who traffic these Australian icons.

Amber O. Brown, PhD candidate, Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum; and Fellow Centre for Forensic Science University of Technology Sydney.

Dr. Greta Frankham, Scientific Officer, Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum & Industry Fellow Centre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney.

Dr. Maiken Ueland, ARC DECRA Fellow & Senior Lecturer, Centre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney.

Dr. Barbara Stuart, Adjunct Associate Professor, Centre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney.

]]>

Exploring Antarctica through the lens of the climate crisis

Kate Smith — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Who Dr Jackson Ryan, CNET

What One of 66 people on the inaugural voyage of Australia's icebreaker vessel RSV Nuyina, Dr Jackson Ryan explores Antarctica through the lens of the climate crisis. His series Journey to the Ice Kingdom offers a snapshot of life onboard a research vessel and explains how rising temperatures, tourism and loss of biodiversity threaten the southernmost continent.

Winner of the 2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Science Journalism

Congratulations on your win, Jackson! This was your third year as a finalist — how does it feel to take home that trophy?

Thank you!

Relief. A lot of relief. I was shaky when I accepted the award because it truly means a lot to me that it exists. When I was in university, working as scientist, I used to love following the Eureka Prizes and would think “hopefully I can give this a crack one day when my experiments work.” They never did then I switched to a career in science journalism and weirdly enough, I was able to give it a crack! After three years as a finalist, it was really such a thrill to win and I feel very fortunate.

Also, it’s a very good trophy. Weighty. Solid. I was parading it around Frankie’s Pizza bar at midnight after I won to get free pizza. It didn’t work.

You wrote about the difficulty in conveying how it feels to be in the Antarctic. What surprised you most about this part of the world?

Because I was on the RSV Nuyina and we had to cross the Southern Ocean, I really got an appreciation for how massive Earth is. For about two weeks we were just sailing through open seas. You can kind of get that experience on a plane, I guess, but that journey is over in, at most, a day or so. Antarctica is a long, long way away. I was surprised by how that made me feel and I started to wonder why we even bother going there ... like, what if everyone just let it be? Would that be so bad?

To what extent did you observe the impact of humans on Antarctica, during your time there?

When you think of Antarctica you probably think of those amazing nature documentaries and David Attenborough’s voice is in your head. Of course, Sir David did not venture to Antarctica with me, so I had to narrate things myself. It’s not quite like that image, at least not on the coast where Australia’s research stations sit. In those locations, our activities have basically carved out a chunk of land that's ice-free, muddy and rocky.

Though everyone does their best to leave the wilderness undisturbed, we know that the ecosystems around stations are vulnerable to human impacts. When I was visiting, the team at Casey (research station) were in the middle of a huge remediation effort to understand clean up fuels that have leaked into the soils over the decades of human occupation.

What were the most challenging aspects of the trip?

Good sleep! During the summer season, once you get far enough south, the sun never sets. This messes with your body a fair bit, even with blackout curtains. It was also just really challenging to be on a huge ship for so long because there’s a lot of downtime, no consistent internet and a creeping sense of loneliness — even though the ship was full of great people that I enjoyed spending time with.

Many people might be curious about the RSV Nuyina itself. What did you learn about the vessel during your time onboard?

The Nuyina is super cool. It’s state-of-the-art. You’re basically stepping into a space station when you board. And like a space station it’s filled with laboratories and all sorts of whizz-bang machinery that can drop things into the ocean or monitor the climate or map the ocean floor or assess the salinity and temperature of the water. It even has a huge room, right next to the engine room, that you can deliberately flood with water to collect marine creatures.

I really only scratched the surface of what the vessel can do and I look forward to seeing other science journalists write about its exploits in the future. It has had some engineering troubles, so I am keen to see how it bounces back in the upcoming summer seasons.

What role do you believe science journalism plays in society today?

The value of science journalism has only increased over the last few years. Specialists with an understanding of the sciences — in health, the environment, physical and life sciences and beyond — are so important to newsrooms because they prevent the spread of inaccurate or misleading information. And misleading information erodes trust. So, we need science journalists today, in the age of misinformation, more than ever.

That’s why the Eureka Prize for Science Journalism is so important. It’s aspirational. It should drive science writers and communicators and journalists to do their best work in educating the public, speaking out about problems in research and policy, and instil a sense of wonder and inspiration in readers.

]]>

Yellow coffin from Akhmim

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +1100

A mummy, well wrapped in bandages in a painted coffin without a lid from Thebes in Egypt, was gifted to the Museum in 1912 by brewer, politician, and philanthropist, Robert Lucas-Tooth (1844-1915).

Through the style of the coffin, the mummy was attributed to the 26th Dynasty (664-525 BCE), although later radiocarbon dating of a linen sample, indicates the 22nd Dynasty (945–720 BCE). Subsequent examination revealed numerous interesting facts about the mummy and ultimately the coffin itself.

An analysis into the remains indicated that the mummy is probably a middle-aged woman. Major organs were removed, and chest and abdomen filled with an inorganic matter, possibly clay. Fragile but intact bones of the nasal bridge indicate the brain was not removed in the typical way via the nasal passage. There is evidence of early arthritis in the hips, knees, and ankles and an incomplete set of teeth, afflicted by infection. There are no signs that during her life the woman performed heavy physical labour. Both arms are individually wrapped, and the entire body is enveloped in many metres of linen. The coffin, however, was not systematically examined.

For the period marked by the decline of the New Kingdom (c. 1069 BCE) and the First Persian Invasion (525 BCE), cemeteries at Thebes provide the best evidence of burial practices, their dating, and accessories with a variety of organic materials.

A credible theory suggests that the economic, political, and social strife of the period resulted in the elevation of Thebes as an alternative centre of power, claimed by the priesthood of Amun, who became the de facto rulers of the Upper Egypt. Concurrently, burial practices for elites shifted from building elaborate tombs into making intricately carved and painted coffins. Known as the ‘yellow’ coffin style, it become one of the longest-used types in Egyptian history, with its origin probably rooted in the later part of the 18th Dynasty (Bettum 2012:17-118; Johnston 2022:9-11).

The coffins from Theban cemeteries, well provenanced and dated, attracted the attention of researchers, and permitted the development of typology and a model of coffin evolution. However, many coffins of the period are from different regional areas, usually poorly documented or unprovenanced and scattered through museums around the world. The large number of coffins that originated outside Thebes cannot be accommodated in the Theban model thus explaining their variations and idiosyncrasies.

Dr. Kea Johnston, in her inspiring dissertation, set out to understand the development of coffin styles produced at the workshops at Akhmim, an important regional centre of coffins created in this period, some 200 km along the river Nile north of Thebes.

The coffins of the late pharaonic period from Akhmim have long been neglected as they mostly lack archaeological context or even basic provenance. They were considered provincial and of lower quality. Yet, the Akhmim artists and scribes who produced the coffins developed their own independent stylistic traditions and some of the best examples compare favourably with the coffins from the southern capital of Thebes.

As Dr. Johnston sums up in her paper: ‘The Akhmim artists and scribes produced lively, creative works which would ensure the proper passage of their patrons into the afterlife.’ She demonstrated that Akhmim artists developed their iconographic and religious narrative in broader Ptolemaic tradition ‘through the addition, subtraction, and substitution of elements in a scene’.

The fact that many Egyptian artefacts were purchased by collectors in Cairo and Luxor, having travelled through networks of dealers who kept poor records means that any documentation linking an object to Akhmim is rare.

Consequently, any attribution to Akhmim must be inferred from the physical properties of the coffin itself, supplemented by the titles of the owner, the stylistic variation and quality of craftwork.

Some researchers proposed that the low quality yellow coffins produced in Akhmim workshops in the 21st dynasty (1069-945 BCE), were based loosely on Theban or Deir el-Medina models (Liptay 2011; Niwiński 2017). Dr. Johnston approached this comparison in a more systematic and detailed way. She examined the texts and vignettes, the handwork of individual artists and scribes, finding that they can be distinguished within these workshops. Developing typology based on small variations in vignettes and text rather than large changes in overall layout, she grouped the coffins that seem to be made by the same artisans and scribes, with impressive insight into peculiarity and individuality of each coffin.

She constructed the identification framework based on two groups of provenanced coffins - through names and titles of mummified persons, and documentary evidence. Three coffins in the first group (Hory, Khui-ipuy and Knumensanapehsu) were designated as workshop 1, and one coffin (Aaefenhor) in the second group designated as workshop 2. Careful analysis of paintings, their arrangements, themes, and individual characteristics of script (including consistent spelling mistakes) enabled her to attribute the decoration of these coffins to a team of artists and scribes in each group.

So, how is the coffin donated to the Australian Museum by Lucas-Tooth linked to these groups? The comparison is somewhat limited as our coffin has no lid. This is where the inscribed identity of the mummified person would usually be placed. Detailed analysis of paintings on Aaefenhor’s coffin basin – workshop 2 - and the AM coffin basin is revealing, and it can be summarised in the following points.

The selection of vignettes and their placement is nearly the same on both coffins. The draftsmanship has the same "sketchy" quality as well, complete with blots, smudges, and corrections. The artist apparently still had problems controlling the ink flow and consistency. The same orthographic and ‘spelling peculiarities occur, including the distinctive Nephthys emblem.’ ‘Osiris is drawn in the same posture … and with the same ribbon on his crown … the jackals pulling the sun-barque have the same distinctive profile.’ Dr. Johnston concludes that our coffin was produced at Akhmim during the 21st dynasty, as it was painted and inscribed by the same artist/scribe as the reliably provenanced coffin of Aaefenhor from Akhmim.

While the coffins from Akhmim share a yellow ground, varnish, colour palette, and general layout with contemporary yellow coffins from Thebes, Memphis and other places, they show distinct differences in ‘what is depicted, how it is depicted, and where.’ Essentially the iconography narrates the relationship between the deceased and the trio Osiris, Isis, and Horus. ‘The theme of the selected vignettes centres [on] the relationship between the deceased and the trinity of Osiris, Isis, and Horus.’

The difference between the 1st and 2nd Akhmim workshops is well illustrated through the “embalming” scene on the coffin basins. In the coffins from the 1st workshop, Anubis is depicted in different variants and composition, and goes about his embalming work of the deceased resting on a bier. The equivalent scene on the Australian Museum coffin departs from this standard. Anubis is replaced by a winged sun-disk. The bier has an added lion’s head and a long tail. The deceased's wrappings are depicted in a diamond pattern. Canopic jars below are given crowns. This scene is no longer a mummification scene at all but ‘through a combination of experimentation and creativity, has become a depiction of the merging of the sun with Osiris in the underworld.’ This creative departure from the norm, among other clues, lead Dr. Johnston to conclude that the artist was not a naïve replicator restricted by his technical skills and knowledge, but to the contrary, able, and confident to reintroduce another narrative and was therefore fully competent in religious and sacred interpretation.

I hope this selective summary about the origin, production and meaning of the yellow coffin at the Australian Museum will encourage our visitors to consult Dr Johnston’s inspiring thesis, which will be published next year (see abstract).

Notes:

All quotes are from Johnston’s Thesis 2022.

Prepared by Ourania Mihas, David Chan, Peter Dadswell and Stan Florek.

]]>

Watawieh (Hello)! AM visit to Norfolk Island ahead of expedition

Meagan Warwick — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +1100

In early September, Kim McKay AO, Professor Kristofer Helgen and Paul Flemons visited stunning Norfolk Island and met with the community. This trip was in preparation for Phase 1 of the Australian Museum led expedition to Norfolk Island, which is taking place in late October.

Norfolk Island may be a small island, but it has a big history and unique biodiversity – and the Australian Museum is delighted to be traveling to Norfolk Island to undertake multiple research surveys over the next two years. In late October, the AM in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Botanical Science and the Auckland War Memorial Museum, will be kicking off Phase 1 of the expedition.

As Australia’s first museum, the AM has a long history of expeditions and appreciates the importance of community consultation. Ahead of Phase 1 of the expedition, Kim McKay AO (Director and CEO, Australian Museum), Professor Kris Helgen (Chief Scientist and Director, Australian Museum Research Institute) and Paul Flemons (Expedition Leader, Australian Museum) arrived at Norfolk Island in early September 2022. Over the following four days, the team met and discussed the upcoming expedition with local community groups and explored beautiful Norfolk Island.

The first event of the trip was a community talk on Friday night, at the Agricultural and Horticultural Hall. This community consultation session provided our team an opportunity to talk about the upcoming scientific plans and the scientists involved – the session opened up the floor for questions to our team, and to share any and all ideas and feedback. As Kim perfectly stated, “Our scientists are recognised internationally as experts in their fields, but local collaboration and consultation is essential in both planning and research phases of scientific expeditions… Your voice is crucial in painting a full picture of Norfolk’s biodiversity.”

During their time on Norfolk Island, Kim, Kris and Paul met with the Council of Elders, the Flora and Fauna society, the Norfolk Island Regional Council, the Polynesian Fusion Organisers, the Administrator and many other community members. The feedback from the community was positive, and our team thoroughly enjoyed getting to know a broad range of Norfolk Islanders, through both organised interactions and spontaneous discussions at local café's and restaurants. The guided tour of the Norfolk Island Museum was certainly a highlight, meeting staff and learning further about the rich and diverse history of Norfolk Island.

Finishing on Monday with a radio interview at Radio Norfolk, with Darlene Buffet, Kim and Kris spoke to the importance of expeditions, to what Museum’s do and provided additional details for Phase 1, 2 and 3 for the expedition. As Kris Helgen stated, “In order to conserve a species, we must know what’s there. conservation is at the heart of our expeditions and the work we do throughout the Australian Museum Research Institute.”

The Australian Museum is excited to work with the Norfolk Island community, to document and study the Island’s unique biodiversity, to gain a better understanding of the existing and evolving ecological relationships on the Island and help to inform future management plans for the islands unique and fascinating biodiversity.

Would you like to learn more about the upcoming Norfolk Island expedition? Go to our webpage to learn how you can get involved: https://australian.museum/learn/expeditions/norfolk-island/

]]>

It’s a date: Citizen science data reveals what triggers frogs to breed

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +1100

How do frogs know when to breed? Frogs tune into their environment, which holds important clues as to when the conditions are suitable for breeding. But what clues exactly?

Many frog populations are declining across Australia and across the world. Frogs, like much biodiversity, are facing a multitude of threats such as habitat loss, pollution, fungal and viral disease pandemics, climate change, fires, droughts, and floods. We desperately need more information on frog populations – specifically, where they are and how they are changing over time.

Often the best way to survey for frogs is to listen for their call during the breeding season. The results of call surveys are where we get most of our understanding of species population trends over time. Knowing what cues are important to frog calling is vital for scientists, both in planning when to look for frogs (for example, monitoring a threatened population) and for after the surveys are done (interpreting what your results mean for that species, compared to historical records). So, it is important to identify what the best weather and time of year is to survey for a species – pick the wrong conditions, and chances are you won’t find them.

Crinia signifera) calling.' />

To answer some of those pressing questions affecting frog breeding and survival, we need a substantial amount of data from everywhere frogs live – an almost insurmountable task. With traditional science, we might only know how frogs in one national park respond to the conditions there, over a few months. Now, with the help of people all over Australia contributing to the national citizen science project FrogID, we have records of frogs every day of the year and in hundreds of unique places across the continent! This data allows a more comprehensive look at what is important for frogs all over Australia, when it comes to breeding.

In our recent research, we examined how environmental factors influenced calling over a three-year period, using more than 150,000 frog records from 100 species. Combined with weather data, we looked at a how cues (like day-of year, daily temperature, recent trends in temperature, humidity, rainfall, and recent accumulation of rainfall) influence the calling behaviour of these frog species at a macro-scale (10km² grid cells).

We found a strong seasonal signal, with day of year most strongly related to calling in 67 out of our 100 species. This is perhaps not surprising – frogs, like most animals, tend to breed during specific times of the year. However, what was surprising was this overwhelming strength of time of year, being more connected to frog calling than temperature or even rainfall! In other words, more than daily temperature and rainfall, frogs use the seasons, including factors like the sunrise and sunset time and recent weather patterns, to know it’s time to start looking for a mate. And since we already know frogs tend to have a breeding season, we also looked at data just within their known breeding seasons, to see what was important during that pivotal time. We found similar patterns, where weather patterns over the past 10 days were more influential than daily weather variables.

With the continued help of citizen scientists, we are better able to not just get a baseline understanding of what frogs need to breed, but to understand the changes over time of frog breeding and survival. This helps us plan and develop effective conservation strategies. Indeed, citizen science data are increasingly being used to document changes in the timing of important events, like migration in birds, and hatching time for butterflies, and watch out for mismatches in things like arrival at breeding sites and food availability.

Understanding how meteorological conditions influence important events in the life, such as breeding, will be increasingly important considering the rapid changes in environmental conditions and stability throughout the world, and how important breeding is to species survival. Since historically coupled signals, like rainfall and temperature are uncoupling in some parts of the world, what does this mean for frog breeding behaviour and successful reproduction? Are their offspring going to survive as well as they have over evolutionary time? And, if frogs are relying on their environment to tell them when to breed, what happens if the environment changes? Gain some more insight into this issue when you check out more recent research using FrogID Data!

]]>

Flying without wings

Yi-Kai Tea — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Out in the open ocean, the sky’s the limit. Out on the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator, critters of fin and scale take to the air. Chadwick Biodiversity Research Fellow, Yi-Kai Tea, describes his time on deck, spotting flying fishes.

The open ocean is a tough and inhospitable place. Be that as it may, several animals have evolved a suite of tricks to help them survive out here in harsh conditions.

We are about a week into our month-long expedition in the remote Indian Ocean, sampling deep reefs and sea mounts of the Cocos Keeling. I am joined by other scientists from CSIRO, Museums Victoria Research Institute, Western Australian Museum and the Australian Museum Research Institute on the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator. As we slowly make our way to Cocos, we are treated to daily views of the wide inky blue of the open sea. It's almost unfathomable how vast the open ocean is. With no visible landmarks in sight, the searing sun beating overhead, and patchy areas of productivity, it’s difficult to imagine how anything could call this vast expanse their home. Standing over the bow looking down at the endless indigo, we are reminded of life teeming just beneath…or above…the waves.

Australia and its remote territories are home to 6 genera of flying fishes (family Exocoetidae) with 29 species between them. Flying fishes are open water specialists most frequently found just beneath the surface. Nearly all species have greatly enlarged pectoral and pelvic fins used for gliding above the water. Under ideal wind conditions, flying fishes can travel up to 400 metres, using a combination of sustained gliding and taxiing.

In the open ocean where predators are plentiful and hiding places are scarce, the ability to break out of the water and take to the air can make a difference between life or death. To maximize airtime, most flying fishes also have an asymmetrical caudal fin with a longer lower lobe, which they use to skim across the water.

While a quick glide out of the water may see a flying fish live to fight another day against larger fishes such as Tuna, it exposes them to another danger – sea birds. Gannets, Terns, shearwaters and other birds of the open ocean are frequent visitors of research vessels like the RV Investigator.

As we steam across the Indian Ocean, the vessel acts like a magnet, picking up sea birds along the way. This cloud of orbiting birds around our vessel are hoping to snatch an easy meal as flying fishes are scared into flight by the movement of our vessel across the water.

As we approach the Christmas Island marine park, the science team is gearing up in preparation for our first deep water trawls. Much of our sampling will take place at the bottom of the sea in the abyssal plane, where the fishes will look nothing like our surface-dwelling flying fish friends.

Yi-Kai Tea, Chadwick Biodiversity Research Fellow, Ichthyology, Australian Museum.

]]>

Sharks: The power of pure visual presence

Kim McKay, AO — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +1100

At the AM we herald all species as icons. Indeed, I regularly say we have 22 million objects and specimens in the collection and with those come more than 22 million stories – a total treasure trove to be discovered under one roof.

Yet there’s little doubt in nature’s pantheon of fantastic visual storytellers, sharks have always been the ultimate icon of the oceans, captivating curious and utterly awed audiences.

Sharks are instant impact. They invoke an immediate projection of our senses. Often silence. Fear. Fierce, sleek, beautiful, myths, facts and stats. They are a dominant and diverse species for the power of the visual image.

Speaking at the opening of Sharks, the largest homegrown blockbuster exhibition the AM has ever created, legendary conservationist Valerie Taylor helped us think about why understanding more about sharks – some 183 species can be found around Australia, roughly half of all shark species that exist – is so critical to us humans too, balancing the food web, keeping prey populations healthy and vital habitats healthy. Healthy oceans mean healthy us. Bringing this message home means seeing them and understanding them up close.

As well as introducing her new National Geographic documentary on sharks, the opening served as an opportunity for visitors to see the Australian Geographic Nature Photography of the Year exhibition, which happens to feature 14 phenomenal shark images.

And when you see the sharks our scientific model makers have produced, in full glorious detail, so close and out of their natural habitat, it’s such an instant leveller in being present. In the moment. This is what we need to start conversations around looking after our ocean environment.

These fierce predators’ visual presence, so clearly bursting with primal sensory perception, amplifies our own primal senses, our emotions, our sense of self. Interactively, we are even showing how to navigate a shark’s world as if you’re within a shark body, looking through a hammerhead’s eyes.

From the stunning underwater films of Jacques Cousteau and Ron and Valerie Taylor to monumental myth creator movies like Jaws, this raw connection with a single species lends itself to storytelling in bucketloads; the discoveries, dramas, myths, misunderstandings and corrections, sharks are a truly magnificent lever for instant conversations, contextualising our vulnerability even as we marvel at their sheer power in the water.

So, sharks and the photographers and filmmakers who cover them, provide an effortless communications lever into opening instant and enthused conversations about climate change and ocean protection.

Sharks are apex predators. When we lose or pirate them from the ocean ecosystem - and many shark populations have declined by 90% due to overfishing, climate change and habitat loss - we upset the ocean’s delicate life balance – as projects such as the work the AM does at its Lizard Island Research Station for the past 50 years or National Geographic’s Pristine Seas have been showing for many years.

For all we’ve done to them, we are sharks best allies. They barely make a noise, and yet their visceral power, still or in motion, their very survival prompts us to think about this evolution of the oldest living vertebrates on our planet, teaching us humans about our own origins in turn; even better, their aerodynamic shape inspires universal design for our tools and vehicles.

We were thrilled to welcome approximately 30,000 visitors to Sharks during the two weeks of the recent September school holidays and can’t wait to have more people see this AM blockbuster exhibition that helps start vital conservation conversations.

]]>

Hear the difference: Citizen science deciphers the distributions of the mysterious Green Stream Frogs

Dr Jodi Rowley, Timothy Cutajar — Sun, 09 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +1100

How have thousands of people eavesdropping on calling frogs revolutionised our understanding of some of our most cryptic frogs? Dr Jodi Rowley and Tim Cutajar at the Australian Museum find out.

Australia has a lot of frog species. But some of our frogs are extremely difficult to spot, and if spotted, look so similar that they are often confused. Resulting identification errors can make understanding which frogs occur where – vital in land management and conservation efforts – a huge challenge. Luckily, many frog species are easily identifiable via their calls. FrogID, an audio-based citizen science project led by the Australian Museum, may be key to really sorting out where our ‘most difficult’ frogs are. We tested just how much of an improvement citizen science audio data might be using a group of tiny green frogs from eastern Australia.

At least 246 different species of frog (plus the introduced Cane Toad) call Australia home. They range from the Javelin Frog (Litoria microbelos), about the size of a thumbtack, to the White-lipped Tree Frog (L. infrafrenata), which could almost cover your face, and from the almost black Dendy’s Toadlet (Pseudophryne dendyi) to the technicolour Crucifix Frog (Notaden bennetti). The Green Stream Frog (L. phyllochroa) is small – about 2cm long, and almost completely green with golden eyes. But so is the Southern Green Stream Frog (L. nudidigitus), the Barrington Tops Tree Frog (L. barringtonensis), Pearson’s Stream Frog (L. pearsoniana), and the Kroombit Tree Frog (L. kroombitensis). These five species, which are all related and belong to a species group called the Green Stream Frogs, can be virtually indistinguishable in appearance.

During frog surveys along the streams of eastern Australia, we come across Green Stream Frogs often. Even for us frog biologists, it can be hard to determine exactly which Green Stream Frog species we’re seeing sitting on a leaf. Not surprisingly, past misidentifications of these troublesome species have led to Green Stream Frogs being quite poorly known; no one seems to know quite where each species occurs. That’s a problem, because while some of these species are doing OK, others have declined in number and one, the Peppered Tree Frog (L. piperata), is feared extinct.

Fortunately, frogs provide a boon for those wanting to identify them by calling, even those frogs that look the same. Males call to attract females. To avoid wasted effort, they have evolved distinct calls to attract only their own species. Green Stream Frogs are no exception, so we’ve started using our ears, rather than eyes, to identify them. But we’re not the only ones; thousands of citizen scientists are now doing the same with FrogID, an app-based project that allows users to submit frog call recordings. With reliably identified FrogID records now well into the hundreds of thousands, we wanted to see how these data compared to existing records of Green Stream Frogs and use them to finally work out just where each species lives!

Call recording of the Green Stream Frog (Litoria phyllochroa)

Call recording of the Barrington Tops Tree Frog (Litoria barringtonensis)

In the first approximately three years of the FrogID project, citizen scientists gathered an incredible 2,919 records of Green Stream Frogs – that’s almost a thousand records per year! Compare this to all other records of these frogs, and the rate of record accumulation is 18 times faster. Indeed, the total number of observations of these tiny frogs, which have taken over 143 years to collect, will likely be doubled by FrogID in less than five!

The FrogID data were more accurate than other records. Almost a third of the non-FrogID records of these tricky frogs we deemed likely misidentifications – for example, records of the southernmost species, known to be restricted to Victoria and southern NSW plotting up in Queensland. After going through the data in detail, we combined FrogID data with existing data (minus the chunk of suspect records) and mapped each species’ range anew.

We discovered range extensions, and previously unknown areas where two species occurred in the same place – even the same stream! Thanks to recordings submitted to the FrogID project, we now know the Green Stream Frog (L. phyllochroa) and Southern Green Stream Frog (L. nudidigitus), once thought geographically separated, in fact share a large area just south of Sydney from Stanwell Tops to Budderoo. FrogID recordings also revealed that the northern Barrington Tops Tree Frog (L. barringtonensis) and Pearson’s Stream Tree Frog (L. pearsoniana) may also co-occur: a potential focus for future expeditions.

Our study shows just how much people can make a difference in better understanding our biodiversity. Just by recording the distinctive screeches and chirps emanating from streams across eastern Australia, hundreds of people have now given us the ability to consider these little green frogs more fully in land management and conservation decisions. While there are still gaps in our understanding of these tiny frogs (more remote places are typically less well surveyed by citizen science) we are now in a much better place to understand where our wildlife is distributed and how it is changing over time.

Timothy Cutajar, Research Assistant, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum & UNSW Sydney. Lead Scientist, FrogID.

]]>

New profile features on the FrogID website

Nadiah Roslan — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Thanks to your feedback, we’ve added new features to user profiles on the FrogID website. These allow you to:

View your FrogID submissions export your data
Join and create FrogID groups more efficiently, including exporting your group data
Earn FrogID badges (and opt out of badge emails)
Opt into formal biodiversity surveys

Read on to find out more.

We hope you enjoy these new features and thank you for helping us improve FrogID!

If you have any feedback to provide or experience any issues, please get in touch with our team at calls@frogid.net.au

More information: www.frogid.net.au

]]>

From smashing strawberries to marvellous minerals – what a wonderful week of Sydney Science Trail!

Meagan Warwick — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Each year the Australian Museum celebrates National Science Week, and for the first time in two years, we were able to hold this science extravaganza on site! Learn how our scientists took part in this jam-packed week.

This year from August 13 - 21, the Australian Museum in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney presented Sydney Science Trail– a jam-packed program of school excursions for primary and secondary students, community events and an online trail. The Sydney Science Trail (SST) welcomed 1,370 students on-site over five days, and 4,227 visitors to the Australian Museum’s Community Saturday event on 20 August, with the SST Expo being a major feature.

For the last two years, SST has been held exclusively online due to COVID-19 restrictions, and the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) staff scientists were very excited to take part in person this year on site. AMRI is the science division of the Museum, and AMRI staff work on understanding and responding to challenges facing our planet through scientific research, communication and education.

From Monday (15 August) to Saturday (20 August), the AMRI stall was set up at the Expo alongside many wonderful partners and collaborators including the valued support of the University of New England, University of Technology Sydney and the Centenary Institute. Each day at the AMRI stall, our scientists shared their work and our collections, representing a different branch of AMRI each day.

On Monday, we had our wonderful digitisation and citizen science experts on the stall, teaching secondary kids about FrogID, DigiVol, and the Australasian Fishes project. A crowd favourite was Wildlife spotter – students and teachers trying to spot the animal in our camera trap footage. Another favourite activity was learning all about molluscs with digitisation officer, Jae Santos!

Our Collection Care and Conservation team was teed up for Tuesday – our CC&C team are experts in preventive conservation programs and treatment programs. On Tuesday, the team taught kids about the many uses of Japanese tissue paper in our work. You may think the images below are of real feathers but they are in fact coloured Japanese tissue paper, used to replace real feathers, on the taxidermy specimen below!

Wednesday was the first day of the primary school program, where Ross Pogson (Collection Manager of Mineralogy and Petrology) wowed the students. Ross shared many facts and stories about our rocks from outer space – I stuck to my limited knowledge of quartz crystal and garnet (did you know each side is a rhombus?).

On Thursday, the students had an opportunity to ‘guess the specimens’ from our Ornithology and Mammalogy teams; another crowd favourite with the kids was asking: can you tell the difference between the introduced and native species pictured here?

Wrapping up the school visits on Friday was the wildly popular ACWG team, where students got to extract DNA from bananas…which then became strawberries (the bananas were a bit too green to be smashed, but would it really be science if we didn’t do a trial run first?). Students queued up all day to take part in this experiment!

Saturday was the Community Day, a huge day packed with many activities for anyone and everyone to enjoy. We had our staff from Life and Geosciences, Digitisation, Mammalogy, Ornithology, CC&C, ACWG and more take part – Natalie Tees was also part of an all day program teaching everyone about bugs!

For those unable to visit the Museum, SST online featured on-demand activities, digital tours and blogs, including features of our Lizard Island Research Station, and a ‘day in the life of’ blog from palaeontologist Dr Matthew McCurry.

A huge thank you to Alison Mellor and the Public Programs team, who brought this great Science Week celebration to life, and everyone who took part in SST, to make it such a special, engaging and fun event.

We’d like to express gratitude to Inspiring Australia for funding support as part of National Science Week, and our partners, University of New England, University of Technology Sydney, the Centenary Institute and ABC Radio Sydney for their support in promoting science to our community, their presence and insights were highly valued across Sydney Science Trail. A thank you also to our collaborators and staff who dedicated their time, energy and passion to these programs – you made this a wonderful week of science! Save the date for next year’s Sydney Science Trail, which will be held from 12 – 20 August 2023 .

Meagan Warwick, AMRI Project and Communications Officer, Australian Museum.

Alison Mellor, Creative Producer, Science Engagement and Events, Australian Museum.

]]>

Flying high on Bitcoin

Alice Gage, Claire Vince — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Whether the value of Bitcoin cryptocurrency rises or falls, its legacy will now live on forever in the form of a newly described fly from Papua New Guinea named Chrysosoma bitcoin.

The previously unknown fly species from the rainforest-covered mountain ranges of PNG is a member of the family Dolichopodidae (long-legged flies), which belongs to a group of 13 species all with beautifully patterned brown wings and long hairs (setae) on their front legs. AM entomologist Dr Dan Bickel sorted Chrysoosma bitcoin and related species from the extensive collections of the Australian Museum and other institutions.

The first named species of this group was collected in 1857 by the famed naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace during his stay on the Aru Islands off Indonesian Papua.

So how does such a fly end up with a name like Bitcoin? The fly was named by venture capitalist Mark Carnegie and cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sergei Sergienko. They won naming rights by being the highest bidders for the prize at the 2021 Australian Museum Foundation Gala Dinner auction. The name is apt – for the first time in the AM’s history, Carnegie and Sergienko paid using Bitcoin.

Dr Bickel said there is no question that the historic natural science collections are vital resources for researchers.

“Australia has more than 25,000 species of flies, and the AM has a hugely significant collection of over 150,000 specimens representing the 14 countries that make up Oceania, including Australia and PNG. Chrysosoma bitcoin, known primarily from the highland provinces of PNG at altitudes of 1500m to 2400m, is certainly an enchanting species with its striking bands of colour ,” Dr Bickel said.

“Overall, flies are one of the most common and diverse groups of animals on Earth. Although we often find them annoying, they serve many important roles – they are the second most important pollinator group after bees of both native and many crop plants,” he said.

“However, insects are under extreme threat with deforestation, climate change and the use of pesticides. There are still millions of species out there, especially in the tropical regions which we are yet to discover and describe,” Dr Bickel added.

Carnegie and Sergienko see advances in digital technology as great opportunities for cultural institutions to enhance the preservation of the collections, democratise knowledge and explore new fundraising initiatives.

“We have the capability to reposition cultural institutions at the forefront of the digital revolution, and are dedicated to ensuring Australia doesn’t get left behind through the ongoing disruption,” Carnegie said.

“I acknowledge Bitcoin mining has negative environmental consequences and want to make sure no one in a crypto project with me is not clearly buying multiple offsets. That is why we have purchased more than three times the amount of carbon credits needed to offset our Bitcoin donation through Australian, Melanesian and on-chain projects,” Carnegie added. “I respect the Australian Museum as a leading cultural institution in the world, knowing that they have placed great trust in us, and want what we do to attract comment but not criticism.”

Professor Kristofer Helgen, Australian Museum Chief Scientist, said it is conservatively estimated that there are over eight million species of life on Earth, yet only approximately 25 percent have been named.

“We share this planet with millions of species, though we rarely think about them. Yet, they are vitally important to our own existence, with each species forming part of the ecosystems that enable us to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and obtain the food we need,” Helgen said.

“Insects may not usually attract the attention of the world of finance, but they are very valuable to us in their own right. Each species is valuable—we might think of species as the currency of the natural world,” he added.

]]>

Papua New Guinea Independence Day: An Interview with Wap-hill Imbun

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Papua New Guinea celebrated its 47th year of Independence last week on 16 September. It’s journey toward Independence came after colonial administrations from Germany, Britain and finally by Australia who returned autonomy to the people in 1975.

A diverse country of more than a thousand different cultural groups and languages, Papua New Guinea is one of the largest Pacific nations and by far, one of the most diverse. As a result of both Australia’s proximity and historical ties to Papua New Guinea, it is now home to the largest Papua New Guinean diaspora – who contribute deeply into the narrative of Australia while remaining deeply connected to their Motherland.

As an acknowledgement of Papua New Guinea Independence, we had the honour of sitting down with Wap-hill Imbun - a Papua New Guinean- Australian, whose ancestry links her back to the Enga Province of the highland's region of Papua New Guinea and who currently resides on Dharug Country / Western Sydney. Wap-hill is a member of ‘Wantok Sydney’ and the curatorial mind behind the Instagram page ‘@Pasifikavisuals’ - a truly exemplary page on Pasifika representation – past, present and how that shapes us into the future.

AM: This year is Papua New Guinea’s 47th year of Independence. Independence days mean different things for different people – what does Papua New Guinea Independence mean for you?

WI: For me, it means coming together to celebrate our independence. Celebrating the fact that we are no longer ruled by any other country. Independence Day also serves as a reminder of how unique and diverse Papua New Guinea is. Trying to put everyone under one umbrella took a lot of work in order to unify the country– so that’s something to celebrate as well. We are all from different provinces, and distinct cultural affiliations but Independence Day is a chance to come together and say we are all Papua New Guinean, we are all on this journey together and we recognise ourselves as wan kantri (one country).

Living in Sydney the Papua New Guinean community is not that big compared to places like Brisbane, where they have a larger PNG community – but we do what we can with what we have. So, Independence Day celebrations are appreciated, because we can still bung (gather) and share our kaikai (food).

AM: You run an amazing page on Instagram called ‘Pasifikavisuals’ where you curate images from around the Pacific – both past and present – and assist in the retelling of the Pacific narrative online in an accessible and autonomous way. What inspired you to start ‘Pasifikavisuals’?

WI: Pasifika Visuals is my way of channelling my creativity into curating an array of visuals and stories that reflect the diversity of Pacific people. I wanted to show that we all come in different shades, sizes, hair textures, everything. That we're not all under one region, or culture and that the Pacific holds more than one image.

For example, I have love for Polynesia, but they do take centre stage when it comes to representation of the Pacific; and it’s important to remember that Melanesia is also a major part of the Pacific as well as Micronesia which often gets left behind in the narrative.

I use Pasifika Visuals to encourage Pasifika people to share their own visual stories, by sending in submissions. This is important to highlight as the outside world has and continues to misjudge Pacific people, as well as our cultures and stories.

AM: Do you think being a Papua New Guinean woman gives you a distinct approach to running a page like ‘Pasifikavisuals’ that perhaps allows you to view its curation differently?

WI: I think it does in a sense that I can see that there is room to show more of the lesser-known Pacific Islands on Pasifika Visuals. Papua New Guinea is very diverse, each province is unique in its customs and languages, and they all have their own assigned days to celebrate that - so I think that helps me understand the importance of providing space to show the varying cultures of the Pacific.

AM: What have been some challenges to running “Pasifikavisuals”?

WI: Finding visual stories on smaller islands such as Tokelau continues to be a challenge because there is not enough information present. So, I use Pasifika Visuals to engage people of smaller island countries with limited information to send in their visual stories.

Another challenge is knowing whether the information that is out there is correct especially with archival images. Because for one, archival images were not taken by Pacific people and so the information or captions that accompany archival images are not always correct. And there is also the challenge of showing archival images that are not pleasant in a sense that not all Pacific people were warm to having their pictures taken. And you can tell when you look at the archival images that their spaces were being invaded and to have a camera shoved in your face is reflected in those photographs – so, I do rethink about whether I want to post any photographs like that. I love looking back at archival photographs, and I know a lot of people who follow Pasifika Visuals do as well, hence I am still trying to find the balance of how to be educational but also respectful of the Pacific people in the archival photographs.

AM: The Australian Museum holds 60,000+ Pasifika treasures, 40,000+ of which are from Papua New Guinea. What would you see as a proper way to engage with these for the Papua New Guinean diaspora in Sydney?

WI: “Just return them” is always the answer people give when you ask a question like that, which I don’t necessarily disagree with. However, since they are here in Sydney, and that they are a dominant presence in the museum, I think it’s important that we at the very least should go and acknowledge that they're there. I would encourage Papua New Guineans in Sydney to take time to visit and learn about our culture, our history and who we are while living away. It’s one way for us to stay connected to Papua New Guinea and the artifacts that are kept at the Australian Museum.

AM: In light of Papua New Guinean Independence Day – what are your hopes for Papua New Guinea into the future?

WI: As a country we are very proud of who we are, which is great, but we have and continue to allow countries and businesses from overseas to slowly strip away who we are by taking up space on our lands. My hope is that we take back control and progress forward, not backwards. Another hope would be for gender equality in spaces that are male dominated such as politics, even though we did have a few women candidates this year, it’s still not enough for the change that needs to happen to prevent big issues like violence against women.

AM: What are some words of wisdoms for young Papua New Guineans living in Australia?

WI: Acknowledge the indigenous land you live on, a simple start can be learning the indigenous name of the area you live in. Take advantage of what's available to you, what's on offer - because living in Australia has its advantages especially when it comes to education, health, and security. I would also say attend Pacific events held in Australia, so that you can meet other Pacific islanders and Papua New Guineans. And make plans to visit museums and galleries that are providing space for Papua New Guinea to be shown.

]]>

News from LIRS: Activities at Lizard Island Research Station

Dr Anne Hoggett — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +1000

In this short video, shot from the Station, Anne Hoggett, LIRS Director shares her insights about bleaching over summer in the Lizard Island area and gives an update of activities at the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS).

By Dr Anne Hoggett | Co-Director, Lizard Island Reef Research Station

To view the original blog, and to view more LIRS blogs, please go to: https://lirrf.org/activities-at-lirs/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised over $13.2 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

Vale Brian Sherman AM

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +1000

The Australian Museum honours the legacy of former Australian Museum (AM) Trust President and leading science and arts philanthropist, Brian Sherman AM.

Brian was President of the Australian Museum Trust from 2001 to 2009, ensuring the AM continued to be world-leading in its collections and scientific research. He was also the founding Chairperson of both the Australian Museum Foundation and the President’s Circle of donors, helping the Museum raise vital funds and continue to make a significant contribution to Sydney’s scientific and cultural life.

“From the first time I met Brian, I knew I was with a man of integrity and substance. His belief in the vision for the Australian Museum shined brightly, from the twinkle in his eyes when he spoke of the Museum to the care and passion in his heart for this extraordinary institution, which he demonstrated with many significant contributions over the years. Even when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, Brian continued to be an advocate for hope. He was driven by a belief that it is our ethical responsibility to do better, to seek solutions and to make positive change in the world. Brian left an incredible mark on me, everyone he worked with and on the Australian Museum itself. He will be remembered and missed by all of us,” Australian Museum Director and CEO, Kim McKay AO, said.

In December 2020, Brian was bestowed the title of Governor Emeritus in recognition for his contribution of a $1M gift to the Australian Museum’s award-winning redevelopment, Project Discover, with the naming of the Brian Sherman Crystal Hall. More recently, Brian was the 2022 Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) Lifetime Achievement Award recipient in recognition of his significant contribution to animal welfare, to the advancement of science and scientific research, to his service to the community as a philanthropist and to his lifetime support of the Australian Museum.

"Brian Sherman’s leadership and ethics brought a new perspective to the Australian Museum’s operations. His active engagement delivered so much, including the building of the AMRI building in 2008, vastly improving AM storage facilities for millions of specimens and upgrading our scientific research facilities. Brian’s deep commitment to animal welfare continues at the Museum today, part of everything we do, another great gift to the institution. Brian brought a depth of empathy, understanding and kindness, reaching out through every aspect of his life, which the Museum will continue to carry on in his honour,” Former AMRI Lifetime Achievement Award winner and the AM’s Distinguished Fellow in Climate Change, Professor Tim Flannery said.

“Brian Sherman was a remarkable man, and we are deeply saddened to hear of his passing. Through his extraordinary leadership in the community, Brian positively impacted the lives of so many Australians. Making science accessible to all remained a longstanding key goal and we will continue to carry on his legacy at the Australian Museum through our exhibitions, education programs and world-leading science,” Australian Museum Director, Development and Public Affairs, Amanda Farrar PSM said.

The Australian Museum extends its condolences to the Sherman family, including Brian’s wife Gene, children Emile, Ondine and their families, and to the Trustees and staff of the Sherman Foundation.

]]>

Working together to help our frogs

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Frogs are still mysteriously dying across Australia. Thanks to hundreds of caring frog enthusiasts, we are working together to investigate the cause.

Last winter, people began noticing an alarming number of dead frogs around Australia, particularly along the east coast. At this time COVID-19 lockdowns were in force; the Australian Museum Herpetology team and collaborators asked the public to report any sick or dead frogs to the AM via email, and if in NSW, we asked the public to carefully collect and freeze any dead frogs so that they could form part of our investigation once the lockdowns were over. Since then, the team has been collecting these dead frogs from across the state. Numbering in the hundreds, they form an important part of the puzzle in determining just what is killing our frogs.

Picking up dead frogs is not exactly a cheerful task, but it is an important one. In June, my colleague Chris Portway and I were on a mission to pick up dead frogs from people’s homes around the state. I’d just arrived in Australia from the United States of America to help understand the impact of disease and fires on Australian frogs, and this trip was my first outside of Sydney. Most of the frogs that people gathered had been collected already, but this last batch was vital.

Our first stop was a property outside of Lismore, a town that was devastated by flooding in February. As we parked the truck, we saw a farmhouse that was still in shambles from the floods. They were still rebuilding. Soon we spotted a farmer pushing a wheelbarrow behind the house. He looked up and greeted us with a smile and wave. We learned that he lost his entire flower farm in the floods. He told us he had been finding dead Green Tree Frogs (Litoria caerulea) around his property since last winter. He offered to show us around his property to look for frogs. We checked one of his rain collection tanks to only find another, recently dead Green Tree Frog. You could see the disappointment on his face. He knelt in the grass as he studied the frog before looking up at us. He asked us if we knew what was killing the ‘little buggers.’ I wished we could give him a straightforward answer. He knew this land well and he knew what was happening wasn’t normal.

Everywhere we went, the story was the same. People had lived somewhere for years, sometimes decades. There used to be frogs, but they’d vanished. Many had been using the FrogID app to record frogs on their smartphones. Submitting a recording of a singing frog may not seem like a big deal, but when you combine hundreds of thousands of submissions, suddenly we have a much clearer picture of when and where different species of frogs are calling. Of course, FrogID data collected by citizen scientists is valuable for science and conservation, but FrogID is about so much more than data.

I was impressed by the specific knowledge of the people we met. They weren’t just hearing frogs. They were listening to the rhythms of nature, the miniscule changes. I was surprised to hear a farmer saying, “We had Litoria fallax calling here last season,” or an elderly couple who invited us in for coffee noticed that they’re hearing fewer Mixophyes balbus since the bushfires. They then handed us a zip lock bag with the body of a frog, as if to prove it. The beauty of citizen science is that it connects this kind of intuitive awareness with a scientific language. People can now put universal words to what they’re seeing in their own backyards. It’s helping connect a community of people to nature.

To say that I felt inspired after spending a week driving around New South Wales witnessing the aftermath of horrendous floods, fires, and an ongoing, mysterious frog die-off seems strange. Yet seeing people tackling a big issue by working together, one frog at a time, gave me a sense of hope. We’re collaborating to understand the cause and impact of this strange mortality event, but we can only do so with the help of people reporting dead frogs and using FrogID. FrogID enables people across the country to tune in and record what’s happening while gathering the information we need to better understand, and conserve Australia’s frogs. That’s something worth celebrating.

Eli Bieri, Technical Officer, Herpetology & Masters Student, Australian Museum Research Institute & UNSW Sydney.

]]>

Celebrating science with the 2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes

Kim McKay, AO — Mon, 05 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +1000

We announced the winners of the 2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes last week, with 400 guests attending the awards ceremony at the AM to celebrate excellence in Australian science and hundreds more watching online as part of the program’s first hybrid event.

Looking at the winners’ and finalists’ contributions to the best of Australian Research and Innovation, Leadership, Science Engagement and School Science, I have never been more impressed by the sheer wealth of the Australian science community’s collaborations across so many global sectors and teams. From trailblazers in sustainable packaging, robotic imaging and Motor Neuron Disease research, the 15 individuals and teams recognised show the very deep breadth of talent we have representing Australia on the world stage.

We are facing major challenges now – issues that will only be solved with true collaboration. The Eureka Prizes provide hope. With 496 winners since the awards began in 1990, we are recognising the country’s leading scientific minds, including the best of science communication.

In addition to celebrating the winners of the AM Eureka Prizes, we also presented two Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) Medals this year. The AMRI Medal is awarded to an individual staff member, senior fellow, team from AMRI, or supporter from another museum for outstanding science and communication of their research outcomes.

One of the two 2022 AMRI medal recipients was Professor Graham Durant AM, the immediate past Director of Questacon. During his 23 years heading up Questacon, Graham was a champion not only for his own organisation, but also for the work that we do here at the Australian Museum, and a champion of science and science education in Australia.

Graham was integral to the development and staging of the AM’s famed Spiders exhibition (which is still touring the United States - close to a decade later!).

As a supporter of citizen science, he advocated for the AM’s successful submission for the original FrogID grant from the federal government. This initial grant kick-started the build of a ground-breaking national citizen science project.

He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science and has served as a judge for this prize.

Most recently, Graham’s been a staunch advocate for action on Climate Change and adopting the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Graham’s outstanding service to science and science education in Australia has at every stage in his remarkable career made a point to find a way to LAND science messaging with the public, explaining why it matters in the most memorable of ways for our young people as they grow up. Making science matter to all, by making it accessible to all.

We also recognised another advocate of making science accessible to all by awarding AMRI's own Dr Stephen Keable with an AMRI Medal at the 2022 AM Eureka Prizes. During an almost 40-year career at the AM, Dr Keable has authored or co-authored descriptions of more than 39 new species of freshwater and marine isopods. Dr Keable has also actively supported the introduction of biodiversity databases and collection management excellence, and championed PhD students and citizen scientists throughout his career.

This year, Dr Keable worked with a group of students from the NSW Mid North Coast to identify a species of tropical starfish found 600km from where it should be found, highlighting the effects of climate change and warming waters.

Both recipients of this year’s 2022 AMRI Medals show enthusiasm for the power of science communication in changing young peoples’ perspectives on the world, and ultimately getting them interested and involved in helping protect it. Bravo to both and congratulations to all of the winners of the 2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.

]]>

New acquisition: A nest of new spider fossils

Dr Patrick Smith — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +1000

The recent discovery of a new and exciting Miocene (11 to 16 million-year-old) fossil site, named McGraths Flat, at Gulgong, central New South Wales, is the cumulation of over three years’ work at the Australian Museum. Many thousands of new specimens from this site have been unearthed and painstakingly prepared, labelled and barcoded for future study by our scientists. The fossils from this area are extremely valuable as they come from a Konservat-Lagerstätten, a special type of geological deposit which preserves plants and animals in immaculate detail, sometimes down to individual cells!

Some of the more remarkable fossils to be discovered from this new site are fossil spiders. Whilst modern spiders are all too common in our homes, fossil spiders from the ancient past are extremely rare. This is because their exoskeletons are made of an organic material that typically breaks down quickly after death. However, fossils from the McGraths Flat site appear to have avoided such a destructive fate. This is likely due to iron-reducing bacteria effectively mummifying their bodies.

Before the Australian Museum’s discoveries at McGraths Flat, only four fossil spiders had been found across the entire continent. Now, from this single site alone we have managed to unearth 13 new spider specimens, most of which are completely preserved. These spiders aren’t all from the same species, either; they include members of the cobweb spider and trapdoor spider families. It’s highly likely they represent just one part of a complex ecological food web that existed in prehistoric Australia.

The work undertaken at McGraths Flat was funded by the descendants of Robert Etheridge Jr and the Australian Museum Foundation.

This article was originally printed in Explore, the Australian Museum Members' magazine. Read the issue.

]]>

Whose hoot? Identity of unknown owl revealed

Dr Leah Tsang, Dr Mark Eldridge, Dr Greta Frankham — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Excitement stirred when a small unidentified owl was found dead on Lord Howe Island; Australian Museum scientists have now identified the wayward individual.

When a small dark brown, spotted owl was found dead on Lord Howe Island in 2019, locals wondered what species it could be… Could it be the presumed extinct Lord Howe Morepork (Ninox novaeseelandiae albaria)? Australian Museum scientists, Department of Planning and Environment scientists and the Lord Howe Island Board used comparisons with AM museum specimens and performed DNA analysis to determine that the owl was, in fact, a Tasmanian Boobook (Ninox leucopsis) far from home.

In July 2019, the Australian Museum was sent a frozen specimen of a spotted dark brown owl that was found dead on Lord Howe Island by a local resident. Based on plumage characteristics, the bird belonged to the Ninox owls, a group which include the formidable Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua) and the smaller boobook and morepork owls.

The Southern Boobook (Ninox boobook) is one of the most widespread owl species found across mainland Australia. The smaller Tasmanian Boobook (N. leucopsis) is recognised by some authorities as a separate species and is found in Tasmania, with occasional migration to southern Victoria. An endemic subspecies of the Tasman Morepork of New Zealand (N. novaeseelandiae) previously found on Lord Howe Island – called the Lord Howe Morepork (Ninox novaeseelandiae albaria) – became extinct in the 1950s.

When the owl was found, some locals on Lord Howe Island expressed concern that it was an individual of the endemic, and extinct, Lord Howe Morepork. However, through comparing and analysing plumage characteristics and measuring parts of the wings, bills, and feet of museum specimens from the Australian Museum and the American Museum of Natural History, as well as undertaking DNA analysis it was determined that the specimen was in fact a Tasmanian Boobook (N. leucopsis). But how did the owl end up there from Tasmania? One explanation was a significant weather system that had passed over Lord Howe Island not long before the owl was found, so it’s possible that the owl was blown way off course on its journey between Tasmania and the mainland.

In any case, the occurrence of a Ninox species on Lord Howe Island for the first time in 50 years is something to celebrate and certainly explore further!

Dr Leah R. Tsang, Collection Manager, Ornithology, Australian Museum.

Dr Mark Eldridge, Principal Research Scientist, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Australian Museum.

Dr Greta Frankham, Scientific Officer, Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum.

]]>

New acquisition: A rock that is 2.5 billion years old

Ross Pogson — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +1000

A spectacular specimen has been acquired for the AM’s upcoming Minerals exhibition. The geological story the rock tells and its striking appearance will offer visitors a window into the deep history of our planet.

This extraordinary polished slab, measuring 2m by 1.5m and weighing 437kg, is part of the Archean Nimingarra Formation in the Pilbara, Western Australia. It shows us a dramatic change in the Earth’s past atmospheric and biological conditions, frozen in time in its dramatic layers: the oxygenation of the oceans.

Banded Iron Formation (BIF) is the name given to these finely striped and kink-folded, alternating layers of black iron oxide (hematite and magnetite) and microcrystalline silica (red and brown chert and golden-brown tiger eye). They used to be iron-rich and silica-rich sediments on an ancient sea floor some 2.5 billion years ago.

Their deposition resulted from a dramatic change in the Earth’s atmosphere, when the first micro-organisms that could produce oxygen by photosynthesis (cyanobacteria) greatly increased the oxygen content of oceans and the atmosphere. The iron and silicon from rock weathering and ocean floor volcanic hot springs dissolved in seawater. These became insoluble as the iron combined with the oxygen, and iron oxides and silica precipitated. This made iron and silica-rich sediments, which accumulated in alternating bands on the ocean floor. This cyclical process continued for nearly a billion years. Heat and pressure from the Earth’s movements dramatically folded and kinked these rocks.

This acquisition was funded by a grant from the Patricia Porritt Collection Acquisition Fund and the Australian Museum Foundation. The BIF will be on display in the upcoming Minerals exhibition, due to open December 2022.

This article was originally printed in Explore, the Australian Museum Members' magazine. Read the issue.

]]>

Australian South Sea Islander Recognition Week: An interview with Emelda Davis and Dr Sonya Pearce

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +1000

This week marks the 175th year of recognition of the Australian South Sea Islander community; a moment of dual reflection on both the atrocities and the celebration of the Australian South Sea Islander story.

This week alongside the Australian South Sea Islander community, we at the Australian Museum stand in solidarity with our Pasifika kinfolk in recognising 175 years of the Australian South Sea Island peoples and their story and their widely silenced contribution to the Australian narrative.

We honour their story past, present and well into the future.

Last week the Pasifika team were fortunate enough to sit with Sydney City Councillor, Emelda Davis, and Dr Sonya Pearce to hear their stories, to share space and to celebrate the Australian South Sea Islander story: 175 years ago, to now and well into the future.

]]>

Australian South Sea Islander Recognition Week: An interview with Dylan Mooney

Sun, 21 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Between 1860 and 1904, an estimated 55,000 to 62,500 Pacific Islanders were brought to Australia during the ‘Blackbirding’ period of this nation's history. These South Sea Islander’s contributed deeply to the foundations of Australia – kidnapped from more than 80 Pacific Islands including Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and to a lesser extent, from New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati and Tuvalu and forced into slavery on the cotton and sugar plantations of Queensland and New South Wales.

This week alongside the Australian South Sea Islander community, we at the Australian Museum (AM) stand in solidarity with our Pasifika kinfolk in recognising 175 years of the Australian South Sea Island peoples and their story and their widely silenced contribution to the Australian narrative.

The Australian South Sea Island community continues to thrive and survive in every aspect of wider Australian society.

Last week we had the honour of sitting down with Australian South Sea Islander, Yuwi and Torres Strait Islander artist Dylan Mooney who shared what his Australian South Sea Islander heritage means to him, how it influences his work and how the community moves into the future.

AM: Let us start by introducing yourself: who you are, where you are from and what you do?

DM: My names Dylan Mooney, I am a Yuwi man from the Mackay region in North Queensland. On my grandmother's side I am Torres Strait Islander, so my family come from Darnley Island and Moa Island and my father's side I am Australian South Sea Islander, so my family come from Santo and Ambae Islands in Vanuatu and Mailaita Island in the Solomon Islands.

I am a visual artist, been practicing for about 7 years now and made a career out of it – telling stories about my identity, my community, my family history, and our Australian South Sea Island community’s stories.

AM: The Australian South Sea Islander story – how important is that to you in 2022?

DM: It is important to me to keep those stories alive – the stories of being Australian South Sea Islander that I was brought up with. Growing up with my family and hearing those stories about my Ancestors and how they came to be here in Queensland.

My family was brought to Mackay to work on the sugar plantations and played a crucial role within the community in Mackay and wanting to keep those stories alive and those legacies and what they have left behind – it's all important to me.

AM: How does your Australian South Sea Islander heritage influence your work as an artist?

DM: For me, the history behind my family and I guess what they have done and the roles they played in the communities – taking those stories of what I have learnt from my Grandparents and putting those into my artworks are a continuation of our story – making sure that we are not forgotten.

I think Queensland and Australia do not know much about that history about what happened in the 1860’s and how we came to be here in these lands. All those stories that I grew up with help to inform my practice and just to make sure those are shared with the wider communities.

AM: You shared that you are also a Torres Strait Island and Yuwi man – are there distinctive differences between the ways you tell story from across those distinctive cultures or are they intertwined?

DM: It is like they are intertwined but then they are not. They are three distinct cultures and three distinct histories and traditions, so I tend to tell those stories differently between the three – but also the similarities; the histories, that dispossession and that separation from culture and homelands and that is apparent and connected across all three of my cultures.

I look at my Great Grandmother who was taken from Thursday Island in the Torres Straits and brought to the mainland, and on my South Sea Island side my Great-Great-Grandmother who was taken from Santo Island and brought here, and then on the Yuwi side my family were taken from country and brought to the missions just south of Mackay so there are similarities and naturally I do tend to intertwine them. It is great and important to tell all three stories, but it is difficult as I said – because they are intertwined but also not.

AM: This week is the 175th Anniversary of Australian South Sea Island recognition – what do you think further recognition looks like for the Australian South Sea Island community in the future?

DM: I think having the Australian South Sea Island history and story taught in schools Australia-wide plays a major part in that further recognition. For it to be part of regular Australian curriculum is vital so that the younger generations of Australian South Sea Islander and wider Australians alike, can grow up with that knowledge of what happened in the past and acknowledging these histories more – that this history is taught as an important part of the Australian story.

Having the Australian South Sea Island flag flown alongside the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags is also potentially a future discussion point.

AM: What would you like wider Australia to know about the Australian South Sea Islander story?

DM: I would like for wider Australia to know more about the silenced histories of Queensland and wider Australia. Queensland was the main place South Sea Island people were brought to – so learning more about the places they were taken to; Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Cairns, Mackay, Tweed Heads and Brisbane.

Doing more research and making connections with Australian South Sea Island peoples and organisations within their own communities – because we are out here.

AM: For Australian South Sea Islanders who may feel disconnected from their own identities – what are some encouragements for them?

DM: Be proud of where you come from. Engage more with your families, your elders, your Aunties and Uncles – they hold the stories of our pasts and our histories. We have so much knowledge behind us. Be confident within yourselves and do not be afraid to ask questions – approach people about where we do come from and ask those questions.

We are still shaping ourselves and I guess creating a new identity for ourselves – still trying to figure out what the Australian South Sea Island identity is now in 2022.

]]>

Citizen science reveals the breeding seasons of frogs is longer in the city

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Human activity is causing frogs to breed earlier and for longer. What does this mean for the future of frogs?

For humans, buildings, traffic noise and streetlights are part of everyday life. But the changes we make to the environment can have serious consequences for wildlife. As habitat is cleared to make way for cities or farms, animals living in these environments need to adapt or risk decline. We used data from the Australian Museum’s citizen science project FrogID, to reveal that frog breeding seasons are beginning earlier and are almost 3 weeks longer in areas that are highly modified by humans, including our cities. Could this be a sign that they’re adapting to urban life? It’s possible, but it’s a little more complicated than that.

Frogs, like most animals, breed during specific times of the year. When frogs breed, it’s hard to miss because there’s often a raucous chorus of croaks, clicks, cackles and bleats from male frogs trying desperately to woo a female. For many frog species, this breeding period is during the warm spring and summer months, but for some, it’s during winter, and for others, it’s all year-round. Ultimately, all of these species have a common goal: to breed at a time that maximises their offspring’s chances of survival. Usually, this is a time when food is plentiful, when there’s water around, and the weather isn’t too harsh.

Timing is everything. If frogs try to breed too early or too late in the season, it may be too hot, too cold, or too dry for successful breeding. Their eggs may dry out, or their offspring might starve and never make it to adulthood.

So how do frogs know when to breed? Frogs tune into their environment, which holds important clues as to when the conditions are suitable for breeding. The right temperature, moisture levels and abundant food will trigger the start of breeding. And when the food drops off, when it gets too cold (or too hot), or their breeding pond or substrate dries out, their attempts to breed (and their calling) stops. But if frogs are relying on their environment to tell them when to breed, what happens if the environment changes?

Cities and suburban gardens are drastically different to frogs’ natural habitats, which range from forests to grasslands. They’re often warmer, noisier, artificially brighter (from street and building lights), and more polluted. Could frogs adapt their breeding behaviours to cope with these conditions?

To answer this question, we need a huge amount of data. Specifically, we need repeat records of frogs over time (throughout the year) from many different areas to establish when breeding is occurring in different habitats exposed to various levels of human disturbance, from cities to suburbia, from farms to forest. Gathering this data is challenging in itself and is likely why no one has explored this question – until now.

Citizen science data, data gathered by members of the public, is a game changer that allows us to investigate large-scale ecological questions like this for the first time.

We analysed patterns of calling across more than 226,000 frog records submitted to the Australia-wide citizen science project, FrogID. This data spanned 42 species (the number of species with enough records) and surprisingly, we found that all 42 species had longer breeding species along a human modification gradient. In other words, species inhabiting highly modified habitats (such as cities) bred for longer than species inhabiting unmodified natural habitat. This difference was about 23 days, or just over 3 weeks. This was almost always a result of frogs in modified areas starting their breeding seasons earlier in the year (as opposed to ending their breeding seasons later in year).

Three weeks might not seem like a long time but producing these advertisement calls is incredibly taxing. It requires a lot of energy, and it alerts potential predators to their location. Given the risks, are the benefits worth it?

In the best-case scenario, changes in their breeding seasons could be providing frogs with an adaptive advantage in modified areas. Perhaps they’re taking advantage of warmer temperatures in cities to breed more. Perhaps there’s more food in urban areas to support their breeding efforts. Perhaps they’re capitalising on garden and urban ponds that are full year-round. These can be reliable breeding habitats for pond-breeding frogs as the risk of their eggs or tadpoles drying out is low.

But there’s also the more concerning possibility these changes aren’t adaptive at all, that frogs are, in fact, just wasting their efforts. Males might be calling more to females in modified habitats, but these calls might fall on deaf ears. Or males might make it past the first stage and secure a mate, but their offspring might succumb to the pressures of urban life and fail to survive to adulthood.

If frogs are wasting their energy carrying out costly breeding behaviours in human-modified habitats, this could be a huge blow to frog populations, which have already been hit hard by habitat loss and degradation, disease, climate change, fires, droughts, and floods.

Our research is the first step to understanding how frogs are responding to human-imposed pressures. Now we know that frogs are responding by breeding earlier and for longer, we need to examine the consequences. Are these changes allowing frogs to successfully adapt to human-modified landscapes? Are they mating more? Are they laying more eggs? Are their offspring surviving? These are important questions to answer and, with the help of citizen scientists, will go a long way in helping us better understand the consequences of humans on frogs and in informing appropriate management actions.

Gracie Liu, Research Assistant and FrogID validator, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute; PhD Candidate, UNSW Sydney.

]]>

It’s official – the Australian Museum has more visitors than ever before!

Kim McKay, AO — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Ever since I became the Australian Museum’s (AM) Director and CEO, I’ve wanted to see the AM full of happy visitors bubbling with life - and it’s brilliant to have some good news to share. We’ve calculated the latest numbers, and the AM is breaking new visitor records with more than 100,000 visitors across the two weeks of the recent July School Holidays.

I’m delighted because it’s such a rewarding combination of brilliant family attractions like the blockbuster Jurassic World by Brickman^® exhibition and our new absolute must-see children’s gallery, Burra, which I talked about in my last post.

Forty four percent of the visitors during the July school holiday period paid to experience the blockbuster Jurassic World by Brickman^® exhibition. This, coupled with free general entry, means achieving attendance numbers we usually only see at big sporting events like the footy or the cricket!

The NSW Government’s support for arts and culture is critical right now. We are fortunate to be able to extend free general admission to the AM for the next year thanks to the support of the NSW Government.

And there’s an upcycling economic boost in the community too for our neighbouring businesses – everything helps. We love to see ‘all boats rise’ – new ways of learning, quality family time spent together and a thriving community around the Museum. What’s better than that?

Back in 2014 when I first joined the AM, our visitation was 320,000 per annum – and now we’ve recorded 50,000 per week, over two weeks, and we’re on our way to recording our highest annual attendance ever.

That’s a true team effort and testament to our service-oriented approach across every department. I am so proud of the AM team and what we are creating here.

And there’s more too - we have our very own, homegrown Sharks exhibition to look forward to, opening in September. After it debuts in Sydney it will travel the world starting in North America.

As we all tighten our belts and lean in to balancing our own tougher household budgets, it’s my plan that we continue to find new and even more innovative partners and collaborators to provide the level of quality programming and access that we’ve been able to share this year.

]]>

Youth Reconnection Project 2022

Moemoana Schwenke — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Building upon initiatives previously conducted by the Australian Museum’s (AM) Pasifika staff and youth workers in 2009 and the ‘Pacific Youth Reconnection Project’ facilitated by Thelma Thomas in 2012-2015, the current AM Pasifika team have re-trialed this project to evaluate how we can develop and expand these cultural workshops for Pasifika youth today. In the past, this project aimed at addressing the over-representation of the Australian-Pasifika diaspora in the NSW juvenile justice system, through initiatives which connect Pasifika people and communities to the Pacific Collections.

During April-July the AM’s Pasifika staff members, youth workers and cultural arts mentors facilitated the Youth Reconnection Project with Pacific Islander students from Miller Technology High School, Burwood Girls High School and Sydney Tongan Church Youth.

Our Pacific Collection holds over 65,000 artefacts, representing living cultures through artworks, cultural technologies and archaeological materials. These artefacts teach us important cultural knowledges, histories, spiritualities, customs, arts, craftsmanship, sciences and much more. Many of these artefacts continue to be used and made, while others are trying to be revived.

Our re-trialed Youth Reconnection Project aims to maintain the collections vitality to contemporary Pasifika communities, grow community engagement, and promote self-awareness of Pasifika youth participants. We are developing and expanding these cultural workshops to ensure that they are educational, meaningful, engaging and empowering.

Our workshops started with themes around culture and identity, reflection around the artefacts, then moved on to the development of the students artistic and cultural expressions. Some also had the opportunity to tour around the AM’s Pacific Collection. There were great stories, insights and perspectives shared by the students during the tours.

Another major goal of this project was to provide a platform for Pasifika youth to showcase their artistic works such as dance, design and music at “Wan Sol Moana” Night on the 25th of June 2022.

Three main themes explored in the Youth Reconnection Project were Tapa Designing, Pacific Island Dance and Music.

Guided by Matavai Pacific Cultural Arts Directors Maryjane and Fred Schwenke, Pasifika students at Miller Technology High School were immersed in Samoan cultural arts. Their 6 week project involved over 40 students being immersed in choreography, art, cultural knowledge and identity empowerment. Some participants shared:

Burwood Girls High School were led on a tour through the Pacific Collections by the AM’s Pasifika staff and youth worker Thelma Thomas, and were also given design tips from fashion designers such as Bayvick Lawrence. Our AM Pasifika staff member Moemoana facilitated a workshop at Burwood Girls High School with 15 students who worked towards the main goal of designing a dress from natural resources such as tapa cloth and coconut sennit.

All three groups showcased their cultural and artistic expressions on “Wan Sol Moana” Night. Check out some photos from the night:

We were deeply proud of the Pasifika youth who participated in the Youth Reconnection Project. Throughout the workshops they grew in cultural pride and cultural awareness — and they participated in each workshop with passion, commitment, dedication and cultural values such as love, respect and service.

We look forward to growing our relationships with Pasifika youth in Sydney and connecting them with the AM’s Pacific Collection. We have big plans for Youth Reconnection Project moving into the future. Ensuring that we are encouraging the passing down of cultural knowledge, and opening pathways for youth is central to the Pilot Youth Reconnection Project.

]]>

News from LIRS: Octopus pair at Lizard Island

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +1000

On our last expedition to Jiigurru (Lizard Island), we were fortunate enough to witness a pair of Reef Octopus (Octopus cyanea) out actively hunting and copulating in the late afternoon at Watson’s Bay, with very little concern about our presence.

The larger female was actively hunting, extending her arms around whole heads of coral and using her tentacles to search for small fish or crustacean prey. She was being closely accompanied by several Coral Trout (Plectropomus leopardus) and a Goldsaddle Goatfish (Parupeneus cyclostomus), and you can see the Coral Trout actually catch a small fish at 1min:22 sec in the video!

The male Octopus was more interested in reproduction, and he had his dark, spotty courtship coloration going most of the time as he followed the female around. She seemed quite disinterested in him, however she did allow him to insert his “sexual tentacle” into her mantle cavity as she went about her feeding business, and at 1min:41 sec you can see he had to keep moving to keep his connection – she was hungry, and wasn’t waiting around for romance!

In Octopus, the “sexual tentacle” is one of the eight arms that has a specially modified tip, known as the hectocotylus, which transfers a sperm packet (spermatophore) from the male’s mantle cavity to that of the female. We can’t be sure whether mating was actually happening in this pair of Octopus or whether he was “testing the waters” as part of the courtship process, but the male did gain access to the female’s mantle on more than one occasion in the time we were watching (approximately 30 minutes) and he maintained the connections for more than a minute.

We feel very fortunate to have been allowed so close to such amazing animals, and we are stoked to be able to share this footage which shows incredible details of hunting behaviour, movement, reproduction and colour changes. Cephalopods have one of the most advanced brains of any invertebrate, and as you watch the female’s tentacles flowing over the reef surface and into tiny cracks, think about the neural processing power the animal is using to interpret all the sensory information coming in from those 8 arms and hundreds of individual suckers!!

Video taken while freediving and using only natural light on the TG6 camera systems supplied by Olympus AU & NZ.

Thanks to the Sea Women Great Barrier Reef Expedition team for sharing the stoke, and to Laure Senor for the initial octopus sighting and heads-up for the crew.

By Dr Andy Lewis | Executive Director, Coral Sea Foundation and frequent leader of educational trips to LIRS.

To view the original blog and more LIRS blogs, please go to: https://lirrf.org/octopus-pair-at-lizard-island/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised over $13.2 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

New Guinean flightless mammals: Overlooked diversity

Mon, 18 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +1000

An international project combines community ecology, phylogenetics & morphology to uncover and describe the cryptic species of Mount Wilhelm, the highest mountain of Papua New Guinea. Hundreds of New Guinean flightless mammals have been sampled – visiting researcher František Vejmělka tells us more.

To answer major questions of community ecology – that is, factors that influence a community’s biodiversity, the distribution and abundance of a species – do we use genetic or morphological techniques? The answer is: both. In 2019, I spent six months in the remote rainforests and mountains of Papua New Guinea collecting data for my PhD focused on community ecology. Trapping non-volant (flightless) mammals along the highest mountain of the country, Mt. Wilhelm (4509 metres high), I sampled several hundred individuals. This complete elevational gradient, spanning from the lowlands up to 3700 meters, was established and is maintained by the New Guinean Binatang Research Centre led by Czech Professor Vojtěch Novotný.

After the fieldwork, I decided to barcode (genetically determine) each sampled individual, so I conducted molecular research at the Institute of Evolutionary Science of Montpellier (southern France). These studies shed light on the phylogenies (trees of life) of the unexpectedly rich mammalian communities from Mount Wilhelm. Interestingly, the results also demonstrated that when we base our findings on in-field morphology only, we greatly underestimate the number of local species, and we found that elevation is a key parameter of the Mount Wilhelm mammal speciation. The species that we morphologically considered united at that time are substantially divergent genetically. Among the most astonishing results is that most of the newly identified species were not only cryptic, but actually overlooked.

Strengthened by these results, I headed off from my University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic to the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) which hosts a formidable collection of mammals from the New Guinean region. Co-operating with world-leading experts on the mammals from the region – Chief Scientist and Director of AMRI, Professor Kristofer Helgen and my French colleague, Dr. Pierre-Henri Fabre – we started to search for previously overlooked morphological features of these newly revealed species. Currently undertaking collections-based research at AMRI, I am happy to report that the project is progressing well.

The goal of this research combining community ecology, phylogenetics, and morphology, is to uncover and describe the species from the New Guinean region, and document both their evolution, relationships, ecology, and eco-morphological diversity. This will help us to precisely identify and describe the species co-occurring in the poorly known mammalian communities from Mount Wilhelm. The knowledge of the number of species and how they are distributed along this altitudinal gradient may ultimately help in protecting these populations against mining and overlogging this remarkable and species rich area.

František Vejmělka, PhD candidate at the university of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science; Research Assistant at Biology centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Tropical Ecology; and AMRI Visiting Travel Fellowship recipient, 2021/22.

]]>

Hard work paying off

Kim McKay, AO — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +1000

It’s always great to be acknowledged for your work. It helps motivate you to strive for even greater things. Indeed, most people say it’s not only the pay packet that motivates them - it’s also the satisfaction they get from their work being appreciated.

In museums we get that appreciation in spades. It’s written on the faces of the children and the public who visit. And from time to time we also feel that success by winning awards for our work.

A couple of weeks ago a team from the AM travelled west to Perth, Western Australia for the Australian Museum and Galleries Association (AMaGA) national conference.

It was the first time we’d been together for a couple of years due to Covid so it was great to reconnect with colleagues and tour the new West Australian Museum, Boola Bardip, a $400million contemporary complex wrapping around heritage buildings.

The AM was a sponsor of the conference held at the Perth Convention Centre and I got to chair a multi-presenter session on how different museums were dealing with climate change and the impacts of bushfires and floods with recordings of first-hand accounts of those impacted.

In the few days ahead of the conference, the Council of Australasian Museum Directors (CAMD) meeting discussed initiatives around sustainability and climate change – there are 22 major museums in Australia and New Zealand and our issues are common – how to save on energy and reduce our carbon footprint, how to engage our staff and the public in these issues and how to influence public opinion around climate change.

How Museums engage effectively with First Nations peoples was also discussed at length at both meetings. The WA Museum consulted widely with First Nations communities across Western Australia when it was developing content ideas for the new museum. Indeed, its community relations team engaged with over 60,000 members of the WA community, including Indigenous leaders to help formulate the stories the locals wanted told. The result is outstanding.

The AM also conducted deep community consultation when we developed our ground-breaking exhibition Unsettled – which presented the experiences of First Nations people since white settlement, a consultation led by First Nations people.

This was recognised by our colleagues at AMaGA when the AM received four awards including the major overall award for Unsettled.

The exhibition curators Laura McBride and Dr Mariko Smith had already been acknowledged by winning the NSW State awards for their work, but this was the icing on the cake. They are both proud First Nations women who brought a passion and commitment to their work steeped in their personal lived histories.

I shed a tear or two when Unsettled was announced as the overall winner. Apart from feeling incredibly proud of the AM team, I was moved by the acknowledgement we’d received for the effort, knowledge and critical thinking that went into creating this truly moving and influential exhibition.

While it’s no longer on exhibit at the AM, you can see it online here and elements of Unsettled will be adapted into our permanent First Nations galleries in the future.

In addition to our incredible AM team who produced the exhibition, it also would not have been possible without the support of our partners and donors, including The Balnaves Foundation, IAS Fine Art Logistics, Reconciliation Australia, Ashurst, DLA Piper, Gilbert + Tobin, and ABC Radio Sydney. The acquisition of cultural materials for Signal Fires was funded by a grant from the Australian Museum Foundation.

Our commitment to preferencing First Nations voices in our work at the AM continues with the opening of Burra (eel) – the new learning and play space that combines First Nations knowledge systems with western science.

Showcasing the strenuous, determined journey of the eel from the Pacific Ocean to Sydney Harbour, Burra is an extraordinary collaboration between our teams at the AM, delivering a fresh interactive experience for young people from pre-school age through to Year 10.

Since we’ve been strategising about pre-school it’s brought many happy memories back to me about my ways of learning and – I believe – my commitment to working hard for greater collective reward.

So come into the AM soon, share your experiences with us and see Burra and our First Nations galleries for yourself.

]]>

Happy Independence Day Kiribati

Moemoana Schwenke — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Kiribati (pronounced Kiri-bas) is a small island country in the central Pacific Ocean, comprising of 33 atolls and reef islands — 21 of which are inhabited. The Republic of Kiribati celebrates its Independence Day on 12 July. Kiribati has a national holiday on this day to commemorate the Independence of Kiribati from the United Kingdom in 1979.

It also allowed for Kiribati to create rules that care for and look after the wellbeing of i-Kiribati, and keep traditional cultural values alive. The Australian Museum (AM) celebrates alongside Kiribati as they reach this milestone!

The Kiribati Minister for Internal Affairs Hon. Minister Boutu Bwateriki, Permanent Secretary for Internal Affairs, Toani Barao and Director for Kiribati Museum, Ms Marii Irata visited the AM in June. The dignitaries toured the AM’s Pasifika Collection, spending valuable time with the Kiribati objects, sharing cultural knowledge, traditional names, and use. The AM has over 700 objects from Kiribati, including mats, body armour, fishing equipment, weapons and more.

Director for Kiribati Museum Ms Marii Irata was in awe of the traditional Kiribati artefacts the AM holds, and impressed with the condition they are kept in. She shared that many of the Kiribati artefacts in the collection are rare and no longer being made in Kiribati today. Marii hopes to revive these traditional practices again through cultural programs.

The traditional Kiribati suit of armour is made from coconut fibre and often decorated with human hair, feathers and shells. Marii referred to what a full traditional armour consisted of in a photograph by George Hubert Eastman, held at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge. According to Marii, the armour was traditionally worn with a helmet, sleeved top, trousers, and other materials. The AM’s Kiribati collection holds all similar pieces to what the young man wears in this image.

The Kiribati dignitaries visit enabled AM’s Pasifika team to engage and have valuable dialogue and discussion, to help enhance current records AM holds.

]]>

A New South Wales first! New species of legless lizard discovered in the Hunter Valley

Stephen Mahony — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Found just two hours out of Sydney, a team of Australian Museum scientists have described the Hunter Valley Delma – the first legless lizard species endemic to NSW.

A team of scientists from the Australian Museum has just officially confirmed that a legless lizard from the Hunter Valley represents a new species to science, now named the Hunter Valley Delma (Delma vescolineata). Previously confused with a very similar-looking species with a much wider distribution further south, the new species is known only from the Hunter Valley and Liverpool Plains of New South Wales (NSW). With a relatively smaller range under increasing habitat modification, NSW’s only endemic legless lizard is a significant addition to the diverse and often threatened reptile fauna of Australia, and a priority for further research.

The Hunter Valley Delma (Delma vescolineata) was first found in 2012 by a local herpetological enthusiast Ryan Harvey and was initially considered a new population of the Striped Delma (Delma impar). However, this population looked somewhat different – it had barred lips and wasn’t as strongly striped, so the team at the Australian Museum began an investigation.

To confirm whether the species was indeed distinct, the team had to compare genetic samples to those from the Striped Delma from southern NSW, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and South Australia. They also had to compare the physical features of the species to other similar legless lizards. In doing so they found that in addition to barred lips and weaker stripes there were also subtle differences in scales and head shape. The new species scientific name means “weakly striped”, a comparison to the Striped Delma found further south.

The Hunter Valley, where the lizard was discovered, is only two hours from the city of Sydney and even closer to Newcastle, so it is amazing how long this species went undetected. This is partially explained by its cryptic nature, living down burrows, in dense grass tussocks, and under rocks and fleeing rapidly when disturbed. It is also probable it was found earlier and assumed to be the Leaden Delma (Delma plebeia) which also occurs in the Hunter Valley. The Hunter Valley Delma is only found in the Hunter Valley and the nearby Liverpool Plains and like other related species it prefers open grassland habitats.

The Hunter Valley Delma can be locally abundant in some environments and even seems to display a tolerance for disturbance, being found in very weedy, cleared, and grazed areas. However, the small area it is known to occur in and threats like loss of habitat to mining, development and cropping make it likely to be considered threatened with extinction. Further research into the ecology of the species will help make it clearer what threats impact the most and what actions may be necessary to assist it. Now that this species is scientifically known, this work can now start!

Stephen Mahony, Research Associate, Herpetology and Mammalogy, Australian Museum; and Research Assistant, University of Newcastle.

]]>

Let’s learn in many ways

Kim McKay, AO — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +1000

I grew up on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and my parents often took my sister and I to the beach.

In the sixties my Dad’s job took us to England for a few years and we travelled there by ship. While the ‘£10’ immigrants from Britain were arriving in Australia by ship in droves, we were going the other way, imagining what lay ahead!

And I did, endlessly.

In our small family cabin, I spent a lot of time sitting by the porthole. I was so small I could fit on the shelf next to it, obsessed by the vastness of the ocean, the weather and just willing for these new seas to open up with whales.

And then there were all the new names and accents and energies at our port stops – Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Suez, Port Said, Cairo - we went to the pyramids - Naples, Southampton – and then each weekend visiting museums or historic sites in and around London, at my mother’s urging.

I realise now I was pitched headlong in pure learning immersion that whole time. How do all these things work, I remember thinking. All these adult discussions about countries and maps and weather and science, that I could catch only pieces of. I started playing cards in the ship’s lounge with adults and listened to some of their excited chatter as we swapped piles of paper. It was the most encouraging of environments to catch curiosity faster than a cold, each new experience stuffed with potential, wonder and awe.

And that’s just what our brand new multimillion state of the art Burra – which means eel – learning play space aims to deliver for our pre-schoolers and students too.

Young children from 0-14 will journey within many cultures and sciences to learn the stories, practices and goals we have of looking after this beautiful country we call home.

Eels’ oceanic and river journeys, from birth out in the Coral Sea in the Pacific, to their journeys across the East Australian Current to Sydney’s Gadigal Coast, to their maturity in our rivers; how they grow, look, move, travel, and breed means they have what all kids love about learning – mystery! No-one knows for sure where they breed or lay their eggs.

We’re getting kids to ‘join’ their own mob of eels, to make their own creation journey through many spaces; I’m so proud of our team’s work here – led by First Nations Director Laura McBride - as the kids meet different animal teachers along the way.

Just as time and evolution came to carve the rivers and valleys the eel passed through, so our understanding of science and culture has taken time to come together too.

Look at what Country and science is telling us, drawing our attention back to healing – just in time for NAIDOC Week and the winter school holidays.

]]>

Australian Frog Atlas: Revealing the true distributions of Australia’s frogs with the help of citizen scientists

Tim Cutajar, Christopher Portway, Grace Gillard, Dr Jodi Rowley — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +1000

The most detailed maps of Australia’s frogs have now been produced and are open access for frog research and conservation.

It may seem obvious but to conserve a species, we need to know where it occurs. Typically the first step is to document where a species is, but that is not as simple as it sounds. It can take a lot of time and resources for biologists to find just a few individuals of some species because they can be really difficult to detect! Secondly, even if a species is detected, it can be tricky to identify accurately – some species look remarkably similar. As a result, existing species occurrence datasets are often limited in size and they can also vary greatly in their accuracy. This can be particularly problematic for amphibians.

Amphibians have the dubious honour among vertebrates of being both the most-threatened and the poorest-known group. Many species of amphibian are incredibly difficult to detect, making the task of collecting enough observations to understand their distributions daunting, to say the least. Others might be relatively easy to find, but make up for it by being virtually indistinguishable, making identification by sight alone nearly impossible. The result? A hodgepodge of scant information – some accurate and some not – informing our current understanding of amphibians’ distributions.

Distribution maps for frogs involve a lot of guesswork and are often out of date. Maps produced by the Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA) are broadly considered the best amphibian distribution maps in the world, but these were created nearly 20 years ago. In addition, they no longer reflect our current understanding of frog distributions.

This is a problem for amphibian conservation. Distribution maps are often used to determine the impact that threats like wildfires and floods have on species. Maps of species distributions are overlaid with maps of floods or fires to prioritise conservation actions. The use of inaccurate maps in processes like this severely limits how accurately we understand threats, and therefore our ability to mitigate them.

Australia’s frogs deserve better distribution maps, and thanks to tens of thousands of people across Australia recording calling frogs with their phones, we now have the occurrence data to do this. Since the launch of the Australian Museum’s FrogID project in 2017, there has been a rapid increase in frog occurrence records in Australia. FrogID is a free, app-based citizen science project and in just four and a half years, over 650,000 records have been gathered by the project – which is more than half the number of the frog records we had for Australia prior.

Two things about FrogID data make them reliable, and ultimately useful for updating Australia’s frog distribution maps: frog identifications are made from audio recordings, rather than photographs, and are validated by experts. While many Australian frogs may look very similar, almost all have a distinctive call, making identifications easier and often much more reliable by sound than sight. Once citizen scientists submit their recordings of calling frogs, frog experts listen to them and confirm the ID. This has resulted in a sharp increase in high quality Australian frog occurrence data. Using FrogID data, along with other frog occurrence records, we have produced the Australian Frog Atlas: updated, detailed distribution maps for all 248 species.

The Australian Frog Atlas (AFA) is by far the most comprehensive set of amphibian distribution maps for Australia – possibly of any continent! Its fine-scale individual species maps include some important range extensions and reductions. For example, the range of the Crucifix Frog (Notaden bennettii) was extended west at two separate points by 100 km and 172 km, with both range extensions informed by FrogID records. On the other hand, while Sloane’s Froglet (Crinia sloanei) has historical records spanning from Queensland to Victoria, many of these are misidentifications. As a result, the species is only truly known from a much smaller area, which has implications for its conservation status.

The AFA also includes our most detailed look yet at how amphibian species richness is distributed across Australia. Our species richness heat map shows that up to 45 frog species co-occur in the Wet Tropics of Queensland. Conversely, there are two areas where frogs have never been scientifically documented, including 27,000 km² of the Simpson Desert. They may really be absent, but there is a chance that some frogs are there, so if you’re in one of these areas, keep the FrogID app handy and listen out for any calling frogs!

It is our hope that these maps will have significant outcomes for frog conservation in Australia. For this reason, we are making them, and their associated Geographic Information System (GIS) files, freely accessible. We hope that they are useful to researchers, land managers, and conservation practitioners in understanding the ecology and conservation of Australia’s frogs, and will assist in land use planning. These maps have also been incorporated into the FrogID app.

The power of collective action for biodiversity is great. With the invaluable help of citizen scientists across Australia, we’re starting to really understand where frogs are, and what they need. Who knows? The records that inform the next Australian Frog Atlas may be in the millions!

Timothy Cutajar, Research Assistant, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Christopher Portway, Research Assistant, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Grace Gillard, Research Assistant, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum & UNSW Sydney. Lead Scientist, FrogID.

]]>

Unravelling the frog diversity of Gondwanan rainforests

Stephen Mahony — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Continuing research in rainforests of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland has recently resulted in the scientific description of two unique frog species.

Australia has 247 recognised species of frogs, with the largest diversity occurring in the eucalypt forest and rainforest of eastern Australia. The Gondwanan rainforests along Australia’s Great Dividing Range are refuges of wet habitat that have direct evolutionary connections with the ancient forests that once covered much of the ancient Gondwanan supercontinent. A great diversity of Australia’s frogs is found in these rainforests with many found nowhere else. Some of these species have even evolved unique breeding strategies to take advantage of the continuously wet environment. Despite longstanding recognition of the importance of these habitats and the frogs within them, their remote nature has slowed research efforts with two species recently identified after long-term efforts by a collaboration of scientists.

Over the last 30 years, Professor Michael Mahony (University of Newcastle), Professor Stephen Donnellan (South Australian Museum), and Mr Harry Hines (Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service) have led a team of scientists, including researchers from the Australian Museum, in an effort to investigate the diversity and ecology of rainforest frogs in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. The results of this work have contributed to the recent description of two frog species: the Wollumbin Pouched Frog (Assa wollumbin) from Wollumbin (Mount Warning) and Knowles’ Mountain Frog (Philoria knowlesi) from the western part of the Border Ranges.

Pouched frogs are fascinating because they have male parental care! The wet conditions of Gondwanan rainforest allow the male to initially lay their eggs directly onto the rainforest leaves. When the tadpoles hatch, they ‘swim’ up the father into pouches on his side (giving its common name), which support the tadpoles as they develop into metamorphs (baby frogs). Pouched frogs occur in numerous rainforest patches scattered between Dorrigo National Park in the south, to Conondale National Park in the north. Over the course of this research, the team identified these populations represented two distinct species, Assa darlingtoni and Assa wollumbin.

The team speculated that each rainforest isolate may host a genetically distinct pouched frog population because of the large distances between them. Following collection and analyses of frog genetic material from each rainforest isolate, it was surprising that only one location was strongly genetically divergent, and that it was separated by less than 15 km from the more widespread Pouched Frog (A. darlingtoni). In fact, the ancient Tweed volcano hosts both the new Wollumbin Pouched Frog and the well-known Pouched Frog, with the new species occupying the volcanic plug and the Pouched Frog inhabiting the caldera wall. Although surprising, genetic, acoustic, and morphological evidence supported the formal description of the Wollumbin Pouched Frog, which only occurs in a small area of Wollumbin National Park and some surrounding properties.

Mountain frogs (Philoria) also have a unique reproductive strategy. The males avoid open water, and instead build a small subterranean chamber to house their eggs and tadpoles which live where water is trickling through the soil. The eggs are very yolky, and development happens entirely within the nest with no need for the tadpoles to eat until they metamorphose into baby frogs. The discovery of Knowles' Mountain frog in the western Border Ranges involved extensive surveys and investigations of many mountain frog populations between Dorrigo and Brisbane. The species in the western Border Ranges looked very similar to its eastern Border Ranges counterpart but is often more colourful and was found to be genetically isolated. It was named after Ross Knowles to highlight his contributions to environmental conservation and work on the mountain frog group.

Ross Knowles, who worked on the taxonomy of mountain frogs in 2004 and described two new species (Phioria pughi and Philoria richmondensis), found genetic divergence among populations of mountain frogs across the Border Ranges, which allowed our team to speculate that further undescribed species may occur in the area. Starting with a genetic sample collected in the western Border Ranges in 1997, it was initially a challenging task to locate frogs and collect more genetic samples from the remote areas of the western Border Ranges to enable a thorough comparison. As the project continued, advances in technology and methods of genetic analyses allowed comparisons of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA among the various populations. Such techniques proved vital to the identification and taxonomic uncoupling of these frog populations, and an east-west divide across the Border Ranges became apparent.

Owing to the long-term work on these frog groups across the rugged and beautiful Gondwanan rainforests, we now have a greater understanding of the true diversity of endemic species in these relictual habitats. Unfortunately, both recently described species are under threat. Each occur almost exclusively in protected National Parks, but these refuges are now facing increasing threat from climate change. The black summer mega-fires of 2019/2020 burnt significant areas across the distribution of Knowles’ Mountain Frog and burnt close to the habitat of the Wollumbin Pouched Frog, increasing the risk of future fire. We now know that these unique and fascinating frogs exist and protecting them in the face of changes to climate, disease prevalence, and disturbance processes will be an especially challenging task.

Stephen Mahony, Research Associate, Herpetology and Mammalogy, Australian Museum; and, Research Assistant, University of Newcastle.

]]>

It’s CSI – frogs edition and we need you!

Timothy Cutajar — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Check your frog photos for frog-biting flies and submit them to our study to help us develop a new, DNA based frog detection method.

Rare frogs can be very hard to find during traditional scientific expeditions, and it turns out the best way to detect some species might be through their parasites. Recently I published an experiment in which I did just that. I need your help to keep developing this new technique. Specifically, I need you to go through your frog photos, and keep your eyes peeled next time you see a frog!

Understanding how species are distributed is important for informing biodiversity conservation, but for some species, it can be the biggest hurdle. Species that are rare or cryptic can be easily missed by searching biologists. Recently, I attempted to increase the detectability of frog species by enlisting the help of frog-biting flies – tiny, bloodsucking parasites that follow the sound of frogs’ calls. I played frog calls to attract flies, sequenced the DNA in their blood meals (coined invertebrate-derived DNA, or iDNA), and forensically established that threatened frogs were in the area through the DNA sequences more effectively than when searching for frogs directly.

iDNA has the potential to become a standard frog survey technique and help in the discovery of new species or even the rediscovery of species thought to be extinct, so I want to continue developing techniques for frog iDNA surveys. However, there is still so much we don’t yet know about how frogs and flies interact. It’s unlikely that all frogs are equally parasitised. Some frogs have natural insect repellents, while others can swat flies away. The flies themselves can be choosy about the types of sounds they’re attracted to, and probably aren’t evenly abundant everywhere. Because of this, what makes a good candidate frog species for detection through iDNA is, for now, anyone’s guess.

I plan to home in on what combinations of characteristics make a frog species a likely target for frog-biting flies. To do this, I will comb through photographs of frogs everywhere from iNaturalist to Google Images, looking for interactions between frogs and frog-biting flies. As these flies are so small, people tend not to realise they’ve even photographed one, so not many are published and most published examples are simply incidental.

THAT’S WHERE YOU COME IN

If you’ve photographed frogs in Australia and are over 18, I’d love for you to closely examine your pictures, looking for any frogs that have flies, midges, or mosquitos sitting on them. If you find flies, midges or mosquitos in direct contact with frogs in any of your photos, please share them by submitting the photo and answering a few questions about it here. It doesn’t matter if it’s a rare frog on a mountain or a common one in your backyard – every observation will help! If you’re going out taking new photos, it’s good to remember there’s no need to touch or disturb the frog to get a useful shot – in fact, any parasites would likely fly away if disturbed! The power of collective action can be amazing for science, and with your help, we can kickstart a new era of improved detection, and therefore conservation, of our amazing amphibian diversity.

Timothy Cutajar, PhD Candidate, Herpetology; UNSW Sydney, Australian Museum Research Institute and University of Copenhagen.

]]>

News from LIRS: Learning from the cleaners and their clients

Sun, 19 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF) is featured at the AM. LIRRF supports scientific research & education at the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. This month, we feature: Learning from the cleaners and their clients.

On coral reefs, tiny cleaner fish and shrimps remove parasites from large fish “clients”. The cleaners obtain nourishment by eating the parasites. Although some clients are fearsome predators, the cleaners are rarely prey.

Scientific studies of this remarkable relationship provide insight into behaviour for mutual benefits, how it could be employed in aquaculture, and how animals learn, cooperate and trust. It also illustrates the amazing efficiency of reef ecosystems, where almost all organic matter alive or dead is food for one or more species.

Four important scientific papers on species that provide cleaning services have recently been added to the library collection at the Lizard Island Research Station. All were based at least in part on local field work.

David Vaughan, Alexandra Grutter and Kate Hutson tested 4 species of cleaner shrimps (Lysmata amboinensis, Lysmata vittata, Stenopus hispidus, and Urocaridella antonbruunii ) for their ability to reduce harmful parasites on a farmed grouper. They found Lysmata vittata to be the most effective, reducing parasites by up to 98%. Employment of cleaner species could reduce use of chemical controls in aquaculture, resulting in a healthier product for human consumption. Shrimps may prove to be superior to cleaner fish for this job because (a) unlike cleaner fish, the shrimps also prey on parasites in their free-living stage before they attach to farmed-fish hosts; (b) shrimps are easier to breed in captivity, and (c) they are not themselves susceptible to the parasites. For full detail, see Cleaner shrimp are a sustainable option to treat parasitic disease in farmed fish.

The other three papers report studies of the bluestreak cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus.

Ability to process numerical information has been a key to human technological development. Studies of fish and other animals show they too can discriminate quantities based on numerical information only (i.e. not by reference to factors such as surface area, density or distribution). Humans have an abstract ordering skill called mental number line (MNL). It is the ability to mentally arrange quantities in increasing order of size without reference to language or numerical symbols. Another recent paper showed that at least one animal (a young domestic chicken Gallus gallus) also has an MNL. Zegni Triki and Redouan Bishary conducted an experiment at Lizard Island similar to that used with the chicken to determine whether cleaner wrasse do too. See Cleaner fish Labroides dimitiatus discriminate numbers but fail a mental number line test.

Sandra Binning and her colleagues tested how client cognition is affected by ectoparasites (ones that live on the outside of the host – endoparasites live inside ) and whether these effects are mitigated by cleaner wrasse. In a visual discrimination test, Ambon damselfish Pomacentrus amboinensis collected from reef patches without cleaner wrasse performed worse than those from patches with cleaners. Endoparasite abundance negatively influenced success in this test. Visual discrimination performance was also impaired in damselfish experimentally infected with ectoparasites. See Cleaner wrasse indirectly affect the cognitive performance of a damselfish through ectoparasite removal.

A paper by Simon Gingins and his colleagues provides a timely reminder that results of experiments to test the cognitive abilities of non-human animals can vary with only slight modifications in the experimental procedure and apparatus. It counsels researchers to exercise caution when designing such experiments so as to take this into account. See The performance of cleaner wrasse in a reversal learning task varies across experimental paradigms.

By David Shannon | Trustee and former Chairman, LIRRF

To view the original blog and more LIRS blogs, please go to: https://lirrf.org/learning-from-the-cleaners/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised over $13.2 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

Bones of contention

Mandy Reid — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +1000

In a fierce rivalry surpassed only by rugby players, Australian waters are home to creatures that are not seen in Aotearoa New Zealand. Or . . . are they? Cephalopod expert, Dr Mandy Reid at the Australian Museum, explores further.

In a world first, DNA has been extracted from beach-washed cuttlebones found on New Zealand shores. While Australia is home to about one third of all known cuttlefish species, no cuttlefishes live around New Zealand. That’s it: zero, zilch.

Through an Australian lens, finding a cuttlebone on a beach is such a common occurrence that it barely raises an eyebrow. But, when New Zealanders (in New Zealand) see a cuttlebone of any sort, whether abraded, broken, or barnacle encrusted, they are treated with a reverence and excitement that is bizarrely unsurpassed. Could it be that whole animal cuttlefishes do live around the ‘land of the long white cloud’ after all?

Cuttlefishes, like many inshore cephalopods (the group that also contains squids and octopuses), have relatively short lives and die soon after spawning. When this happens, their bodies and built-in buoyancy devices (the calcareous cuttlebones) float to the ocean surface and are ultimately carried by currents to land, which may be hundreds of kilometres away.

A request from the mollusc curator at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Dr Rodrigo Salvador, to identify some cuttlefish species based on cuttlebones found washed up on beaches in New Zealand, was, for me, a ‘ho hum’ moment (another case of ‘wishful thinking’ perhaps?). That was, until Rodrigo suggested the idea of trying to extract DNA from the cuttlebones to help with the identifications.

This piqued my interest. A number of cuttlefish species have been originally described on the basis of beach-washed cuttlebones alone with no knowledge of the whole animal ‘soft parts’. So, if DNA could be extracted from cuttlebones (something that had not been attempted before) it might help in future to verify the identity of those only partially understood species.

I was able to identify to species, most intact cuttlebones from images sent by Rodrigo (which are diagnostic and specific to cuttlefish species) but for some partial, broken and extensively abraded cuttlebones, I had no clue. The diagnostic features were no longer present. They had clearly been drifting for long distances or time as they were very worn and often barnacle, or hydrozoan jellyfish, encrusted. However, the successful extraction of DNA from some of these cuttlebones did, indeed, assist with species identifications. We were able to compare the DNA obtained from some of these cuttlebones with DNA from whole animals held in the Australian Museum collections to find species matches.

In addition, Rodrigo and colleagues were interested in the scrapings and marks on the bones, or ‘praedichnia’, left by scavengers that must have fed on the soft parts of the cuttlefishes after death and bitten and scraped the cuttlebones. Through careful analyses, comparing shape, size, position of the teeth, gape, and biting force, these were matched to the beaks and tooth marks from various seabirds, fishes and dolphins that inhabit Australia and the Tasman Sea.

The results? Until an intact live animal cuttlefish is observed or collected in New Zealand waters, our conclusion remains that due to some unknown vagary of historical biogeography, cuttlefishes definitely do not make New Zealand home. Decades of underwater observations and fishing have never turned up a single one. Cuttlebones from the Australian endemic species, the Giant Australian Cuttlefish, Sepia apama Gray, 1849, the widespread Indo-Pacific species, Sepia latimanus Quoy & Gaimard, 1832 and Sepia grahami Reid, 2001, also from Australia, appear to have drifted on currents to New Zealand.

In addition, prior to or during their journey, the soft parts of these animals have been prey items for albatrosses, sharks and dolphins. It is well known that albatross breeding is linked to the spawning time of the Giant Australian Cuttlefish.

The successful extraction of DNA from cuttlebones has potential for future applications, including the examination of species only known from cuttlebones.

But a word of warning. While coveting cuttlefish species of their own, the introduction of these high trophic level marine carnivorous predators to New Zealand would wreak all sorts of havoc on marine ecosystems. It is better that they stay firmly entrenched where they belong.

Dr Mandy Reid, Collection Manager, Malacology, Australian Museum.

]]>

Samoa Day in Sydney 2022

Moemoana Schwenke — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Sāmoa celebrated 60 years of independence on the 1st of June 2022. The Australian Museum celebrates alongside Sāmoans as they reach this milestone. This series was created and will be released throughout the month of June in celebration.

Fono Sāmoa NSW proudly hosted Sāmoa Day earlier this week. The day saw thousands of Sāmoan and Pacific Islander diaspora gather at Liverpool’s Whitlam Centre to celebrate 60 Years of Sāmoan Independence. It was a safe communal space to celebrate culture, dance, music, art, sports and food.

Sāmoa gained independence from New Zealand on the 1st of January 1962. However, the Sāmoan community annually celebrate Independence Day on the 1st of June.

The family-friendly event featured 6 hours of performance artists and groups such as Matavai Pacific Cultural Arts, Manea Pacifica, Alo o Samoa Brisbane, Holy Spirit College Lakemba, Methodist Youth Penrith, Tongan Groups and other youth groups and entertainers. The outside communal spaces saw over 30 food stalls, business stalls, kids rides and sports workshops to ignite joyful unity and cultural pride.

One of the Australian Museum’s (AM) staff members performed at Sāmoa Day, and attested to the importance of Pacific Islander diaspora communities coming together to celebrate their cultures. She was deeply inspired by the way masses of Sāmoan people made the effort to commemorate such a milestone, and who evidently strive to uphold Fa’a Sāmoa (The Samoan Way) in a country far from home. Fa’a Sāmoa refers to the Sāmoan culture and traditions that make up the fabric of Sāmoa.

The celebration of Sāmoa Day in Sydney is an important celebration for Pasifika-Australia to remember the adversities Samoan forefathers encountered during the colonial era.

The AM holds over 500 measina Sāmoa in the Pacific Collection. Measina is a word used to describe Sāmoan treasures, and can be anything that holds a sacred place.

Many measina Sāmoa were used throughout Samoa Day in Sydney, which highlights the importance of preservation and perpetuation of cultural practice. Siapo (bark cloth), ‘Ie Toga (fine mat), Kiki Fulumoa (body adornment), Nifo Oti (dance implement), Tanoa (‘ava bowl), Ula Lopa (necklace), Pale Fuiono (forehead band) and many other traditional measina were seen throughout Sāmoa Day in Sydney.

For many, the use of measina Sāmoa is a way for people to signify, acknowledge and claim their cultural identity. To see tangible and intangible aspects of Sāmoan culture displayed at the event, gives a great sense of hope that they can be sustained for future generations. These cultural practices also promote a sense of wellbeing and cultural continuity in diaspora contexts.

Sāmoa Day in Sydney amplified the positive fundamentals of Sāmoan culture, and demonstrated how Sāmoan diaspora in Sydney Australia continue to hold steadfast to their cultures in Western societies.

This proverb is used by many Sāmoans to express that no matter where you are in the world, you carry Sāmoa within you and will always be defined as a Sāmoan. It reminds the younger generations to never forget their roots.

Fa'afetai tele lava for reading our series "Fa’amanatuina o le 60 Tausaga o le Tuto’atasi o le Malo o Sāmoa. Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Sāmoa’s Independence".

]]>

The Talbot Oration: Inspiring Visions for a Climate Solution

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +1000

On Thursday 2 June 2022, author and social researcher Rebecca Huntley addressed how images can hold the solution to a better climate future at the Australian Museum’s Talbot Oration.

In her talk, Dr Rebecca Huntley investigates the powerful ways that images can convey the messages of climate change and inspire climate action.

Using data and evidence based on years of social trend research, Rebecca offered reasons why the right imagery can break through the online chatter and spark action.

Following her address, Dr Huntley was joined by Tishiko King, a proud Kulkalaig woman and campaigner for climate and social justice, and Dr Saul Griffith, engineer and author of The Big Switch, in conversation with Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO.

Dr Rebecca Huntley is one of Australians foremost researchers on social trends. She holds degrees in law and film studies and a PhD in Gender Studies. She has led research at Essential Media and Vox Populi and was a director at Ipsos Australia. She now heads her own research and consultancy firm working closely with climate and environment NGOs, government and business on climate change strategy and communication.

She is the author of numerous books including How to Talk About Climate Change in a Way that Makes a Difference (Murdoch books, 2020). Rebecca was a broadcaster with the ABC’s Radio National and presented The History Listen and Drive on a Friday. She is also a registered Commonwealth marriage celebrant. She is the mother of three girls and lives in Sydney.

About The Talbot Oration

The Climate Cure is a Nights at the Museum special event.

]]>

Looking beyond the headlines: How did snails fare in the 2019-2020 bushfires?

Junn Foon, Dr Frank Köhler — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +1000

A new study by Australian Museum researchers sheds light on the impacts of the 2019-2020 wildfires on land snails in north-eastern NSW.

The wildfires of 2019/20 engulfed vast areas with unprecedented scale and ferocity. Apart from the tragic impacts on human lives, many Australians were also extremely worried about the possible damage these fires caused to our natural environment.

While the fires were still raging, conservationists and scientists scrambled to understand how dire the situation really was for the thousands of species that lived in the path of the devastation, which of them needed help most urgently, and what needed to be done to prevent the worst outcome – the extinction of a large number of native species. To get a better handle on the likely impact of the fires, several studies aimed to predict which species of plant and animal were most at risk by overlaying the extent of the fire zone with the extent of their known distribution. This exercise resulted in a list of more than 300 animal species that were of particular conservation concern.

In a second step, the Australian government responded by promoting specific research projects to document the possible damage caused by the fires on these priority species in more detail, so that help could go where it was most needed. Researchers from the Australian Museum partnered with scientists from the University of New South Wales to investigate the impacts of the wildfires on 26 species of land snail in north-eastern NSW, as well as on several species of beetles (read the AM blogs here and here).

Why land snails?

New South Wales is home to around 600 species of land snails, which exclusively inhabit relatively pristine natural habitats that have not been cleared, such as national parks and state forests. Most of these species have relatively small distributions, which makes them particularly vulnerable to localised disturbances. The notoriously slow pace of going about their every day lives also means that unlike many other animals, land snails cannot escape from a fire. All these factors render snails particularly vulnerable on the one hand and as good indicators to estimate the actual fire impact on wildlife on the other.

Hot on the heels of the bushfires, we set out to the Gondwanan rainforests of north-eastern NSW to investigate. We searched 70 sites, spending about three hours at each site, carefully searching the places where land snails are known to hide – under logs, barks, and rocks, and in crevices. We also collected a bag full of leaf litter from each site and set up a mobile field laboratory to pick up micro-snails under a microscope. We noted how burnt each site was so that we could compare the land snails between the sites. All these efforts culminated in a complete list of land snail species we have encountered alive or dead for each of these sites, shedding light on their survival in the aftermath of the bushfires.

Surprisingly, we found results that are contrary to the initial dire warnings of the impact the bushfires had on land snails. First, we found that most of the sites thought to be severely impacted by the fires and as the primary habitats of land snails, were actually a mosaic of areas with variable burn severities – with rainforests lightly burnt or unburnt.

Second, we attempted to visit as many sites as possible where species have been historically reported. This effort proved to be challenging as not long into our fieldwork, we realised many of the trails and tracks to the original sites have changed over the decades since the last time scientists had trodden these paths. For example, some former state forests have since become national parks and former logging tracks have gradually regrown with lush vegetation. Furthermore, fieldwork in the middle of a long La Nina season means many roads became inaccessible after rains, floods and landslides. Nevertheless, we managed to find live or fresh dead specimens for all target species, with representative individuals at almost 60% of the sites, thus re-confirming the survival of the 26 species after the fires.

While this shines a positive light on the survival of these species, we still assessed 3 species of conservation concern and 7 species as near threatened by the direct impacts of the 2019-2020 bushfires. This is based on their small distribution ranges, decline in habitat size due to the fires and the possibility of continuous decline in their habitat quality in the future.

The timeless adage that research uncovers more questions than answers applies to our study as well. In the course of this study, we realised than most of Australia’s land snails are not well understood. Beyond the handful of research articles and a few lines of information on museum specimen labels left by previous researchers, we know little about where they live and shelter, how they respond to environmental changes and how wide their distributional ranges truly are. The fires may also have caused changes in the snails' habitat structure and ecosystem dynamics. How such processes will affect the snails in the mid- to long-term remains a mystery.

Thus, every field trip helps us build a better impression of their habitats, microhabitats and distribution. We hope these data, now published in our new research article, can inform the formulation of important research questions that helps monitor and study these endemic species to ensure their survival in the longer term.

Dr Frank Köhler, Principal Research Scientist, Malacology, Australian Museum; Adjunct Associate Professor, UNSW.

Junn Foon, Research Associate, Malacology, Australian Museum.

]]>

Socialising to survive

Dr Amy Way, Meagan Warwick — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Earlier exits of H. sapiens from Africa were overprinted by the big exit around 60-70,000 years ago. Why was this exodus so successful when the earlier excursions were not? A new study by an international team of scientists confirm that social networking was key to this success.

A team of international scientists, led by the Australian Museum’s Dr Amy Mosig Way, have revealed that strong social networks allowed early humans to prosper across southern Africa. The clue from the past lay in a prehistoric backed artifact; this kind of ‘stone Swiss Army knife’ was found to be the same shape across multiple populations. The uniformity of these tools demonstrates that these populations must have been in contact with each other.

People have walked out of Africa for hundreds of thousands of years. We have evidence for early H. sapiens in Greece and the Levant from around 200,000 years ago. However, these earlier exits were overprinted by the big exit around 60-70ka, which involved the ancestors of all modern people living outside of Africa today.

Published in Nature: Scientific Reports, this paper presents the first morphometric analysis of Howiesons Poort backed artifacts across southern Africa and, for the first time, demonstrates how these artifacts are made to a similar template across great distances and several biomes. This tool can be made to a range of shapes and so the choice by multiple different cultural groups, to make them the same shows that they must have been connected and sharing knowledge at this time. In this study, the scientists also correlate for the first time the frequency of backed artifact discard with high-resolution paleo-environmental proxies at Sibudu.

Together, these analyses provide new insight into strength of social ties over across southern Africa during the Howiesons Poort and provide evidence that these social connections were in place just before this big exodus. It was the strength of the social network which allowed populations to prosper in the face of changing climatic conditions.

Archaeologists have long thought that our ability to cooperate with and share knowledge with people who are not related to us, who may not even share the same language as us has been key to survival, and this publication has provided evidence of early human social networks. These findings hold global implications for understanding our evolutionary path, and how expanding social networks contributed to the expansion of modern humans out of Africa and into new environments across Eurasia.

Dr Amy Mosig Way, Scientific Officer Archaeology, Geosciences and Archaeology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Meagan Warwick, AMRI Project and Communications Officer, Australian Museum.

]]>

A Tribute to Sāmoan men and women of the Mau

Moemoana Schwenke — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Sāmoa celebrated 60 years of independence on the 1st of June 2022. The Australian Museum celebrates alongside Sāmoans as they reach this milestone. This video series was created and will be released throughout the month of June in celebration. Through interviews with well-respected Sāmoan people, we learn important history about Sāmoa’s fight for independence.

Our second guest is Fa’agalu Dominic Taeoalii Fonoti from the Sāmoan villages of Satalo in Falealili. Fa’agalu is Sāmoan Cultural Advisor, Entertainer and renowned Sāmoan ambassador who has travelled internationally to promote Sāmoa’s tourism industry through traditional dances.

Some highlights of his career include leading the dance groups for the World Expo 1988, and leading the Siva Tau (War Dance) for the Manu Sāmoa rugby team during the World Cup in ‘91 with Wales and many times after. He expressed his highest gratitude and appreciation to the founding Ancestors who paved the way for independence, and he shares the importance for Sāmoan’s to uphold Fa’a Samoa culture and traditions wherever we are in the world.

Fa'afetai tele lava for watching our series "Fa’amanatuina o le 60 Tausaga o le Tuto’atasi o le Malo o Sāmoa. Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Sāmoa’s Independence".

Special Guest: Fa’agalu Dominic Taeoalii Fonoti
Camera Operator: Arran Rogers
Sāmoan Translation Subtitles: John Lemoa and Samantha Rogers

]]>

Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Sāmoa’s Independence

Moemoana Schwenke — Tue, 31 May 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Fa’amanatuina o le 60 Tausaga o le Tuto’atasi o le Malo o Sāmoa. Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Sāmoa’s Independence

Sāmoa will celebrate 60 years of independence on the 1st of June 2022. The Australian Museum celebrates alongside Sāmoans as they reach this milestone. This video series was created and will be released throughout the month of June in celebration. Through interviews with well-respected Sāmoan people, we learn important history about Sāmoa’s fight for independence.

Our first guest is Fuimaono Maiava Tofa Fata Viiga Fuimaono from the Sāmoan villages of Salani in Falealili, Afega and Saipipi in Savai'i. Maiava is an esteemed Sāmoan Cultural Advisor, Entertainer and Motivational Speaker.

He was a former Manager for Cultural Affairs at the Sāmoa Tourism Authority and a former Assistant Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Prisons and Correctional Services, and is currently a Sāmoan Translator and Interpreter at freelance. In an interview with him, he speaks about Sāmoan culture and the important lessons we can learn from the Mau, a peaceful movement that fought for Sāmoan independence from colonial rule in the early 20th century.

Fa'afetai tele lava for watching our series "Fa’amanatuina o le 60 Tausaga o le Tuto’atasi o le Malo o Sāmoa. Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Sāmoa’s Independence".

Special Guest: Fuimaono Maiava Tofa Fata Viiga Fuimaono
Camera Operator and Editor: Moemoana Schwenke
Sāmoan Translation Subtitles: Brian Tonumaipea-Tuisila

]]>

Recording absence records on the FrogID app

Dr Jodi Rowley, Nadiah Roslan — Tue, 31 May 2022 00:00:00 +1000

The FrogID app now includes the ability to let us know when no frogs are calling - an ‘absence’ or ‘null’ record, adding scientific value to the FrogID dataset.

The Australian Museum’s FrogID citizen science project uses smartphone technology to record frog calls to better understand and conserve Australia’s unique frog species.

FrogID contains two main sources of data. The first is the audio files themselves, which is used to identify the species calling and can also be analysed in detail to help understand frog accents, discover new species to science, and determine how frog communication is changing with urbanisation (including other things). The second is occurrence records – records of the locations and dates where frog species were recorded. This data can be used in all sorts of research including species distribution models, understanding impact of fires, drought, floods, or disease.

Until now, FrogID occurrence data has been gathering presence-only data, revealing a species being present and calling at a time and place, but not when species are absent. Instead, we have been able to infer species absences by creating ‘pseudo-absences’ – when FrogID recordings with one or more species calling but other species aren’t calling, we can assume a pseudo-absence for those species.

While various statistical and modelling techniques are being improved to strengthen analysis of presence-only data, true absences really increase our ability to understand where frogs are (and aren’t) and how they are doing.

For this reason, we have now included the ability to let us know when no frogs are calling - an ‘absence’ or ‘null’ record.

To ensure your absence records add value to the FrogID dataset, please remember:

Only select the Null Record option when you are certain that there are no frogs are calling (remember that some insects sound like frogs and vice versa!). If you’re unsure, please leave it unselected - we will still listen to the recording and let you know!
Only select the Null Record option at a site where you have heard frogs before, or you suspect they are there at other times (ie. ponds, dams, wetlands, creeks) and not away from potentially suitable frog habitat (ie. in an office tower or on the beach).
Only submit one null record per night per site (~100m). Watch a video on how to submit null records on the FrogID app here.

Thank you for strengthening the FrogID dataset through your presence and absence recordings. While recordings of frogs calling are the most important submissions you can make, recording the absences of calling frogs is also incredibly valuable. Together, we are building an incredibly powerful resource that can be used across a wide variety of research contexts that will help better understand and conserve Australia’s unique frog species.

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator of Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology at the Australian Museum and UNSW.

Nadiah Roslan, FrogID Project Coordinator at the Australian Museum.

]]>

Explore podcast episode 1: Animal mysteries

Alice Gage — Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Hosted by: Alice Gage

Guests: Dr Patrick Smith, Dr Jodi Rowley and Sara Judge

]]>

Explore podcast episode 2: Unsettled - Our untold history revealed

Alice Gage — Wed, 25 May 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Hosted by: Laura McBride

Guests: Aunty Fay Moseley, Uncle Richard Waubin Aken, and Fleur and Laurance Magick Dennis

This nation's natural history museums, like many institutions that played a role in colonisation, have been viewed with great suspicion by First Nations Peoples.

Today, the Australian Museum stands firm in its commitment to acknowledge the wrongs of the past. Part of that process is truth-telling. In this episode, Laura McBride – Wailwan and Kooma woman, and Director, First Nations, at the Australian Museum – shares three important pieces from the AM’s award-winning exhibition, Unsettled.

We hear from Aunty Fay Moseley, a Wiradjuri Elder who was taken from her family when she was ten years old; we travel back to 1770 to hear the accounts of Kaurareg Peoples on the arrival of Cook’s tall ship; and we return to the present to learn an Aboriginal teaching of caring for one another and sharing with one another.

Discover the Explore podcast series.

]]>

Explore podcast episode 3: Reasons for hope

Alice Gage — Wed, 25 May 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Hosted by: Alice Gage

Guests: Professor Tim Flannery, Sam Elsom and Dr Mariko Smith

If, like us, you’re anxious about the climate emergency, tune in: this episode is all about the gaining of wisdom in an uncertain world. We look to science, innovation and First Nations knowledges to learn how one young Australian is detoxifying the ocean and atmosphere, and what the world’s oldest link between humans and the land can teach us about managing the environment.

In his 2021 Australian Museum Talbot Oration, Professor Tim Flannery calls for solutions. One of those is floating out at sea – a native seaweed called asparogopsis, which when fed to cows substantially reduces their methane emissions.

Another solution is listening to First Nations Peoples, whose successful stewardship of Country for time immemorial saw both people and the environment thrive. Australian Museum First Nations curator Dr Mariko Smith discusses what one new acquisition – the Kimberley Boab Nut Collection – can teach us about this legacy.

]]>

Explore podcast episode 4: The discovery of new species

Alice Gage — Wed, 25 May 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Hosted by: Alice Gage

Guests: Professor Kris Helgen, Dr Patrick Smith, Dr Tim O’Hara and the scientists aboard the CSIRO RV Investigator.

No one knows how many animal species are on the planet today. It might be something like two million, it might be something like 10 million, maybe even more. The scientists of the Australian Museum Research Institute are hard at work investigating Earth’s biodiversity – which sometimes means discovering animals not previously known to science. These discoveries teach us what has come before us, and what we need to protect for the generations that will come after us.

In the final episode of Explore season one, we head out into the field – from the deepest ocean trenches to the peaks of the Himalayas – to discover how the Australian Museum’s Chief Scientist Professor Kris Helgen and palaeontologist Dr Patrick Smith identify new species, and what it means to add new branches to the Tree of Life.

]]>

Ancient fossils from Australia’s Red Centre

Dr Patrick Smith — Wed, 25 May 2022 00:00:00 +1000

The core of Australia isn’t static — it’s changed considerably since the dawn of animal life and continues to do so. My first glimpse of this was in the eastern MacDonnell Ranges, in the highly folded rocks of N’Dhala Gorge, 64km east of Alice Springs. Walking along the rivers snaking through this area is like travelling in a reverse time machine. The further towards the centre of the ranges you go, the younger the rocks become.

The oldest rocks at the entrance to the gorge date from the Ediacaran Period (555 million years ago). These tell the story of an entirely different Australia to the one we know today. The western and central portions of the continent were embedded in Gondwana. The eastern states of Australia had not yet fully formed. At the edge of the continent (which ran up modern South Australia and Northern Territory) was a shallow sea where primitive jellyfish- like animals thrived.

I could see their remains preserved on the surface of the rocks, typically as strange discs and indentations. Alongside their impressions were odd horizonal tubes through the sedimentary rock. These are traces of the first worms, burrowing through the mud looking for food.

Moving deeper into the ranges, I was travelling forward in geological time. Suddenly the impressions were joined by other recognisable features. These included the cross-sections of sponge skeletons, as well as more familiar marine shells. Particularly abundant were the crustacean-like trilobites; strange woodlouse-like animals that inhabited the world’s oceans before the dinosaurs.

The trilobites I found came from the Cambrian and Ordovician periods (541– 444 million years ago). It was during this time the margins of the continent were compressed as the Australian tectonic plate pushed up against the Proto-Pacific plate. This caused central Australia to be lifted above sea level and slowly drain. However, it wouldn’t be until the succeeding Silurian and Devonian periods (444–359 million years ago) that the sea would completely disappear.

It was initially replaced by freshwater rivers and lakes containing strange bony fish. Fragments of their armour plating could be seen in the very centre of the ranges, and resemble fossils found in south-eastern New South Wales. This is no coincidence as eastern Australia had started forming and was now also draining into the Proto- Pacific.

Towards the end of the Devonian Period the compression became so great that it completely dried out central Australia and pushed up the spectacular MacDonnell Ranges. The continent drifted towards the South Pole, and ice covered large parts of the land, so I never found any fossils from the subsequent Mesozoic Era (the so- called Age of the Dinosaurs, 252–65 million years ago).

Before the end of my journey, I went further north to a cattle station called Alcoota. Here, a fossilised series of lakes preserved the remains of animal life from the late Miocene Epoch (8 million years ago). These deposits developed as the continent began to sag when the Pacific and Antarctic tectonic plates had pulled away from Australia, relieving the compressional forces. The bones of the marsupials found at this site suggest that Australia had drifted away from the polar region at the end of the Mesozoic.

It split off from Gondwana and started to look more like the island we recognise today. The central part of Australia still wasn’t a desert, however, and would have looked more like the modern Serengeti. A highly complex ecosystem of marsupials, birds and reptiles existed. The largest predator was a 6m-long crocodile from the genus Baru, that would have fed on dirprotodontids, a family of rhino-sized wombats. All these have subsequently disappeared as Australia has marched slowly northwards and become more arid.

The first European explorers thought Australia was a young country, created as a separate “new creation”. However, the fossil remains found on my journey prove this is untrue. In fact, they demonstrate that life in Australia is remarkably old.

Central Australia alone has changed enormously over time. Going from being a tropical inland sea, a series of freshwater inland rivers, a frozen wasteland, a biodiverse grassland, and finally a red desert. Who knows what the next 550 million years holds for central Australia, and what stories its fossils will share?

]]>

New acquisition: The Kimberley boab nut collection

Tue, 24 May 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Similar to the carving and painting of emu eggs in southeast Australia, the visual cultural knowledge etched and painted onto boab nuts documents the practices, life events and stories of the people of the Kimberley region, Western Australia.

In early 2021, the Australian Museum accepted the donation of an extensive and nationally significant collection of 265 carved and painted boab nuts specific to the Kimberley. The donor purchased the boab nuts directly from prominent Aboriginal artists and Aboriginal Art Centres across the Kimberley including Derby, Broome, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek, Kununurra and Wyndham.

In this collection more than 80 artists are represented, featuring senior Elders, knowledge holders, award- winning artists and emerging carvers and youth, including John Whera, Ashley Oobagooma, Petrina Bedford and Marion Cox.

Marion Cox is a highly respected, senior Gooniyandi artist and knowledge holder from Yiyili Community, located 110km west of Halls Creek. On her painted boab nut about the bush plum, Marion shares her cultural knowledge of Country, bush food and medicines.

This collection is a testament to First Nations small enterprise and the dynamism of Aboriginal culture. It also promotes and guides the practice of future generations of Aboriginal carvers from the Kimberley.

]]>

News from LIRS: 2022 Critical Research Grant awarded

Dr Anne Hoggett — Thu, 19 May 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF) is featured at the AM. LIRRF supports scientific research & education at the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. For this month, we feature: 2022 Critical Research Grant awarded.

The 2022 Lizard Island Critical Research Grant has been awarded to Prof. Andrew Baird of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University and colleagues from the Museum of Tropical Queensland and University of Hawai’i at Manoa. The project, Taxonomy of the reef-building corals of Lizard Island, is timely and of fundamental importance to coral reef ecology.

Coral taxonomy is currently based largely on morphology (form, shape) but it is becoming clear that there is much more diversity among corals than is revealed by their appearance. This matters because different species interact with the environment in different ways. Knowing the number and identity of species is central to understanding ecologies and to managing and conserving natural resources.

The grant team already has a global project – Project Phoenix – underway to resolve this problem in reef-building corals. They are sampling corals from around the world, mostly opportunistically, for molecular analysis that is conducted as funding allows. This provides a much deeper insight into genetic and species diversity than the outward appearance of corals.

They are finding that some well-known coral ‘species’ currently considered to be widespread in the Indian and Pacific Oceans are in fact several distinct species that look alike and have much more restricted distributions. Even within a small area, some ‘species’ contain different genetic lineages that each merit species status. It then becomes a taxonomic task to determine which of the newly-determined species bears the existing name that is currently applied to the group, and whether any pre-existing names that are currently considered synonyms apply to other newly-determined species. Only once these chores have been done, can any remaining newly-determined species be provided with a new name. This process is tightly regulated under international rules for zoological nomenclature.

Importantly, the team is tying molecular sequences to newly-collected specimens from the type localities of previously-named species. Nomenclature rules require designation of a ‘type’ specimen on which a species name is based and which, ideally, is housed in a museum collection forever. The location where the type specimen was found becomes the type locality for that species. All other specimens given that name, no matter where they are found, should be the same species as the type specimen. Many coral species were named centuries ago and it can require taxonomic detective work to find their type specimens or, in their absence, the specimens on which the original description was based and which can be assigned as types. And even where type material is available, it is usually impossible to recover molecular data from it. However, the type locality is usually known and corals there can be re-sampled for molecular analysis and that can help determine solutions to knotty taxonomies.

The team will use the grant to sample as many coral species as possible from the Lizard Island area and send them to an overseas lab for molecular analysis. In the short term, this work will show which ‘species’ in the area are in fact multiple species. That will inform other research in this heavily studied area and improve outcomes. In the longer term, the Lizard Island material will form an important part of a worldwide revision of the taxonomy of reef-building corals. The number of coral species is likely to increase by a substantial proportion as a result. It is important to do this now, while much of the coral diversity remains intact in this area but has an increasingly poor outlook for the future due to climate change and other human-induced stressors.

This Critical Research Grant is supported by generous donations from Ian and Min Darling, and Sally White.

By Anne Hoggett | LIRS Director.

To view the original blog and more LIRS blogs, please go to: https://lirrf.org/2022-critical-research-grant-awarded/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised over $13.2 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

International Museum Day 2022: The Power of Museums

Kim McKay, AO — Wed, 18 May 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Today, Wednesday 18 May 2022, we celebrate International Museum Day. Developed by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in 1977, this year’s theme is “The Power of Museums” which looks at how museums can bring about positive change in their communities through three lenses: sustainability, innovation on digitilisation and accessibility and through community building through education.

As part of IMD 2022, I will be speaking at the virtual Singapore Symposium organised by ICOM Singapore, the National Heritage Board (NHB) and the Singapore Museum Roundtable about the Australian Museum’s commitment to sustainability and transforming the conversation around climate change.

The AM is committed to being an inclusive, sustainable and resilient organisation. A great example of our leadership in this space was our sustainability achievements through Project Discover, our award-winning $57.5M building transformation completed in 2020. Through Project Discover, we achieved a more than 90 percent diversion rate of construction waste to landfill. Hardwood flooring removed from the Pacific Collection stores was reused in the touring exhibition hall and bronze stair balustrading was reused in signage.

Just last month, the AM was recognised with the Climate smART Award 2022 for its focus on initiatives which transform public behaviour towards a more sustainable, climate resilient future. We do this through our touring and on-site exhibitions, digital resources and events including SPARK, Changing Climate and the Sustainability Action Plan.

And we will continue to lead in this space and expand on our existing climate changed focussed programs through hosting the 2022 Talbot Oration with Dr Rebecca Huntley on Thursday 2 June in the lead up to World Environment Day. In this free talk, author and social researcher Rebecca Huntley will explore how images can hold the solution to a better climate future.

The Talbot Oration is annual event held at the AM to showcase advances in the field of climate change research and environmental conservation. Following the address by Dr Rebecca Huntley, AM Trustee and Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt will host a panel with some warriors at the coalface of the climate change crisis to discuss solutions and practical actions the public can take to help minimise climate change impact.

In the lead up to World Environment Day, we will also be launching our new Climate Solutions Centre, where we will collaborate with some of our nation’s leading minds to inspire hope and action for this most pressing of global challenges – watch this space for more information on how you can get involved.

These are just a few ways the AM is creating relationships and pathways with our communities in ways I could only have dreamed about 45 years ago, when ICOM first put a day together to highlight that “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.”

Enjoy International Museum Day and celebrate the richness of what our institutions bring to the educational, cultural, and scientific vibrancy of our communities.

]]>

Reducing the burden of diarrhoeal disease

Fri, 06 May 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Professor Julie Bines is a paediatric gastroenterologist at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne, Group Leader of Enteric Diseases at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) — and winner of the 2021 Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research. Here, she talks about her career in reducing the global burden of diarrhoeal disease, about gender equity, and why she would encourage others to enter the Eureka Prizes.

This article first appeared in the Franklin Women March 2022 Newsletter — you can sign up here.

What is your current role and how did you get to be there?

I am a paediatric gastroenterologist and clinician-researcher focused on reducing the global burden of diarrhoeal disease in children. I studied medicine at Monash University, but it was not until I travelled extensively in Asia and Africa that I appreciated the huge disparities in health, growth and “life” for children in low- and middle-income countries. Disease, such as diarrhoea due to rotavirus infection, was, and still is, a major killer of infants and young children in many countries. When I returned to Melbourne to continue my medical residency at The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, I worked on the dedicated gastroenteritis ward. It was here in the 1970s that Professor Ruth Bishop and Professor Ian Holmes, and their teams, discovered rotavirus as the major cause of severe dehydrating gastroenteritis in young children.

Oral rehydration solutions were being trialled with the aim to avoid the problems associated with the need for intravenous fluid administration previously used to treat severely dehydrated infants. Thankfully, in Australia, gastroenteritis wards are now a thing of the past as a result of the dramatic impact of rotavirus vaccines in the routine immunisation program. However, almost 45% of the world’s children do not receive a rotavirus vaccine, and the vaccines available do not seem to protect children in low- and middle-income countries as well as they do in high-income countries such as Australia. So there is still work to be done if we are going to defeat this common and devastating infection.

After studying paediatric medicine in Melbourne (FRACP) I spent 3 years in Boston, USA, as Fellow in the Combined Program of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Clinical Nutrition at Boston Children’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. This was a formative experience for me. I was able to learn from some of the “greats” in paediatric gastroenterology, nutrition and science, who were inspiring and generous with their time. I made lifelong friends and colleagues who opened my eyes to the power of collaboration.

My husband and I decided to return to Melbourne soon after the birth of our son in Boston. I am not sure our collective parents would have forgiven us if we deprived them of their first grandchild! There were no clinical positions available in paediatric gastroenterology in Australia when I returned, so I switched my full focus to research. Based on the work in energy metabolism in cystic fibrosis, which I started in Boston as a post-doc at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), I completed a Doctor of Medicine (MD) at the University of Melbourne. As a clinician-researcher, I have found the opportunity to address clinical challenges through research motivating and satisfying.

I was appointed as a consultant for WHO to investigate the significance of rare cases of intussusception (twisting of the bowel) found in young children who received the first licensed rotavirus vaccine in the USA. This consultancy provided me an opportunity, as a paediatric gastroenterologist, to contribute to global child health, and has resulted in an ongoing involvement across various gut-related infections and global efforts to develop vaccines to prevent these infections. I took on the development of the novel neonatal rotavirus vaccine, RV3-BB, at MCRI after the development of an earlier version of this vaccine unfortunately had been halted. This vaccine has now been shown to protect from severe gastroenteritis in babies from birth in low- and middle-income countries and has the potential to make a major impact on global child deaths due to diarrhoea. This work was awarded a Eureka Prize in 2021, which was a wonderful acknowledgement of the four decades of research by dedicated clinicians and scientists who have been committed to this dream.

How does your work contribute to the field and/or the overall health and wellbeing of the community?

Diarrhoea is a major killer of children worldwide, with rotavirus the most common cause in children under 1 year of age. Despite the success of rotavirus vaccines in high-income countries like Australia, around 45%, or over 80 million, children worldwide do not have access to a rotavirus vaccine. Barriers include vaccine cost, gaps in supply, logistical challenges and ongoing concerns regarding vaccine safety. Also, the level of protection offered by the current rotavirus vaccines is reported to be lower in low-income, high-child-mortality countries compared to that observed in high-income, low-child-mortality countries.

The RV3-BB vaccine, developed from healthy babies in Melbourne, has the potential to provide protection at the earliest possible time – from birth – and hopefully make it easier to administer when mothers and their babies are with a midwife or at hospital. We are working with emerging country vaccine manufacturers so that the vaccine can be affordable for use in low- and middle-income countries to help prevent the more than 250,000 deaths that occur each year due to rotavirus disease.

What project would you love to get off the ground, or skill would you develop, if you had the opportunity?

There are so many interesting and important questions that remain unanswered or unexplored. I am fascinated by the complexity of the gut and how it impacts a wide range of body functions that extend beyond the gastrointestinal tract; in particular, the factors that act as barriers to the effectiveness of oral vaccines, such as rotavirus vaccines, and whether oral vaccines given to newborns can have additional beneficial effects, such as promoting immune development.

Another area I would love to see gain traction is the effort to address gender inequity in global health. Women make up 70% of the global health workforce but are grossly under-represented in leadership roles. Much of the work done by women in healthcare globally is underpaid or unpaid work, and should be appropriately recognised. The Women in Global Health Network is working to address gender inequity and bias in healthcare, and we have just launched an Australian Chapter with the hope to advocate for gender equity in healthcare in Australia and within our region. It would be terrific if this could gain momentum and lead to real change at a global level.

What are your loves outside of work?

I love to be outdoors, enjoying the natural beauty of the bush. My favourite times are spent with my family, including my very cheeky labrador Archie.

Congratulations on your 2021 Eureka Prize for Infectious Disease Research! Why would you encourage others to enter the Eureka Prizes?

Australia conducts fabulous science by fabulous scientists. The Eureka Prizes present a great opportunity to showcase your hard work and achievements to a broad audience. It is really inspiring to hear the stories of innovation and achievement across a range of topics from people with a diverse range of age, skills and backgrounds.

What is one piece of advice you could pass onto others following their own career in the health and medical research sector?

I never had a “life plan” but have always been keen to seek opportunities that might address key gaps in understanding or provide an opportunity to work with like-minded people who are fun to collaborate with. You need to be genuinely interested (or even passionate) about what you do to justify the time and effort required to achieve a successful outcome. But be kind to yourself and to others around you, and be sure to take a break.

]]>

Deep dark dumplings: Two new bottletail squids from New Zealand

Fri, 06 May 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Decades after their discovery, two species of bottletail squid are finally formally described. Jae Santos at the Australian Museum tells us how these species differ from other squids, and the stages in bringing new species to light.

Since the late 1800s, New Zealand has been home to a single recognised bottletail squid species Sepioloidea pacifica. Bottletail squid are sometimes known as a dumpling squid, and are commonly mistaken for their relatives, bobtail squid. Over the past three years, I conducted research in collaboration with the Auckland University of Technology Lab for Cephalopod Ecology and Systematics (ALCES). Together, we formally described two new species which have been living in the depths this whole time: Sepioloidea jaelae and Sepioloidea virgilioi

The fact that more bottletail squid species were sneaking around the depths of New Zealand waters wasn’t entirely surprising. For decades, sitting amongst jars of the well-established S. pacifica specimens, countless mystery squid have waited. Many were labelled with some variation of text saying ‘new species’. For scientists, this is the discovery stage; what comes next is the often-difficult task of proving their novelty and naming the species—the description stage.

Some of the most important pieces to these discovery/description puzzles are specimens called ‘types’. These are the reference specimens that represent entire species. With the Sepioloidea pacifica type specimen in hand, we set about comparing it with hundreds of these ‘new species’ bottletail squid specimens from around New Zealand. Some looked pretty similar. And some definitely did not.

The most striking morphological differences we found involved body size (some were more than double the size of others!), tentacle club suckers, and hectocotyli (the male modified arm used in mating). See if you can spot the differences yourself in the images provided. In addition to these physical characteristics, we noticed each group had been collected from different ranges of depth—S. pacifica from the shallows down to 55 m, one group down to 440 m, and another group from 73 to 911 m.

Throughout our time conducting morphological examinations and dissections, we were also gathering small snips of tissue from fresh and recent bottletail squid catches whenever possible. These snips were the final pieces to the puzzle. Our DNA analyses showed that these three groups were genetically distinct. This meant we had both morphological and genetic evidence for naming the new species—Sepioloidea jaelae and Sepioloidea virgilioi: named in honour of my mother and father.

Initially published as a Masters thesis, this manuscript was refined over the past year to officially welcome the two new species to science in Marine Biodiversity. Taxonomic work such as this has deeper significance than just providing scientific names to new species—every new species discovered and described brings us one step closer to understanding the true biodiversity of our planet. Striving for this goal is especially important today, when we appear to be losing so much more than we are even aware.

Jaever Santos, Database Support Officer, Collection Enhancement Project, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Magnificent discoveries on Lord Howe Island

Dr Isabel Hyman — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +1000

A recent snail survey on Lord Howe Island was punctuated with shouts of excitement, as we found not one, not two, but three rarely seen species.

Those who have followed our land snail blogs will know that Dr Frank Köhler and I have been studying Critically Endangered snails on Lord Howe Island since 2016. The Lord Howe Island land snail fauna is incredibly rich and diverse, with around 70 endemic species. The snails are a critical part of ecosystem functioning, acting as a food source for other animals and also playing a role in the decomposition of leaf litter. However, threats such as rodent predation have had a heavy toll, particularly on the larger snails – five of which are listed as threatened by both NSW and Australian governments. We have managed to find some individuals of four of the five endangered species during the past five years, but one species has always eluded us: the Magnificent Helicarionid Land Snail, Gudeoconcha sophiae magnifica.

This species really lives up to its name. With a shell of nearly 4 cm in diameter, it is the largest helicarionid in Australia and what’s more, its body displays a beautiful blend of varying shades of brown and black. This species is only known from the upper slopes and summit of Mt Gower, a towering basalt mountain of 875 metres in height that is covered in cloud rainforest. Gudeoconcha sophiae magnifica experienced a population collapse after the accidental introduction of rats in 1918. In 2002, when I surveyed Lord Howe Island for land snails as a PhD student, I found just two living specimens. However, sadly, targeted searches since 2002 have not recovered another individual. As one of the last people to see this species alive, and as the current expert on this particular family of land snails, I have a particular passion for this beautiful species and have searched long and hard – in vain! I feared the worst.

Since rodents were eradicated on Lord Howe Island in 2019, our surveys have revealed increased abundances of some other large snails, and so we have maintained our hopes and continued the search for the Magnificent Helicarionid Land Snail. In order to thoroughly survey the Mt Gower summit, each year we climb for three hours to the summit with heavy packs on our backs and camp there for three days while searching. This year, I had the bad luck to fracture my thumb just before the trip and so was forced to stay at the research station, sorting leaf litter and biting my nails, while waiting for my fellow Team Snail members to complete their surveys and deliver the verdict for this year. And… they found it! New Team Snail member Junn Foon, on his first trip to Lord Howe Island, found a single living specimen. We are absolutely thrilled to know that this species has survived the rodents and lives on, after 19 years without a sign.

While this was truly the high point of the trip (and I’m still cursing the poor timing of my fractured thumb!), the excitement didn’t end there. Despite years of surveys, there are still several species recorded from Lord Howe Island that we have never found. When we invited Junn to join us, he was determined to find one in particular: the Lord Howe Microturban (Monterissa gowerensis), one of the tiniest species on the island (with a shell of around 2 mm), an obligate rock-dweller found only on wet rock faces – and last recorded alive in 1913. He searched every wet rock face we came across with true dedication, and on day four, there were more cries of joy as he discovered the first living specimens in over 100 years. By the end of the trip we had located three separate populations.

But wait, there’s more! On the very last site of the last day, perched at the base of yet another sheer rock face, I spotted a tiny snail crawling across the wet rocks and my heart skipped a beat. It was the distinctive Deliciola charis, one of the rarest and most poorly known species on Lord Howe Island, previously known only from a single, slightly crushed shell collected prior to 1945 and up until now considered extinct. This was a wonderful way to end the trip. The photos included here are the first ever live images of Deliciola charis and Monterissa gowerensis.

To end on a note of caution: this year’s survey shows an increasing number of invasive, predatory flatworms, species that are known to prey on soft-bodied invertebrates such as snails and earthworms. We are working with a flatworm specialist and other invertebrate taxonomists to establish how much of a threat this may be to the island’s biodiversity and to identify potential protective measures. Meanwhile, while remaining watchful for emerging threats, we are delighted to document and celebrate the signs of recovery among the larger land snails in particular, which have suffered such a huge impact from rodent predation over the past century.

Dr Isabel Hyman, Scientific Officer, Malacology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Future-proofing the koala: How museums can help protect an Australian icon

Dr Matthew Lott, Dr Greta Frankham, Dr Mark Eldridge — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +1000

The most comprehensive genetic assessment of koala populations to date has provided fascinating insights into how the species responded to past climate change, and highlights the critical role of museums in supporting ongoing conservation efforts.

The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is one of Australia’s most iconic native species. A unique marsupial that lives in the forests and woodlands of eastern Australia, koalas are best known for their sleepy lifestyle and highly restricted diet of Eucalyptus leaves. While few other marsupials have enjoyed the same level of publicity as the koala, unfortunately this attention has not translated into effective species management.

Koala populations in Queensland and New South Wales – which are now listed as endangered – have experienced rapid and widespread declines due to disease, dog attacks and habitat loss caused by land clearing, urbanisation and climate change. The catastrophic ‘megafires’ of 2019-2020, which burnt over 10 million hectares and resulted in the deaths of up to 8,000 koalas, represent a particularly stark example of the extreme environmental disturbances expected to increase due to climate change. However, another less obvious threat to the continued survival of the koala is the loss of genetic diversity. The loss of genetic diversity from small, fragmented populations has been shown to increase their risk of extinction due to both inbreeding (i.e. mating between close relatives), and a reduced ability to adapt to rapid environmental change. Therefore, the maintenance of genetic diversity by maintaining large, interconnected natural populations, or its augmentation through artificially assisted gene flow (i.e. wildlife translocations), is critical for conserving threatened koala populations in the face of existing and emerging threats.

Currently, relatively little is known about how genetic diversity is distributed amongst koala populations across Australia, and even less is understood about the climatic and evolutionary processes that have created these differences. To answer these questions, a group of scientists, led by researchers at the Australian Museum, have sequenced the protein coding gene regions, or “exons”, of 259 koalas from 92 locations across the species’ geographic range. This represents the most comprehensive investigation of koala genetics to date. Furthermore, by exploiting recent advances in the fields of genomics and bioinformatics, we were also able to collect genetic information from historical Museum specimens, many of which are from areas where koala populations no longer exist (e.g. metropolitan Sydney). Our results indicate that, while all koalas belong to a single species, five distinct groups or population clusters currently exist across Australia. It is estimated that these population clusters first diverged approximately 430,000–300,000 years ago, during a major climatic shift in the middle-late Pleistocene and have since experienced alternating periods of connectivity and isolation as the Australian environment has continued to change over time.

Additionally, our exon dataset allowed us to delve into the complex relationship that exists between climate and genetic diversity in koalas. While some populations do appear to have adapted genetically to local climatic conditions, we also found evidence for repeated, climate-associated range contractions in koalas across eastern Australia. This suggests that geographically isolated refugia (areas where animals can survive during periods of unfavourable environmental conditions), may have played a more important role in the survival of the koala through the cool-dry Pleistocene glacial cycles than genetic adaptation alone. This highlights the importance of aligning the conservation of genetic diversity with the protection of core koala habitat to increase the resilience of threatened populations.

Our findings also have a number of other important implications for koala conservation. We have demonstrated that the current management divisions used by state governments do not accurately reflect the distribution of genetic diversity among existing koala populations, indicating that care must be taken to ensure that established conservation frameworks do not artificially restrict the movement of individuals (and the potentially critical genetic diversity that they represent) between previously interconnected regions.

Finally, we recommend that koala populations should be prioritised for conservation action based on the scale and severity of the threatening processes that they face, rather than placing too much emphasis on their perceived value (e.g. as reservoirs of potentially adaptive genetic variation), as our data indicate that the majority of existing genetic variation in koalas is found amongst individual animals. As such, the loss of koalas from any part of Queensland or New South Wales represents a potentially critical reduction of genetic diversity for the species. Put simply, there is no such thing as a low priority koala!

Dr Matthew Lott, Research Assistant, Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Dr Greta Frankham, Research Assistant, Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Dr Mark Eldridge, Principal Research Scientist, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

News from LIRS: Damselfishes in colour

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF) is featured at the AM. LIRRF supports scientific research & education at the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. For this month, we feature: Damselfishes in colour.

To anybody familiar with the coral reef systems of the Great Barrier Reef and their inhabitants, the importance of the damselfish family is well understood. Take a quick look at the reef while snorkelling on Lizard Island and you will see hundreds of this family’s individuals, each belonging to a species with its own particular lifestyle. There are over 388 described species of damselfishes in the world, most of which are found on shallow coral reefs. They display a high variation of colouration, habitats, and ecologies – some of which are unique and fascinating, as in the popular anemonefishes.

In recent years, researchers of the Queensland Brain Institute in Brisbane have discovered that the habitat and ecology of damselfishes can shape their vision and how they perceive the world. Their colouration, their feeding habits, and the depth at which they are found can influence the gene expression in their eyes, more specifically in the retina where photoreceptors (light sensitive cells) are found. Moreover, some damselfish species have been found to have a ‘secret’ communication channel, which is invisible to humans and to predatory fish: ultraviolet (UV) colour patterns. These patterns reflect UV light, which has shorter wavelengths than what we (humans) call visible light. The sensitivity to UV light in damselfishes is due to specific proteins found in their photoreceptors, which are not found in humans. The Ambon Damsel, Pomacentrus amboinensis, uses UV facial patterns for territorial interactions, and for species and individual recognition. Behavioural studies have demonstrated that this species can distinguish conspecifics (belonging to the same species) from heterospecifics (individuals belonging to a different species).

I am currently researching how development, colouration and ecology shape the visual system in damselfishes. These fishes display a high variety of colouration in-between different species and they sometimes change colouration as they grow. As well, I will investigate the extent of UV colour patterns in the damselfish family, similar to the ones found in the Ambon Damsel, and their occurrence at different life stages. Lizard Island is the main base for my field work.

Damselfishes play an important role on coral reefs, serving both as bottom feeders that keep corals free from algal overgrowth and parasitic infestation, and as important food sources for many larger fishes. Understanding how developmental changes in morphology and ecology can influence their visual system is of interest for future management purposes, especially with recent declines in coral reef health worldwide.

By Valerio Tettamanti | PhD student, Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland.

Valerio is the 2022 Zoltan Florian Lizard Island Doctoral Fellow.

To view the original blog and more LIRS blogs, please go to: https://lirrf.org/damselfishes-in-colour/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised over $13.2 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

Moana Toa: Pasifika female leadership series – The Hon. Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, Prime Minister of Sāmoa

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Moana Toa is an initiative by the AM's Pasifika Collections and Engagement team that aims to link Pasifika female leadership to culture and arts. To mark International Women’s Day 2022, the initiative will celebrate Pasifika women leading in their respective careers and recognise their contribution to changing the climate of gender equality through a series of blog posts and videos.

The literal translation of Moana and Toa in many Pasifika languages is "Ocean" and "Strong." The Pacific Ocean is home to tens of thousands of culturally diverse islands, and in many islands, the Pacific Ocean is referred to as "Our Mother." Therefore, the Moana Toa initiative aims to celebrate the strength, versatility and grace of Pasifika women and girls.

The series was created by Moemoana Schwenke, Anaseini Ulakai and Miriama Simmons.

Pacific greetings!

It is a great honour to end our series with special guest, the Hon. Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa, Prime Minister of Samoa.

The Hon. Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa is the first female Prime Minister of Sāmoa. Prior to being elected Prime Minister in 2021, she served as Sāmoa's High Chieftess, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Women, Community and Social Development, and Minister of Justice. In addition to many other achievements, Fiamē is notable for holding a number of first titles – she is Sāmoa’s first female member of Cabinet, first female Deputy Prime Minister and first female Prime Minister.

Fa’a Sāmoa – the Sāmoan way

“E au le ina’ilau a tama’ita’i” is a Sāmoan proverb that encapsulates the strength of women, metaphorically meaning that women can achieve anything they set their minds to. Fiamē is the embodiment of this proverb. Fiamē leads Sāmoa with fa’a Sāmoa, or the Sāmoan way, at the forefront. This is expressed through her honouring of Sāmoa’s cultural values, which include fa’aaloalo (respect), alofa (love), tautua (service) and loto maualalo (humility). She tirelessly advocates for greater participation of women in parliament, is committed to the rule of law and amplifies the effects of climate change on a global stage. She works to strengthen traditions and customs, and is focused on improving Sāmoa's education sector. Fiamē is undoubtedly an outstanding contributor to Sāmoan society and an exceptional example of female leadership.

The AM’s Pasifika Collection holds a diverse range of measina Sāmoa or Sāmoan treasures. We asked Fiamē about the measina Sāmoa that is most significant to her.

"Quite often when we talk about fa’a Sāmoa or measina Sāmoa we think of the tangible things like ‘ie tōga, for me, my measina are the intangibles," she tells us.

The intangibles of fa’a Sāmoa are both Sāmoan traditions and customs, and also Sāmoan cultural values of fa’aaloalo, alofa, tautua and lotomaulalo. The intangible features of fa’a Sāmoa are essential to Sāmoan identity, and act as the foundations that will nourish success of the nu’u (village), and aiga (family). They ensure the preservation and perpetuation of Sāmoan culture for succeeding generations.

Fiamē identified an important feature of fa’a Sāmoa, when she says,

The Sāmoan proverb encapsulates the importance of enacting tautua (service), as it is an essential part of one’s identity in Sāmoa. It is a cultural value that grounds the foundation of gaining leadership both within a Sāmoan village context and diaspora communities.

“When you grow up in a village environment, you see so much. So much of how we learn the fa’a Sāmoa is by observing and listening, and it's also about relationships. Something that my mother taught me is the importance of relationships. The relationships with humans, and even the relationship with our environment,” Fiamē says.

Fa’a Sāmoa also affirms that tautua is done to pay tribute to the interconnectedness of all living things. Fiamē emphasises the significance of reclaiming the interconnected relationships that we have with the environment, particularly as a means to mitigate and adapt to the harsh reality of climate change on Pacific Islands frontline communities. She is a strong advocate for action on climate change, which poses an imminent threat to the Pacific Islands through accelerated rises of sea-level, longer and more intense heat waves, and exacerbated natural disasters.

Tānoa

Tānoa, commonly known as ‘ava bowl, is one of Sāmoa's oldest ceremonial crafts. Tānoa is a large wooden bowl that stands upright on four or more legs, and is hand carved from the ifilele tree. Each tānoa is made with the use of intricate Sāmoan carvings, symbols or coconut sennit. Customarily, tānoa is the ceremonial bowl used for the ‘ava ceremony, one of Sāmoa's most important formal customs. The ‘ava or dried roots of the kava plant is mixed with water in the tānoa using fau or strainer made from the bark of the hibiscus tiliaceus tree. The ‘ava ceremony is held during the bestowing of chiefly titles, formal meetings or village gatherings. In such contexts, tānoa is symbolic of unity, as it brings communities together.

“You begin your service within your family, your village, your community, your country. And then, internationally,” Fiamē says.

Women conduct vital roles within the community. For example, the ‘ava ceremony is most often prepared by the daughter of a high chief or ali’i, also known as the taupou. The taupou serves her nu’u or village through the ceremonial duties she carries out, such as leading ceremonial processions, dances, rituals and the preparation of the ‘ava. The taupou will sit behind the tānoa and mix the ‘ava with customary movements.

‘Ie Tōga

‘Ie Tōga, commonly known as fine mats, are the most prized possessions of Sāmoa. The fine, silk-like quality of the ʻie tōga determines its cultural value. ‘Ie Tōga is made from lauʻie, a long leaved pandanus, or laufala, a courser leaved pandanus. ‘Ie Tōga is traditionally made by the women of the village. The preparation and weaving process to make an ʻie tōga is intricate, and to complete an ‘ie toga can take days, months or years. At their completion, there is a celebratory parade by the women who weaved them. The giving and receiving of ʻie tōga is an integral part of fa’a Sāmoa. ‘Ie Tōga are seen, exchanged and gifted at special occasions such as weddings, funerals and the bestowing of chiefly titles. They are passed down from generation to generation, and are a mode of passing on Sāmoan heritage that is a reinforcement of reciprocity and mutual respect in the nu’u (village) and aiga (family).

While the organisation of women's roles may differ among villages, it is common to see the aualuma (untitled women) make ʻie tōga in a fale lalaga (weaving house). The aualuma serve their nu’u and aiga by fulfilling responsibilities such as the weaving of fine mats, which is the central wealth of a village. The women who create ʻie tōga are highly skilled and dedicated artists who participate in perpetuating fa’a Sāmoa, and the art form of Sāmoan weaving.

Fiamē articulates the importance of the intangible features of Sāmoan culture, which include fa’a Sāmoa traditions and customs, and cultural values. Tautua or service is a fundamental cultural value that ensures the passing down of cultural knowledge, traditions and customs to succeeding generations. The significance of the intangible features of Sāmoan culture is evident in the highly skilled and dedicated craftsmanship given to make measina Sāmoa such as the tānoa and ‘ie tōga – both highly valued treasures in Sāmoa.

We extend deep gratitude to Hon. Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa for sharing her wisdom on measina Sāmoa, and highlighting the brilliant aspects of Sāmoan culture that often go unspoken. She epitomises the essence of tautua or service in her every day life, and we are honoured to receive her expert cultural knowledge.

Fa’afetai tele lava Prime Minister of Sāmoa the Hon. Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa for inspiring women and girls to pursue their aspirations in the highest capacity.

A special thank you to Pacific Women’s Professional and Business Network (PWPBN) for the platform to ask a question during “The Standing Ovation Interview” with Hon. Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa and the Originals Friends4Fiame.

Thank you for reading our final instalment of Moana Toa.

]]>

Conserving Australia’s Mahogany glider

Dr Stephen Jackson — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +1000

Australian Museum scientist, Dr Stephen Jackson, leads the publication of the recovery plan for the endangered mahogany glider.

The mahogany glider (Petaurus gracilis) is one of Australia’s most endangered mammals. This beautiful gliding possum is approximately 60 cm in length and can make glides of up to 60 m through the forest canopy in the wet sclerophyll woodlands of North Queensland. During the day they rest within tree hollows in the forest canopy. At night they feed upon a variety of food items including numerous types of insects, nectar and pollen from trees such as eucalypts and melaleucas, and acacia arils and sap.

This species was first described in 1883, but not formally recorded for 103 years, so in the interim was considered extinct. Since its rediscovery in 1989, it has shown to have a naturally limited distribution that is only 120 km north to south and 40 km east to west in the region near Tully and Ingham.

Throughout its distribution, the mahogany glider faces various threats to its survival. These include habitat loss and fragmentation, rainforest expansion because of reduced fire regimes (as they do not live in rainforest), weed invasion, and an increasing number of extreme climatic events such as cyclones. In terms of conservation management, the glider faces multiple risks to their naturally small population through inappropriate grazing management and barriers to obtaining food and shelter such as roads, railway lines, power easements and barbed wire fences that entangle them.

As a result of its endangered status there has been a great need to update the ‘National Recovery Plan for the Mahogany Glider’ that was last published in 2006. Dr Stephen Jackson of the Australian Museum led the development of a new edition of the recovery plan that was approved by the Federal Minister for the Environment in February 2022.

Dr Jackson has published over 20 studies on various aspects of the ecology, behaviour and conservation of the mahogany glider since 1994, so was in a great position to provide expert advice on this species.

The National Recovery Plan for the Mahogany Glider provides a synthesis of the threats facing this species and identifies strategic management actions required to help conserve this extraordinary gliding mammal into the future. Conservation measures required include securing habitat critical to the glider, developing an effective monitoring program, and increasing community awareness amongst landholders.

The hope is that these recommendations will inform future conservation management in Queensland, so that these populations can grow and thrive in future. View the new edition of the plan here: https://www.awe.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/mahogany-glider

Dr Stephen Jackson, Associate Director, Collection Enhancement Project, Australian Museum.

More information:

Jackson, S.M. & Diggins, J. (2021) National Recovery Plan for the Mahogany Glider (Petaurus gracilis). Australian Government, Canberra. https://www.awe.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/mahogany-glider

]]>

Patient Zero: stories of disease outbreaks

Kate Smith — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Who Olivia Willis, Host, Patient Zero; and Joel Werner, Executive Producer, Patient Zero

What Patient Zero tells stories of disease outbreaks: where they begin, why they happen and how we found ourselves in the middle of one. From the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic to medical mysteries of the past, this eight-part series provides a new lens through which to view pandemics.

Co-winners of the 2021 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Science Journalism

Patient Zero takes listeners on quite a journey. Can you tell us a little bit about the making of it?
The program was conceived in the early months of 2020 in response to the growing COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim was to cut through the deluge of daily coronavirus news and help our audience see the bigger picture — and understand the complex nature of diseases and how they spread.

We approached the series as “true crime, but for disease outbreaks” — leveraging the deft storytelling techniques that make that genre so popular to unravel the origins of epidemics (not gruesome murders). To do that, we assembled a team of specialist science and health journalists alongside audio producers with true crime documentary experience, who could lend their storytelling and narrative-podcast expertise.

Once we decided on which disease outbreak would be the focus of an episode — a painstaking process! — we quickly got to work researching, interviewing, and developing the story arc. It takes a lot of finessing and fact-checking before we finalise each script and jump into the studio to record. The production team would then work with our sound engineer and audio wizard, Tim Jenkins, to bring these stories to life in sound.

What were some of the challenges you faced when producing the podcast?

Like many, our team was working almost entirely remotely while making both seasons of the show. At times it was challenging not to be able to get into the same room — especially for the more creative and collaborative processes that come with making a documentary. We spent many, many hours on video calls and late nights in Google Docs.

We also had quite a few international guests, so a lot of energy went into remotely setting people up to ensure they had the best quality audio, and in some cases, arranging tape-sync interviews (when a remote producer records your talent in person while you ask questions over the phone).

What’s the most surprising thing that you uncovered during the making of Patient Zero?

Focusing on the personal narratives of the people who first contract a disease, and the people whose job it is to figure out where it came from, really brought home the humanity of what are often large-scale public health emergencies. Beyond the headlines and news reporting there are people whose lives are turned upside down by these events — experiencing the fear and uncertainty of getting sick and not knowing why or being tasked with solving a medical mystery and relying on smarts and instincts to figure it out. At the heart of every disease outbreak are people doing extraordinary things.

What are you and the team working on now?

We wish we could make Patient Zero all the time ... but we’re all back at our (pretty awesome) regular jobs! For Liv, that’s as a health reporter for ABC Science, which at the moment is still all about covering COVID-19. Joel is currently in the hot seat as Acting Editor of ABC Science, while producers James Bullen and Carl Smith continue work in the unit’s audio team (James makes the brilliant All in the Mind, while Carl is a regular on The Science Show). Freelance producer Cheyne Anderson is working on a top secret new podcast for the ABC (which we can’t wait for), while producer Jane Lee has recently left the ABC to join The Guardian where she hosts Australia Reads.

In addition to ABC, where do you consume your science news?

It’s true, a lot of our science news comes direct from the excellent team we work with, who report daily science news and make fantastic science podcasts week in, week out. But beyond that, we’re huge fans of the work done by our fellow Eureka Prizes finalists: The Conversation, who give academics the opportunity to connect with a general audience in a thoroughly engaging way, and Jack Ryan, whose work at CNET throughout the pandemic has been essential reading. Australia produces so much impressive science journalism, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.

]]>

Bone density in big cats: zoos vs. the wild

Associate Professor Habiba Chirchir, Meagan Warwick — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +1100

A recent study by an international team of scientists has tested the expectation that big cats in the wild exhibit greater bone density than their captive counterparts. The results of which affect future comparative studies and rewilding programs!

Bones respond to mechanical loading; the stress placed on bone can lead to greater or lesser bone density. A recent study in Royal Society Open Science, with scientists from Marshall University, the Australian Museum, the National Museum of Natural History and John Hopkins University investigated the differences in bone density between animals kept in zoos and those derived from the wild. The results of which have far-reaching and considerable impacts, for future studies and rewilding programs.

Studies from the past 100 years comparing animals in captivity and the wild have suggested a range of morphological differences – some of the more extreme skeletal and dental changes in animals in captivity have been attributed to unnatural diet and limited mobility. Animals in captivity generally grow to be larger and mature faster than those in the wild, and most comparative studies have focused on cranial dimensions and size, but few studies have focused on post-cranial bones of wild and captive animals.

This team compared the trabecular bone (also known as spongey bone, indicated below) between wild and captive mountain lions, cheetahs, leopards and jaguars. They studied the BVF (bone volume fraction), a measure of how much bone is in a joint or how dense a bone is, of the fore and hind limbs. Specimens were analysed from the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and from the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

The research found that animals in zoos had significantly lower bone density than their wild counterparts, suggesting that restricting physical activity results in a decline in bone density and consequently bone strength.

In regard to the impacts of these results, this research urges caution in using skeletons of animals from zoos in comparative studies. These findings also have implications for conservation management, as the research emphasises the need to understand morphological differences that could affect the fitness of endangered and threatened species being reintroduced into their natural habitats. These morphological changes could affect the reintroduced big cat’s ability to survive in the wild, explore expansive home ranges, find mates and capture food.

Associate Professor Habiba Chirchir, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, USA; and, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., USA.

Meagan Warwick, AMRI Project and Communications Officer, Australian Museum.

]]>

Creatures great and small: Origins of monotremes revealed

Professor Tim Flannery, Meagan Warwick — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Monotremes are iconic Australasian species – as the only egg-laying mammals alive today, the platypus and echidna continue to fascinate us. But the origins of these species have continually raised questions for scientists – why aren’t they more present in the fossil record and why can we only find them in Australia and New Guinea?

A team of international scientists led by the Australian Museum’s Chief Scientist and Director of AMRI, Professor Kristofer Helgen, and Honorary Associate Professor Tim Flannery have answered these long-standing questions in a recent publication. AM scientists with Museums Victoria, Monash University, Swinburne University and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. examined every known significant monotreme fossil to chart their history and evolution. This new research shows that monotremes are the last survivors of a diverse set of fossil species that once roamed the southern continents. In particular, the team investigated the oldest and smallest known monotreme Teinolophos trusleri – classifying it in a new mammalian family– as well as the largest egg laying mammal that ever lived: a gigantic extinct echidna from Western Australia for which a new genus, Murrayglossus, was named.

We sat down with Professor Tim Flannery to learn more about this ground-breaking research:

Congratulations on such a wonderful and impactful publication! This study asks some significant and long-standing scientific questions – could you please tell us more about how this started?

The project really came about due to lockdown, but so many of these questions actually came to me in a dream! I had a moment to think about my basic science, what I was doing for years at the Museum, and there were a few questions that really fascinated me with the monotremes. Where did they come from? Why are they restricted to Australia when they evolved at a time when the continents were joined – shouldn’t they be everywhere? Where are the echidnas in the fossil record? The oldest echidna fossils in the fossil record are less than two million years old. And having the opportunity to work with, and discuss such big questions, with talented curators, researchers and collection managers has been fantastic.

One of the big discoveries that came out of this research was classifying the oldest, and smallest, known monotreme – why don’t we see this species all over the world?

The very earliest monotremes (about 130 million years ago), date from a time when south-eastern Australia was within the Antarctic circle. We know from studies of the Early Cretaceous environment that there was seasonal darkness (three months at least), and polar forests. So, if you’re a tiny animal trying to find food in total darkness in a perpetually wet forest, it makes sense you would develop an electro-sensitive ‘bill’ or ‘beak’ (which is what characterises the monotremes). We found evidence that this ‘mini monotreme’, that was around the size of a shrew, had developed this incredible survival adaptation to search for insects in moss and snow in total darkness, in a high-latitude area. But think how restrictive this environment would have been – this helps explain why this animal didn’t migrate to other southern continents. That was the first thing we solved: why these monotremes were restricted to Australia and where they came from.

Teinolophos trusleri – classifying it in a new mammalian family.' />

So, a huge and tiny discovery at the same time! Another big discovery was delving into the origin story of the echidna, could you please tell us more?

For the echidna question, it was really Professor Kris Helgen who hit the nail on the head. Kris and I went back and forth, asking where are echidnas in the fossil record? Were they in some unknown habitat, were they just really rare or is there preservation bias? We ruled out every possibility, and finally Kris said – New Guinea!

Millions of years ago existed proto-New Guinea, a series of continental fragments, before it developed into a single giant island (the Bird’s Head’s Islands are the best documented). During this period, this area had extremely shallow seas and it seems feasible that a land mass was joined to Australia. About 50 million years ago, these land masses separated, and a sub sample of Australian fauna became isolated on an island in what would become New Guinea – imagine a platypus-type creature on a tropical island without many rivers but ever-wet forest. This creature may leave the river systems and forage on the land, which is what the echidna did.

We know from echidna embryonic development that the echidna evolved from an animal that had a bill like a platypus, and we think they evolved on that island. We have evidence form around two million years ago that there was a big faunal interchange between that island in proto-New Guinea and Australia – so at that time, we think that Australian species went to that island and the echidna came back into Australia.

Murrayglossus hacketti, the largest egg laying mammal that ever lived: a gigantic extinct echidna from Western Australia for which a new genus was named.' />

And the results were pretty spectacular!

Yes! In the process of doing this work, we named a new family of monotremes (those tiny creatures from the polar environments) and we discovered the largest monotreme that ever lived, a gigantic echidna (about 30kg) from south-west WA. People have known about it for a long time, but no one had described or named the genus. We named the genus Murrayglossus after Dr Peter Murray, a palaeontologist based in Tasmania who has researched fossil echidnas for decades. His fundamental work helped us work out what this giant echidna was – and he was very happy with the news, it’s his favourite animal in the whole world!

Many of our scientists have identified that a huge challenge in taxonomy is that we don’t know what we don’t know – we need to put time, expertise and funding into describing our biodiversity. You mentioned people knew of this species but hadn’t described it, why do you think this is?

To understand the origins of the monotremes, you have to do this at the right time. For us, we were in lockdown and some important geological papers had been published where new taxa had been described. As we had months of serious thinking and analysis, we could put the story together – this was lucky for us and having that time was a luxury, that only came about to lockdown.

It was great getting into the science again, such a blessing! This paper describing the fundamental of monotremes has also opened up other avenues of research, which we are working on.

Be sure to stay tuned for more!

Professor Tim Flannery, Honorary Associate, Australian Museum.

Meagan Warwick, AMRI Project and Communications Officer, Australian Museum.

]]>

Moana Toa: Pasifika female leadership series – HRH Princess Angelika Lātūfuipeka Halaevalu Mata’aho Napua Okalani Tuku’aho

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +1100

The series was created by Moemoana Schwenke, Anaseini Ulakai and Miriama Simmons.

Mālō e lelei and warm Pacific greetings!

It is with great honour that we introduce Her Royal Highness Princess Angelika Lātūfuipeka Halaevalu Mata’aho Napua Okalani Tuku’aho. Her Royal Highness is the eldest child and the only daughter of His Majesty King Tupou VI and Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho of the Kingdom of Tonga.

Her Royal Highness is the incumbent High Commissioner of Tonga to Australia. She stepped into the role at only 29 years old, making Her the youngest female Head of Mission at the time. Her predecessor was the then Crown Prince Tupouto’a Lavaka now His Majesty King Tupou VI. Her Royal Highness is currently the longest serving Head of Mission for over 10 years.

When asked about how Her Royal Highness can manage her role as a princess and the High Commissioner, she tells us that it is simply through maintaining cultural ties with her Tongan diaspora while representing Tonga’s interest in Australia. Her Royal Highness believes her role requires a balance of wearing multiple hats. Nonetheless, she says, being a woman, one is naturally accustomed to wearing many hats.

One of the largest Tongan collections at the Australian Museum are the kato alu. Her Royal Highness has a deep understanding of the kato alu and is knowledgeable on the rather intricate processes of producing one. Starting from the cultivation of the Alu or Aerial plant to its traditional purpose within the context of Tongan society.

The Alu or Aerial plants, which can also be found in Australia, are used to weave the baskets. According to Tongan legends the kato alu originated from the Southern Island Group of Tonga, known as ‘Eua. These baskets were made for women as early as the 18th century to store beauty products such as scented oil and tuitui candle-nut scrub.

The kato alu can take up to one or more months to weave depending on the size. Traditionally, Tongan women have used coconut sennit or seashells for ornamenting the kato alu. These baskets are then exchanged on occasions such as weddings, birthdays and funerals.

One feature of the baskets that is rare today is the practice of painting the kato alu black. According to Her Royal Highness the practice observes certain taboos by the few women who are tasked with painting the kato alu.

"If we do not observe the taboos, we do not believe that the outcome of the work will be successful... These rituals have been passed down from generation to generation in the past," she tells us.

During this special process the paint maker recites a chant to Hina – an allegory of a beautiful Tongan woman.

Modern day version of the kato alu is much plainer, and to acquire one that is painted black is a rarity. They are only presented at occasions as a kato alu but displayed in presentations as mere kato teuteu or ornamental baskets.

"[Only] a few women still have the knowledge of making Kato Alu," says Her Royal Highness.

It is believed that the actual know-how of producing the kato alu is declining. The Princess encourages the revival of the art urging young women to take interest in acquiring knowledge from their elders.

Princess duties

Princess duties require immense courage and dynamism yet, Her Royal Highness is encouraged through the traditional values embodied by the presentations of gifts including the kato alu. Values such as faka’apa’apa (mutual respect), tauhi vā (keeping good relations well and alive), mamahi’i me’a (loyalty and commitment), loto tō (humility and generosity in cooperating and sharing mutual obligation).

These are the four values that were highlighted by Her Royal Highness’s great-grandmother, the late Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga. During an opening speech at the Tonga Cultural and Heritage Society in 1964, Her Late Majesty highlighted the essence of the reciprocal vā (relationship) between the nobility and the kakai (people), defined by those values.

Her Royal Highness encapsulated these four core values with ‘ofa (love), alluding to the message, "love conquers all."

Her Royal Highness is not only a role model to her people but also sharing in her guidance are her royal nieces. The three princesses are the daughters of her brother, the Crown Prince of Tonga – Tupouto’a ‘Ulukālala. Their Royal Highnesses are Princess Halaevalu Mata’aho Tuku’aho, Princess Nanasipau’u ‘Eliana Tuku’aho and Princess Sālote Mafile’o Pilolevu Tuku’aho.

“I’d very much like my nieces to see, learn and experience the joy of serving others. We each have our own calling and we leaders are made by facing hardship and challenges.”

Princess Angelika Lātūfuipeka Tuku’aho highlighted the role of Tongan women at home and in communities. Despite the many challenges women face in our world today, Her Royal Highness believes that when women are given the strong supportive system that they need, success is inevitable.

Amongst her many patronages Her Royal Highness is the Patron of the UNFPA in the Pacific and is a strong advocate for Good Health & Education, as well as Women and Youth’s Empowerment.

Watch the interview

Fakafeta’i e ma’u koloa Ta’ahine Pilinisesi!

We extend our outmost gratitude to Her Royal Highness Princess Angelika Lātūfuipeka Tuku’aho for gracing our Moana Toa series with her wealth of knowledge and wisdom on the traditional Tongan koloa or treasures. Her Royal Highness epitomises the true essence of a Tongan woman as well as being an eminent role model to young aspiring Pasifika female leaders. It was a privilege to have acquired vital insights to the kato alu from this special interview.

]]>

Access all areas: Records joins influential global Open Access index

Dr Anders Hallan — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +1100

The Records of the Australian Museum has long followed the principles of free, accessible and timely scientific publication – now, these principles have been rewarded by the journal’s admission to a prestigious publishing index.

In early March 2022, Records of the Australian Museum, the Australian Museum’s own peer-reviewed journal, was admitted to the influential Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). This global directory is an indexing service of entirely Open Access academic publications, one that presents a viable and increasingly powerful alternative to other well-established and often commercial directories and indices.

So, what is Open Access? In short, it’s a framework of principles and practices that allows research outputs – such as the articles published in our journal – to be freely available online, with no charge to readers or authors. In the strict sense, Open Access also reduces or entirely removes barriers to copying or reusing by applying Creative Commons copyright licensing. Provided access to the internet, these mechanisms allow for maximum availability and use, regardless of one’s geography, institutional affiliation, or financial means. Since going online in 1999, the journal has operated as an open access publication in many respects. However, it is only now that we have formally assembled all the necessary administrative steps in order that we meet DOAJ’s uncompromising, but critical, membership standards.

Since its establishment in 2003, DOAJ has grown exponentially and currently comprises more than 17,000 journals worldwide. DOAJ’s mission is ‘to increase the visibility, accessibility, reputation, usage and impact of quality, peer-reviewed, open access scholarly research journals globally’. This statement aligns well with the AM’s own focus on making our science and collections widely and freely accessible to everyone – whether it is free general entry to the museum or free access to the publications based on research on its vast collections.

Since its beginnings in 1889 – when Sydney had a population of 400,000, the Eiffel Tower ribbon had just been cut, and construction of the Panama Canal was in its early stages – Records has continuously modernised at every opportunity by adopting new technologies, keeping up to date with best practice academic publishing standards, and sharing research based on our collections as they have steadily grown. Through adhering to stringent Open Access criteria, Records takes one further step forward. Now at the forefront of the Open Access movement in Australia, we are the first Australian journal on the DOAJ index in the fields of taxonomy, systematics and zoology, and one of only ten Australian scientific journals listed. We believe the indexation of Records will greatly enhance the journal’s reach and impact, making it more widely accessible than ever before.

Dr Anders Hallan, Associate Editor, Records of the Australian Museum; and Research Associate, Malacology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Moana Toa: Pasifika female leadership series – Professor Katerina Teaiwa

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +1100

The series was created by Moemoana Schwenke, Anaseini Ulakai and Miriama Simmons.

Pacific greetings!

We continue Moana Toa with Professor Katerina Teaiwa.

Katerina Teaiwa is an interdisciplinary scholar, artist and activist of Banaban, I-Kiribati and African American heritage, born and raised in Fiji. Katerina is the first Indigenous Pacific person to become a Professor at the Australian National University (ANU), and has taught Pacific Studies and Gender, Media and Cultural Studies for over 20 years. She was recently named the 2021 Australian University Teacher of the Year for her visionary and meaningful approach to teaching and mentoring students in Pacific Studies at ANU. Katerina has a background in anthropology, history, dance, visual arts, and the natural sciences.

She is the embodiment of Pasifika excellence, which is revealed through her many achievements, wisdom, humility and her devotion to culture and community.

Katerina is the author of Consuming Ocean Island: stories of people and phosphate from Banaba and the artist behind Project Banaba. In these academic and artistic works, she investigates the histories of British, Australian and New Zealand phosphate mining in the central Pacific, specifically on her ancestral lands of Banaba.

Banaba, located in the central Pacific, has faced many traumatic experiences of displacement and resettlement under British colonialism. Banaba today has a unique postcolonial reality, which has unfolded in such a way that Banaban people have had to rebuild their culture.

Katerina identifies this unique Banaban experience as "creative cultural survival". A key feature of Banaban creative cultural survival is dance, which Katerina continues to learn and practice.

Banaban Stick

Banaban people claim culture through traditional dances such as the Te Karanga, a stick dance accompanied by complex and ancient chants. There are different forms of Te Karanga, with varying lengths and styles of sticks used. Dances such as this are a form of marking identity, culture and history.

The AM has a diverse collection of artefacts from Kiribati, with a portion of them being from Banaba. This wooden Banaban stick has shells intricately attached to it using finely twisted coconut sennit. Katerina was drawn to this Banaban stick due to its rarity and unknown background.

"If this is a dance implement, it is one that has not been preserved. This is the first Banaban dancing stick that I have seen using shells, rather than sharks' teeth. It looks more so like a weapon,” Katerina says.

The scarcity of this Banaban stick highlights the cultural dispossession that took place in Banaba. Nevertheless, colonial pursuits to erode Banaban culture did not deter Banaban people from fighting to preserve it.

Banaban Dance Belt (Te katau te tumara)

This Banaban dance belt is seen throughout Kiribati and called te katau te tumara. Katerina explained how these Banaban dance belts are still customarily worn today and are a waist ornament worn by women and young girls when they dance. It is made with pandanus leaf, white nautica shells and coconut sennit. Unlike the more commonly braided coconut sennit belts, this belt from the AM Collection is woven onto a thick pandanus leaf.

Waist, head and arm decorations are all produced from Banaba’s natural resources. Natural resources that are most visible on dance ornaments today include pandanus leaf, white nautica shells and coconut sennit.

Katerina expressed how the Banaban dance belt further underscores the importance of dance in Banaban society, during the past and present. Dance endows women and young girls with a powerful channel to express emotion and draw attention to one's unique self.

Identities, far from being static, should be thought of as a constant transformation. Katerina’s academic and artistic works draw attention to how culture is always changing, this is the case for Banaban people who have faced loss of land and major cultural breaks and shifts.

Katerina’s teachings highlight the vitality of Pasifika people learning about the culture and history of their own islands in Oceania, as well as the culture and history of all islands in Oceania.

Pasifika people have been at the forefront of not only the impacts of many severe social, political and environmental issues, but also at the forefront of activism. Through learning about the rich cultures and histories of Oceania, we safeguard sacred knowledges that can have far-reaching benefits for our succeeding generations, and ensure that we are honouring our ancestors who came before us.

Listen to the interview

We thank Professor Katerina Teaiwa for her ongoing efforts to educate, empower and advocate about the issues in the Pacific Islands. Her efforts are deeply valuable to the future of Oceania.

Thank you for reading our third instalment of Moana Toa. A special thank you to Professor Katerina Teaiwa for sharing your time and knowledge with us.

]]>

News from LIRS: The functioning of future coral reefs: fishes, sediments and productivity

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF) is featured at the AM. LIRRF supports scientific research & education at the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. For this month, we feature: The functioning of future coral reefs.

Lizard Island epitomises the plight of Anthropocene coral reefs as it has been subjected to a growing number and escalating intensity of disturbances in recent years, especially cyclones and bleaching events. However, despite these disturbances pushing coral cover to very low levels around Lizard Island (Fig. 1a-c) there has been some recovery (Fig. 1d-f). The overarching aim of my research project is to explore how these disturbed and recovering coral reefs function, and how they can provide an insight into the functioning of future reef states. To address this aim, a major objective of my fellowship has been to build on a time series of photo-quadrats that were first established in early 2016, immediately prior to the widescale bleaching event that impacted Lizard Island in that year. The same photo-quadrats have been re-sampled at regular intervals since then, and by adding to this dataset I can assess where and how corals are recovering. In addition, I have been exploring how a variety of factors shape the functioning of these reefs, with a particular focus on the sediments trapped within the algal turfs which often typify disturbed reefs (Fig 1c, d).

Unfortunately, due to ongoing disruptions from Covid-19 in 2021 my first trip in the 2021 calendar year was delayed by several months. However, at the end of August I successfully completed a 7-day trip to Lizard Island to retrieve 43 current meters and 5 pressure sensors which had been deployed around Lizard Island since February 2021. The data from these instruments should be key to understanding how hydrodynamics influence coral recovery and recruitment around Lizard Island. In addition, I am lucky enough to be writing this progress report from Lizard Island where I am half-way through a 28-day trip. As of today, my assistants and I have re-photographed 298 of 445 quadrats spread across 19 transects around Lizard Island (Fig. 2a). In addition, we have been quantifying the interactions between algal turf sediments and herbivorous fishes at Lizard Island and adjacent reefs through video deployments and the collection of algal turf sediment samples as well as commenced re-deployment of current meters and pressure sensors.

After my fellowship trip in January/February 2021, I extracted and analysed the data from the photo-quadrats. In doing so, I revealed that from 2018 to 2021 there were significant increases (>600%) in coral cover on two semi-exposed reefs and that this was associated with substantial recruitment of Acropora corals (Figs 1, 2). Interestingly, these rates of coral cover regeneration rank amongst some of the highest reported in the literature. However, fourteen lagoonal and back reef locations exhibited virtually no recovery nor Acropora recruitment (Fig. 2). Despite examining a suite of potential explanatory variables there were no clear explanations for this discrepancy in Acropora recruitment rates, although further exploration of hydrodynamic drivers may hold the key. Overall, these results suggest that some recovery is possible immediately after severe cumulative disturbances on reefs, although this recovery is highly spatially heterogenous, and some reefs may fail to recover significantly before the next major disturbance. Importantly, I have now published the results of this research as a scientific article in Marine Environmental Research titled “Spatial patchiness in change, recruitment, and recovery on coral reefs at Lizard Island following consecutive bleaching events”. In addition, I was able to collaborate with Juliano Morais, a fellow PhD student in the Research Hub for Coral Reef Ecosystem Functions, who also utilised these photo-quadrats for another scientific article published in Scientific Reports titled “Dangerous demographics in post-bleach corals reveal boom-bust versus protracted declines”.

I am very thankful that the funding provided by The Ian Potter Foundation has given me the opportunity to see, as well as document, how reefs around Lizard Island are changing following disturbance, especially the remarkable capacity for Acropora cover to regenerate in some situations. I believe the insights I have gained from spending this time on the reefs around Lizard Island will be invaluable in shaping my research and career going forward.

By Sterling Tebbett | PhD student at James Cook University and 2020 Ian Potter Doctoral Fellow at Lizard Island. Read more about him in the post Changing Reefs.

To view the original blog and more LIRS blogs, please go to: https://lirrf.org/the-functioning-of-future-coral-reefs-fishes-sediments-and-productivity/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised over $13.2 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

Moana Toa: Pasifika female leadership series – Waskam Emelda Davis

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +1100

The series was created by Moemoana Schwenke, Anaseini Ulakai and Miriama Simmons.

Pacific greetings!

We continue Moana Toa with Councillor for the City of Sydney, Waskam Emelda Davis.

Emelda is second-generation Australian South Sea Islander and is of First Nations and Caribbean descent. She is the President and co-founder of the Australian South Sea Islanders (Port Jackson) (ASSIPJ) where she continues her work focused on gaining recognition for the descendants of Australia’s Blackbirding trade. Some 60,000 South Sea Islanders were brought to Australia through kidnapping, Blackbirding and utilising exploitative indentured contracts for the establishment of sugar, maritime, and pastoral industries.

Emelda shared with us her links to Vanuatu:

Emelda has extensive experience working in community development, media and marketing, and has worked with federal, state, community, and grassroots organisations. While completing a Master of Arts from the University of Technology, Sydney, she was recently awarded funding through the Networking Tranby ARC Scholarship for her MA thesis, Children of the Sugar Slaves – Black and Resilient. Incorporating oral history, Emelda summarised the research paper as being about "how Australian South Sea Islanders ... came to be here. Black and Resilient is about people of colour and our resilience and the emotional labour that goes into advocacy work and recognition.”

Since 2004, Emelda has been the director of Onyx Management Group where she highlights First Nations, Australian South Sea Islander, Pacific and POC voices in film, television, sports, event management, music and entertainment.

In 2021, Emelda was sworn in as a Councillor for the City of Sydney as part of Team Clover.

Tamtam

Emelda explained the significance of Ni-Vanuatuan tamtam or slit drums of which the Australian Museum holds a small collection. These expertly carved drums can exceed four metres in height and typically stood on the ranhara or village dancing ground and are strongly linked to ritual life. Tamtam are commonly associated with Ambrym Island where they can also be known as atingting kon. These vertical drums have a longitudinal slit and are played by striking the edges when “working with ancestry,” as Emelda explains.

Emelda brought a tamtam from her own collection that holds special significance as it is from Ambae, her great-grandmother’s Island. This tamtam was gifted to her by the former Foreign Minister for Vanuatu during a visit to Australia for Sugar Fest in 2019. This tamtam holds a special place in her home. “I have this in my house it is a form of protection as well and it’s guarding our space.”

Marook feathers

In the Australian Museum’s Pacific Collection there is a wide variety of hair ornaments and headdresses that reflect the cultural diversity of the Ni-Vanuatuan Islands. The right to wear certain adornments is acquired and are linked to specific meanings.

Emelda wears Marook feathers which are personally significant and are tied to an important experience and event that Emelda recounts for us:

This occurred following the 2015 Cyclone Pam that devastated many islands after which Emelda worked with the Council of Chiefs in Vanuatu to provide disaster relief. In recognition of her work the Council of Chiefs took her to the nakamal where kava is drunk and performed the ceremony and was given the marook feathers she wears.

The stories connected to the objects from Emelda’s Ni-Vanuatuan heritage demonstrate the enduring links that Pasifika people maintain and nurture despite the disruptions caused by colonisation. Emelda underlined the significance by encouraging Pasifika people to,

Australian South Sea Islanders and other members of the Pasifika diaspora in Australia can find power and strength through knowing where we are from and maintaining or establishing links with our island homes.

Emelda continues to advocate for the recognition of Australian South Sea Islanders and raising awareness of the continued exploitation of seasonal workers from the Pacific in Australia today.

Tanku tumas and thank you for reading our second instalment of Moana Toa. A special thank you to Councillor Waskam Emelda Davis for sharing your time and knowledge with us.

]]>

Egyptian mummy masks: Completion of the treatment - part 4

Melissa Holt — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +1100

In Part 4 of this special Australian Museum blog series, Melissa Holt outlines the treatment of the final Egyptian cartonnage mask and wraps up the series!

Welcome to the final blog of this 4-part series, where I take you through the treatment process of four cartonnage objects. In previous blogs, I explained what the goals and plans were for the conservation treatment and walked you through the steps for the treatment of E019001 and E021583-006. In this blog I will show you the treatment for the mask E019000.

Step 1: Flip it

Before starting any treatment, a treatment plan needs to be set out. For E019000, more thought needed to put into the positioning of the object before the treatment could begin. Because this mask has both a front and back panel, unlike the previous two, it meant that I could not just flip the mask on to its front. It meant that the best access was from underneath the mask and so it needed to sit securely and safely upside down. To do this I created a handling tray with padded curved foam blocks that would hold the mask in place. I weighted down one of the blocks to hold it in place, in case I needed better access to a particular side of the mask. With that done, I could now begin the treatment.

Step 2: The power of magnets

Like E019001, this mask has evidence of modern repairs also, but the repairs have not deteriorated as badly. However, there were areas where the modern paper had lifted similarly to E0190001. To flatten these areas, methylcellulose and Japanese tissue paper was inserted between the paper and the linen. Magnets were then placed between bits of foam to weigh the area in place. The magnets were able gently bring the paper back together without being too strong. They were also able to stay in place in tricky areas instead of using several ties to hold a weight in place.

Magnets were also used to realign the edges of a large split in the cartonnage back together. Methylcellulose was applied into the inside of the crack to bring the edges together and then a Japanese tissue backing was added to create strength. Magnets were used to hold the edges in place whilst the glue dried. This worked successfully to bring the edges together neatly and gently. This mask also needed some consolidation, but after all the filling and flattening the treatment was complete.

Step 3: New housing for all

With the treatment done, the final step was to give them each a new custom built storage box. Working with the AM Preparation team a new custom stand was designed to sit inside an archival storage box. Once the stand was built, I was able to carve out of a hard foam an insert that the mask would sit on. This was then covered in a softer foam and Parsilk to create a cushion for the masks. This cushion was then placed inside the mask and then on top of the detachable top of the stand. We designed the top portion of the stand to be detachable for easier handling and so if they go on display, they can stay on their cushion. The boxes all have a drop side so that when the lid comes off the mask can slide out, rather than lifting it out of the box. These new boxes and mounts will ensure that the masks will not deteriorate further and that they will be able to be safely transported and placed on displace in the future.

Thank you to everyone who has joined me for this blog series. I hope you have enjoyed it and have been able to learn a bit more about how we undertake conservation treatments here at the Australian Museum.

Melissa Holt, Project Conservator, Collection Care and Conservation, Australian Museum.

]]>

International Women’s Day 2022

Kim McKay, AO — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +1100

I am proud to lead an organisation that is working to build a sustainable future and break the bias, two themes for this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD).

Throughout the Australian Museum, we celebrate women who are making extraordinary contributions to their community. From leading climate change projects to advocating for First Nations voices to championing ground-breaking scientific research, women are at the forefront across our organisation. This is quite a change from when I joined the AM eight years ago, when there were no women on the executive leadership team.

As a civic space for Sydney, the AM hosts events which not only speak to our fantastic science and cultural collections and blockbuster exhibitions, but also relevant happenings in our communities. Just last week, we had the pleasure of hosting a book launch for businesswoman, activist and former university Chancellor Wendy McCarthy AO for her new book Don’t Be Too Polite Girls, which really speaks to Australia’s current momentum-driven opportunity to go for systemic transformation through institutional change. Collectively, we are all encouraging each other to #BreakTheBias.

Words – promoted awareness, essentially – are a great start for those new to these conversations. I am all about good communication.

Yet, like the best undiscovered scientific discoveries, say on an archaeological dig, it’s in the facilitated, patient everyday actions of digging uncomfortably into the earth – into our collective and individual human bias, if you will, that yields the real sustainable results.

Discomfort, just like on a dig – the gritty issue of where and how to even start, is tough enough. Sometimes maintaining a new path in this space is equally tough for some – because then it’s not just a fad or a trend or the right thing to do, or to right a ‘wrong’.

From a personal perspective, while I have always felt I have supported diversity, equality and inclusion, have mentored scores of women in formal and informal programmes, professionally and personally, as a lifelong learner I also know this is something we all need to dig into and keep learning about. So, we keep finding new ways to be mentored, inside and outside the AM.

It’s hard work. It’s supposed to be. It’s been stuck for a good while. That our national conversation on women’s equality has arrived fifty years late is not the issue. It’s that bias still exists at all.

And what does ‘bias’ really mean when you get into a discussion about it at work? It means unearthing ways to have the very difficult conversations we don’t want to have, the courage to be vulnerable about our biases – because we all have them, all of us, whether we know of them or not; that’s called being human. Being in the difficult, awkward, tricky - is where change begins and takes hold.

The end goal for me, as a CEO and Director, is for there to be no more dominant thinking or cliques that prevail across an institution. On that, of course I’m pleased to see that at the AM this year women make up 65% of our executive leadership team and 64% of the Australian Museum board of Trustees. And while percentages are indeed important, what is as powerful is visible role modelling across all departments – that is the connective tissue for those coming through. We all need to be able to see where we want to go.

Like a rather backbreaking, difficult archaeological dig unearthing muddy accumulative layers to get to the ‘good stuff’, remember that discomfort yields exciting discoveries and community rewards.

Let’s get to the good stuff.

Together we can forge all women's equality. And all equality.

]]>

Epic Jurassic World LEGO brick creations roar into "the Dinosaur Museum"

Kim McKay, AO — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +1100

When planning for exhibitions, the museum ‘blockbuster’ discussion never fails in adding a mild squint to a CEO’s clear line of sight.

This is because attendance figures matter. As a hub of science and culture, we want to welcome as many visitors as possible through our doors, inspiring lifelong learning and sparking curiosity through kids of all ages.

And as we know from our homegrown exhibition Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family, dinosaur blockbusters help draw brand new or unlikely museum-goers through our doors via their individual window of interest, leaving - we hope - with broader curiosity around say, the ease with which earth can lose an entirely dominant group of animals from an invasive mass extinction event. A pretty relevant concept to all of us right now, I’d say.

And so, enter Jurassic World by Brickman^®, open from today Saturday 5 March at the Australian Museum (AM). An interactive Jurassic World recreated with LEGO^® bricks. Ryan “The Brickman” McNaught’s uniquely styled concept, as the only LEGO^® Certified Professional in the Southern Hemisphere, now lends his creative engineering genius to an immersive scale recreation of over 50 large-scale dinosaurs, props, scenes and activities from the Jurassic World franchise.

With at least six million LEGO^® bricks, these epic creations are sure to inspire new generations of new science communities of all ages and backgrounds. And like museums, LEGO^®, is an excellent learning tool. Research has shown that solving puzzles, building blocks and working through design problems help develop children’s coping mechanisms. It may even inspire them to take up science! Afterall, science is looking at a problem and finding a solution.

Within this exhibition, there are over 2.5 million bricks for LEGO^® aficionados to build their own dinosaurs. And dinosaurs remain one of science’s most – if not the most – visceral storytellers; these master conjurors rampage through fertile minds, substituting our regular landscapes of houses, buses, planes, skyscrapers and cars for unpredictable prehistoric ‘celebrities,’ the apex of which remains for many a 42 ft long, three-toed, ballerina-balanced Tyrannosaurus. We think: How did they live? What was life like?

And McNaught is a master making the so-familiar building blocks of LEGO^® magically transform into utterly re-imagined lost worlds. A new Baryonyx model has even been revealed at the AM as part of the blockbuster exhibition. Welcoming visitors through Brian Sherman Crystal Hall, the Baryonyx weighs 400kg, took 790 hours to design and was created using 102,317 LEGO^® bricks! She is 4.8m long, over 1.5m wide and stands 2.5m high.

I caught up with AM Palaeontologist Dr Matt McCurry regarding this newest Jurassic World by Brickman^® dinosaur and he let me know the Baryonyx was a large, fish-eating dinosaur with sharp, finely serrated teeth. Its mouth shape was very similar to that of a crocodile. This species lived in the Early Cretaceous – around 125 million years ago. It was found in England, Spain and the United Kingdom. Dr McCurry also let me know that as a child growing up, he loved playing with LEGO^® and that the original Jurassic Park movie helped inspire his love of dinosaurs and fossils.

We want people to then find their best way in, and then find their onward way of ‘knowing’. That is the real learning point, of blockbuster exhibitions like these. Plan your visit to try your hand at building adaptive new worlds, and join us for special workshops and Masterclasses for LEGO^® lovers of all ages. Come along and have a go – no learning opportunity is wasted!

]]>

Moana Toa: Pasifika female leadership series – Melissa Malu

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Moana Toa is an initiative by the Pasifika Collections and Engagement team at the Australian Museum that aims to link Pasifika female leadership to culture and arts. To mark International Women’s Day 2022, the initiative will celebrate Pasifika women leading in their respective careers and recognise their contribution to changing the climate of gender equality through a series of blog posts and videos.

The series was created by Moemoana Schwenke, Anaseini Ulakai and Miriama Simmons.

Pacific greetings!

We begin Moana Toa with Tongan-Fijian woman Melissa Malu.

Melissa is the first woman of Pacific Islander heritage to be appointed the role of Pasifika Collections and Engagement Manager at the Australian Museum, and has extensive experience working with communities in culture, social impact, and communications. She has always been passionate about working with youth, and has piloted several youth-focused programs in South-Western Sydney.

Melissa has a generous heart, and is dedicated to uplifting Pasifika people. Her central vision for her team is to "elevate Pacific voices, so that we are able to tell our own stories," she tells us. Pasifika visibility is important to her — being seen and heard by others, nurturing an authentic influence and engaging strategically for a far-reaching impact — both within the Pasifika-Australian diaspora, the region and the world.

During her short time in her role at the AM, Melissa has made phenomenal progress in many areas — and has exciting plans while working towards delivering a Pasifika Gallery in September 2023.

Tabua

In Fiji, Melissa is from Nukunuku, Lakeba, Lau. In the Fijian collection, Melissa expressed her connection to the tabua. The tabua is a polished tooth of a sperm whale, traditionally bound together with coconut sinnet. The Australian Museum has a variety of sacred tabua in different sizes, textures, colours and styles.

The tabua each have distinct cultural and historical stories bound to them. Tabua is supreme among Fijian valuables — and can be referred to as a cultural currency that circulates in Fijian society during important ceremonial gatherings. Ceremonial gatherings where tabua is commonly exchanged include weddings, birthdays, funerals and other important life milestones. In Fiji, there is great significance in gifting a tabua to another individual, as it is a signifier of the highest level of respect, honour and loyalty. Each tabua also embodies mana or spiritual power, that enhances its intrinsic value to the recipient. The recipient of a tabua, bound by tradition, is expected to accept the esteemed offering.

Melissa’s connection to the tabua stems from an early childhood memory.

Na ikoti is a hair cutting ceremony practiced in parts of Fiji, and the tabua is often exchanged. The tabua in this particular ceremony, represents the Fijian cultural value of vakarokoroko or respect.

Watch Melissa's interview

Kato teu and kato alu

In Tonga, Melissa is from Holopeka Ha’apai, Malapo Tongatapu and Tu’anuku Vava’u. When discussing the Tongan collection she articulates her fascination with kato teu and kato alu, also known as Tongan ceremonial baskets. Cultural knowledge holders explain that the kato alu traditionally originates from the island of ‘Eua, and were made with rare weaving techniques. In comparison, kato teu are the modern representation of the kato alu, and can be decorated with appropriate modern textiles. They are both circular in shape, and are intricately bound together by the roots of the alu plant (epipremnum pinnatum) or tuaniu (cocos nucifera).

The Australian Museum has a variety of decorative kato teu and kato alu, that reveal each creators intricacy and artistry, but also mark history. Today, the creation of baskets in Tonga is a common skill, however many of the Tongan ceremonial baskets in the collection are created with weaving techniques that cultural knowledge holders say haven’t been seen for generations.

Ceremonial gatherings where the people of Tonga gift kato teu and kato alu include weddings, birthdays and funerals. The gifting of Tongan ceremonial baskets is a representation of anga fakatonga or Tongan custom, womanhood and the core values in Tongan culture that include faka’apa’apa or respect, tauhi va or keeping of good relations, mamahi’i me’a or loyalty and 'loto tō’ or humility. These core Tongan values were coined by her late majesty Queen Salote Tupou III, who also professed that the essence of a fafine Tonga or Tongan woman is her efinanga. In Tongan language the literal translation of efinanga is basket, and the figurative meaning of efinanga is that it is the carrier of Tonga’s core values.

The Tongan ceremonial baskets are both a vessel that signals roles and responsibilities of a Tongan woman, and an anchor of the Tongan fundamental values that unify society.

Melissa’s connection to the baskets stems from her memories growing up in Tonga, where she gained the most of her cultural knowledge and remembers actively decorating and mending kato teu and kato alu. She also recalls seeing Tongan women keeping coconut oil, perfume, powder and other feminine items inside kato teu and kato alu.

Of Tonga’s four core values, Melissa holds tauhi va or keeping of good relations to the highest regard. In her role at the AM, she believes that it is pivotal to have unified relationships with Pasifika people and the wider community. She tells us that in order for Pasifika people to collectively elevate our voices, we must nurture the relationships between one another.

Collectivism and reciprocity are guiding principles among Pasifika cultures, and are embodied through both the Fijian tabua, and Tongan kato teu and kato alu. These artefacts remind Pasifika people today, the importance of holding steadfast to our cultural values, customs and art forms while navigating through our future.

The artefacts are testament to our living cultures and the brilliance of our Pasifika ancestors who so selflessly passed these knowledges and practices to their succeeding generations — and who were interdependent on one another, and the environment in order to survive and thrive. Melissa eloquently sums up what the Pasifika collection has reinstated within her life when she says — “We don’t do anything on our own in Pasifika, it's a collective effort!”

Malo ‘aupito and thank you for reading our first instalment of Moana Toa. A special thank you to Melissa Malu for being our first guest to feature.

]]>

Vale Neil Balnaves

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +1100

The Australian Museum honours the legacy of one of Australia’s leading arts philanthropists, Neil Balnaves.

Through The Balnaves Foundation, Neil generously supported the Australian Museum’s commitment to advocating for First Nations voices, including the award-winning Unsettled exhibition. The donation from The Balnaves Foundation facilitated free entry to this important exhibition, which was viewed by more than 70,000 visitors during its run at the Museum and continues to draw audiences online.

“Neil’s support for the Australian Museum’s recent Unsettled exhibition enabled us to keep the exhibition open free to the public post COVID-19 lockdowns. He was a steadfast advocate for the truth-telling that the exhibition demonstrated and fully supported the Museum and curator Laura McBride in this ground-breaking and often confronting show. Neil was a courageous leader who stood behind us in the development and promotion of one of the most important exhibitions in the AM’s history. He will be remembered and missed by all of us,” Australian Museum Director and CEO, Kim McKay AO, said.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Neil Balnaves, who was one of the first to support the Unsettled exhibition and back the work of the First Nations Division at the Australian Museum. Not only was Neil deeply generous through The Balnaves Foundation, but he also encouraged other philanthropists to contribute to supporting the Arts and First Nations Peoples. His legacy will be remembered, and I hope it will inspire the next generation of philanthropists to support the causes that Neil advocated for,” Australian Museum Director, First Nations, Laura McBride, said.

The Australian Museum extends its condolences to the Balnaves family, including Neil’s wife Diane, children Hamish and Victoria and their families, and to the Trustees and staff of The Balnaves Foundation.

]]>

FrogID Week 2021 – over 37,000 frog records thanks to thousands of citizen scientists

Nadiah Roslan — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Using the FrogID app is not just a joyful pastime. It is rapidly gathering the information we need to help understand and conserve Australia’s frogs.

FrogID is the Australian Museum’s national citizen science project, allowing anyone with a smartphone to record and submit frog calls through the free FrogID app. Every recording is listened to by one or more frog call experts at the Australian Museum. These expert-verified, geo-referenced frog records help fill important knowledge gaps across the country, building a better understanding of Australian’s frog species, many of which are threatened. FrogID Week is the FrogID project’s annual snapshot of frogs to help better understand trends over time. The fourth FrogID Week was held in November 2021 - it has once again beaten previous year’s records and gathered data for frog conservation on scales never before possible.

The power of citizen science

Frogs are one of the most threatened groups of animals on the planet and in Australia, many species are in decline. Unfortunately, there is still so much we are yet to understand about our unique frog species. As the threats that face them increase, so too must our data collection to understand where frogs live and breed, and how we can better protect them. Between 12 and 21 November in 2021, the fourth FrogID Week event by the Australian Museum saw record numbers of scientific records of frogs collected - over 37,000 frog records in just ten days. The 12th of November 2021 received the highest number of FrogID records per day to date, with 6,127 frogs recorded in just 24 hours – that’s more than four frog records per minute! Greater spatial coverage was also achieved, with FrogID Week 2021 records covering 14% of Australia, up from 10% during FrogID Week 2020.

Fuelling these accomplishments were citizen scientists of all ages across Australia, rapidly gathering data on frogs by recording their calls with the free FrogID app. Over 20,000 submissions were received from over 4,600 participants. FrogID Week 2021 saw a greater number of frog records in every state and territory compared to any other FrogID Week events in the past, and Queensland experienced the greatest rise - submissions from the sunshine state increased ten-fold with 10,822 records (up from 1,867 the previous year). The passion and commitment from FrogID Week contributors led to another great milestone during 2021 – the project itself reached over half a million records of frogs! In other words, the number of scientific records of frogs available in Australia more than doubled thanks to the first four years of the FrogID project. It is with the help of thousands of FrogID citizen scientists that we can cover far greater ground than a handful of experts could achieve on their own in many lifetimes, in turn providing a powerful resource for scientists and land-managers to make more informed conservation decisions.

A growing scientific database for conservation

FrogID is gathering scientific records of frogs on unprecedented scales. Since the FrogID project began in 2017, the project has received over 375,000 submissions from the public, resulting in over 590,000 frog records across 210 species (85% of Australia’s known species of frog). A total of 113 species were recorded during FrogID Week 2021 as opposed to 103 in the previous year. This included our first FrogID recording of the Sunset Frog (Spicospina flammocaerulea) – a Vulnerable species recorded by Robert Davis from southwest WA. Recordings of the newly scientifically recognised Australian frog species, the Slender Bleating Tree Frog (Litoria balatus) and the Screaming Tree Frog (Litoria quiritatus) also made appearances during FrogID Week 2021. For these two new species, thousands of FrogID recordings were used to assess the very subtle differences in their calls, highlighting the valuable way in which participating in FrogID can contribute to new species discovery (read more). Through FrogID, the growing information we are gathering is revolutionising our understanding of frogs – not only are new species being discovered, data on rare and threatened species are being collected (without disturbing frogs or their habitat!) and invasive species are being detected, demonstrating the powerful growing resource that FrogID has become with high implications for conservation.

The intense snapshot achieved through every FrogID Week event also allows us to document the potential decline of native frog species and understand the population level impacts of devastating events. This was illustrated following FrogID Week 2020 when recordings from burnt habitat helped inform how Australia’s frogs are persisting following the devastating black summer bushfires of 2019-2020 (read more). FrogID recordings from fire-impacted areas continue to inform us of the long-term impacts now. Of recent significance, FrogID Week 2021 is helping us understand how frogs are responding to the unfortunate frog mortality event that began to sweep across Australia during winter 2021 (read more). Worryingly, 23% fewer recordings of the Peron’s Tree Frogs (Litoria peronii) were captured during FrogID Week 2021 than the previous year, when masses of sick and dying frogs were not yet being reported. This species was the second most reported species to be dead or dying during the winter 2021 frog mortality event, and with over 40 different species reported dead or dying during the winter in total, further investigation is required to determine the toll this has had on frog populations.

This is where regular FrogID submissions and future FrogID Week events become even more crucial as they importantly help inform us how frogs are faring over time. With the important roles that frogs play in our environment, from tadpoles helping keep our streams clean, to supporting other animals in the ecosystem as a vital food source, using the FrogID app is not an ordinary pastime activity – our actions to record frog calls with FrogID directly inform the future of our threatened frog species and the health of our environment.

Congratulations to our FrogID Week 2021 Top Frogger

We would also like to thank and congratulate Vicky Mills from the Karana Downs in QLD for winning our FrogID Week 2021 Top Frogger competition. Vicky submitted a total of 375 recordings, resulting in over 400 records frogs - not bad for a first time ‘frogger’! Thanks to our FrogID Week prize partners Australian Geographic and Vegepod, Vicky won a prize pack valued at $1100. We appreciate all the valuable contributions made towards frog conservation through FrogID Week and thank everyone for taking part.

Nadiah Roslan, Project Coordinator: FrogID, Australian Museum Research Institute.

More information:

For scientific outputs of FrogID, visit https://www.frogid.net.au/science

For information about FrogID Week 2022 (11-20 November), visit https://www.frogid.net.au/frog-id-week

To become a FrogID Week partner, contact our Partnerships team on (02) 9320 6450, partnerships@australian.museum

Acknowledgements

Thank you, NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust, for supporting FrogID Week 2021. We would also like to thank the Citizen Science Grants of the Australian Government and the Impact Grants program of IBM Australia for providing funding and resources to help build the FrogID App; the generous donors who have provided funding for the project including the Vonwiller Foundation; the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Museums Victoria, Queensland Museum, South Australian Museum, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and Western Australian Museum as FrogID partner museums; the many Australian Museum staff and volunteers who make up the FrogID team; and, most importantly, the thousands of citizen scientists across Australia who have volunteered their time to record frogs.

]]>

To open a can of worms: the complications of hidden biodiversity

Dr Pat Hutchings — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +1100

We are describing our biodiversity at a higher rate than we can teach the next generation of taxonomists – how can we tackle this problem? Dr Pat Hutchings in Australia and Dr Nicolas Lavesque in France show us how, in their experiences of describing Spaghetti worms!

For almost 100 years, one new species of terebellid worms (aka Spaghetti worms) was described from France. That was, until 3 years ago – during these past years, 31 new species have been described and several species previously reported were found to be misidentifications. This takes the tally of new terebellid worm species to a whopping 58, that we know of.

So why is this? For decades, people were referencing the well-illustrated work, Faune de France by Fauvel (1927). Many of the species listed by Fauvel were described in the late 1800’s and were often poorly illustrated, referencing no extant type material and often listed vague type localities such as the “Mediterranean”. This meant that over time, these names were used widely throughout Europe and even in Australia, and their descriptions morphed into one encompassing several species. In addition, there has been a lack of active polychaete taxonomists in France, despite several French famous early taxonomists.

In 2016, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) organised a taxonomic course in Caen and invited Dr Pat Hutchings to provide lectures and practicals (with freshly collected material) on terebellids for a week. The audience was composed of graduate students, early career researchers and established ecologists. Nicolas Lavesque was part of this cohort – Pat made such an impression, that Nicolas decided he wanted to undertake a PhD on the systematics of terebellids! Nicolas also requested Pat to be his supervisor and planned on spending time in Sydney for further research. And in October 2019, Nicolas arrived in Sydney to spend 9 months at the Australian Museum! Although it was cut short by COVID-19 (Nicolas only spent 7 months at the AM), Nicolas and Pat were able to completely revise the French terebellid fauna as well as describe some new species!

During Nicolas’ time at the AM, Nicolas and Pat were fortunate to be able to work on freshly collected material, so both molecular and morphology characteristics were available to describe the new species and expand descriptions of previously known species. The recent study also highlighted that several species previously recorded by Fauvel represent suites of species which can be referred to as cosmopolitan species. While this study resolved their nomenclature issues of the French material, records from other parts of the world require far more work to resolve their true identity.

So, what are the consequences of this hidden biodiversity? First of all, misidentifications have a strong impact on ecological studies. Indeed, pseudo-cryptic species can show very different ecological or functional traits. They can be distinguished by their reproduction biology, their feeding strategy, their ecological sensibility or their preferences for different habitats. Incorrect identifications can also have impacts if the considered species is actually an exotic one. For example, this study revealed that one of the terebellid species, Thelepus japonicus, is actually an introduced species, reported for the first time in Europe. Its presence in Arcachon Bay and in Normandy is linked to oyster farming with a probable introduction from Japan via oyster transfers. For decades, this species was confused with a French species: T. setosus. Finally knowing the exact number of species within a region is essential in a Global Change point of view and to correctly evaluate the loss of species in the current biodiversity crisis.

This story almost certainly is relevant to all the other polychaete families present in France described by Fauvel, but Pat and Nicolas strongly believe such a scenario is true for many parts of the world and a recent paper in press on the polychaete fauna of South Africa reveals similar patterns where Day (1967) described the fauna and little has been done since then.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, passing on of the accumulated knowledge of a senior researcher to the next generation of researchers is essential in developing fields in taxonomy – and this can be done across continents. Such collaborations can also lead to long term research projects for future generations!

Dr Pat Hutchings, Senior Fellow, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum

Dr Nicolas Lavesque, Research Engineer, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)

]]>

A tribute to Ken Coles AM

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Ken Coles AM was a Trustee of the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF) from 1991 to 2015 and Chair from 1994 to 2012. During this time he transformed the Foundation and the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS). Ken died peacefully on 18 January 2022 with his wife Rowena Danziger AM at his side.

This is a brief outline of his achievements during his long tenure.

Sir John Proud was the founder of LIRRF and he and Ken were good friends. It was Sir John who first suggested to Ken that he should consider becoming involved with LIRRF. Ken’s response was that he knew little about the Great Barrier Reef or marine science but he was happy to see what he could do. Ken and Rowena visited Lizard Island later that year and met with Anne Hoggett AM & Lyle Vail AM, Directors of LIRS. They were able to view the reef and understand the exciting opportunities offered by research at Lizard Island so Ken was pleased to become a Trustee of LIRRF in 1991.

In 1993, Ken was instrumental in establishing the fund raising principle which still serves LIRRF well today. The original concept, 100 supporters, each donating $1,000, would provide $100,000 per annum funding towards the Research Station. Apart from special purpose grants for research and fellowships, annual donations from LIRRF supporters, who include many of Ken’s original supporters, now provide over $200,000 p.a. all of which goes to support research at LIRS.

Ken initiated the annual LIRRF dinner, the first of which was held on the roof top of the Australian Museum in October 1994. Sixty-nine guests, including Sir John and Lady Proud, attended. Annual Melbourne lunches were inaugurated in 1998 and these have morphed into annual dinners as numbers of attendees have grown. These functions have fostered a collegiate atmosphere among LIRRF supporters. Science talks from LIRS researchers and Research Station updates are also a feature of the functions.

The first major building projects under Ken’s Chairmanship were the 1995 extensions to Kirby House and Suntory House. Each house now had three bedrooms, enlarged kitchen, dining and verandah spaces and two bathrooms.

His next major project was accommodation for the LIRS staff. The two existing houses had been built in the early 1970s and provided primitive accommodation that had no cyclone protection. Ken launched a special appeal, recruiting twenty people each of whom committed to give $5,000 p.a. for three years. This enabled the construction of Warman House (named after Dr. Charles Warman AM, a colleague and friend of Sir John Proud and a patron and generous donor to LIRRF), a much more suitable three bedroom residence. It was finished in June 1997 as accommodation for the Directors. Fund raising for Coles House, the accommodation for the permanent maintenance staff, continued and it was finally completed in 2001.

By 2003, LIRS was thirty years old so LIRRF initiated the 30th Anniversary Development. Ken was one of three Trustees on the organising committee and was instrumental in enthusing many of the long term supporters to make substantial commitments. Just over $5,000,000 was raised and this enabled every facet of LIRS to be updated so that it could continue to meet the vision statement (repeated below) from Anne and Lyle when they were appointed Directors in 1990:

Ken, as Chair of LIRRF, hosted a large contingent of visitors to LIRS in October 2006 for the official opening of The Ian Potter Centre for Tropical Marine Research.

Ken’s next project was post-doctoral research fellowships. LIRRF had been awarding one annual doctoral fellowship since 1984 and The Ian Potter Foundation had committed to another annual fellowship in 2006. But…there was nothing to support early career researchers who need extensive field work for their projects. Three of Ken’s good friends came to the rescue. The Hermon Slade Raiatea Foundation (Paul Slade) funded the annual Isobel Bennett Fellowship. The John and Laurine Proud Trust funded the annual Proud Fellowship and Yulgilbar Foundation (Sidney Baillieu Myer AC) committed to fund a series of post-doctoral fellowships. At least three doctoral fellowships and three post-doctoral fellowships are now awarded annually by LIRRF.

The final construction for the 30th Anniversary Development took place in 2011. Remarkably, the whole project had been completed on time and within budget.

Ken retired as Chair of LIRRF in 2012 but he left one major parting gift. He proposed that LIRRF should appoint Life Members, being those people who would commit to give $100,000, over several years if necessary. Ken and Rowena became the inaugural Life Members and others have joined them so that over $1,000,000 has been raised to date.

Ken remained a Trustee of LIRRF until 2015 and was appointed Trustee Emeritus upon his retirement. Ken also made many other contributions to worthy causes, some of which were recognised in his honorary degree conferred by the University of Sydney in 1999 and in his investiture as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2000, and most recently for his work with the Save Sight Institute.

His contributions to coral reef science and to LIRRF and LIRS are a lasting legacy and his enthusiasm, drive and generosity will long be remembered.

]]>

That's the spirit: a short history of wet specimen storage at the Australian Museum

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Glass jars containing translucent specimens are a common sight at any natural history museum. But the highly flammable ethanol that preserves the treasures inside must be carefully stored to prevent the collections going up in flames. Read on to learn about the history of the Australian Museum's 'Spirit House', the mysterious building where its wet collections are stored.

By Kimberley Russell, Archives intern.

One of the unacknowledged marvels of a Museum is to see preserved animals, some of which are blobby, translucent specimens floating in liquid. The glass jars are filled with some of the most scientifically valuable specimens in the world, from the extinct thylacine to the hard corals of the Great Barrier Reef. The work involved in preserving these ‘wet’ specimens, as they are known, is not only far less intensive than stuffing or mounting an animal but also allows for the whole animal to be preserved.

Consequently, since the 17th century collectors and scientists have stored animals in ethanol-filled jars building up considerable ‘wet’ collections. Although ethanol is not perfect (it can cause colour to drain from the specimen) it is inexpensive, accessible, and safer than other alternatives such as formalin. When stored properly in ethanol, a wet specimen can be preserved for hundreds of years. Without this vital preservation solution, the specimen quickly deteriorates. The down-side - ethanol, or “spirit” as it was commonly called, is both flammable and toxic.

Since the 1850s when collection building began in earnest, the Australian Museum accumulated an enormous number of ‘wet’ specimens. Therefore in 1895 the Trustees of the Museum requested Parliament provide funds for an extension to the Museum that would include the creation of a “Spirit-room” to safely house these specimens separately from the rest of the Museum's collections.

The design was for a one storey stone building to be constructed under the supervision of Mr Robert Wall of Newtown. In 1896 building work began on the new Spirit House which was situated in what was then the Museum's outside courtyard/quadrangle (now the Hintze Hall). It was completed the following year and by the end of 1898 all specimens preserved in spirits had been safely and securely rehoused from their home in the old shed to the new Spirit House.

Demand for storage in the Spirit House grew steadily over time. By 1926 there was an urgent need to expand the building so the Trustees requested the Department of Public Works for funding to add a second storey to the building to provide the required shelving. These additions to the Spirit House were completed by 1929. As the collection continued to expand, concern once again grew over the overcrowding in the existing Spirit House; in 1961 a new structure featuring four floors for storage and two floors for workshops or garages was proposed.

By 1967 construction was underway of a new building in the southwest corner of the Museum’s grounds. The new building was completed by August 1969, featuring new compactus style movable storage shelves on rails that effectively doubled the available storage space. In November 1969, the new Spirit House was renamed The Spirit Block.

Today, there are approximately 1.3 million containers in the Australian Museum wet collection. This world renowned biodiversity library is used by not only Australian researchers but also scientists from around the world – all helping us to understand and conserve the world around us. To ensure the longevity of the collection staff continue to regularly ‘top up’ wet specimen containers with new ethanol solution to prevent the specimens from drying out.

The safety concerns around ethanol remain just as valid as they were in 1895, and access to the Spirit House is limited only to staff who manage and use the specimens inside it. For the rest of the Museum staff, the Spirit House sustains the aura of its name: mysterious, elusive, and unknowable.

Special thanks to Laetitia Gunton and Prue Walker for their assistance with this article.

]]>

Drone vs. kayak: Jellyfish surveys take to the sky

Claire Rowe, Dr Stephen Keable, Professor Shane Ahyong — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Jellyfish are expanding their range world-wide, sometimes with negative ecological and economic consequences. A recent AMRI study examined if drones could provide a more cost effective, time efficient and precise monitoring tool of the upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea sp.).

Cassiopea are unusual jellyfish – they spend most of their life upside-down, with their bell resting on sediment in shallow water and their oral arms extended above them. They sit in this position so the photosynthetic algae in their oral arms, called zooxanthellae, can catch more sunlight. This photosynthesis provides the jellyfish with up to 90% of its nutritional needs. The other 10% of the diet comes from zooplankton including fish larvae, which are captured using stinging cells.

Upside-down jellyfish are typically tropical animals living in shallow, sheltered, habitats such as mangrove swamps, seagrass beds or coral reefs. In Australia, upside-down jellyfish are common in the north, including Darwin, Lizard Island and Moreton Bay. However, records of two species of upside-down jellyfish suggest they are expanding their range south along the east-coast of Australia to temperate New South Wales, including Wallis Lake (since 2009), Lake Illawarra (since 2013), and Lake Macquarie (since 2017). Cassiopea appear to be invasive, so understanding the invasion front is essential and urgent.

Like many other jellyfish, populations of Cassiopea are patchy and have a boom-and-bust nature, varying from near-absent to forming dense swarms. The abundance of these jellyfish is directly related to their ecological impact, but patchy occurrence and population variability make monitoring the invasion front a significant challenge. Therefore, a cost-effective monitoring technique that will provide precise estimates of their population is needed.

Our studies of Cassiopea initially used kayaks to monitor the jellyfish because the shallow draft and easy handling of these watercraft allows ready access to remote, muddy and shallow sites that can’t be easily traversed on foot or by boat. This method allowed us to make very accurate and detailed observations of Cassiopea populations, but was labour and time intensive. Therefore, just as remotely piloted aircraft (hereafter called drones) have recently been used successfully to monitor sharks off surf beaches, we tested drones, which can quickly cover large areas, as potential alternatives for monitoring these jellyfish.

Results of this study show that surveys detected similar densities of upside-down jellyfish when measured by a drone compared to a kayak, along transects 50 meters in length – both methods were similarly accurate. However, when upscaling transect results to estimate the number of jellyfish occurring across a whole site, they over-inflate the perceived number of jellyfish by 319% for drones and 178% for kayaks, compared to the number of jellyfish actually present as determined by mapping a grid over the full site using the drone. Nevertheless, drones make it easy to survey the entire site, reducing the need for making estimates via up-scaling individual transect results. Also, measuring a whole-site using a drone took one-third of the time as when using a kayak. Clearly, drone-based monitoring brings many advantages over kayak-based monitoring. However, drone-based methods still have limitations, such as interfering effects of water glare, the need to keep the drone in sight of the pilot and being unable to make observations too close to shore due to obstacles such as mangroves. Benefits in supplementing drone surveillance with direct observations from the kayak include the ability to check identification of questionable objects, including potential small individual jellyfish, and allowing specimens to be sampled for additional studies such as genetics, morphology, life history and physiology.

Overall, we conclude that kayaks are useful for small-scale monitoring, but drones are more cost-effective, time-efficient, and precise for large-scale and long-term monitoring of upside-down jellyfish population abundance.

Claire Rowe, PhD candidate, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute and the University of Sydney.

Dr Stephen Keable, Collection Manager, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Prof Shane Ahyong, Principal Research Scientist and Head, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Another piece of the Petrogale puzzle

Sally Potter, Dr Mark Eldridge — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Why are there so many species of rock-wallabies (Petrogale) in Australia? This question has puzzled and intrigued researchers for decades. Now a ground-breaking genomic study has provided some answers - and yet raised more questions.

With 17 currently recognised species, there are more species of rock-wallaby in Australia than any other genus of marsupial. The reasons as to why have long interested scientists, since understanding the mechanisms by which new species form (i.e., the process of speciation) remains one of the great mysteries of biology.

Since the 1970s, it has been known that the iconic Australian rock-wallabies (Petrogale) show extreme chromosome diversity among species compared to other marsupials, particularly the six species in northeast Queensland – from Rockhampton to Cape York Peninsula. These closely related species have been thought to be a clear example of chromosomal speciation, as they are otherwise indistinguishable but differ markedly in the shape and number of their chromosomes. It was thought that these chromosome changes were driving speciation in this group, since genetic theory predicts that rearrangements in chromosomes should result in significantly reduced fertility in hybrid individuals and prevent gene flow between the chromosomally different rock-wallaby species.

These species also have proved to be a headache for researchers and wildlife managers since they can’t be readily distinguished by standard morphological or genetic tests. Whether this is due to their very recent evolution, continued gene flow or lack of resolution of the genetic markers has remained unclear.

With recent technological advances, the ability to analyse genetic variation and evolution across a genome is now providing insight into long standing biological questions. We recently applied these powerful new genomic methods to the recently evolved species in northeast Queensland, and the results were stunning. For the first time, we had sufficient data and power to distinguish each species from its close relatives using genomic markers – and not just the shape and number of their chromosomes.

Previous research using fewer genetic markers suggested widespread gene flow between the different northeast Queensland rock-wallaby species. However with the increased genomic and geographic coverage deployed in this study, we found something different.

Surprisingly, we found no association between the degree of chromosome differences and the extent of gene flow amongst these species. In fact, gene flow was detected between some species, even though they differ by multiple chromosome changes. In contrast, other species with very similar chromosomes showed little evidence of gene flow between them. Clearly these wallabies have not read the textbooks! Additional research is now being undertaken to identify whereabouts in the genome the detected gene flow has occurred (e.g. in rearranged or non-rearranged regions of chromosomes). We hope this will provide insight into the underlying mechanisms driving the formation of new species.

Our seemingly contradictory results suggest that the causes of speciation in this fascinating group of marsupials are far more complex than had been thought and cannot be simply attributed to changes in chromosome shape and number alone. Additional studies of the genomes of these rock-wallaby species are now underway and it is hoped that they will reveal the secrets of speciation in this group and so lift the veil on the mechanisms by which life has proliferated on Earth.

Dr Sally Potter, Australian National University; and Research Associate, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Dr Mark Eldridge, Principal Research Scientist, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Nau mai Haere mai ki te maumahara koutou te ra o Waitangi

Logan Metcalfe — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Greetings to you all, we would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people, custodians of the land on which the museum stands, and from where we acknowledge Waitangi Day on Sunday the 6 of February.

People from across New South Wales acknowledge Waitangi Day as being the first day the document was signed that enabled the Maori People and the Colonial subjects from Britain to form a society together in Aotearoa (New Zealand).

However, interpreting the treaty has not been without controversy with references differing between the English translation and the official Maori language documentation.

Here at the Australian Museum, Maori culture and artistry is recognised in one way through the public display of our collection.

Beginning in 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum in the Westpac Long Gallery, we find finely carved greenstone clubs called mere pounamu.

As a raw material pounamu or green stone is revered by Maori for its strength and beauty. The finest grades can be seen in our collection sourced from the Arahura river in the South Island of New Zealand, fashioned into Mere, a shorthanded weapon of high value and great prestige, these treasures became a trade item in high demand. Originally the provisions of chiefs, Mere are a symbol of status and rank amongst Ariki who cared for and protected their people with great diplomatic prowess.

In the same exhibition you will find Hei tiki or greenstone pendants.

Hei tiki are suspended around the wearers neck, symbolising the first human in Maori culture. They are heirlooms handed down from generation to generation and worn during gatherings and special occasions featuring a stylised human figure in a foetal position.

On Level 2 in the Pacific Spirit exhibition, we have two Ancestral house carvings or Poupou.

These carvings are carved out of the totara tree (Podocarpus totara) which provided Maori with large straight grained wood that is resistant to rotting.

These two Poupou are carved in the Ngati Pourou tribe’s Iwirakau school of carving style. Poupou are highly stylised, the carvings are normally situated on the sides of the ancestral house or wharenui.

The carvings are meant to represent Ancestors of the iwi/hapu (tribe/subtribe) that the house is dedicated to, usually the people of the land on which the house stands but, in some instances, particularly when ancestral houses are constructed away from Aotearoa these houses usually will feature a conglomerate of famous eponymous Ancestors.

Wharenui are central to Maori culture and identity, they give families a centralised place to celebrate kinship, history and to grieve for loved ones who have passed away among many other cultural practices and observations.

We invite our Maori community members and all friends of the Australian Museum to visit the priceless objects that are on display.

]]>

The FrogID dataset 3.0: over a quarter of a million frog records now online and open access

Dr Jodi Rowley — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +1100

The third annual release of FrogID data is now available to advance frog ecology and conservation in Australia.

Frogs are a vital part of most Australian ecosystems, and amongst the first animals to respond to environmental change. We’ve already lost at least four species of frog and dozens more are threatened with extinction. On top of this, most of our more than 240 native frog species are also poorly known. Remarkably, we don’t even know how many species of frog we have in Australia, with six frog species new to science in just the last year! We desperately need more information on Australia’s frogs so that we can better understand and conserve them.

Thankfully, thousands of citizen scientists across Australia, armed with their smartphone and the FrogID app, have provided an amazing amount of data to help further our understanding of frog diversity and ecology throughout Australia. FrogID was launched in 2017, and the first public instalment of the FrogID database was released in 2020 (55,000 expert-validated records of frogs across Australia). The second instalment of over 126,000 records followed. Here we announce the release of the FrogID dataset 3.0.

The FrogID dataset 3.0 represents data gathered during the first three years of FrogID, with frog records from year 3 added and data from the previous two years added to and updated. In the first three years of the project, over 16,000 FrogID users from across Australia recorded the calls of 204 frog species, resulting in over 272,000 biodiversity records of frogs (a record of a species of frog calling at a particular time and place) - more than double that of the last release (126,000)!

The FrogID database now represents about one third of all frog records in the country and around 80% of all frog records gathered during the time period of this dataset (Atlas of Living Australia). The size of this dataset demonstrates the power of people working together to gather quality scientific data to inform frog conservation, and conservation more broadly.

The most commonly recorded species in the dataset remains steady across years, with the aptly named Common Eastern Froglet (Crinia signifera) taking out the top spot again, with almost 50,000 records in three years! The next commonly recorded species were the backyard-loving Striped Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes peronii) and Peron’s Tree Frog (Litoria peronii), followed by the rural-loving Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog (Litoria fallax), and Spotted Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis).

Some highlights of the latest dataset include large numbers of records of the two most recently scientifically named species, the Slender Bleating Tree Frog (Litoria balatus) and the Screaming Tree Frog (Litoria quiritatus). These species were scientifically named by a team of researchers including myself, and used calls recorded as part of the FrogID project in the scientific paper describing the new species (read more). Records collected for these species before they were scientifically named have now been updated in the dataset. In past releases both species were all identified as the Bleating Tree Frog (Litoria dentata), the species that both the Screaming and Slender Bleating Tree Frog were previously confused with. In addition, the dataset includes a single record of the tiny, rainforest-dwelling Wollumbin Pouched Frog (Assa wollumbin), and the recently rediscovered endangered population of Tusked Frogs (Adelotus brevis) west of Tenterfield (read more).

As in previous years, we follow ethical data publication guidelines and consider certain frog locality records as sensitive, taking into account the conservation status of the species and the threats that it faces. The exact localities of any ‘sensitive’ species are not made public, and their location is given only to 0.1 decimal degrees (about 11km). Some very highly threatened frog species recorded via FrogID, such as the Critically Endangered Hosmer’s Nursery Frog (Cophixalus hosmeri) are not included in the public dataset - this is a small fraction of the dataset, just over 300 records of 10 species. The exact locality data for such sensitive species is provided to state biodiversity atlases to help inform conservation and can also be requested from the FrogID project.

The FrogID database is a huge resource to researchers, land-managers and anyone interested in learning more about Australia’s frogs. For example, it’s already helping us understand how frog species richness changes across the country (read more), which Australian frog species are best equipped to survive the human world (read more), and how the Black Summer 2019/2020 bushfires impacted our frogs (read more). In the wake of increasing environmental change, including climate change, and a mass mortality event of frogs across Australia in winter 2021 (read more), the FrogID dataset has never been more important.

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum Research Institute & UNSW Sydney.

]]>

Egyptian mummy masks: Before and after treatment - part 3

Melissa Holt — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +1100

In Part 3 of this special AM blog series, Melissa Holt outlines the treatment of two Egyptian cartonnage objects - with final before and after shots!

Welcome to the third of this 4-part series, where I take you through the treatment process of four cartonnage objects. In previous blogs, I explained what the goals and plans are for the conservation treatment and the beginning steps of the treatment. In this blog, I will show you the final steps in treating the two masks E019001 and E021583-006.

Step 1: Feet First

Previously, I discussed reshaping the cartonnage foot covering and adding Japanese tissue backings to fragile areas of the object. Since these repairs were successful, I was able to flip the covering over to the other side and begin working on the front. Importantly, I had to consolidate the painted areas to ensure that there was no further loss. We used the same adhesive as what was used on the back for the repairs, but at a lower percentage that would slip under the pigmented layer easily. The result was that the paint and gesso layer was secured in place. A small amount of adhesive was also added into cracks to bring them together.

Step 2: Closing the gap

For E019001, the most vital part of the treatment was bringing together the large split in the centre of the mask. This area was a weak point for the mask and so needed to be realigned and supported from the back to create stability for the object. The tricky part with this section was that due to there being loss in this area, the two sections did not align perfectly and so there would be gaps between the two sides. This meant that whatever backing layer was added, it would be visible when viewing the object from the front. For this reason, it was decided to colour the Japanese tissue paper with diluted acrylic paints. I was attempting to colour match the white background of the patterned area on the front. However, I decided to go a different direction; a dark blue/green colour was used to reflect the patterns and the large blue panels. When comparing what the different colours looked like through the gap, we found that the blue was the least jarring to the eye, and didn’t stand out as a repair, when compared with the lighter colours.

The videos below show me using cushions to align the crack and then applying the coloured Japanese tissue paper. I used magnets over layers of foam to add light pressure to both sides of the crack. It was then left weighted overnight which successful joined the two sections.

Step 3: Let’s see that face

With the structure of the mask being stable, I was able to flip the mask over and begin working on the front surface. Like the foot covering, the painted surface needed to be consolidated. A small amount of ethanol was applied, followed by the adhesive, to help draw the adhesive in. Areas where the previous paper repairs were lifting needed extra support, which was done by filling the areas with Japanese tissue. Small rolls of Japanese tissue were inserted with the adhesive to draw the lifting areas closer to the object and add support. Where the paper is potentially visible, coloured paper was used as the top layer to make the areas less obvious. A quick brush vacuum was then done across the surface and the treatment of the mask was finished.

With the final repairs completed, the treatment for these masks is now finished. They are both now structurally stable. As mentioned in the first blog, our goal as conservators is to not bring the object back to the condition it was in when it was first made, but to bring it to a condition where it is no longer at risk of deteriorating further, which through this treatment, has been achieved. The next step is for both objects to have new custom storage boxes designed, and display mounts created to ensure their safety for the future.

In the final blog of this series, I will discuss the entire treatment of the final mask E019000 and show you results. Stay tuned!

Melissa Holt, Project Conservator, Collection Care and Conservation, Australian Museum.

]]>

Waters of the deep past: the fossil aquatic insects of New South Wales

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Insects are fragile creatures with little chance to fossilise. Where shells and bones weather the passage of time, insects crumble. But the New South Wales outback holds an amazing, and exceptional, treasure.

While working at the Australian Museum during my Visiting Collections Fellowship, I had the privilege to work with not one, but two treasure troves of fossil aquatic insects. In February and March 2020, I worked alongside the palaeontology department of Australian Museum on some of the most outstanding insect fossils in the world. In the past, I have visited Australia to work on the pupae of non-biting midges (Chironomidae) from the Jurassic Talbragar fish beds. So, I set out to work on these fascinating fossils, which soon will be described as a new genus of midges.

While working on these pupae, Curator of Palaeontology at the Australian Museum, Dr. Matthew McCurry, introduced me to even more fascinating collections of aquatic insects. Matthew kindly invited me to participate in the excavation and examination of the McGraths Flat Lagerstätte (a high fossil-yield preservation site), which was recently published and made quite a splash both nationally and internationally.

McGraths Flat is an 11 to 16 million years old fossil deposit from the Miocene epoch, which preserves thousands of plants and animals. Miniscule details of animals and plants, including at the cellular level, were conserved in the iron-rich rock matrix. McGraths Flat is particularly rich in insect fossils, with aquatic insects being most abundant.

The abundance of aquatic insects at McGraths Flat was very exciting to me because these animals can be studied as indicators of the conditions in the environment. Thus, I can use them to learn more about the past environment and ecological connections of McGraths Flat. The best example is an abundance of phantom midges’ larvae (Chaoboridae) at the site. There are thousands of specimens of these midges at this site, and since these larvae normally need calm aquatic conditions with few predators (such as fishes) to survive, it is a safe bet that the McGraths Flat fossils were put to rest in a slow flowing or standing body of water, such as a billabong.

As the formal description of the new deposit has now been published, I am now working with colleagues from the Australian Museum and the University of Canberra to describe all the new species of aquatic insects we found. We have at least two new species of mayflies, two new species of dragonflies, one new species of alderfly, one new species of caddisfly and at least four new species of fly. One fossil especially dear to my heart, which I am looking forward to describing, is a new genus of Cranefly (Limoniidae) which I found myself during the dig.

Fossil aquatic insects of NSW tell us fascinating stories about the aquatic past of Australia. My research into the topic will allow us to better understand how climate change impacted Australian freshwaters in the past, and what future their might be.

Dr Viktor Baranov, Postdoctoral researcher, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany; 2019/20 AMF/AMRI Visiting Collections Fellow, Australian Museum

]]>

Coming soon: Burra

Sara Kianga Judge — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Burra – the AM’s upcoming, interactive children’s education space – is due to open in July 2022. Burra offers a ‘many-ways’ experience where First Nations and Pasifika knowledge systems and Western science are brought together in layers of learning that promote living well with Country and each other.

When the Australian Museum First Nations team was tasked with creating a new education space that would represent Pacific, south-east First Nations and Western ways of knowing, local First Nations custodians kept returning to one animal teacher: Burra, the Eel.

Eels are born in the warm Pacific waters of the Coral Sea before swimming thousands of kilometres and across the East Australian Current to the Gadigal Coast and other eastern First Nations. Entering Estuaries and Rivers, the young Eels travel inland — including throughout the Sydney Basin — where they live and grow for up to 50 years. The mature Eels then return to the Coast to journey across the Ocean back to the Pacific to breed before dying.

In Burra — opening in July 2022 — visitors are invited to join a mob of Eels as they make their amazing journey, meeting different animal teachers along the way. Replacing Search & Discover on Level 2, Burra will feature two multi-purpose teaching spaces and several versatile programming areas, an immersive theatre, custom-made touchable First Nations tools, sensory walls and dioramas showcasing the work of the Australian Museum Research Institute, and a range of multi-modal, accessible interactives.

The space will offer a ‘many-ways’ experience where Western science and First Nations knowledge systems are brought together in layers of learning, breaking down the view that they are at odds with each other. School groups, children and adults will have opportunities to engage with different ways of knowing within each topic, providing a rich, multi- dimensional learning experience.

Burra was made possible through a generous bequest made by Patricia McDonald and the Australian Museum Foundation with support from the NSW Government as part of Project Discover. Learn more about donating to the Australian Museum.

]]>

Croaked: The 2021 frog die-off

Dr Jodi Rowley — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +1100

The first reports of dead frogs came through in June. Posts of dead Green Tree Frogs (Litoria caerulea) began showing up in my Facebook feed.

Rather than the plump, bright green frogs we all know and love, they were thin and strangely reddish-brown in colour. While upsetting, I wasn’t immediately alarmed. As all things, frogs die, and sick or old frogs often die at the onset of winter.

But the reports of dead and dying frogs didn’t stop, and I began getting calls and emails from concerned people all over eastern Australia. This wasn’t normal. Something serious was going on.

Not being able to travel due to COVID-19 restrictions, I started reaching out to the public via the media to report sick and dead frogs. It was the only way I could hope to figure out what was happening, and why. After an article I wrote with Dr Karrie Rose from Taronga’s Australian Registry of Wildlife Health appeared in The Conversation, the reports came flooding in. Throughout July, August, September and October, I received email after email from concerned citizens, sharing photographs and telling me of sick and dead frogs. Their descriptions were heartbreaking. “I’ve always had around 30 frogs come each night during summer and now they’re all dead,” one person wrote. Another told me, “I have found dead frogs on my verandah as well as in my house, inside cupboards and on my sink... It is so sad to see them sick and dying.”

One person described how the frogs lost their vivid colour:

It was larger in scale and more worrying than I ever suspected.

As I write this, we’ve received almost 1500 reports of sick and dead frogs across Australia, concentrated on the east coast of New South Wales. Most reports are of our beloved Green Tree Frog, a relatively large species that commonly lives in and around us, but there have been over 30 different native frog species reported dead and dying, including threatened species such as Green and Golden Bell Frogs (Litoria aurea) and Giant Barred Frogs (Mixophyes iteratus).

We urgently need to understand why frogs are dying and what this mortality event’s wider impact will be. With dozens of Australia’s frog species already on the brink of extinction, this could tip many frog populations over the edge. Frogs are a vital part of healthy ecosystems, and any impacts on frog populations will have ripple effects throughout entire ecosystems.

The most likely cause is a disease called chytridiomycosis, caused by the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis).

This disease infects the skin of frogs and for the last 40 years or so, it’s been responsible for declines and extinctions in many Australian frog species. But if it is this disease, why is it causing so much havoc now, when it’s been around for decades? Could frogs be stressed by environmental conditions such as drought and bushfires? Is it another disease, toxins, or a combination of many things?

Thanks to the help of hundreds of people across Australia, we have been working to obtain the samples we need in order to get to the bottom of this.

It’s been people-power to the rescue, with sick frogs being taken to collaborating vets and dead frogs stored in freezers across NSW. At the Australian Museum, we are already testing the samples that we have received and are gathering vital clues. With colleagues in government and conservation organisations across Australia, we are working desperately to get a clearer picture and form conservation recommendations.

As temperatures rise and travel restrictions ease, we will begin assessing the impact of this event on our frog populations in the wild, conducting surveys of frogs across eastern Australia, assessing their health. We will also be examining data submitted via FrogID to understand the impact on a broad scale. This winter has been an incredibly sad time for our already imperilled frogs, but there is hope. This awful event has proven that people care about Australia’s frogs and are willing to come together to solve a frog murder mystery on a grand scale. Working together, we will achieve an understanding of the cause and impact of this event, and what we need to do to save our frogs.

You can help

Report sick or dead frogs by emailing locations and photos to calls@frogid.net.au
Record calling frogs with the free FrogID app, download here

]]>

The world’s most colourful silverfish!

Dr Graeme Smith, Andrew Mitchell — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Australia has more described silverfish species than any other country, but even our entomologists were amazed when they discovered these species online – and were amazed at just how colourful these two new species are!

Two newly described silverfish species might just be the world’s most colourful – and for a cunning reason. Rather than hiding from predators, these silverfish are coloured to resemble wasps that inflict a painful sting. Hence, predators leave them alone so they can run around in broad daylight.

Silverfish are some of the world’s oldest insects, millions of years older than the first flying insects such as dragonflies. They generally avoid predators by hiding during the day and are dull grey in colour, making them hard to see. Two species of silverfish, photographed and collected by citizen scientists in Western Australia, have adopted a completely different approach and have just been described as new to science.

Retirees Fred and Jean Hort regularly photograph and sometimes collect interesting fauna for the Western Australian Museum during their travels and post some of their photos online. Australian Museum Research Associate, Dr Graeme Smith stumbled upon their photo and was amazed by the colours displayed. He contacted Jean and Fred who returned to the sites and collected some specimens. DNA sequences obtained by AM molecular systematist Dr Andrew Mitchell revealed that two species were represented in the material. He also recognised that these silverfish looked a lot like velvet ants, a type of wasp whose wingless females pack a powerful sting (one species in the USA is even called a “cow killer”).

Several wasp specialists were consulted and agree that these silverfish appear to be mimicking velvet ants. Why? Unlike the more common nocturnal silverfish, these species are active in the open during daylight hours. We suspect that their velvet ant disguise discourages predators from taking a bite. While similar mimicry has been reported in beetle and spiders, it is the first time that mimicry of any sort has been found among silverfish. Formal descriptions of these two species (Hemitelsella hortorum and Hemitelsella mutilloides) have now been published in the Records of the Western Australian Museum – please check it our here.

Dr Graeme Smith, Research Associate, Entomology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Dr Andrew Mitchell, Senior Research Scientist, Entomology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Egyptian mummy masks: The conservation treatment begins - part 2

Melissa Holt — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +1100

In Part 2 of this special AM blog series, Melissa Holt tells us about the treatment process for two of the Egyptian cartonnage objects which includes x-ray analysis and tear repairs!

Welcome to the second blog of this 4-part series, where I take you through the treatment process of four cartonnage objects. In the last AM blog, I explained what cartonnage is and discussed what the goals and plans are for the conservation treatment.

Since the then, lockdown in Sydney has ended, which means the treatment for these fascinating objects can finally begin. In this part I will detail some of the steps during a conservation treatment and discuss some of the hurdles that we have faced so far.

Step 1: Investigations

Before treating an object, we need to learn as much as possible about the object. One way we’re attempting to gain more in-depth knowledge about the objects is through radiocarbon dating. We sent samples of the cartonnage off for testing which will provide us a more accurate age of the object. We were able to get clean samples from three cartonnage objects (E019000, E021583-006 and E021583-006), but this wasn’t the case for one of the cartonnage masks (E019001), due to the extent of modern repairs. We are currently waiting with bated breath to find out the results. We also decided to X-ray the objects, in the hopes of capturing an anomaly with the cartonnage – and we have had some success on this front. The X-ray of E019001 shows a large dark area at the top of the head which suggests that there is no linen in this area. That means that the entire area on the forehead is reinforced from the modern repairs, which are more extensive than we originally thought. We also performed FTIR on E019001. FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) utilises infrared light to detect different molecules within a sample and produce a spectrum. This spectrum is then compared with spectra of known materials to identify what it is. From this we learnt that the glue that was used in the past is an animal based glue and the paper repairs are cotton based.

Step 2: Observing the difficulties

The next step is to acknowledge what is going to be difficult to treat and how to tackle it. As mentioned in the previous blog, E019001 has extensive historic repair. It is likely that these repairs were completed before the object entered the collection in 1910 because we have no records or images of the mask looking any different than what it does today. If we are correct, this means that these repairs are over 100 years old, and therefore have become part of the history of the object. Due to the age and working properties of animal based glue, treating the historic repairs has proved difficult as you will see below.

Step 3: Getting into shape

Before you can start fixing tears or cracking in an object, you need to make sure all the pieces of the puzzle line up. To do this, we need to slowly reshape the object using local humidification. Blotting paper is dampened with distilled water which is then placed between a layer of spun polyester and thin acrylic sheeting, and then placed in the area you wish to humidify. The polyester acts as a barrier between the object and the water and the thin acrylic keeps the blotter from drying out. By weighting this ‘sandwich’ down, I was able to flatten the modern paper on E019001. However, within hours of removing the weights, the paper had curled back up again. The animal glue tends to shrink as it ages, which caused the paper to curl up. Unfortunately, although the glue will soften and allow the paper to relax, the memory in the bonds of the glue means that when it dries, it curls up again. (We had a discussion about removing the paper, but we believe this will be too damaging and could lead to the loss of original material).

Reshaping E021583-006 however was much easier. Pegs and weights were used to hold the humidification sandwiches in place and allowed me successfully to realign all the fragments.

Step 4: Stay where you are

During the humidification of E019001, I saw that areas of the linen and modern materials were softening which could lead to the loss of material. To prevent this, it was decided to consolidate the inner surface. I used both 1% and 4% methylcellulose in water. In the video below, you can see that I alternate between brushes. Before applying my adhesive, I was applying a small amount of ethanol. The ethanol helps to pull the adhesive in to the object and when it evaporates it helps to bond the adhesive to the object with greater strength.

Step 5: It’s time to come together

After reshaping, it was time to begin repairing the front edge of E021583-006.There were several tears and loose fragments along the front edge. To repair this, Japanese tissue paper was used as a backing layer on the inside of the covering to add strength to the splits. Japanese tissue paper is an archival material commonly used in paper conservation to repair splits and tears. In the video below, you can see that I apply the adhesive both to the paper and to the linen before sticking them together. Once in place, spun polyester and a piece of dry blotter is weighted in place. This was to draw out excess moisture and ensure strong contact with the object. These repairs brought all the loose fragments together and added great strength to the originally weak front edge.

Please join me for part 3 in this blog series, where we will begin to work on the front painted surfaces of the objects!

Melissa Holt, Project Conservator, Collection Care and Conservation, Australian Museum.

]]>

Truth-telling, as old as the hills

Kim McKay, AO — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Another ‘Australia Day’ will be celebrated by some on 26 January, and with it undoubtedly a polarising debate on Australia’s founding story.

Australia is home to one of the world’s oldest living cultures, and is one of the most advanced Nations on the planet, and yet our dominant national narrative does not accept the proven, interconnected, factual story about how we became a country. That’s some omission.

Of course, we aren’t alone among world nations that maintain false narratives. But given humankind’s communications skills developed over millennia, it seems remarkable that the critical origin story of any democracy allows itself to rumble on, unsettled.

Museums the world over – including the Australian Museum (AM) as Australia’s first museum – have traditionally magnified the perspectives of the dominant, colonial culture, the appropriation of artefacts, the holding of human remains, a pervading sense of entitlement to take, own, study and draw conclusions, often excluding First Nations Peoples’ perspectives, knowledge and experiences.

Over three years ago, in a long overdue response to both this and the then approaching 250th anniversary of James Cook's first voyage to Australia and the Pacific in 1769/1770, the First Nations team at the AM set out to create Unsettled. They began the development of the exhibition by reaching out to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to ask how to tell the history every Australian needs to know.

And what did the respondents want to include in an exhibition? Truth-telling. Wisdom. Consciousness. Interconnectedness. To provide a space in which all Australians could learn from the cultural knowledge, philosophies and value systems that First Nations Peoples have nurtured and been cultural caretakers of for over 60,000 years. They wanted to call to account the disremembering of colonial narratives, and to instead tell the truth about contemporary Australia’s formation and history. This is the story we didn’t learn in school.

There is an art to establishing truth-telling and good communication between unreconciled groups, starting with deep listening – which is hard and needs to happen in culturally safe spaces and intentionally created platforms. The process requires compassion, mutual respect, self-reflection and time. The AM’s drive to confront our own past and be accountable was a process that was three years in the making – developing, consulting and researching the content.

Unsettled Curator and the AM’s Director, First Nations, Laura McBride, together with Assistant Curator, Dr Mariko Smith, delivered a meta, truth-telling celebration of First Nations excellence from within the walls of the oldest museum in Australia. At the same time, this award-winning exhibition also addresses the role that collecting museums have played in historic injustices against First Nations Peoples. It is an important step in working towards decolonising the spaces that have in the past sought to define First Nations Peoples and cultures, asserting instead First Nations Peoples’ sovereignty and voices.

As Laura McBride says, Unsettled isn’t Aboriginal history, it’s Australian history.

What we knew ourselves when we first unveiled Unsettled in March 2021, has been borne out by the response received from visitors, critics and our peers in the sector alike, with Unsettled named Best Exhibition in NSW (IMAGinE Awards), and Laura McBride receiving the ACHAA Award for Excellence by a First Nations Curator at the 2021 IMAGinE Awards.

This has all happened in tandem with other behind-the-scenes transformations, as often academic conversations around representation and professional development were transformed into action, a cultural step-change in the AM’s operations and organisational self-awareness as we head towards our 200th anniversary in 2027.

It takes courage for all of us – creators, facilitators and museum-goers – to unpick horrible truths, to get past fear and take a second look at how we became the country now known as Australia.

We have so much to learn and benefit from First Nations Elders and cultural knowledge holders about respect, reciprocity and mutual obligation, about our shared journey as a community, including our mutual responsibility to care for Country. Moving on from our fear of the ‘other’ through critical self-reflection, examination of our own conscious and unconscious biases and privilege, means we can ground ourselves confidently in renewal, allowing us all to play a role in building a more equitable shared future.

Unsettled is free to the public and closes on 27 January 2022.

Further information:

Ngalu Warrawi Marri (We Stand Strong) – an evening of cultural celebration held on Thursday 27 January as part of Nights at the Museum

News: Unsettled exhibition received IMAGinE awards

Introduction to Unsettled by Laura McBride and Dr Mariko Smith

Unsettled exhibition page

]]>

The discovery of an exceptional new fossil site offers a glimpse into Australia’s ancient rainforests

Matthew McCurry — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +1100

Every fossil provides a glimpse into a past world with plants and animals that are often very different to those that we can see on today. Unfortunately, most fossils preserve only hard body parts like shells, bones, and teeth. This means that palaeontologists still have many questions about how organisms without hard parts looked like. Equally challenging is the reconstruction of soft tissues, even if bones or other hard parts have survived.

Luckily, there are some exceptions. A handful of fossil sites around the world preserve soft tissues of organisms. These sites are extremely important for studying how life has changed over time. They are so important that palaeontologists have a special term for them: “Konservat-Lagerstätten”.

Today we published an article documenting the discovery of one such Konservat-Lagerstätte in the international journal Science Advances. We named the new fossil site ‘McGraths Flat’ after Nigel McGrath who discovered the first fossils at the locality. McGraths Flat provides unprecedented insight into the time of the Miocene, approximately 15 million years ago, when rainforests covered most of Australia. The site, which is located in central NSW, is exceptional for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, the site contains a range of fragile and soft-bodied organisms that are normally missing from the fossil record. While hundreds of Miocene fossil sites preserve kangaroo bones throughout Australia, we have very few sites that preserve smaller more fragile animals, like insects or spiders. Normally, these organisms tend to decompose before they are covered by sediments and the process of fossilisation begins. For example, up until a few years ago when we started digging at McGraths Flat, only four fossil spiders had been found in the whole of Australia. At McGraths Flat, we have so far unearthed thirteen spiders, often completely preserved; even miniscule anatomical features are still visible. A multitude of insect groups are also preserved in stunning detail, which includes dragonfly nymphs, assassin bugs, cicadas and parasitoid wasps. Almost all of them represent species that are new to science and have not yet been named.

Secondly, the fossils that we find at the site are preserved with extremely high fidelity. Under a scanning electron microscope, we can see the structure of individual body cells and sometimes, even very small intracellular organelles such as melanosomes are preserved. In fish and birds, the number, shape and packaging of these tiny organelles is associated with certain colours. Thus, the fossils from McGraths Flat allow us to reconstruct the colour pattern of some Miocene animals.

Thirdly, the high-quality preservation allows us to find evidence for species interactions that or normally difficult to track down. For instance, we found pollen on the body of a sawfly, allowing us to tell which flower was visited and possibly pollinated before the insect died. In other instances, the diets of organisms can also be reconstructed. For example, we found several fossilised fish that still possess the remains of prey within their stomachs. An ancient example of parasitism is on display in another fossilised fish; closer inspection revealed a larval mussel attached to the tail fin. These young mussels are temporary parasitic. For a few weeks, they hitch a ride and feed on the slime that covers the skin of the fish. Though these larvae are common fossil finds, none has ever been preserved while affixed to its host. Discoveries such as these not only grant us the resources to learn more about past species interactions but reaffirm the extraordinary quality of the fossils from this newly discovered Konservat-Lagerstätte.

Finally, the site is significant, because it can tell us about how changes in the climate impacted ecosystems. Using pollen and spore grains preserved in the sediments at this fossil site, we were able to date the fossils to the Miocene epoch. During the Miocene, Australia changed dramatically. Once widespread rainforests were replaced by the deserts and shrublands that now dominate the landscape. There is some evidence in the fossils from McGraths Flat that the ecosystem was in a state of change. The pollen suggests that there might have been dryer habitats surrounding the rainforest, which indicates that rainforests in NSW might have already begun changing into dryer habitats at the time.

Over the coming years we plan to continue excavating the site to learn more about the Miocene environment and to use the information to better predict how modern Australian environments may respond to climate change.

Dr Matthew McCurry, Scientific Officer - Curator, Palaeontology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Dr Michael Frese, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Canberra; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation; and Australian Museum Research Institute.

Ailie Mackenzie, MRes Candidate, Macquarie University and the Australian Museum.

]]>

This year, in our brimming biome home

Kim McKay, AO — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Prepping to speak at a Department of Premier and Cabinet leadership discussion this past week, I have been wading through new data to find what best illustrates the AM’s extraordinary achievements in the face of a testing year:

Our science team at the Australian Museum Research Institute described 218 new species, with an incredible 255 publications produced – both AM records – despite Covid’s restrictions around fieldwork. 11,000 vertebrae tissue and DNA samples were added to our collection. 3,000 square metres of new public floor space accommodated 462,000 visitors, who were welcomed onsite for the first seven months we were open - with 21,000 visitors attending the Award-winning Unsettled exhibition in its first month. 84,000 joined our education programs, we generated 11,680 media stories, almost 12,000,000 webpage views and 4,000 hours of service were logged by our volunteers.

Great numbers indeed. Check out the AM’s Year in Review video below.

But then I stopped looking at flat data and graphs across the year, and just sat back marvelling at the singular human diligence and complexity of the people powering our own ‘biome’ in 1 William Street, the AM’s home on the edge of Sydney’s CBD.

What a privilege it is to work here. Witnessing the dedicated engagement across and within each other’s departments and specialisms to land scientific enquiry, increase conservation goals, educate young people, preserve and expand vitally important collections, create breath-taking exhibits and events to transport our communities through time and to different windows on the world, is something I never tire of.

Our interconnected structures are quite something – our biodiverse eco-system sees each team trusting another’s effort to empower their own, allowing the collective channel to keep flowing towards wider illumination of the original inquiry, all the while gathering new forms of scientific expression; informing, challenging, instigating ideas, preserving memory, inspiring action. It never stops.

And the razor focus of the collective effort of our teams this year was nothing short of professional testimony: we are the second oldest scientific research organisation in Australia and the fifth oldest natural history museum in the world – 2027 will be our 200th birthday.

And our work today - and the clear public enthusiasm for it – demonstrably shows that the AM is a true agent of social change - on the doorstep and globally - able to listen, lead, learn and engage in illuminating what scientific history has taught us so far, and where it points us to now; enabling the valuable, engaging and vital conversations we need to take place, while providing a place to just enjoy learning, to connect with joy and to be together.

Data is critical, of course, but the future of museums is of course no longer just about being a one-way ‘voice of authority’.

The achievements chart really pops off the page and starts to effect community change when we challenge ourselves to deeply adapt as we’ve done again this year due to COVID-19. Working like a community responsive ‘biome’, as a think -tank for new ideas, we become a greater force of nature within our own teams – a mature knowledge cooperative, a curious and collaborative curator constantly asking our communities - what do you want to know about now - and why?

Respecting how our whole staff body of 300 plus people tackles its many new missions, often the result of stubborn professional resilience, empathy, humour and deep love for the wider mission of science is something you can’t easily put a tidy figure on in an annual report. But it’s the one I am most proud to stand up and talk about.

For a deep dive into the many achievements of the Australian Museum during 2020-2021, please see our Annual Report.

]]>

Earthworms can sometimes surprise us

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Australia is richly endowed with earthworm biodiversity, but of the 750 or so named species of earthworm in Australia, very few have been found in arid environments. The Broken Hill earthworm, a new genus and species, was a serendipitous find in an unexpected location. Find out more at the AM!

We usually associate earthworms (terrestrial Oligochaetes) with moist soils in areas which have a reliable rainfall, but as a surprising recent encounter has shown, this is not always the case.

The country around the town of Broken Hill in western New South Wales does not look like earthworm territory. The area has an average annual rainfall of around 260 mm and in some years, it can be considerably less than that. This distinctly semi-arid landscape, dominated by chenopod shrubland consisting of saltbush (Atriplex) and Bluebush (Maireana), appears inimical to earthworm colonisation. And yet, as the manager of a property near the town discovered, they can survive and even make a momentary appearance, if conditions are just right.

Australia is richly endowed with earthworm biodiversity, with some 750 named species across a wide variety of habitats including rainforest, coastal dune systems, tall forests, wetlands and alpine woodlands. As sampling across the continent has been far from comprehensive, it is likely that many more await discovery. Of the thousands of recorded earthworm localities, very few occur outside the 400 mm rainfall isohyet. The new Broken Hill species is not only sufficiently different anatomically and remote from other Australian earthworms, so as to warrant erection of a new genus (Aridulodrilus), but its occurrence in such a low rainfall environment is also highly unusual. Up to 1.5 metres long when fully extended, it may not be in the same league as other large Australian species such as the giant East Gippsland worm, (Megascolides australis) but is nevertheless quite distinctive. The name Aridulodrilus molesworthae not only acknowledges the species' unique environment but also recognises Ms Molesworth.

The new species can be observed crawling on the soil surface at night after rare heavy rainfall events, but only in a confined area (10 hectares) of the property. On these occasions brief encounters of individuals also permit copulation to take place. Why Aridulodrilus occurs in this one locality and not elsewhere (as far as we know) remains a mystery. It may be that the water table is higher here and the earthworms can survive at or above its capillary fringe, with behaviours governed by fluctuations in the level of the table and by rainfall events that temporarily saturate the upper soil layers. It also appears to be part of a category of earthworms whose diet consists largely of soil microbiota, rather than being heavily reliant on organic materials present on the ground surface or in upper soil layers. This would render it better adapted to survival in a situation where prolonged dry spells would preclude access to surface food sources.

Earthworms and their ancestors have been part of terrestrial ecosystems for a very long time, perhaps 200 million years or more. They would have existed before the supercontinent Pangaea began to first break up into Laurasia and Gondwana, and were later transported on the various fragments of these bodies. The earthworms occurring in the part of Gondwana which we now call Australia have survived and diversified through a very long history of geologic and climatic change. The last significant drying period in Australia during the late Miocene (from about 10 million years ago) likely precipitated a retreat of mesic vegetation and its associated fauna, including earthworms, to wetter coastal areas and the major river systems of the continent. This climatic shift may have been sufficiently gradual to allow isolated earthworm populations to persist within drier environments where the required set of soil, topographic and groundwater factors intersect. The Broken Hill earthworm, a serendipitous find in an unexpected location, may be an example of such a survival.

Dr Geoff Dyne, Visiting Scientist, Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Canberra.

]]>

Discoveries and disruptions: 2021 in AMRI

Meagan Warwick, Professor Kristofer Helgen — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +1100

2021 was an unprecedented year for many: despite COVID-19 disruptions and restrictions, AMRI scientists discovered an unprecedented number of species, published at a new record, carried out fieldwork, and engaged with the public in our citizen science programs.

218 new species were described by AMRI scientists, senior fellows and associates

In the 2020-21 financial year, a new record number of species were described for the Australian Museum. The ‘worm’ team led by Dr Elena Kupriyanova documented the polychaete worms of eastern and southern Australia; our AM team described and named a new species of bat in honour of Mrs Mary Holt and the late Dr John Holt who funded our original research at Coolah Tops (Holt’s Long-eared bat (Nyctophilus holtorum)); and our Research Associate Graham Short and AM's Andrew Trevor-Jones described the stunning red wide-bodied pipefish – found right here in Sydney. Major discoveries were made by Professor Kristofer Helgen, as part of the team that described the new species of monkey, the Popa langur, and two new species of gigantic woolly flying squirrel from the Himalayas. Several frogs species were described in Australia and overseas by Dr Jodi Rowley and her team, including the Leaf-litter Frog (in Cambodia) pictured below. However many discoveries are not made in the field; unearthed in the AM collections was a previously undescribed species of trilobite, named Lycophron titan after the ancient pre-Olympian Greek gods, the ‘titans,’ which were known for their gigantic size. It is the largest trilobite ever found in Australia. This is only a snapshot of AMRI’s work in the last year!

Another record: our scientific publications

During 2020-21, AMRI staff, senior fellows and research associates published a total of 255 papers in international and national peer-reviewed scientific journals and books, largely based on the AM’s natural history collections, making it another record year of publications for the AM.

Some of the highlights from the past financial year come from the Records of the Australian Museum. Since 1851, we have published academic journals to report discoveries made in our collections. Our serial titles contain peer-reviewed research articles on animal taxonomy, archaeology and geology. We wanted to highlight two volumes in particular, including the compendium dedicated to the late Dr Ken Aplin and the edition dedicated to our Senior Fellow, Dr Robin Torrence. Dr Ken Aplin was an AM Research Associate, a world-renowned comparative anatomist, vertebrate systematist, palaeontologist, and zooarchaeologist and an extraordinary man; in 2020, a volume in honour of Dr Ken Aplin was released, celebrating the lives of creatures obscure, misunderstood, and wonderful. In 2021, a collection of 16 papers by 32 authors covering a diverse range of topics on archaeological materials and museum collections was published in honour of Dr Robin Torrence. Robin continues to be giant in her field and was celebrated earlier this year for all she has contributed to the field of archaeology.

Our fieldwork continues

Although there were significant travel restrictions in place, our fieldwork and expeditions continued. Most of the surveys were limited to domestic destinations, but also included work in Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island. Archaeologist Dr Amy Way spent a week on Norfolk Island, meeting with community and heritage groups and secured strong support for a future archaeological field program. Surveys of land snails on Lord Howe Island by Drs Frank Koehler and Isabel Hyman resulted in the discovery of rare endemic species, which were rescued and transported to Taronga Zoo for captive breeding.

AMRI scientists undertook several field surveys across eastern Australia to understand the impacts of the 2019-20 bushfires on species. More than 150 sites in eastern NSW were surveyed and around 1000 samples of land snails collected. Separate surveys of the forests of north-eastern NSW collected 20,000 beetles from 160 sites, uncovering four new species of dung beetle and evidence that flightless species suffered loss of diversity and numbers in burnt areas. The palaeontology team also undertook surveys of the Gunningbland and Parkes region of central NSW, and completed fieldwork out at Alice Springs.

Fieldwork in Sydney Harbour was also undertaken by Dr Joey DiBattista, gathering seawater samples for environmental DNA. Further fieldwork surveying fish occurred in the Tweed River, Hastings Point and Cook Island. We also had five AMRI scientists embark on the CSIRO research vesssel (RV) Investigator earlier this year, which explored the Indian Ocean Territories and its deep-sea marine life.

The power of citizen science

Engaging the public in national and international science projects is a core value for the AM. Our citizen science projects, run by the Australian Museum Centre for Citizen Science, are central to increasing scientific knowledge and contributing to critical data monitoring. Here we have highlighted three of our world-renowned, ground-breaking projects.

FrogID

FrogID is the AM’s flagship citizen science project and is the most successful in Australia. Since its launch, FrogID citizen scientists have contributed over 534,000 verified frog records from 209 Australian frog species. More than 192,000 frog recordings across Australia were received in 2020-21, double the number reported last year. More than 12,600 people across Australia contributed to the growing dataset, an increase of over 70%. The 2020 FrogID Week saw more than 2000 participants record over 20,000 frog calls, representing 103 different species in a ten-day period. The work of FrogID is becoming increasingly important and relevant in helping scientists understand some of the environmental impacts of recent extreme weather events. For instance, when the public reported seeing sick and dead frogs across Eastern Australia, the AM held an urgent appeal to help save Australia's frogs. The goal of this appeal is to determine the cause of this event, recommend mitigation and conservation actions to Government, local councils and conservation groups; carry out targeted frog surveys to determine the impact of these sick and dead frogs; and mobilise the community to help save important species. FrogID data also helped support important AM fieldwork and research undertaken into the impact of the 2019-20 bushfires on Australia’s biodiversity.

DigiVol

DigiVol is the world’s first citizen science website for digitising museum collections, powered by citizen scientists – and just this month, DigiVol turned 10! This highly acclaimed program continues to be a pioneer in the field of digitisation, as a platform that digitises not only the AM collections but collections around the world. Check out the infographic below for a glimpse at some of DigiVol’s success.

Australasian Fishes

This online initiative is hosted by arguably the largest citizen science platform in the world, iNaturalist. The innovation of the Australasian Fishes project is that uploaded fish photos with geospatial information are identified and/or validated by the community, with taxonomic experts in major museums around Australasia, as well as international scientists, available for consultation when species identity comes into question. These image identifications then become a permanent record for a specific animal, at a specific location, at a specific point in time. Now in its fourth year, this project gained 1260 new members during 2020-21 with more than 40,000 observations added this year. A recent study using data from the AM’s Australasian Fishes Project, revealed the top ten fish species recorded by citizen scientists and recommends how this data can contribute to effective conservation and ﬁsheries management.

Preservation and Conservation

In May 2021, the AM’s renovated lower ground Collection Care and Conservation (CC&C) laboratory space became fully operational. This dedicated centre of preservation and collection risk management delivers wide ranging expertise in high level conservation and preventive practices across the AM’s extensive collections. The renovation has delivered an open plan, flexible dry work area, a sophisticated wet work area, and an analytical area. Reinstated heritage windows now provide students and members of the public with a close-up, behind the scenes view of the inner workings of the lab and the AM’s back-of-house operations.

Several valuable collections were re-housed in improved storage facilities during 2020-21. Large herpetology specimens (such as turtles, crocodiles and snakes) that had previously been stored in plastic tanks were re-housed in new, stainless steel storage tanks. Storage for the AM’s entomology collections was also upgraded, with the installation of new, larger cabinets for dry specimens. Dry shell collection cabinets for the malacology collections were replaced with thousands of new specimen trays, while 175 large, mounted mammal specimens at the Museum’s Discovery Centre at Castle Hill were also rehoused in purpose built stillages. Two important rehousing projects for dry type specimens across the natural sciences collections were also completed this year, resulting in 4200 specimens being rehoused. A second rehousing project for the AM’s Tapa (bark) Pasifika cloth collection was also completed, resulting in 2000 cloths being transferred into new cabinets at the Rydalmere offsite storage facility.

To take a peek behind the scenes of CC&C, please watch our recent webinar below:

It's in our DNA

The Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics (ACWG) continued to contribute to our understanding of taxonomy, biosecurity and wildlife conservation. ACWG provides support to AMRI scientists, and expert advice to government departments, the aviation industry and other industry partners. In a massive boost to the ACWG’s Frozen Tissue Collection, Professor Bill Sherwin from UNSW donated more than 11,000 vertebrate tissue and DNA samples accumulated throughout his 30 years of research – making it one of the largest and most significant donations of its kind. This year also saw ACWG offer its services to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) – Australia, and Royal Caribbean in a ground-breaking conservation project known as Surrender Your Shell. This project is aimed at protecting the critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle from the illegal tortoiseshell trade. ACWG’s staff and expertise in DNA technology have helped identify where the shell products have come from and pinpoint Hawksbill turtle populations to allow for targeted conservation efforts. To date, more than 178 items have been surrendered thanks to the program.

Lizard Island Research Station

The AM’s Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS) at the top of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland reopened in August 2020. The station’s five-month enforced closure due to COVID-19 meant that usage and activity was significantly lower this year than normal. Corals in the area began to bleach in early January 2021, but favourable weather patterns in early 2021 helped prevent a major bleaching event. However, each summer continues to pose significant threats to corals from heat stress as the underlying water temperature increases due to climate change. Only Australia-based researchers have been able to visit LIRS since the reopening, most of them already based in Queensland. A total of 37 research projects were conducted by teams from seven Australian institutions in addition to an Australian team acting for a UK/USA based project. Contributions to the scientific literature by researchers using the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station increased by 72 during the year.

Generous funding from LIRRF and donations from Minderoo went towards an upgraded solar power system which increased solar collection by 50%, with modelling predicting that solar will generate 95% of LIRS’s future electrical energy requirements.

An award winning year

It has been a big year for awards and events! For the 2020 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, the AMRI Medal was awarded to Collection Manager Mineralogy and Petrology and Group Manager, Geosciences and Archaeology, Ross Pogson. The AMRI Medal is presented to an individual staff member, senior fellow or team from the AMRI for outstanding science and communication of their research outcomes. Ross Pogson was recognised for his outstanding research and management of the Museum’s rock, mineral, meteorite and tektite collection. Our wonderful Dr Penny Berents was awarded the AMRI Medal during the 2021 AM Eureka Prizes, as an outstanding marine biologist with more than 40 years’ experience in research, museum policy and management.

The Australian Museum Foundation and AMRI awarded a number of visiting fellowships and awards this year, to scientists in a variety of fields from palaeontology to marine invertebrates - and some of our wonderful awardees have already delivered presentations in our great AMRI Online Seminar Series. AMRI students also delivered an update on their research and projects in this year's AMRI Student forum, the abstracts of which can be found here.

Our scientists participated in a number of programs throughout the year including: Early Birds: Autism and Sensory-Friendly Mornings, the IBM EdTech Youth Challenge, the Sydney Science Trail and more!

Meagan Warwick, AMRI Project and Communications Officer, Australian Museum.

Professor Kristofer Helgen, Chief Scientist and Director, AMRI.

]]>

News from LIRS: Marine pollution research

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF) is featured at the AM. LIRRF supports scientific research & education at the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. For this month, we feature: Marine pollution research.

For nearly two decades, Manoela Romano de Orte has been studying the double-barreled menace of pollution and climate change that puts coral reefs in the firing line.

As a recent graduate in Brazil in 2004, Manoela was looking for a research topic for a higher degree when a tanker exploded during unloading and broke in half. Four hundred tonnes of oil spilled from the wreckage into the surrounding water, fouling seabirds and ruining the livelihoods of fishermen for miles around.

“That drew my attention and I felt a need to find out more about the spill. I had so many questions like ‘What happened to all the smaller organisms that got caught up in it?’ and ‘How long were these effects going to last?’"

The tide of Manoela’s curiosity rose and kept her afloat for a year of intensive research into that very spill, narrowing down on the effects it had on microalgae – the plants at the base of the marine food chain. After that, she packed her bags and flew to Spain for five years’ more study to earn her PhD. “What I am trying to learn is how the different man-made threats to the ocean multiply each other.”

One poignant example she recounts concerns sea anemones and microplastics.

“You see, recently I was researching this and comparing anemones that had been bleached by global warming and ones that still had their algae symbionts. Both consumed the plastic particles, but the bleached anemones took much longer to remove the plastic from their systems. So climate change is really harmful because it can exacerbate other dangers.” And the list of those is long: rising sea levels, ocean acidification, more frequent natural disasters, heavy metal contaminants, invasive species and more . “For me, climate change is the biggest threat because it causes or contributes to all of these.”

Manoela’s postdoctoral research took her to California where she works with Prof. Ken Caldeira at the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford. She was part of a large team that visited Lizard Island twice, in 2018 and 2019, to measure changes in reef metabolism (see Going to the LIMIT on Lizard Island: the impact of ecological disturbance on coral reef metabolism).

Based on that work, Manoela was lead author in a paper released in March this year that tells another frightening story.

“When corals die, you get communities of algae that grow over them. So we were trying to understand how they influence the metabolism of reefs around Lizard Island. Usually, scientists try to sample this by looking at seawater collected nearby. They can then study the concentrations of compounds in it to tell them the health of the corals.”

Manoela’s team, however, needed to separate the readings from living coral communities and from algae growing on dead coral nearby. So a custom-built chamber was used, taking readings for both day and ‘night.’

“We were surprised at first because the algae were calcifying at a similar rate to the corals during the day. But if you turned your lights off to mimic night-time, the corals were still calcifying whilst the algae were dissolving away the carbonate that had accumulated during the day. So when researchers go out there in the afternoon and take samples from the reef they’ll think that the corals are doing great because calcification is going on at a really fast rate. What’s actually happening is that the reading is coming from the algae as well: it’s a false signal that means corals are doing worse than we thought.”

But everything isn’t all doom and gloom. In some cases, Manoela’s research has shown examples of extremely hardy corals that could help us save the reefs.

“There are corals in the mouth of the Amazon river which is murky from sand and silt blocking out the light. And recently I was doing a project with corals in tide pools that are exposed above the water’s surface for hours each day in the heat. In both cases, the corals manage to survive. Perhaps if we can find out how they do so we could help protect others which aren’t so robust.” There may be hope for corals yet.

By Eliot Connor, Volunteer with Dr Anne Hoggett, Director, Lizard Island Research Station, Australian Museum.

To view the original blog and more LIRS blogs, please go to: https://lirrf.org/marine-pollution-research/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised over $13.2 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

Digitising the treasures of the sea

Dr Laetitia Gunton, Dr Stephen Keable — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +1100

The Australian Museum is digitising its collections, including the historic and diverse Marine Invertebrate collection. We explain how the Museum is opening up its treasure trove of specimens to the world and the discoveries we are making along the way.

The Australian Museum houses over 21 million specimens and cultural objects – the majority of which are not on public display but are stored behind the scenes. Not only are these objects scientifically and culturally important, but also the data attached to them provides valuable context. This includes information on what the object is, where and when it was collected and who it was collected by. These data represent a rich biodiversity library that is used as a tool in a range of disciplines, including taxonomic classification, conservation research, evolutionary biology, biogeographical analysis and pest control. When digitising a specimen, the hard copy data (labels and registers) are transcribed onto the museum’s electronic database and combined with selected digital images (photographs or 3-D scans) of the objects. This information is then made publicly available – but there is more to this process, and the AM collections, than meets the eye.

Opening up the treasure trove

Creating a digital record of specimens enhances access to the collections, in a plethora of impactful and significant ways. Previously the ability to access and study many of the specimens and data was limited to on-site visits or through loans to scientists and researchers. Following digitisation, future external researchers, data analysts and citizen scientists will have greater access to both the specimen and the related data 24/7. Furthermore, it will future-proof the collections by reducing the need to handle the objects as frequently, resulting in reduced wear and tear.

For almost two centuries the AM has been acquiring specimens, which has resulted in a backlog of unregistered material. Excitingly we have already uncovered specimens of species that are poorly known and represent new distribution records, adding to the understanding of their biology.

Digitising life under the sea

Registers cataloguing the Marine Invertebrate collection date from 1883. It is one of the most diverse zoological collections held in the AM. The collection covers a wide range of organisms including worms, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, prawns, corals, jellyfish, seastars, sea urchins and sponges, just to name a few! Specimens are kept in liquid preservative (usually ethanol or formalin) or dried. It is estimated that there are over 511,000 samples in the Marine Invertebrate collection, however, less than 50% have been fully documented.

Spongy discoveries

The sponges (scientific name, Porifera) were a recent group we tackled for digitisation (seen in the images below). Specimens preserved in ethanol can be rather smelly and exude a thick mucus, similar to that produced by Slimer from Ghostbusters! In life, this is a characteristic that sponges can combine with chemical defences to ward off predators. Last year we registered over 1500 sponge specimens. Additionally, working with a sponge specialist, Dr Merrick Ekins from the Queensland Museum, over 100 of these have been identified from the images, resulting in some interesting findings.

Five species, Suberea clavata (image below), Cinachyrella schulzei, Hicksonella expansa Coscinoderma nardorus and Clathria (Thalysias) virgultosa, were new records for the collection. The Suberea clavata specimens are from New South Wales, an area where this species has been rarely documented from. One unregistered sponge specimen we discovered was collected in 1888 from Port Phillip, Victoria – a specimen that had been in the collection for 133 years! Already, this project has added to the breadth of the Museum’s collections available to study.

Next stop … brittle stars

The next group we are working on is the brittle stars (scientific name, Ophiuroidea). These are closely related to seastars, but as their name suggests they are very fragile. An additional challenge is their arms are often tangled up together like the game ‘Barrel of Monkeys’! As with the sponges, we are working with specialists to identify these specimens.

We have also been taking digital photographs of important specimens for requests from scientists around the world. This has assisted with their studies describing species new to science. These requests have included crustaceans, seastars and hydrozoans (see images below). Sending these digital images has been extremely useful due to disruptions in loaning specimens caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Submerge yourself in the collections

We expect many more discoveries during this project and we are all very excited to dive in and explore the collections further.

If you would like to get involved and help transcribe the Australian Museum’s digital collections, please visit the DigiVol website. You can also find out more about the Australian Museum Marine Invertebrate collection from the museum website and about specimens in the collections at the Atlas of Living Australia.

Dr Laetitia Gunton, Technical Officer, Digitising, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Dr Stephen Keable, Collection Manager, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Celebrating a decade of DigiVol!

Meagan Warwick, Paul Flemons, Adam Woods, Leonie Prater — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +1100

DigiVol, the World’s first citizen science website for digitising museum collections, turns 10! Today we celebrate our volunteers, staff and all the brilliant collections that make this project so unique.

DigiVol is celebrating it’s 10-year birthday today – the highly acclaimed program continues to be a pioneer in the field of digitisation, as a platform responsible for digitising not only the Australian Museum collections, but collections around the world. Established in 2011 in collaboration with Atlas of Living Australia, DigiVol is a ground-breaking digitisation project, powered by citizen scientists. DigiVol consists of two components, a lab at the AM for volunteers to photograph collection specimens and objects, and a website (powered by the ALA) where volunteers transcribe information.

You may ask – why do we digitise? For decades, there has been a demand for improved access to museum collections, both by government branches and community. Not only does digitisation future proof museum collections, and provide equitable access to researchers, students and the general public but there are other drivers. Invaluable information is stored within labels and archival records, which historically have only been accessible during site visits. This newly accessible information continues to have real-world applications such as, understanding environmental change and contributing to conservation planning and management, and biodiversity assessment.

Central to the success of DigiVol are our volunteers. Volunteering at DigiVol is offered both onsite and online. Even though many of our volunteers could not be on site to digitise our collections during COVID-19 restrictions, this certainly didn’t stop their efforts. In fact during the 2020 lockdown period, the DigiVol website catapulted to a whole new level of activity with 2 million transcriptions completed in just six months.

So, whether you are transcribing labels from natural science specimens, delving into historical documents, identifying species in camera trap images, DigiVol’s ‘virtual expeditions’ have something for everyone! And at 10 years young, there is much more to come.

Meagan Warwick, AMRI Project and Communications Officer.

Paul Flemons, Manager Digital Collections and Citizen Science, AMRI.

Adam Woods, Digivol Online Coordinator, AMRI.

Leonie Prater, DigiVol Lab Coordinator, AMRI.

]]>

The teenage filmmaker with a flair for science communication

Kate Smith — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Who Jonathan D., Townsville Grammar School

What In Rewilding Earth, Jonathan discusses the implications of climate change and investigates how enhancing biodiversity could help address this pressing issue. Through a series of interviews, he shares community concerns about the future of climate change then draws on research to explain the process of rewilding.

Winner, 2021 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Secondary

Your short film explores the concept of rewilding. What sparked your interest in this topic?

I was reading Sir David Attenborough’s excellent book A Life on our Planet, which presents rewilding as an intuitive solution for preventing and reversing environmental degradation. What struck me was how broad its implications were – not only could this help mitigate anthropogenic (human-made) climate change, but it could also help restore and conserve habitats, build more resilient ecosystems and even boost the economy through ecotourism and a sustained output of natural resources!

You did a lot of research when producing Rewilding Earth. What’s the most surprising thing that you learnt?

Just how many strategies we have at our disposal to implement rewilding – from low-tech regenerative farming in the Netherlands, to high-tech precision agriculture. It also surprised me how much sense it made financially. It’s just like investing in the stock market, except investing in the planet is vital if we want the stock market – or indeed, humans – to continue existing!

What did you enjoy most about making your film?

I loved coming home from school with a sense of purpose. I’d put all my equipment in my backpack, then ride my bicycle to my chosen filming location, mentally rehearsing my lines. It feels amazingly fulfilling to decide to do something, commit to it, and then see it through. It also gave me a lot of confidence to push myself out of my comfort zone. Asking random people walking along the beach for a quick interview can be quite nerve-wracking, but it was ultimately a lot of fun!

Can you tell us a bit about your film making process?

I’ve been making films for a while now, and each time the process is slightly different. Almost everything you read on filmmaking will tell you to write a script in advance, design a storyboard, then film and edit, etc. I tried this approach early on — and for me, at least, it didn’t work at all. What works for me is drawing up a rough outline of my video, and then researching each bit in detail until I feel like I understand it well enough to explain it.

Then, I’ll think of a place to shoot, go there with my notebook, and spend 15-20 minutes recording multiple takes of the scene (that might only be 15-20 seconds long!). Then, I’ll go home, import my favourite take into my editing software (Adobe Premiere Pro) and incorporate it into whatever timeline I have so far. I like to edit incrementally — I’ll add the new shot, try to make it fit neatly into whatever else I’ve already edited, then go over the new timeline a few times, making sure it feels right. I really enjoy editing — if I didn’t, I’d go mad!

You cite Sir David Attenborough as one of your inspirations. How has he influenced you?

His book, A Life on our Planet, was hugely inspirational for me while making the video, and his other documentaries, including Life on Earth, also inspired me when I was younger. He’s a man who sought to communicate the wonders and beauties of nature to people all around the world — you might say he’s the original science communicator!

What’s your advice to anyone who might be thinking about entering the Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize in the future?

Pick a topic that you’re really interested in, and one you that you think could be explained in an interesting way. Rewilding is a new concept to many people, and I felt that I could use some creative filmmaking techniques to make an interesting video about it, which could teach people in an engaging way. Ergo, the idea for my video was born!

In previous years, I’ve made videos about the fascinating subatomic particle, the neutrino, and the exciting field of biochemical research, artificial photosynthesis. Use some background music where appropriate – but make sure it’s not distracting, under copyright, or too loud. Some good places to find royalty-free music for your videos include the Free Music Archive, the YouTube Audio Library, and Incompetech.com – all free!

]]>

Digitising and conserving fragile materials: the Australian Museum archaeology collection

Rebecca Jones, Clare Kim — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +1100

We take a behind the scenes look at the process of digitising and conserving fragile objects in the First Nations Archaeology collection – an ongoing collaborative project with the AM's Collection Care and Conservation team.

A major digitisation project is currently underway in the First Nations Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander archaeology collection, to enhance the collection and provide First Nations communities and the general public with access to objects usually held in storage. Digitisation of a museum object requires much more work than just taking a photo. Before beginning digitisation, an assessment of the object’s condition and housing (how the item is stored) is made. The First Nations archaeology collection is an extensive collection, comprised mostly of stone artefacts uncovered at various sites across NSW – these stone artefacts are relatively robust and generally easy to appropriately house. However, there are some larger items in the collection that are composed of composite materials including organic material and have been flagged as needing rehousing and conservation as part of their ongoing care. Every object within the collection is unique, and requirements are different for each artefact. Objects composed of composite materials often naturally degrade over time at a faster rate than stone artefacts. The digitisation project has provided collection staff with the time and resources to focus on these objects, allowing for a collaboration between the First Nations, archaeology and Collection Care and Conservation (CC&C) teams.

Conservation challenges with composite materials

Some of the objects from the First Nations archaeology collection which have proved the most challenging are latex moulds from stratigraphic sections. These are sediment samples from the original ‘wall’ of the archaeological site that contain shells, rocks and soil adhered to the latex. The Australian Museum currently has a latex mould from Balmoral Beach on Sydney harbour's north shore on display in the First Nations exhibition: Garrigarrang: Sea Country, which provides a good example of a stratigraphic section from a shell midden. Shell from the upper layer was radiocarbon dated to between circa 2750 BP (before present), and charcoal from the lower layer dated to circa 4000 BP. Within the matrix of the midden are fragments of shellfish and bones from fish, reptiles, and mammals.

While latex peels offer a visual educational perspective of the archaeological site, they also create conservation challenges due to their composite nature. Conserving composite materials found in a single object is challenging due to the accelerated chemical deterioration caused from different materials. Organic materials such as latex also have inherent instability and are highly susceptible to degradation when the material reacts with oxygen in the air. Heavily degraded latex results in the material becoming brittle due to loss of flexibility over time, which is challenging to conserve. Therefore, it is best to preserve the collection prior to the object reaching this stage by slowing down the degradation of materials. This is possible by controlling and maintaining a stable environmental condition such as the temperature and relative humidity. Providing appropriate housing using conservation grade storage materials and adequate physical support to the objects also reduces the risk of accelerated deterioration.

Conservation assessment and developing a conservation plan

To develop a conservation plan, Clare Kim (Conservator) and Rebecca Jones (Digitisation Officer) moved the items, including latex peels, from their location in storage into the CC&C lab – a complex task, as these items are located in different buildings within the Australian Museum. This movement was carefully planned to ensure any potential risks of damage from vibration and handling are minimised.

After slowly unwrapping the objects, the condition is assessed and detailed photos are taken to document the condition of the object. This step is essential to make sure the objects are in a stable condition to go through the digitisation process and to minimise any potential risk of damage that could occur during object handling. Also, if significant information about the object is obscured due to its condition, conservation treatment is provided to the relevant area, so this information can be captured.

The AM staff are frequently uncertain as to what is contained within the wrapping of older acquisitions as many were acquired decades before their time at the Museum and some early museum records are sparse on detail. Sometimes we can speak with the original excavators of the archaeological site who can remember invaluable information and share photos from the excavation to help understand and contextualise the object. This information significantly aids our decision-making process when developing a conservation plan.

These objects and their stories need to be preserved for future generations with great respect. Conserving this collection is a cross-cultural collaboration project between the First Nations archaeology collection, CC&C, relevant First Nations communities and archaeologists to gather as much information about the object as possible to help guide the treatment plan and decision-making process. The discussion often includes what are the most significant aspects that need to be preserved, which involves not only the physical part of an object, but also the intangible heritage that the object is carrying through stories, places, and practice.

Stay tuned! We hope to provide more updates on our progress for conservation treatment and re-housing in the near future.

Dr Rebecca Jones, Digitisation Officer First Nations Archaeology, Australian Museum.

Clare Kim, Collection Enhancement Conservator, Collection Care & Conservation, Australian Museum.

]]>

Game changing moments: celebrating International Day for People with a Disability

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +1100

I’ll never forget the day that I saw subtitles on an English language movie the first time.

Up until that point, I thought my love of foreign film stemmed from the fact that the stories resonated with me so much more; that foreign language film makers somehow reached into my psyche better than with those who made films written in the English tongue. English, my native language.

Perhaps, I thought, it was because I (though Aussie-born) am Lebanese-Indian by heritage. Culturally, perhaps I could relate better. Perhaps.

As the case turned out, I couldn’t hear properly. So, when I finally watched an English language film that was subtitled in English – my world tilted sideways. “Holy crap. I didn’t realise how much I’ve been missing,” I remember whispering to my best mate.

I made do, though. We do, don’t we, when it’s possible to make do? It was years later that I finally booked a hearing test and found out, aged 26, that I was severely hearing impaired. The audiologist’s jaw dropped when I came out of the testing booth. “I don’t know how you were just having a conversation with me,” she gasped. “You must be a master lip reader.”

It is things like that, though – innovation in the cultural realm, something as simple as writing words over the images in a film – that changes lives. That breaks barriers you didn’t even know were there.

It’s why I am so proud to sit on the Australian Museum’s Access & Inclusion Advisory Panel, and Chair the City of Sydney’s Disability Inclusion Advisory Panel. Because I get to help bring people these moments. I get to help a cultural institution like the Australian Museum – one of the best of its kind, truth be told – become that much more reachable and accessible to anyone with any sort of need.

I don’t remember that movie, all those years ago. But I remember that moment. And my best mate, she’s dyslexic. Nowadays she’ll ask me to read things aloud to her, and I’ll ask her to tell me what people are saying. Imagine a world where neither of us ever need to do that – because both of our needs are met. Because everything is catering to us both. That’s the kind of world I want to get behind. And it’s the kind of world the Museum wants to create. Exhibits that have videos with sound: subtitled. Gallery tours in writing: audio-described.

And I remember when we installed our first Changing Places facility. It is one of a few in all of Sydney, and it means that anyone with a need, can use the bathroom at the Museum in a way that makes sense for them (and their carer).

So I want to say a heartfelt thanks to the Museum – and to every other cultural institution out there that places this high on their priority list – for thinking of everyone. Because the exhibits are exceptional. And, like you, I just want to be able to enjoy them without Natalie having to tell me what the guy in the video is saying.

One last thought. This week, we’re celebrating the International Day for People with a Disability. So I’d like to acknowledge everyone in this space – disabled or otherwise – who are paving the way with new ideas and new technology, to make our future brighter for our kids, and for the older version of ourselves that are just around the corner.

You are stars. We appreciate you.

With warm regards,

Sabrina Houssami

]]>

More than a snail’s pace: Progress on Norfolk Island’s threatened snails

Dr Isabel Hyman — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1100

There have been moments of excitement and moments of despair along the way, but six months after starting a zoo-based breeding program for two Critically Endangered land snail species from Norfolk Island, the population is stable and progressing well.

Norfolk Island has an amazing diversity of unique land snail species, as described in some previous AM blogs (see more information). Threats to their survival include habitat loss, climate change, and predation by introduced rodents and chickens. To address some of these conservation concerns, the Australian Museum is leading a collaboration with Taronga Zoo, Parks Australia and the Norfolk Island Regional Council to protect the two largest species, which are both Critically Endangered and at risk of extinction. This collaboration has raised funds for surveys, habitat enhancement, increased pest control around the populations, and an ex situ breeding program based at Taronga Zoo, Sydney. Today I’d like to share an update on our zoo-based breeding program.

First, a brief reminder about why we care so much about snails! These fascinating creatures are adapted to living in environments from rainforest to desert, with endless variation in their diet, lifestyle, reproduction and development. They are also the most threatened animal group on Earth – driven by a particularly high rate of extinction among land snails on Pacific Islands. In response to this, captive breeding programs have been established for many Pacific Island species, including London Zoo’s Snail Conservation Programme and Hawaii’s Snail Extinction Prevention Program. Over many decades, these breeding programs have bred and released into the wild well over 15,000 snails from many species.

Initially, we based our own husbandry program closely on London Zoo’s. The diet that we use is a paste which we spread thinly on a Perspex sheet, in order to mimic biofilm, which is a complex mixture of microscopic organisms that many snails feed on. However, every species has slightly different needs, and one of the greatest challenges in snail husbandry is determining the particular needs of each species. For example, a ground-dwelling snail may eat biofilm growing on the surface of leaves or logs, or it may eat decaying leaves at a certain level of deterioration, or fungi that only grow inside rotten logs… the list of possibilities is endless. To add to this, biofilm can be made up of hundreds of microorganisms, so replacing it is challenging.

When the Norfolk Island snails first arrived at Taronga Zoo in May 2021, their initial reproductive rate was very high and they quickly doubled and then tripled their numbers. There was some mortality of baby snails, but not too high, and things went very well for about 6 weeks. However, after that we started to have some deaths of adult founders. The zoo staff are familiar with this pattern: it usually takes about 6 weeks for the effects of habitat or diet to show up. It is also very common for it to take some time to get the right conditions for any new species being kept in a zoo for the first time.

After this, the Taronga team put many resources into solving the problem, including input from veterinary staff, dieticians, and lots of hard work from the husbandry team. One major difficulty is that once the snails had lost condition, it was very difficult to bring them back to good health, even with improved diet and habitat. With so little known about these critically endangered species, another challenge was the lack of adequate information about the snails’ biology and behaviour in their natural environment to use as a benchmark. So over time the populations gradually reduced (particularly in Mathewsoconcha suteri), despite huge efforts from the zoo staff to turn things around, until stabilising about 6 weeks ago.

While setbacks early on in any captive breeding program are to be expected, it still impacted the husbandry team greatly. The team are all passionate about protecting species on the brink of extinction and devoted many hours to solving the problems affecting the snails.

In spite of some losses to the zoo population, the recent stabilisation in population size indicates that we have successfully established the correct conditions, and we are very hopeful of a long-term positive outcome. We know from our colleagues at the snail breeding programs in Hawaii and London that it is common to struggle to find the right conditions on the first attempt, since each snail species has certain requirements that are mostly unknown. The good news is that while we did struggle initially, our population size is now stable and the snails are growing well, so the current conditions and diet appear to be suitable. We have also learned a great deal about the needs of these unique creatures. For example, we have learned to keep them in smaller containers, at a higher density, and under lower humidity; we know that the food is accepted best when it is spread on a soft surface rather than a hard one; we have improved the composition of the food, and have investigated the best way to provide calcium; and we have improved the regime of feeding, cleaning and handling. Each of these changes has seen a significant improvement in the health of the snails.

Now that we have found the right conditions for Advena campbellii, which has responded best to the current diet and environment regime, our intention is to focus on just this species alone for the time being in order to establish a healthy population. We intend to collect another 14 individuals of Advena campbellii to add to the zoo-based population early next year. Despite their close relationship, the two snail species have different needs, and an investigation of niche habitat requirements and microclimate conditions in Mathewsoconcha suteri will be carried out before more specimens are collected. In the meantime, our efforts to protect and grow the wild populations are continuing, and we will provide another update on the zoo-based breeding program next year.

Dr Isabel Hyman, Scientific Officer, Malacology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

How to hijack climate change: Tips from vagrant fish

Dr Laura Gajdzik, Dr Joseph DiBattista — Sun, 28 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Hotter and drier summers in Australia bring with them massive fires, successive bleaching on coral reefs and widespread die-offs of our valuable kelp forests. Although all may seem doom and gloom in our oceans, some species are surprisingly resourceful and can even take advantage of warmer waters.

The great climate migration has begun for humans. People are leaving places that are becoming uninhabitable and the scale of this mass exodus is expected to increase dramatically in the near future. It is not just humans either, as animals are also migrating with the rapidly changing climate. Birds and mountain mammals are moving to higher altitudes, whereas marine fish are relocating into deeper waters or to higher latitudes where temperatures are cooler. In fact, some of these “vagrant” fish are themselves heading south into foreign environments that were struck by a heatwave.

This “poleward” migration is well known in Western Australia and started when an extreme marine heatwave impacted the coastline in 2010/11. With the help of a stronger and earlier-than-usual current, this heatwave presumably facilitated the exportation of Black Rabbitfish (Siganus fuscescens) from coral reefs in the north, into kelp forests in the south. But whether their migration was recent and attributed to the 2010/11 heatwave, and exactly how these vagrants could have survived the colder ocean conditions that followed the heatwave, remain largely unanswered. To address these questions, colleagues at Curtin University, the Australian Museum, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD – WA Fisheries), the Western Australian Museum, and Hawai'i Pacific University worked together to implement a multi-faceted approach to get the bigger picture of this phenomenon of vagrancy, often referred to as “tropicalization”.

To answer the first question of population connectivity, we sequenced the DNA of rabbitfish individuals that are associated with coral reef habitat from five tropical and subtropical regions (tropical residents) as well as those that may have migrated to temperate kelp forests (vagrants). In our recent study in Communications Biology, we found that genetically, all the individuals belonged to the same population cluster but we could not determine from which tropical or subtropical region they originated (Kimberley, Pilbara, Exmouth, Coral Bay or Shark Bay). There were in fact high migration rates among all sites (tropical, subtropical, and temperate) along the coastline, suggesting that the heatwave likely triggered the migration of rabbitfish further south.

After looking at this large-scale population genetic connectivity, we compared the diet of tropical residents and temperate vagrants by sequencing the DNA of algae and phytoplankton species present in their stomach contents. This new technique is known as dietary DNA metabarcoding. Based on this data, we found that the rabbitfish feed on many more algae types than previously thought. In addition to diatoms, dinoflagellates, and cyanobacteria, they eat small and big green, red, and brown algae, including some widespread, temperate-restricted species as well as the foundation species, the kelps. These rabbitfish seem to be pretty much chewing on whatever food is available on the menu, making it one of their secret weapons when exploring new territories with new food sources.

After that, we decided to take our investigation one step further. In our published paper, we looked at how climate change might affect the temperature of oceanic waters around the Metro Perth area and further south, down the coastline of Western Australia. We looked into two specific temperature thresholds: the minimal overwinter temperature where rabbitfish might survive on temperate reefs (17°C) and the minimum temperature where they might be capable of spawning and reproduction (20°C). We found that as the oceans warm with climate change, waters down the coast of Western Australia and into Southern Australian will heat up enough to allow rabbitfish to thrive and produce offspring by the year 2100.

Altogether, our study revealed that rabbitfish may become permanent residents in the economically important kelp forests of Western and Southern Australia. Their voracious appetite for kelps and continuous climate-assisted migration may jeopardize the integrity of the Great Southern Reef (GSR), a kelp-based ecosystem interconnected by rocky reefs and seagrass beds covering the entire south coast of Australia. Although less famous than the Great Barrier Reef, the GSR harbours a rich endemic fauna and flora, making it one of Australia’s marine jewels. Any invasive species, like the rabbitfish, could destabilise the GSR and the communities dependent on it. If this plays out as our study forecasts, rabbitfish may become a climate change “winner”.

Dr. Laura Gajdzik, Biometrician/Researcher, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources, Hawai'i (U.S.).

Dr. Joseph DiBattista, Curator Ichthyology, Australian Museum.

]]>

Chew on this! The diet of an extinct "panda-like" marsupial from New Guinea

Thu, 25 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1100

What did the “Beast of Huli" eat? The diet of this bizarre extinct marsupial, which had similarities to both giant wombats and pandas, has remained a mystery. PhD student Joshua White, with coauthors, examined the teeth of this species to help answer these questions.

More than 30 years ago, the Australian Museum’s Professor Tim Flannery discovered a bizarre extinct marsupial from the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea. He named it Hulitherium, meaning “Beast of Huli” after the indigenous people who lived in the area where the remains of this unusual beast were discovered. Hulitherium belonged to an extinct group of wombat-like marsupials, called Diprotodontidae, which roamed the rainforests of New Guinea during the Pleistocene period¹. Like most fossil discoveries, there wasn’t an abundance of remains from this animal, but the fossils described include various teeth, skull fragments, forelimbs and hindlimbs. Fortunately, the remains discovered were enough to identify this fossil as a new and unique genus and species, Hulitherium tomasettii.

The family Diprotodontidae were large quadrupedal, herbivorous marsupials of Australia and New Guinea that looked perhaps like overgrown or giant wombats. The largest of which was Diprotodon optatum of Australia, weighing in at approximately 3 tonnes and 1.6 metres tall at the shoulders, the largest marsupial that ever lived. The fossil record of New Guinea includes a variety of diprotodontids, classified in the genera Kolopsis, Kolopsoides, Maokopia, and Hulitherium. When originally described, Hulitherium was proposed to be a possible bamboo feeder because it shared similar traits to the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), including its post-cranial morphology, weight, and habitat¹. Based on its joints, Hulitherium was also capable of rearing up on its hind legs, enabling it to grasp at food that was out of reach for other herbivores.

To test whether Hulitherium was a bamboo specialist feeder, my research included two different methods to evaluate the diet of Hulitherium - and included assessing the fossil molars of the species, in the Australian Museum Palaeontology Collection. One of these methods is called dental complexity analysis, which is a type of topographical analysis used to map out teeth and assess how many features are available to grind plant material². In our recent study, my co-authors and I applied this principle to the chewing surfaces of molars, and measured regions of low areas and high areas to calculate how ‘complex’ the chewing surfaces are². The more complex the chewing surfaces of the tooth are, the more likely that the organisms consumed fibrous vegetation because processing this type of food required sophisticated molars. Previous studies that used this same method indicated living species that consumed bamboo have a much higher level of molar complexity than other diet categories (herbivores, omnivores and carnivores)³. Our results show that Hulitherium did not possess the same complexity as modern-day bamboo feeding specialists, such as the giant panda, therefore we concluded that it most likely did not primarily consume tough fibrous vegetation like bamboo.

The second method we applied was dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA), which examines the scratches caused by chewing food and tooth-on-tooth interactions. DMTA has previously been applied to studying other species of diprotodontids, including Diprotodon and Zygomaturus⁴. We examined the scratches on the molar rows of Hulitherium specimens and compared these to other extinct diprotodontids from previous studies; we also compared them to bamboo feeding taxa, including the giant panda and the Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus). Our results demonstrated that microwear seen on the teeth of Hulitherium is completely different to that seen in the giant panda.

Using a combination of dental complexity and dental microwear analysis, we were able to reconstruct the diet of this ancient and misunderstood giant wombat. Our research shows that Hulitherium most likely did not eat bamboo like giant pandas, and instead likely fed on softer plants like grasses and leaves. This study also shows the importance of applying quantitative methods to test for assumed convergence between distantly related taxonomic groups, such as marsupials and placentals.

Joshua White, PhD candidate, Australian National University and Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Naming the nameless

Dr Laetitia Gunton, Dr Pat Hutchings — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Correctly naming an organism is fundamental – it is important for all subsequent studies on that species and yet a significant percentage of Australian marine species have not been described. Our scientists explain why we must name the nameless!

Researchers at the Australian Museum have collated a position statement with the Australian Marine Sciences Association (AMSA) calling for action amongst the entire scientific community to acknowledge the critical importance of taxonomy, which documents the building blocks of communities.

Australia is lagging behind other developed countries in understanding its unique biological diversity. Australian marine waters are larger than the area of Australia’s land mass and most of the biota these waters remain unexplored. Concerningly, there is a dramatic loss of taxonomic expertise, and funding for taxonomy is declining in Australia. Not knowing the species present in an ecosystem has critical implications for the management of marine resources including environmental, economic and social impacts related to monitoring, conservation, invasive species control and bioprospecting.

The scientific name of a species is like an ID card, which unlocks all the available data on that species. Each species has its own unique ecology, reproductive strategies, larval development, physiology and feeding habits. By giving an animal the wrong name (e.g. naming two similar species under one species name), you are losing valuable information attached to that name. Species occurrence data is becoming easier to find by searching various online databases such as Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), but what happens if that data is wrong? The error multiplies throughout the scientific literature and is difficult to correct.

The importance of taxonomy to marine science was the topic of a symposium at a recent national AMSA conference, held virtually from 29 June to 2 July 2021. Following the symposium, we prepared a position statement which includes a series of recommendations to understand the need for taxonomic expertise. These must be implemented by end-users of taxonomy including ecologists, conservationists, pest managers, marine park managers, ecological and environmental consultants, amateur naturalists, bioprospectors and taxonomists themselves to deliver our national and international policy commitments such as the control of invasive species, protection, enhancement of biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems.

In the position statement, we developed several example boxes on different marine taxa to highlight the issues of incorrect identifications which have management and economic consequences. One example box details the Crown-of-thorns starfish, where the identification of the species on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is still not resolved, yet millions of Australian dollars have been spent trying to control it. Another example box deals with sea cucumbers of the Order Aspidochirotida, these are harvested globally for the high value bêche-de-mer product (dried body wall) largely for the Chinese luxury sea food market. After having resolved the taxonomy of these valuable species, two of the most endangered species were finally listed by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). This has had major ramifications for the fishery of these species on the GBR and our ability to export these species to southeast Asia, which has triggered federal intervention.

We encourage colleagues, students and anyone with an interest in taxonomy to read and disseminate AMSA’s position statement on the importance of taxonomy to progress the enhancement of funding for taxonomic studies and highlight its critical importance.

Dr Laetitia Gunton, Technical Officer Digitisation, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum.

Dr Pat Hutchings, Senior Fellow, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum.

]]>

Counting frogs counts as critical climate action

Kim McKay, AO — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Something remarkable happens when we see another species’ predicament with the same compassion as we might see our own.

And something very special has bonded Australians with the plight of our country’s 246 species of native frogs, with 35 of these special species tragically turning up dead or dying over the past six months.

We talk a lot about the importance of citizen science in our museums. How to do it, scale up, make it matter.

The real point of citizen science – now with the added simple brilliance of accessible technology – is that it puts the power of doing science straight into your hands – directly helping to protect something that speaks to us. And for sure, croaking frogs are the signal of our childhood summers, whatever age we may be now!

As indicator species, frogs are ‘canaries in the coalmine’ on climate change. As both prey and predator, on land and in water, as they lose their homes to multiple human factors, to pollution and habitat loss, our collective ecosystem is severely compromised, and climate change is having an intensifying effect on all these stressors.

But here’s the good news; with just you and your mobile phone recording geo-referenced frog calls with the FrogID app from wherever you hear them, we are mobilising data that is absolutely critical for effective research on climate change – what I call ‘audio-DNA’ – and we are doing so on a scale not previously possible.

Tech makes it both easy and rewarding for anyone and everyone to become involved. The initial results are in from FrogID Week 2021: from Friday 12 November through to Sunday 21 November, more than 15,000 verified frog calls were submitted by citizen scientists using the free FrogID smartphone app. And we expect this number to rise as FrogID scientists at the AM continue to verify thousands of other calls submitted during FrogID Week 2021, our most successful FrogID Week yet. In fact, the first day of FrogID Week resulted in our greatest number of submissions in the project’s history (2899) and the greatest number of unique users to submit an audio submission (1270) with FrogID!

Together, FrogID users along with Dr Jodi Rowley’s team based at the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI), are delivering hefty data chunks for multiple national scientific reports, informing our governments why our frogs are disappearing from the critical 'mid-section' of our ecosystem - the same one on which we are privileged to sit - precariously - at the top. Since launch, FrogID citizen scientists have upped the sample size dramatically, adding nearly 500,000 verified frog records from more than 200 Australian frog species. Read our first ever FrogID report to learn more about the incredible conservation impact recording that frog calls can achieve and how you can help contribute to this important work.

And yesterday, the FrogID team announced two new species of frogs being discovered, thanks in part to frog call recordings from the FrogID app.

Since 1989, I have been developing citizen science projects when I co-founded Clean Up Australia and instead of one thousand expected volunteers, we suddenly had 40,000 volunteers on the first Clean Up Sydney Harbour Day on Sunday 8 January 1989.

That taught me the instant potential of what more could be achieved, and fast, by blending the motivation to conserve our environment with structural organisation. Making projects like these accessible and nationally scalable is how we get on top of collective ‘loss’ issues, in real-time.

Coming out of COP26, this is more urgent than ever and surely where museums can lend their singular organisational leverage and leadership. More participants means more new facts, which helps save species.

Remember - November is peak ‘frog time’ across most parts of Australia, so hop to it and keep recording!

We can’t do it without you.

]]>

Bleating or screaming? Two new, very loud, frog species described in eastern Australia

Dr Jodi Rowley — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1100

With the help of vital FrogID audio, two new species of frog, each with a call as loud and piercing as each other, are described as new to science.

The Bleating Tree Frog (Litoria dentata) is a familiar frog to many residents of eastern Australia. The frog has one of the loudest calls of any Australian frog, and it’s been described as almost painful to listen to - sounding like an incredibly loud, high-pitched screech. Previously, this frog was thought to be widely distributed from southeast Queensland in the north to just across the border into Victoria. However, recent collaborative research, including analyses of recordings submitted to the Australian Museum’s FrogID Project, has revealed that the species is actually not one, but three species. Although similar in appearance, and in their piercing calls, the frogs are genetically very different, and two new species are now scientifically recognised in Australia.

The “original” species of Bleating Tree Frog, now coined the Robust Bleating Tree Frog (Litoria dentata) only occurs from northeastern NSW to around the NSW/Queensland border. The newly described Slender Bleating Tree Frog (Litoria balatus) is present in Queensland, including Brisbane, while the Screaming Tree Frog (Litoria quiritatus) occurs from around Taree in NSW to just over the border in Victoria, including Sydney. The fact that we’ve discovered two new species to science, each of which occurs in such large cities, is remarkable, and demonstrates just how much we still have to learn about our frogs!

The three species vary subtly in appearance. The Slender Bleating Tree Frog, as its name suggests, is slender in appearance, has a white line extending down its side, and males have a distinctly black vocal sac. The Screaming Tree Frog isn’t nearly as slender, doesn’t have the white line extending down its side, and males have a bright yellow vocal sac. In the breeding season, the entire body of males of the Screaming Tree Frog also tend to turn a lemon yellow. The Robust Bleating Tree Frog is most similar in appearance to the Screaming Tree Frog, but males have a brownish vocal sac that turns a dull yellow or yellowish brown when fully inflated.

To understand how different the calls of these frog species were, we drew upon the thousands of call recordings of the species submitted to the FrogID project and picked some of the clearest to analyse. Our examination revealed that their calls differ slightly in how long, how high-pitched and how rapid-fire they are. The Slender Bleating Tree Frog has the shortest, most rapid-fire and highest pitched calls.

Thankfully, the three closely-related species are relatively common and widespread. They are also all at least somewhat tolerant of modified environments, being recorded as part of the FrogID project relatively often in backyards and paddocks, as well as more natural habitats.

This new research highlights how much we still have to learn about Australia’s frogs. The scientific recognition of these two frog species brings the total number of native frog species known from Australia to 246. In fact, they’re the third and fourth species of frog recognised as new to science in the last few weeks, behind Gurrumuls’ Toadlet and the Wollumbin Pouched Frog. This research also highlights the valuable contribution that everyone can make to better understanding and conserving our frogs. By using the free FrogID app to record frog calls you might help discover Australia’s next ‘new’ frog species!

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum & UNSW Sydney. Lead Scientist, FrogID.

]]>

Pasifika greetings from Melissa Malu, our new Pasifika Collections & Engagement Manager

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1100

I acknowledge the land of the Gadigal people upon which I work, and the land of the Dharawal people upon which I live, and pay my respects to Elder’s past, present and into the future. I extend that respect to all Aboriginal and First Nations Peoples. I pay tribute to my Pasifika Ancestors who came before me and settled in this country. I acknowledge our role as migrants and our responsibility to stand in solidarity with First Nations peoples.

Pasifika Greetings, I am Melissa Malu, Pasifika Collections & Engagement Manager. I am a Fijian and Tongan woman. My mother is Tongan and hails from Holopeka Ha’apai, Malapo Tongatapu, Tu’anuku Vava’u and my father is Fijian from Nukunuku, Lakeba, Lau. I am humbled and honoured to take on this role and acknowledge leaders and cultural keepers that have paved the way for me to be in this position. I am humbled by the appointment and will strive to ensure our Pasifika Collection and its links to culture, heritage, history, tradition, truth and community both in the Pacific and diaspora are strengthened.

It is an extremely exciting time for the Australian Museum as plans for the Pasifika exhibition start to take form in anticipation for its delivery in September 2023. We are immensely grateful for those who took time to complete the Pasifika Gallery survey and are happy to share that the data has been collated. We are sharing the results and feedback received and would like to assure you that we are listening and are planning the exhibition around your feedback and stakeholder conversations.

We currently have the Pacific Spirit exhibition and an impressive and extensive Pasifika collection of more than 60,000 objects. As restrictions due to Covid start to ease, we welcome you to visit, reach out and talanoa with us as we move towards becoming more inclusive and interactive with our diverse and beautiful Pasifika community.

Vinaka Vakalevu, Faka’apa’apa atu,

Melissa Malu

]]>

News from LIRS: Outcomes of the Polychaete Workshop eight years on

Dr Anne Hoggett — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF) is featured at the AM. LIRRF supports scientific research & education at the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. For this month, we feature: Outcomes of the Polychaete Workshop eight years on.

A 2013 expedition to Lizard Island by a team of worm taxonomists has greatly expanded knowledge of coral reef biodiversity – and reveals how much more there is still to learn.

Polychaetes are marine worms commonly known as Bristle Worms. The 11th International Polychaete Conference took place at the Australian Museum in 2013, bringing together international and Australian experts and students. Sponsored by our Foundation, a selected team travelled to Lizard Island after the conference for a two-week collecting expedition with a commitment to increase scientific knowledge of Great Barrier Reef polychaetes.

The background and intent of the Polychaete Workshop was outlined in a newsflash to Foundation supporters in February 2014. That document also provides many excellent photographs of reef life by the expedition’s photographer. Here, we present the outcomes of the workshop, eight years after the event.

Initial results of the workshop were published in 2015 as a series of papers in a single issue of the peer-reviewed scientific journal Zootaxa. It runs to 801 pages and contains 25 chapters. Twenty-one of the chapters provide detailed taxonomic accounts of separate polychaete families and one covers part of a different branch of the worm family tree – flatworms. Normally such publications are behind a paywall. Part our Foundation’s contribution was to pay for open access publication – the Zootaxa issue can be viewed here.

The scientists did not just study the animals that they collected during the expedition. They scoured the scientific literature and museum collections around the world to find other records of species from the area.

Prior to the 2015 publication, their research found records of about 150 ‘species’ of polychaetes in the Lizard Island area. Not all of those were formally described – some were based on museum specimens that were identified to family or genus but not to species level.

The 2015 publication increased that number to at least 329, more than doubling the known species count. It includes descriptions of 91 species new to science (90 polychaetes and one flatworm) and records of 80 already-named polychaete species that had not been recorded from the Lizard Island area previously. Of the 80, about half had never been recorded from anywhere on the Great Barrier Reef before and some were new to Australia.

Since 2015, at least 10 additional scientific publications have been produced that refer to specimens collected during the Workshop. Some include descriptions of additional new species and new records for the area while others provide advances in our understanding of polychaete evolution.

Lizard Island Field Guide currently provides photos of 121 local polychaete species, many of them taken during the Workshop. Its background database lists 415 species-level groups that are known from the area, many of which remain undescribed.

This huge increase in knowledge has resulted from a single two-week trip to Lizard Island by a small group of scientists. The Foundation provided funding for the Australian portion of the field trip and for publication of the monograph but, while significant, it was a small proportion of the actual cost. The scientists worked up their results over years at their home institutions in many different countries, using their own research funds to carry out molecular studies and use specialized equipment such as scanning electron microscopes. They needed and were provided with substantial assistance by collections staff at the Australian Museum and other museums around the world.

Even though Lizard Island is one of the most-studied coral reefs on Earth, the results of this workshop show that our knowledge of its biodiversity still has a long way to go.

Dr Anne Hoggett, Director, Lizard Island Research Station, Australian Museum.

To view the original blog and more LIRS blogs, please go to: https://lirrf.org/outcomes-of-the-polychaete-workshop-eight-years-on/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised over $13.2 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

The Flowering of Australia’s Rainforests

Sun, 14 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Invertebrates are essential in pollinating our rainforests – but how do climate change, fire, fragmentation, invasive species and destructive pathogens impact pollination networks? Dr Geoff Williams OAM, AM, explores how in this Second Edition of The Flowering of Australia’s Rainforests.

Drawing on 50 years of field and research experience by Australian Museum Research Associate and author Geoff Williams, the recently published Second Edition of The Flowering of Australia’s Rainforests provides a comprehensive introduction to the pollination ecology, evolution and conservation of Australian rainforest plants in a world context, with particular emphasis on subtropical rainforests and their associated pollinators. Subtitled Pollination Ecology and Plant Evolution this significantly expanded volume includes new information on the impacts of climate change, fire, fragmentation, invasive species and destructive pathogens. The book features approximately 150 colour photos of plants, pollinators and rainforest ecosystems. In keeping with the role played by invertebrates as principal agents of pollination in Australia’s rainforests, it provides an extensive discussion of plant-invertebrate mutualisms and co-evolution.

The reproduction strategies deployed by Australia’s rainforest plants are diverse. The evolutionary history of individual plant species and families, and the pollinator relationships that have evolved within them, are equally so. Although rainforest ecosystems retain examples of non-flowering plants, for example towering emergent conifers and ‘archaic’ cycads of the understorey, the flowering plants (the angiosperms) are the dominating species to be encountered in all forest strata. The pollination of conifers is reliant on wind to mobilise and distribute pollen grains, however, cycads have developed mutualisms with insects, frequently beetles, as agents of pollen transfer.

Among the angiosperms there are species reliant on single or few pollinators. These include specialised pollination relationships with minute thrips, as in the shrub Wilkiea huegeliana, and the small trees of the genus Eupomatia that are wholly dependent on tiny species of Elleschodes weevils for pollination.

Eupomatia are members of the evolutionarily conservative Eupomatiaceae, a numerically small family largely restricted to eastern Australia. Their flowers emit strong fragrances that attract pollinating beetles, and after pollination the fused flower structures fall away as single units, carrying the beetles’ eggs to the ground, there to develop in the soil and from which new adults will later emerge. But in all rainforests, ‘generalist’ pollination ecologies prevail – that is, plants recruit from a broad suite of potential pollinators. These can be mixed assemblages of birds, blossom bats and insects, as in the North Queensland Syzygium cormiflorum (Myrtaceae), or more typically pollinator assemblages comprised exclusively of insects, of which native bees may only constitute a small proportion. In subtropical rainforests most pollinating insects, collectively cohorts of Diptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera, are smaller than 7 mm in size. Though size reduces an individual’s ability to carry large pollen loads this is made up for by absolute numbers.

By comparison vertebrates play a lesser role than they do in non-rainforest communities, though nevertheless are important agents of pollination for some plant families with highly adapted flower forms such as the Proteaceae and Castanospermum australe of the Fabaceae. Vertebrate-adapted flowers are often brightly coloured, have floral structures that tend to be more complex in form, and produce nectar in greater volume. Invertebrate-adapted flowers are more commonly white or creamish-white in colour, and usually possess shallow readily accessible flowers which individually produce small amounts of nectar. Flowers with tubular corollas suggest adaptation for pollination by birds (notably meliphagid honeyeaters) and long-tongued Lepidoptera (though apart from hawkmoths the role of moths is poorly understood). In general however, there is great variety in floral shape, colour, nectar volume, nectar type and structural presentation of flowers within rainforest strata. Consequently the flowers of many rainforest plants give little clear morphological insight as to what specific pollinators their flowers are seeking to attract.

Globally rainforests continue to be a focus of conservation concern, not least owing to the ongoing clearing of tropical forests that threatens the world’s biodiversity and consequent devastation to pollinators and the crucial pollination services that these provide. Australia has not been immune to the clearing of rainforest (and associated eucalypt-dominated wet sclerophyll forest), with the impact of these historical losses further exacerbated by the cataclysmic landscape scale bushfires and extreme drought events that devastated vast swathes of eastern Australia’s forests in 2019-2020. How these forests, and their prior pollination networks, may recover is uncertain.

Despite the popular appreciation of our remaining rainforests, especially since the 1970s, plant-pollinator relationships and pollinator dependencies for the great majority of Australia’s species remain poorly studied, with information on much of what we do know being relatively inaccessible in specialist journals. This Second Edition of The Flowering of Australia’s Rainforests makes a timely contribution to our understanding of the nature and function of Australia’s and the world’s pollinator fauna, plant-reproduction dependencies, and the evolutionary pathways that have brought them to their present state and function. The hope is that the book will serve to encourage further research into, and the conservation of, the rainforest heritage that we still retain.

]]>

Exploring the science behind super volcanoes

Kate Smith — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Who: Scarlett O. and Scarlett P., Oak Flats Public School

If a super volcano erupted, the impacts would be widespread and catastrophic. In their film Super Volcanoes, Scarlett and Scarlett demonstrate the science behind these high magnitude eruptions and explain how they could be used as a source of power, providing green energy for future generations.

Winners of the 2021 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Primary

This year’s theme was 'big’. How did you decide on your topic?

We had lots of ideas. We were thinking about making a movie about normal volcanoes, but then we thought, why make a film about volcanoes when you can do a movie about super volcanoes? We watched lots of videos about super volcanoes and they ticked all the boxes for the theme ‘big’.

What was the most difficult part about making your film?

We both agree that the hardest part of making the film was doing the candymation. It took us five hours just for that little bit of footage. It was also hard not to eat any lollies while we were filming!

What was the most interesting thing that you learnt?

We learnt how to make an animation and lots about super volcanoes of course — we didn’t even know they existed.

One of the important things judges look for when assessing entries is accurate science. Can you tell us a little bit about the steps you took to make sure the science in your film was accurate?

We looked at lots of trusted websites like NASA and National Geographic.

So many people commented on your time-lapse with all those lollies! What was involved in creating it?

Since the Claymation worked so well last year, we thought it would be a good idea to make another animation. But we wanted to use something different. So we thought, what looks like lava? Jelly! What goes with jelly? Lollies! And that’s how the candymation idea was born.

This isn’t the first year you’ve entered the Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize. What are some of the things you like about the competition?

Filming the video is always very fun and we like receiving feedback. We love that lots of young people can share their passion for science. We also enjoy meeting new people and learn so many new things from them. We hope our video will inspire others to make a science movie and enter the Sleek Geeks competition in the future.

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped us make this movie. We couldn’t have done it without them.

]]>

Spark ideas competition winners

Dr Jenny Newell — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Congratulations to the winners of the Spark ideas competition!

Judges: Jenny Newell and Blair Palese

The Australian Museum was delighted by the range of excellent ideas submitted to the Spark: Australian Innovations Tackling Climate Change competition (accompanying the exhibition, 3 June- 3 October 2021). The judges selected five particularly innovative and impactful ideas, below. Some of the other entries were selected as Honourable Mentions, for being important approaches that warrant sharing.

Enjoy exploring these ideas. There may be some you can help to advance!

$100 AM Shop voucher

$50 AM Shop voucher

Judges: Ms Blair Palese (Managing Director & Global Climate Editor, Climate & Capital Media; consultant on international climate and sustainability projects) and Dr Jenny Newell (Manager, Climate Change Projects, AM).

]]>

What do you call one of the world’s most beautiful frogs?

Dr Jodi Rowley — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Are some spectacular tree frogs from China and Vietnam two remarkably similar species, or only one? An international team of herpetologists, including the AM’s Dr Jodi Rowley, solves this mystery once and for all!

A variety of truly stunning frogs inhabit the rugged mountains straddling the Vietnamese/Chinese border. None are more beautiful than the Splendid Torrent Frog (Amolops splendissimus) from Vietnam and adjacent China and the Sky-night Torrent Frog (Amolops caelumnoctis) from China. However, these species are remarkable not only in their beauty but also their similarity. For more than a decade, questions have been raised around whether or not they are really two distinct species. Through fieldwork in Vietnam and China, our team has demonstrated that these frogs belong to a single species, and the correct name for it is the Splendid Torrent Frog (Amolops splendissimus). An apt name for such a spectacular frog!

Dark, rich chocolate brown frogs with florescent green spots and bright yellow webbing between their toes, the Splendid Torrent Frog (Amolops splendissimus) and the Sky-night Torrent Frog (Amolops caelumnoctis) are truly a sight to behold. Both species were scientifically discovered and named as new to science in 2007. Inhabiting the steep mountains on either side of the border of Vietnam and China, these species have adapted to swift flowing streams, with huge toe-pads to grip rocks in torrents and on waterfalls, and webbing between their toes to navigate the currents.

Discovered and named almost simultaneously, these frog species were remarkable in both their beauty and their similarity. They are also shrouded in mystery - since their formal description over a decade ago, no additional information, including any molecular data, has been published on either mysterious species and there has been much uncertainty as to whether they really do represent two, similar-looking species. It was clear that a more detailed look at these species, including examining genetic data, was needed.

Recent fieldwork in both Vietnam and China, combined with cross-border collaboration has recently solved this mystery. Their similarity in appearance and in their genetics has finally been confirmed. Instead of one species on either side of the border, there is only one. The name for this species is the Splendid Torrent Frog (Amolops splendissimus), as the scientific paper describing this species was published first.

While it may seem a simple matter of names, it is essential that we better understand our biodiversity, so that we can better conserve it. Basic information on how many species exist and where they are distributed is hard to come by but is vital for prioritising scarce conservation resources. Our international collaboration finally solves the more than decade-long mystery surrounding this particular species, but we hope that it is the start of many more collaborative discoveries in this rugged, biodiverse and important region.

Yinpeng Zhang, Undergraduate, Michigan State University (USA) & Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development, Ministry of Education, Southwest University (China).

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum & UNSW Sydney.

]]>

The echidna expert committed to community-based research

Kate Smith — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Who Professor Frank Grutzner from EchidnaCSI Team, University of Adelaide

What Echidnas are one of Australia's most iconic species, yet fundamental questions about their biology and ecology remain unanswered. The Echidna Conservation Science Initiative (EchidnaCSI) combines innovative community-based research with molecular and ecological approaches. The project has generated unprecedented data and samples at a national level, providing new insights into echidna biology and conservation.

Finalist in the 2021 Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science

What was the driving force behind launching EchidnaCSI?

EchidnaCSI brings together expertise in echidna biology, citizen science and a passion for conservation of our amazing wildlife. My work on genetics in platypuses and echidnas, which I’ve now been undertaking for nearly twenty years, has revealed molecular aspects of their biology and also established major genetic resources and their application in conservation.

Dr Peggy Rismiller, my colleague at the University of Adelaide, has studied echidnas on Kangaroo Island for over three decades, providing fundamental insights into their biology and identifying the main factors that threaten the species. For many years, Peggy and I combined our expertise in echidna ecology, genetics and community-based science to pursue collaborative work.

Importantly, PhD student Tahlia Perry (now Dr Perry) and undergraduate student Isabella Wilson then established a passionate team to design and carry out a contemporary and engaging citizen science project to enable research and conservation of echidnas Australia wide.

Can you tell us a little bit about the EchidnaCSI citizen science community and the work that they do?

EchidnaCSI invites the Australian community to record echidna sightings and provide information about echidna observations in all geo-ecological areas of Australia. A unique feature of the project is that we also encourage participants to learn to identify and collect scat (poo), which they then send to our lab. Molecular analysis of this scat provides a wealth of information about the echidna, their diet and health. Participants also often share their stories of echidna encounters, which triggers conversations about habitat, echidna biology and conservation.

What have been some of the project’s most significant outcomes to date?

Echidnas has been a remarkable success. The Australian community has recorded more than 11,000 sightings and collected more than 500 scat samples, numbers that have never been achieved before. These provide a constantly growing data and material base that supports ongoing research into fundamental questions about echidna distribution, diet and gut health, which is vital for echidna conservation. The project has also revealed that echidnas are surprisingly common in urban areas.

In addition to the scientific value, the submission of hundreds of geotagged photos and videos together with stories of echidna encounters, provide a great educational resource that we frequently use in school and community events.

Why do citizen scientists play such an important role in scientific research?

Community based science, or citizen science, has enormous potential in research. In an age of the internet and social media, the reach of community-based science is unprecedented and opens opportunities to address questions that could not be tackled by individual scientists or groups of researchers. Citizen scientists can also play an important role in the interpretation of data or designing new projects or approaches. Participants are often passionate ambassadors and communicators of the projects that they are involved in, which facilitates further reach and awareness of the project.

What excites you most about citizen science?

Most scientific research has become extremely specialised, often requiring years of training and experience. Despite this, most research projects have the potential to involve the community in a way that benefits the project. In addition to research benefits, a community-based approach brings together scientists and participants in a collaborative way that facilitates communication of the relevance and impact, of the research. It is very exciting and rewarding to see how researchers and the community share a passion for a particular project, and to achieve an outcome that otherwise would not be possible.

What’s on the horizon for EchidnaCSI?

EchidnaCSI has an ambitious goal to provide long term data on echidna distribution Australia wide. Scat collections from all major habitats will reveal new information about the diet, health, reproduction and genetic diversity of echidnas in different parts of Australia. There are still large areas where echidna sightings are rare and, in the future, we are keen to reach out to rural, remote and indigenous communities to contribute information and material on echidnas in those areas.

We will continue to develop EchidnaCSI as a platform to study how echidnas are affected by environmental change and natural disasters like floods, drought and fires, (echidnas as ‘indicators’) and how they contribute to the recovery of natural habitat (echidnas as ‘cultivators’). This information will be important for the conservation of natural habitats and echidnas into the future.

Entries to the 2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are now open and close at 7.00 pm AEST Friday 6 May.

]]>

Raising awareness of coral bleaching

Kate Smith — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Who: Zara M., PLC Sydney

What: Big Problem: Coral Bleaching is an entertaining investigation into one of the most widespread issues affecting coral reefs. Inspired by her passion for the ocean, Zara set out to educate viewers on some of the main causes of coral bleaching, the scientific process behind it and ways that everyone can work together to help minimise the issue.

Awarded second place in the 2021 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Primary

Why did you decide to enter the Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize?

I really enjoy science and the solutions it can offer to so many problems. One of the problems I had learnt about was coral bleaching and the effects it has on the marine ecosystem and our beautiful Great Barrier Reef. Entering the Sleek Geeks Eureka Prize gave me the best opportunity to not only spread awareness of coral bleaching but also share the science behind why it's happening. The science also provides evidence that we can all, as individuals, do something to lessen the bleaching and save our coral.

Your passion for the ocean and conservation really shines through in Big Problem: Coral Bleaching. How did this passion begin?

I've always been passionate about our environment and especially about our oceans. It all started when I was six years old and had the privilege of visiting our Great Barrier Reef from Hamilton Island. It was, and still is, one of the most amazing experiences of my life. All the beauty, mesmerising colours and marine life left me in awe. Then I learnt about climate change and how our carbon footprint was slowly destroying these underwater treasures. So many young people, even at my age, have spoken up to protect our environment for future generations. And I wanted to do that for the coral, but also add science to make my argument even stronger.

What was the best part about making your film?

There were so many awesome parts to making my film. The one that really stands out is when I met Professor Tracy Ainsworth from the Centre of Marine Science and Innovation at UNSW. She really unpacked the science for me and explained, right down to cellular level, why bleaching happens. She also shared her personal experiences investigating coral and the life they support, which was so fascinating. It was also so eye-opening to see how scientists are fighting for change through the discoveries they make.

What was the most difficult part?

My goodness, the most challenging part was the technical parts of making the film. Things like matching my voice over to the film, learning a new app to try and create an animation and trying to navigate iMovie! But what's so great, is that if I hadn't entered Sleek Geeks, I would never have learnt these new skills. I really got pushed out of my comfort zone and there was such a sense of achievement at the end.

Can you tell us a little bit about your planning process and some of the steps you took before you started filming?

Planning was a massive part of this whole process. My first step was to capture as much information as I could about coral bleaching and brainstorm ideas. From speaking to my amazing science teacher at PLC Sydney — Mrs Martin — to reading books, interviewing experts and watching documentaries, the first step was huge!

Then I had to break down all this information into little bits to see what was the most important. Writing the script and understanding the experiment was next. I then made all the props and began learning the apps I needed to create what I wanted in the script. Mind you, the script changed so many times! You have to be flexible to do that. Lastly it was filming and editing the film for what seemed like a million times!

You have a real flair for science communication! Is this something you might like to pursue in the future?

Wow! Thank you! I never saw this as a flair for science communication. But now that I understand what this is and how much I enjoy communicating science topics I'm passionate about, I will definitely pursue this in the future. Commentators like David Attenborough have had so much positive influence for our animals and environment. I would love to raise awareness and have a positive impact like that whilst learning about the science of why things happen.

]]>

Do you see what I see?

Dr Joseph DiBattista, Amanda Hay, Mark McGrouther — Sun, 31 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +1100

A recent study by AM scientists with CSIRO and NSW DPI, using data from the AM’s Australasian Fishes Project, reveals the top ten fish species recorded by citizen scientists and recommends how this data can contribute to effective conservation and ﬁsheries management.

Endless blue ocean as far as the eye can see, through a foggy dive mask. At the periphery of your vision, a flamboyant flap of fins set among a fishy courtship display shimmers. You attempt to stop dead in the water. A laborious 90-degree pivot followed by a renewed camera focus. Target framed, finger tensed, and the picture-perfect moment captured with the click of a shutter. A fanciful fishy impression frozen in time.

This sequence of events sets the scene for citizen scientists that have been enthusiastically snapping up what Mother Nature has to offer in our oceans. How well we photograph all the fish species that call Australia and New Zealand home, however, remains an open question. To address this, we analysed the data from daily fish observations generated by the devoted, and in some case obsessive, members of the Australasian Fishes project. This online initiative is hosted by arguably the largest citizen science platform in the world, iNaturalist. With the guidance of Australasian Fishes project curators at the Australian Museum, as well as collaborators from CSIRO and the NSW Department of Primary Industries, we highlighted the species composition of this growing database as well as how relevant these data might be to management authorities.

Whether you are out “twitching” while picnicking in one of Sydney’s many parks, spend evenings on your iPhone recording frog calls emanating from deep within your local pond, or dive into the oceans blue in the hopes of a photo of a fish or two, citizen scientists across Australia are busy documenting the biodiversity that surround them. One big mystery that remains, however, is exactly how these data get used, and more importantly, how useful they are to the stakeholders that need them most; think conservation planning and fisheries management. In our recent study in Aquatic Conservation and Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, we downloaded and quality filtered 77,600 observations from the Australasian Fishes project in March 2020, which has nearly doubled to 134,000 observations across Australia and New Zealand at the time of writing this blog. The innovation of the Australasian Fishes project is that uploaded fish photos with geospatial information are identified and/or validated by the community, with taxonomic experts in major museums around Australasia, as well as international scientists, available for consultation when species identity comes into question. These image identifications then become a permanent record for a specific animal, at a specific location, at a specific point in time. Not a diver? Not a problem! A not so negligible source of photo submissions come from fishers as well as avid beachcombers keen to spot a fish wash up or two.

In our published study, we found that some of the top fish species observations were composed of the usual suspects ever popular in the Australian dive industry. For example, the largest seahorse species in Australia (Bigbelly Seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis) had the most records. The state fish emblem of NSW (Eastern Blue Groper Achoerodus viridis), the only extant species in the family Enoplosidae with a much-maligned moniker (Old Wife Enoplosus armatus), and fishes important to both commercial and recreational fisheries (e.g. Snapper Chrysophrys auratus, although not taxonomically a “Snapper”) were not that far behind. If we look more broadly across all fish species identified in the Australasian Fishes project, a number of these are either under some form of threat as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) or actively managed by state and federal authorities. For example, 15 fish species among the top 50 most important commercial and recreational marine species in NSW each had over 100 records in the Australasian Fishes project.

Australian endemic fishes whose threat status had not yet been assessed by the IUCN and species not currently under any form of management were also well represented, which is where the greatest value of the Australasian Fishes database may lie. Spatial management of our natural resources will always be limited by funding and staff allocation, which in some cases end up being funneled towards strategic priorities. It turns out the most well-represented (e.g., Syngnathidae family of Seahorses and Pipefishes) or at-risk species (e.g., freshwater fishes) in our citizen science data set (i.e., most observations) are recorded infrequently in traditional monitoring programs. If citizens can therefore “supplement” management initiatives with observations of species not currently represented, we are that much more indebted to them and their time.

Records for some of the better represented fishes in the database also corresponded to sites and habitat where we might expect to find them. For example, when we overlaid the Australasian Fishes records on top of the IUCN distributional ranges for cryptic (Sydney's Pygmy Pipehorse Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri), endangered (White's Seahorse Hippocampus whitei), or iconic (Common Seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) syngnathids that are unique to Australia, we found a close match. Gaps in observations between major urban centres like between Brisbane and Sydney reflected a spatial bias common in other citizen science datasets. The weekend warrior is less likely to travel further afield to get their aquatic adrenaline rush. In some cases, however, there is a lack of suitable habitat for our rocky reef or seagrass-associated friends within those gaps.

We propose that the use of archival photos, records submitted by research scientists leading active projects in the remote and inaccessible parts of Australasia, as well as renewed efforts by our fellow citizens may provide a clearer picture going forward (pun intended!). Most importantly, we extend a heartfelt thanks to the Australasian Fishes community members that contributed observations, identifications, and validations of records that supports our goal of increased understanding of fish diversity. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it!

Dr Joseph DiBattista, Curator Ichthyology, Australian Museum.

Amanda Hay, Collection Manager Ichthyology, Australian Museum.

Mark McGrouther, Senior Fellow Ichthyology, Australian Museum.

]]>

A beautiful new cryptic fish species endemic to Aotearoa, New Zealand: The Manaia Pygmy Pipehorse

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Scientists from the Auckland Museum & Australian Museum have identified a new genus and species of pygmy pipehorse from Aotearoa, New Zealand. The new species was named in collaboration with the Ngātiwai – this is also the first species of syngnathid reported from New Zealand since 1921!

The Manaia pygmy pipehorse is the first pygmy pipehorse to be described from New Zealand and the first member of the genus Cylix. It is the eighth pygmy pipehorse to be described from the Indo-Pacific and like all members of this group, the new species has an angled head and prehensile tail. The new species inhabits mixed habitat composed of coralline algae, bryozoans, sponges, solitary corals, and turf algae on rocky reefs at depths of 12-20 metres and has been observed occurring on a vertical rock wall subject to moderate ocean swell off the coastal headlands of Whangaruru at the type locality of Taitokerau Northland, New Zealand. The new species also occurs at the nearby offshore islands, including Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands), Nukutaunga (Cavalli Islands), Tawhiti Rahi and Aorangi (Poor Knights Islands).

Cylix tupareomanaia makes its scientific debut with the involvement of the Maori tribal group Ngātiwai, in whose territory in the North Island of New Zealand this new species has been observed nearly exclusively. Cylix is a new genus name and is derived from the Greek and Latin word for a cup or chalice as it refers to the cup-like coronet present on the top of its head. The species name tupareomanaia is a coinage gifted by the kaumātua (tribal elders) of Ngātiwai, meaning “the plume of the huia”; the huia was a bird that became extinct in the early 20th century. Tu Pare o Manaia translates as “the garland of the Manaia.” The pare, or garland, references the cup-like coronet on the head crest of the new species, and Manaia is the Māori name for a seahorse, and is also an ancestor that appears as a stylized figure used in Māori carvings representing a guardian.

In a recently published study, the fish scientists from the Australian Museum and Auckland Museum used a combination of DNA analyses and morphological characteristics to identify the new species. Genetically, C. tupareomanaia differs in the mitochondrial COX1 gene from the members of the superficially similar pygmy pipehorse genera Acentronura and Idiotropiscis, which indicates divergence from a common ancestor approximately 12.7 and 13.6 million years ago, respectively. Morphologically, C. tupareomanaia differs from its relatives by the presence of a bony coronet on its head. In contrast, the members of Acentronura and Idiotropiscis exhibit a prominent bony ridge on their heads. Cylix tupareomanaia and members of the seahorse genus Hippocampus share the presence of a distinct coronet; however, micro computed tomography scans of the new species skeletal structure reveal that the coronet is formed by completely different bones than those in Hippocampus. The similarity in appearance between C. tupareomanaia and Hippocampus, including the presence of a bony coronet, angled head, and prehensile tail, is why the new species was originally misidentified as the rare Southwest Pacific seahorse H. jugumus at the Poor Knights Islands, a group of islands off the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, in 2006.

Five species of pygmy pipehorses belonging to the genera Acentronura, Idiotropiscis, and Kyonemichthys occur in nearby Australia, which is home to a tremendous diversity of fishes in the family Syngnathidae, including 129 species represented in 47 genera. Despite such diversity, only one new species of pygmy pipehorse, the endemic Sydney's Pygmy Pipehorse I. lumnitzeri, has been identified and named in the first decade of the 21st century from southern Australia. Hence, the recent discovery of a new genus and species of pygmy pipehorse endemic to the temperate waters of New Zealand is particularly noteworthy! New Zealand exhibits a very small but diverse group of syngnathids compared to Australia and is represented by ten species in five genera – so it’s even more astonishing a discovery when you consider that the last syngnathid discovered in New Zealand was exactly 100 years ago!

The recent discovery of C. tupareomanaia in the shallow coastal waters of the North Island just hours away from the metropolitan areas of Auckland underscores how little we still know about the biodiversity of cryptic fishes in the family Syngnathidae in New Zealand. It would therefore not be surprising to find additional undescribed species of syngnathids in deep water or unique habitats in future fish surveys in New Zealand.

Graham Short, Research Associate, Ichthyology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Trusted over time

Kim McKay, AO — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Planning for a new minerals gallery followed by work on a virtual climate change tour like Spark, our natural history and science museum teams at the AM can journey backwards and forwards across several billion years in just one morning.

It’s one of the innate and enduring wonders of the job, this principled relationship honouring colossal chunks of time.

As such, we don’t do alternative facts, belief systems or misinformation about science.

We do - as working ‘custodians’ of the planet’s 4.54 billion year history - find and timestamp what’s been created on earth and then lost. As museum scientists we discover the facts, we verify them, and we share them with everyone.

And we know that the public trust in museums as solid sources of information¹ - expert, factual and impartial. And even more, the public want us to engage them with recommendations and solutions for them to support our mission.

After 2020’s bushfires and ahead of COP26, we partnered with the Australia Institute’s Climate of the Nation’s 2021 ‘Tracking Australia’s attitudes towards climate change and energy’ – released last week - to research and understand more about where our nation’s citizens believe the climate crisis to be and what they want their leaders to do.

Striking numbers of Australians – numbers on the rise again from last year’s already notable conclusions - believe we are experiencing climate impact right now, that they want to take action to address the crisis, and that they want the Australian Government at all levels to take a leading role.

Whatever happens in Glasgow next week, as museum leaders I believe we can and should step up with renewed conviction to fact-lead for the public, to confidently showcase scientifically-based climate action and harm reduction options for our communities and – crucially – clearly uphold why natural history museums are good places to do so.

Here at the Australian Museum, ‘advancing action on climate change and sustainability’ through our science and public engagement is a core tenet of our strategic plan. We are informed by our scientists’ work on biodiversity, research on the cultural dimensions of climate change, and First Nations approaches to caring for Country.

Here’s just some of what we are sharing with our communities and as the world community turns to COP26, come in and talk to our climate action team to find out more about what we are doing and what you can do :

The Australian Museum’s Centre for Climate Solutions is showcasing ten different technologies - featured in Spark - developed here in Australia that will make an impact in reducing our carbon footprint; here’s just one example. Fast-growing seaweed sequesters carbon, and 25 grams of asparagopsis fed to cows eliminates 98% of their methane emissions, returning that energy to the cow.

The coral bleaching on the Great Barrier reef and last year, the impact of the fires on Australia’s biodiversity is on a scale not previously seen since record-keeping began in the mid-1800s. With natural history colleagues and wider networks, we are already back out in the field to assess the destruction to our biodiversity - estimated to be in the ‘trillions’ of animals - when considering the total of insects, spiders, birds, mammals, frogs, reptiles, invertebrates and even sea life impacted over such a vast area.²

First Nations groups are spreading awareness in Australia and across the world of the need to care for Nature so Nature can care for us. It cannot be overstated how much Australian society can learn about living with respect for other living things and practising custodianship of the Country we live within.

Frog ID is both a critical and popular national citizen science project helping us learn what is happening to Australia’s frogs in a rapidly changing system – including bushfire impacts - using their calls.

At the Lizard Island Research Station, our core science teams are studying climate change impact on species distributions and biodiversity, on coral reef health and on coastal peoples across the Pacific.

And, closer to home, we have tackled the sustainability challenges of our historic buildings and worked internally to reduce our carbon footprint, becoming the first natural history museum in Australia to receive the Federal Government’s Climate Active certification and is a Carbon Neutral organisation. Showing leadership in sustainability solutions sets an example for others to follow. We’re aiming to convert our electricity to a renewable energy supply and ultimately become carbon positive.

Back in the 1990s, when I co-founded Clean Up Australia, the numbers turning out on Bondi on that first weekend imprinted indelibly on me and for the rest of my life that responsibility for our environment rests with each and every one of us. Our actions do matter. Every action matters.

So while world leaders meet in a conference venue at COP26, this is a great time for all of us to check in again and up the ante on our own actions. What can you do on your doorstep?

]]>

News from LIRS: Changing reefs

Dr Anne Hoggett — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation is featured at the AM. For this month, we feature Changing reefs.

At just 27 years of age, Sterling Tebbett has already seen stark changes in the coral reefs he knows and loves. In early 2015, he made his first trip to Lizard Island as a research assistant and recent graduate.

“It was, in hindsight, a strange time to visit with Cyclone Nathan having just passed through and the 2016 mass bleaching yet to come.” Indeed, it was precisely this event that made such an impact on Sterling and drove him down the research track he’s on.

“Three things stuck out to me. There was the devastation of the bleaching event. There was an astounding rate at which some patches recovered. And there was the sheer volume of corals that still have not bounced back.”

Now, Sterling is a PhD student in the Coral Reef Function Hub at James Cook University, exploring what future reefs might look like and how they will function. With the backing of the 2020 Ian Potter Doctoral Fellowship, Sterling is able to investigate reefs that are changing quickly. “It’s been amazing to have that support, backing me through the hard yards of conducting my research.”

Part of his research relies on a unique data set of quadrat photos taken regularly before and after the mass bleaching events to chart the trajectories of reef communities at Lizard Island. “I was actually just up there at the start of this year, photographing all these spots once more. And in some, the coral cover has come back faster than we expected, but not in enough of them.”

A recent paper co-authored by Sterling shows starkly different trajectories of fast-growing branching corals and slow-growing boulder corals during this time of massive change – and the implications for future reefs of those different demographies (“High coral cover doesn’t tell the whole story”).

“It’s hard to acknowledge that coral reefs are never going to be the same again. But this is the era of climate change, and it’s altered the status quo for coral reefs beyond a point of no-return.”

Sterling is trying to learn how we can make the most of this ‘new normal’ we’re facing. “We’re seeing algal turfs take over reef space. And there’s going to be less corals moving forward, perhaps springing up and disappearing just as fast in boom and bust cycles. The good news is: there’s plenty of herbivorous fishes who’ll survive or thrive off the algae which is their primary food source.”

How did Sterling get into this work?

“To be honest, I couldn’t see it any other way. I think I’m one of the very lucky people who always knew what they were going to do with their life. My mum reckons that since I was 3 years old, I was running around saying that I was going to be a marine biologist. I read all the books (or had her read them to me), snorkeled and kept many aquariums growing up.”

A pivotal moment for Sterling on his journey so far was his first honours application meeting with his now-supervisor David Bellwood back in 2013. “I remember leaving that interview thinking that I didn’t have a chance. For two days, I waited on tenterhooks before he called me back in and gave me the answer I hadn’t dared dream of. Since then, everything has clicked into place and I know that I’m on the right path.”

Elliot Connor, Volunteer, Lizard Island Research Station, Australian Museum.

Dr Anne Hoggett, Director, Lizard Island Research Station, Australian Museum.

To view the original blog and more LIRS blogs, please go to: https://lirrf.org/changing-reefs/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised over $13.2 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

Egyptian mummy masks: Conservation project introduction - part 1

Melissa Holt — Sun, 17 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Melissa Holt, project conservator at the Australian Museum, tells us about the conservation treatment of four Ancient Egyptian Cartonnage coverings, including three masks! Read part one, in this special AM blog series.

I think it is safe to say that most people know what mummified human remains are – most of us envisage a colourful sarcophagus from Ancient Egypt. Centuries after mummified human remains started to be excavated, Ancient Egyptian mummified human remains still hold great intrigue and wonder around the world. What may be less well-known is that many mummified human remains had coverings on them, and that the Australian Museum is lucky enough to have four pieces of these coverings in their collection. In this special AM series of blogs, I will take you through this project on how the Collection Care and Conservation (CC&C) team will assess and treat these cartonnage coverings to enable them to go on display in the future. As a Conservator here at the Australian Museum, I will be sharing my journey with you as I begin the conservation treatment of these four Ancient Egyptian cartonnage coverings.

When I mention a funerary mask or mummified human remains covering, your mind may go to ancient shiny masks covered in gold leaf like the mask of Tutankhamun or the mask of King Agamemnon. However, many mummified human remain individuals had masks or body coverings made of cartonnage. Cartonnage is a material that was used to decorate and assist in preserving the body. Usually it was made up of linen or papyrus layers which were bound together with a glue-like mixture called gesso; similar to a kind of ancient form of papier-mâché.

Since the end of the Old Kingdom period (2700–2200 BCE), cartonnage was used in the mummification process. These coverings included a range of images of important icons and symbols, including images of gods, fashions of the day, and importantly an idealised image of the deceased. These masks are incredibly special; they are essential in studying and understanding the funerary practices of the day, and they allow us to glimpse into ancient societies. The masks also provide us with a unique insight as to how the individual and the society may have viewed death.

The AM has four pieces of cartonnage from three different mummified human remains. Two pieces (numbered E021583-005 and E021583-006) are attributed to the same mummified human remains and includes both a mask and foot covering. They are from Abydos in Upper Egypt, date to the Ptolemaic dynasty (305-30 BCE) and were acquired by the Museum in 1912. The other coverings are masks from different individual mummified human remains (numbered E019000 and E019001). Both are from Sedment in Upper Egypt and are most likely dated to the Roman period of Egyptian rule, after 30CE. Both coverings were acquired by the Museum in 1910.

This project aims to conserve the coverings so that they may be stable enough to go on display, and also provides the Museum teams with a unique opportunity to research the material. Our collection team, Vanessa Finney and Stan Florek, are completing a deeper analysis of the cartonnage, including radiocarbon dating of the material, in the hopes of establishing more accurate dates for these masks.

It may be assumed that the goal for this project is to restore the masks to their original condition – but that isn’t exactly what conservation is. Yes, one reason for undertaking this project was because of the poor condition of two of the masks but as a conservator, my role is not to completely repair the masks to their original state. My job is to conserve the object in its current state and to preserve what is left. This means stabilising the object so that it won’t continue to degrade. As we progress through the blogs, I will explain more in depth about why certain decisions are made.

The first step in any conservation treatment is close assessment. I began my reports for each covering; I took multiple photos, which included ‘normal’ or standard photos, photos under a microscope and photos that I could draw overlays over to indicate areas of deterioration. After my assessments, it was clear that mask E021583-005 was the most stable, and mask E019001 had the highest levels of deterioration. As you can see in the image of E019001, the mask is very fragile, this being evident by the loose fibres of linen and flakes of pigment having fallen down onto the handling board while imaging. These flakes are collected to be reattached where possible or can be useful samples for materials identification.

My examination also revealed some intriguing new information – previous attempts to stabilise both mask E019000 and E019001 had been undertaken. Inside the masks, there are squares of paper that have been glued in place with a very glossy adhesive. We have no records of a treatment being done to these objects, but it is fascinating to discover evidence of the previous treatments, even if they used methods we would not use now.

In my next blog I will delve into the treatments of the masks, starting with the masks in the worst conditions, and moving to the best. I hope you will continue to join me as I work on these four incredible objects.

Melissa Holt, Project Conservator, Collection Care and Conservation, Australian Museum.

]]>

Michael Abbott’s generous donation 2021

Dr Stan Florek — Sun, 17 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +1100

In March 2021 the Australian Museum received a generous gift of nearly 300 Balinese and some Javanese textiles, masks, paintings and wood carvings from Michael Abbott.

Michael Abbott, AO QC, an accomplished South Australian lawyer, dedicated his life to studying the culture of communities in our region of Southeast Asia, India, and China. He was awarded the Order of Australia for ‘distinguished service to the visual arts, particularly through leadership roles, to the development of arts education, to Australia-Asia relations, and to the law.’

Indonesia, and Bali in particular, proved to be a good entry point, with its own richness of cultural traditions that dazzles even a casual observer. But Mr Abbott, fluent in Bahasa (an Indonesian language), made his learning more personal and centred on people and relationships which resulted in friendships and fine insights into traditions and practices that are difficult to comprehend in the conceptual framework of English language and western culture.

Mr Abbott developed special interest in Asian textiles which, in their richness and varieties, encodes a large body of etiquette, identity and meaning virtually unparalleled in the Western cultural tradition.

For over ten years he was Chairman of the Board of the Art Gallery of South Australia and was active in cultural circles in Australia and abroad. Mr Abbott has also donated over a thousand works of Asian art to various institutions in Australia. He incessantly and extensively travelled throughout Asia, and Southeast Asia, discovering art, connecting with people, and often providing legal assistance.

In Southeast Asia, the layers of cultural traditions often revolve around interconnecting as it is the home of the largest and probably oldest maritime civilisation linking over 20,000 islands. A tangible result is the spectacular spread of Australasian languages from South China Sea to the northern doorsteps of Australia and from Madagascar in the west to and across the South Pacific to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in the east. Equally spectacular is the spread of outrigger canoes – an original Southeast Asian invention and the effective ‘vehicle’ of this relentless geographical endeavour.

Located on the ‘cross-roads’ of large ancient civilisations, especially India and China, and their long-established trading routes, Indonesia and Bali absorbed and creatively developed numerous elements of these cultures, enriching local ancient traditions. The echoes of some historical events are embedded in local mythology. Political instability in the 15th century prompted Javanese adherents of the Hindu/Buddhist faith moved to the eastern parts of Java and eventually to Bali. According to a legend, Nirartha, the hugely influential, humble, and revered priest sailed from Java to Bali on a pumpkin during this relocation, and for this reason the Brahmins – members of a priestly cast - should not eat pumpkin as it is considered taboo.

The population of Java and other Indonesian islands was shifting to Islam while the Dutch colonisation was expanding and tightening its grip on the region. The popular story of Prince Raden Mursada who brought Islam to Java traveling on a big fish, encapsulates this cultural shift. As a result, the old canter of pre-Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu tradition in Java, moved to a little island of Bali where, it remains as an iconic embodiment of over a thousand year old culture.

Despite several centuries of colonising enterprise, only in the early 20th century did the Dutch dominance extend to what was to become Indonesia, in approximately its current boundaries. Until the first decade of the 20th century Bali was, in parts, still ruled by local kings. The Dutch invasion of the last independent Balinese kingdom, Klungkung, in 1909 is depicted in Kamasan painting by Mangku Muriati. Colonial rule effectively finished in 1945 with the end of the Second World War.

But from the 1920s Western artists (eg. Rudolf Bonnet, Walter Spies, Theo Mayer) and scholars (eg. Margaret Mead, Gregory Bateson) visited Bali and some settled there. From the 1970s onwards visiting Bali and cultural tourism was encouraged and promoted by the Indonesian Government and local authorities. Visiting temples, attending some ceremonies, and performances staged specifically for the visitors provided numerous opportunities for foreigners to immerse in Balinese culture. Tourist money and interest stimulated, at least in part, refurbishment of Bali temples and shrines, commissioning new paintings and carvings to refresh ceremonial decorum. Many art and craft objects, some of a high quality, were produced for this increasingly profitable market.

With a refined insight and understanding, Mr Abbott collected older pieces, some that originated in the 19th century, de-commissioned paintings and figures, ceremonial accessories, masks and textiles that were unused for many decades. Among them is a temple offering box with a statue of Dewi Sri, Goddess of rice and fertility, on the cosmic turtle Bedawang Nala, who carries the world on her back; two palm leaf manuscripts (lontar) composed in Balinese script; several paintings on wooden panels, depicting iconic episodes from Hindu mythology; two sets of very old intricately carved doors from Nusa Penida, a small island south of Bali that belong to the Klungkung Regency. Collectively they provide a good selection of stylistic examples of this earlier period and elevate the Museum’s Balinese collection to about 1,200 items.

Our world class collection of 200 Balinese Kamasan paintings, mostly from the middle decades of the 20th century, includes a rare early 19th century painting on bark-cloth, and several other paintings from that period, an uncommon painting with gold leaf, some paintings by accomplished artists such as Rambug, Pan Seken, Kak Lui, Nyoman Dogol, Mngku Mura, and Nyoman Mandra. There is a good selection of paintings by women artists, including one of the acknowledged pioneer female artists Made Sucirami. Some of these paintings were commissioned a decade ago and illustrate not only that women contribute to this ancient tradition but also bold experimentation and new aesthetic currents as represented by Mangku Muriati and Wayan Wally.

This treasured set is complemented by 100 of the pre-war modernist paintings on paper. The collection is well documented, researched, and accessible to our audience, including digital access via the Museum website. A few old paintings from Mr Abbott handsomely enrich this valuable set and other donated items provide a rich cultural context as the numerous iconic characters, deities, humans, animals, and mythical beings span all aspects of ceremonial practices in narrative, dance, music, theatre, and life cycle rituals. This donation helps the Museum stand among the major contributors to the international effort of preserving, documenting and promoting the alluring Balinese cultural heritage.

We believe the Museum’s gratitude and appreciation of Mr Abbott’s donation will be met by our visitors, communities, students, artists, and scholars who will benefit from this wonderful and highly treasured collection. A big thank you Michael Abbott.

]]>

Opening day is here again! Let's come back to our senses

Kim McKay, AO — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +1100

As we open our doors on Monday 11 October with a wholehearted ‘welcome back!’, we hope you’ll be as ready as we are to soak in the full effects of our treasured space.

Being away from our ‘home’ for four long months has sharply highlighted for the AM team why our iconic institution yields such potential to change and charge our inner energy.

Simply put, museums are good for the soul.

As a young girl growing up in London, (we moved to the UK from Australia when I was five years old), I visited a wide variety of museums on weekends with my parents and sister in tow.

I didn’t know it then, but there was a Platform 9¾ effect as affecting as any Harry Potter spell taking place with successive visits as I took one step from my usual world and was whisked into another. One with millions of human, animal and plant families that were nothing like me or my life on earth so far.

These successive outings first fired my curiosity and then became a mesmerising and frequent pause for awe. There was space to feel into learning. To be thinking things through for myself.

Life suddenly felt bigger. Open.

The great science and natural history museums are tenderly and expertly designed to allow us space again to really feel, to not only see the collections they hold, but to hold space for us to immerse in our senses, and to create a wider feeling of community.

We need this more than ever after the past few months.

And of course - the research backs it up. Far beyond hubs of knowledge and culture, museums have internationally been shown to boost mental health and emotional wellbeing - providing heartening social experiences and helping lessen feelings of anxiety and social isolation, which most of us would have experienced during lockdown.

Museums have been called “safe places for unsafe ideas,” and I agree. This is a concept which helped inspire our mission at the AM to ignite wonder, inspire debate and drive change.

We can’t wait to welcome you back and offer our transformed museum as a place for decompression, socialisation and an opportunity to expand your understanding of the world around you.

Whether it’s learning about our nation’s history from First Nations voices in our ground-breaking Unsettled exhibition, now extended through to January 2022, witnessing the changing nature of our environment through the stunning images in the 2021 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition opening 30 October, or exploring our other permanent galleries, the Australian Museum provides room to roam, be roused and feel refreshed.

Come back into your senses with us. Who knows what it will set off in you.

Oh, and did I mention it’s all free too? We’ve decided to keep Unsettled free to everyone as it’s such an important exhibition. When you visit, you’ll see ‘tap and go’ donation terminals around the AM, so feel free to make a contribution towards our exciting exhibitions, education programs and science.

Welcome back.

]]>

Empowering early childhood educators

Kate Smith — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Who Sibylle Seidler, Managing Director of Little Scientists Australia

What Child-led, play-based exploration in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is at the heart of Little Scientists Australia’s philosophy. Its hands-on professional development ensures that early childhood educators can proficiently support children in discovering scientific phenomena. With a national network of skilled facilitators, the program aims to make inquiry-based learning accessible to all children.

Finalist in the 2021 Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources Eureka Prize for STEM Inclusion

Early childhood qualifications don’t typically feature STEM units of study. How do your programs build up the confidence and abilities of educators when it comes to STEM?

In our workshops, we really reignite the educators’ curiosity and transport them back to the days when they were children and explored the world around them, open-mouthed. Our aim is to let educators — and children — explore and ponder the world, alongside each other, with children leading the explorations and educators being their learning coaches.

Little Scientists promotes inquiry-based activities in everyday play. Can you tell us a bit about this philosophy?

At Little Scientists, we believe that to discover the joy of STEM, children need to be given the opportunity to explore the world in a nurturing and playful setting that boosts their natural eagerness to learn.

The open-endedness of our workshops promotes inclusion for all children, as the idea we share with educators is that they should allow children a combination of free and prompted exploration. This means that educators can be guided by children and their development stage — observing what comes from the free exploration lets them build on those experiences through prompted exploration.

By having the freedom to explore in their own style, children experience success moments and feel valued for their efforts and learning. For educators, the learning lies in the experience of working both alone and with others. They can pass this lesson on to children, by encouraging them to share their new knowledge and be aware of the greater learning of acquiring knowledge with others.

Little Scientists’ workshops are also designed to remind educators to connect children to the natural world, and facilitate exploration and discovery of their environment and the effect they can have on it. As part of this, we promote use of recycled equipment and the importance of showing respect for the natural world.

Your workshops cover topics like acoustics, chemical reactions and water. How are topics selected?

We look at topics that come up in conversations with early childhood educators and those that young children aged three to six are especially interested in. And we always find topics that interest both the Little Scientists team and educators — we often tackle those in our online workshops, Inspire STEM, and in our monthly webinar series, STEM Hour.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

From the moment I stepped into the role, I have loved that it has such a collaborative character. We get to work with people from all walks of life across Australia, and beyond. Knowing that upskilling our amazing early childhood educators across the country will enhance their ability to identify STEM in the everyday, alongside our next generation of curious Australian children — that is just amazing!

At Little Scientists Australia, we work with wonderful local network partners and their communities, who are all part of our success. And you know what brings the biggest smiles? When I get a phone call at the end of a long working week and on the other end is one of our early childhood educators, who breathlessly wants to share a special Eureka moment that they and the children in their care just had. That just makes my day!

What are some of the larger impacts you hope to see from Little Scientists’ programs in the future?

First, we want early childhood educators to recognise that they are already “doing so much STEM” in their daily practice — so our task is to train their STEM muscles and allow them to go and flex them!

We also want early childhood recognised as the foundation for learning, not just STEM learning. Early childhood educators and teachers are doing an amazing job across the country — centres have remained open, and supported families and children throughout the coronavirus pandemic. It’s important to us that early childhood educators are given the recognition they deserve!

Our overarching goal is to enable access to high quality education for all children from an early age and to ensure the competitiveness of Australia’s workforce in the future.

What’s on the horizon for Little Scientists?

We are constantly seeking to improve our workshop offerings and are always looking for new ways to engage our audience. Thus, we are reviewing and expanding our online professional development range as well as hopefully getting back to delivering face-to-face workshops across all states and territories, in 2022. Online delivery gives us a lot of connectivity, but it cannot replace the excitement and wonder that comes with being in a room full of educators during one of our workshops.

2022 is also a big year for us as we will run our National Little Scientists Early STEM Award for the third time. This is the only national award that recognises and celebrates STEM excellence in the early years. Every year we are blown away by the high quality of the child-led and inquiry-based projects that are submitted to our jury.

I cannot wait to get stuck into reading the award entries again — and hopefully get back into communities to celebrate their successes. That really is the best part of my job — being in community with our educators, children and their families and friends!

]]>

Out of the ashes: Post-bushfire lessons on how we can better manage our fauna

Dr Pat Hutchings — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +1000

In September 2021, the Royal Zoological Society of NSW held their annual forum online – receiving more registrations than ever before, with a tremendous range of talks focused on the impacts of the 2019-20 megafires and post-bushfire management.

The Royal Zoological Society (RZS) of NSW was due to host its annual forum in September 2020 at the Australian Museum, but due to COVID-19 restrictions the RZS held the forum online this month. At this forum, papers were presented by people from universities, government departments, consultancies, and environmental groups. Over 200 people registered from all over Australia, more than the RZS has ever had attend for any of the previous forums.

A tremendous range of talks on the impacts of the megafires in 2019 – 2020 was presented. These fires affected much of the east coast of Australia and southern Australia and many talks highlighted the effects of the preceding drought and described how habitats, which were previously thought to be resilient, were burnt severely (e.g. wet forests, some rainforests). The papers focused on a range of invertebrate species, birds, amphibians, bats and other mammals impacted by the fires, including some pest species such as feral cats and the cane toad that actually benefitted from the fires.

Many of the studies relied on data from pre-fire surveys, particularly the northern NSW forest surveys conducted by Australian Museum staff in the 1990s, which were initiated by Professor Gerry Cassis. Based on these surveys, research teams from UNSW and the Australian Museum resurveyed the historical sites to assess the impact of the megafires on a range of invertebrate surrogates. Dr Frank Koehler, Junn Kitt Foon, Dr Chris Reid and Aidan Runagall-McNaull of the Australian Museum investigated if species of molluscs and beetles (Coleoptera) had been lost in the fires. From UNSW, Dr Ryan Shofner, Dr Marina Cheng and Professor Gerry Cassis investigated fire impacts on true bugs and Professor Shawn Laffan leads a project undertaking spatial analysis of the above invertebrates, which is ongoing.

Similarly, pre-fire baseline surveys of the fauna of Kangaroo Island in South Australia were critical for assessing the impact of fires in this area, as many endemic species occur on Kangaroo Island. While obtaining funding for such baseline surveys is not always easy, these surveys are critical for the ongoing assessment of fire and other environmental impacts. They must be continued to document the recovery of burnt ecosystems, including long-term monitoring of all ecological components. The forum highlighted the importance of long-term monitoring programs. One such example was the monitoring of yellow-bellied gliders in southern NSW, where surveys have continued since 1995 and the fires, especially where severity was high, were shown to have impacted the population.

While the press coverage during the time of the fires suggested almost complete devastation, many papers provided evidence that, while habitat was burnt, this was not equal to it being destroyed. Subsequent good rainfall has also helped in some restoration of habitat. However, the loss of large, old hollow trees is of key concern to those animals which use them for nesting. It takes decades, even centuries, for trees to develop such hollows. Other key components of the forest that will take a long time to recover are large old logs and deep leaf litter. So, while some recovery is occurring, much more research is needed to monitor how quickly key forest components return and to determine if all species can rebuild their populations.

The initial reports from the forum, the proceedings of which will be published in the Australian Zoologist in 2022, stress the importance of looking at all the components of the ecosystem. However, there was a significant gap in the presented research - no papers were presented on changes in the soil fauna, which presents a future research imperative. It is also critical that we continue to document this recovery over time; not only in the eucalypt forests, but in the rainforests thought previously to be immune to fires. Given that climate change is predicted to increase the frequency and intensity of fires as well as periods of severe drought, such long-term studies are needed to try and protect the future of our fauna and flora. This was the subject of a previous RZS forum and the theme edition of Australian Zoologist published in 2018.

The published papers will provide more detail on lessons learnt from the fires, especially on how to improve risk management and ecological recovery associated with inevitable future fires. From the brief presentations at RZS, it was apparent that future management must include control of land clearing, the encroachment of urbanization into bushland and proposals for new mines and changes to water catchments.

Although it is uncertain as to when we can have in-person forums, the ability of scientific societies to meet in the ether, despite the many hurdles of the pandemic, is certainly a positive! A mixture of live talks and zoom talks may be the way of the future – and we hope that the lessons from the RZS forum continue to engage more audiences, spur on further scientific discovery and initiate future risk management programs.

Dr Pat Hutchings, Senior Fellow, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum; and, Member of the Forum Committee of Royal Zoological Society (with Chris Dickman, Brad Law, Dan Lunney, Tom Newsome and Ricky Spencer).

]]>

Russian dolls and shark snacks

Dr Joseph DiBattista — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +1000

What are in shark guts? And what can the contents tell us? The results can be confusing – as we find prey, within prey. To decipher this ‘Russian doll effect’, scientists from the University of Sydney, Australian Museum and NSW Department of Primary Industries tell us more.

Anyone remember the scene in “Jaws” where Matt Hooper (played by Richard Dreyfuss) opens the tiger shark stomach? What spilled out was a milky white substance, whole fish, fish head, mangled tin can, and a Louisiana license plate. This is a neat trick of Hollywood fakery, but what rings true is that shark gut contents can be gloopy, grisly, and downright gruesome. Good luck to any researcher intent on identifying all the gut contents too, particularly those fishes or marine invertebrates digested beyond recognition. In our recent Scientific Reports study, we applied a new genetic tool that allowed us to sequence the DNA of all species present in the shark chyme, which is the semifluid mass of partially digested food.

Based on this genetic tool, known as metabarcoding, we found that large hammerhead sharks bycaught off northern NSW fed predominantly on stingrays, skates and bony fishes, whereas the much smaller common blacktip sharks fed almost exclusively on bony fishes. What muddled the final outcome was the “Russian-doll effect”, whereby the powerful DNA sequencing approach not only detected the prey in the shark stomach but also items their prey was consuming (i.e., secondary predation). Like a true Russian-doll set, a thing, within a thing, can be a confusing thing…

In Australia, several shark species are targeted in commercial gillnet fisheries, such as gummy sharks (Mustelus antarcticus) and sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus), but other species, such as bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier), and white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), are targeted in bather-protection programs using gillnets or baited hooks on SMART drum lines. The NSW Government's Shark Meshing Program (SMP) has been controversial in recent decades owing to unwanted catches of non-target sharks (it was introduced as a public safety measure in 1937). But, it has protected 51 of the state’s most popular beaches from rare shark encounters, and provides valuable biodiversity data and biological material.

In our study, we took advantage of bycaught shark specimens sourced from NSW bather-protection fishing gear for two different species, the common blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) and the great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran). These two species are globally classified as Near Threatened and Critically Endangered, respectively by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). There is also little known about their ecology in Australian waters, particularly feeding behaviour and diet. These specimens therefore provided a rare opportunity to assess the diet of these two shark species by examining stomach contents from dead animals. Traditionally, only visual inspection of stomach contents has been used to determine diet, but this biases composition towards intact or recently consumed prey that is easily identified based on preserved hard parts (e.g., bones, spines, or scales). Here we heralded in the power of DNA amplification by simply blending up the stomach contents of sharks, and in select cases, the stomach contents of its intact prey (i.e., round rays and shovelnose rays). By matching the resultant DNA sequences from this stomach chyme to public genetic databases we could figure out exactly what they had both been eating. Shark stomach smoothie anyone?

Notwithstanding the important results above, our DNA analyses showed there was extensive intermixing of prey DNA between predator and prey stomachs, which limited the opportunity to clearly define the primary predator of some food items. Such intermixing of predator and prey stomach contents means the Russian-doll approach requires further investigation in DNA studies focused on dietary preferences, and ongoing reliance on traditional methods for visually confirming diets.

Dr. Mark de Bruyn, Senior Lecturer in Evolutionary Biology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney.

Dr. Joseph DiBattista, Curator Ichthyology, Australian Museum.

Dr. Matt Broadhurst, Senior Research Scientist, NSW Department of Primary Industries.

]]>

Abydos and its Relics

Dr Stan Florek — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Abydos in central Egypt is an important source of our knowledge of ancient history.

Some speculate that Abydos was possibly the capital at the very beginning of Egyptian history. But this major cult-centre of the god Osiris is hugely significant as the burial place of the earliest historic rulers of Egypt, the kings of the First Dynasty (c. 3100-2890 BCE). The symbolism of these burials played a major part in the important standing of Abydos among other centers of Egyptian civilisation.

William Flinders Petrie (1853–1942), often considered a pioneer of modern archaeology in Egypt, commenced archaeological research of the early royal necropolis in Abydos in 1889. Drawing on his decade-long experience in Egyptian archaeology he conducted the excavation with scientific rigor, as then understood. Petrie examined one of ancient Egypt’s most sacred sites at the Abydos necropolis, contributing greatly to our understanding of Egyptian dynastic history. He uncovered the first systematic and abundant evidence of Egyptian mortuary practices. Among the objects he found in graves, Petrie discovered ebony and ivory tablets with inscribed names of kings, which helped to confirm the list of all the First Dynasty Pharos (3100-2890 BCE).

Petrie also discovered a little limestone portrait, which he thought was the first Egyptian king, Narmer, subsequently considered to be Khufu (Cheops c. 2589–2566 BCE), who built the largest pyramid in Giza, or his son King Menkaure. In any event, it is one of the earliest sculptural representations of an Egyptian king.

Archaeological findings from Abydos were widely distributed to institutions subscribing to the Egypt Exploration Fund in which Petrie was, for a long time, an imposing and influential figure. Unfortunately, those objects were somewhat randomly separated from their context and shipped with little useful data to museums all over the world. Between 1909 and 1913 the Australian Museum received about 100 items from Abydos, obtained through the Egyptian Exploration Fund in excavation seasons between 1908 and 1914. These excavations focused on several cemeteries and temple sites dating from the pre-Dynastic period to the Roman period. More than half of the 100 objects from Abydos were excavated in the 1909-1910 season, most likely by Thomas Eric Peet (1882-1934), future Egyptologist at the Liverpool and Oxford universities, who was then working on the Middle Cemetery (cemetery E). This cemetery was the burial ground for important Sixth Dynasty (2407–2260 BCE) officials and subsequently for thousands of elite individuals and minor officials as well.

Archaeologist Ulrich Hartung (2018) estimated that nearly 75% of objects from the Middle Cemetery are associated with the cultural period Naquada IIC-IID (c. 3650–3300 BCE) - its recognition and relative chronology was a significant research achievement of Flinders Petrie. This period marks an evolution from prehistory to history in Egypt, ‘it represents a transition from mythological to historical awareness’ (Josephson and Dreyer 2015:165).

It is very difficult now to establish from which site, let alone from which grave, the Australian Museum’s objects were recovered. As a group they include pottery (60 items) with 44 from the pre-Dynastic period (over 3,100 BCE) which were placed in burials with food and drinks. Among 25 necklaces, armlets, amulets and other body accessories eight are from the pre-Dynastic period. Six shabtis, from the 19th Dynasty and younger, were to provide comfort and assistance to the deceased in the afterlife. Other objects include a late dynasty burial mask and a foot cover, a wooden headrest sadly broken into several pieces, a mummified ibis and a selection of small jars and palettes for makeup and ointments.

In modern archaeological practice individual objects removed from their context and lacking specific documentation can be considered as little more than titbits. Far from reflecting significant events or people in Egyptian history, they provide only a small glimpse of body adornments and burial accessories from one of the most iconic mortuary sites. But they can usefully be engaged in education and the spread of public knowledge, illustrated by authentic examples.

Additional information

Ancient Egyptians called their city Abdju (ꜣbḏw or AbDw). The English name Abydos came from the Greek Ἄβυδος - a name borrowed by the ancient Greek geographers from the unrelated city of Abydos on the Hellespont (Dardanelles).

The royal tombs at Abydos were excavated first by French Coptologist Émile Amélineau (1850–1915), whose work Petrie described as careless and destructive.

In the memorial temple of King Seti I (probably c. 1294-1279 BCE), Nineteenth Dynasty, are carved cartouches, known today as the Abydos King List. They show in chronological order the names of most dynastic pharaohs of Egypt from Narmer (Menes, c. 3273–2987 BCE) down to Ramesses I (probably c. 1295–1294 BCE) - Seti I’s father. They were first comprehensively documented by Richard Lepsius (1810-1884), a German Egyptologist, and published in 1858.

Explanation

BCE (or BC) – means Before Common Era, and indicates the years counted back from the first year of the Western Calendar.

Selected references

Hartung, Ulrich. 2018. Cemetery U at Umm el-Qaab and the Funeral Landscape of the Abydos Region in the 4th Millennium BC. Studies in African Archaeology (Poznań), Vol. 15: 313-337.

Josephson Jack, and Günter Dreyer. 2015. Naqada IId: The Birth of an Empire Kingship, Writing, Organized Religion. Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 51(1): 165- 180.

Story prepared by Stan Florek, David Chan, and Peter Dadswell.

]]>

News from LIRS: The rise and fall of turf-algae empires

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation is featured at the AM. For biodiversity month, we feature the rise and fall of turf-algae empires.

How will the abundance and diversity of life respond to the overall declining health of the Great Barrier Reef? The drivers of abundance and diversity are complex. They include the availability of food, the availability of shelter, and access to the services provided by other species (such as cleaner fish). Many researchers have used the Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS) as a field station to explore aspects of how diversity and abundance respond to changes in these drivers. With the increasing frequency of bleaching and associated coral-death events, this research has become a dominant theme of work being done at LIRS.

Two research agendas that are being pursued in parallel make interesting predictions about how we might expect the abundance and diversity of life on the reef at Lizard Island to evolve as coral heath continues to degrade.

One is an ongoing research programme, conducted by a large team of ecologists and engineers led by Dr Maria Dornelas (University of St Andrews) and Dr Joshua Madin (University of Hawai’i). Using extensive coral-reef mapping, the team have developed a relatively simple way to standardize how habitat complexity is measured. Their main insight is that the surface complexity of any habitat can be described by three measures: rugosity, fractal dimension, and height range. Height range measures the overall size of the habitat structures themselves. Rugosity measures the roughness of the habitat surface. Fractal dimension measures how much of the habitat space is filled by structures (and how much, in the case of coral reefs, is water). In the context of coral reefs, these dimensions are assessed on the scale of the macro-fauna that we can usually observe with the naked eye, fish, seaslugs, urchins, turtles, and the corals themselves. As habitat complexity increases, along any of the three dimensions, so does the diversity and abundance of life.

Damage to healthy coral structures does lead to a breakdown in habitat complexity at this large scale. Many of the corals that die convert fairly rapidly into smooth stony surfaces or into rubble. Over time (decades) if the damage does not recover, the rubble wears down into smaller and smaller parts until it is just sand, with very little structure at all. Before the sand stage, however, interesting increases in habitat complexity occur at a much smaller scale. Dr Kate Fraser, and her co-authors, Associate Professor Rick Stuart‐Smith, Dr Scott Ling, and Professor Graham J. Edgar (all at the University of Tasmania) have written a number of papers about the nature and biomass implications of this tiny-scale habitat complexity. Specifically, they have conducted research into turf-algae habitats all along the east coast of Australia, from LIRS down to Tasmania.

Dead corals, including coral rubble, are quickly over-grown with turf algae. These are dense collections of many species of filamentous algae that are typically less than 1 cm in height. As such, they provide minimal coverage for the macro-fauna we are used to seeing on healthy coral reefs. Turf algae cannot grow on living corals because they are prevented from doing so by the living coral polyps. However, it turns out that this turf algae is a much better habitat for microfauna than live corals. Kate and her colleagues, in a recently published paper, detail their finding that the total biomass of tiny surface-dwelling animals, known as epifauna, is more than an order of magnitude higher in coral rubble covered in turf-algae, when compared to live coral reefs.

Their paper suggests a number of explanations for this finding. For starters, live corals polyps eat tiny invertebrates and that predation might be enough to keep populations of very small invertebrates down. Habitat complexity at the scale relevant to very small animals (less than 1 mm to 20 mm) likely also plays a part. Rubble that is coated with turf algae provides more of the very small spaces that tiny animals need for shelter. This important work suggests that the relationship between habitat state and the abundance and diversity of life is more complex than might be inferred from the macro-scale analysis of coral reef complexity.

Kate and her colleagues predict a large increase in biomass of small mobile invertebrates as live corals are replaced by turf-covered dead coral. They note that this will be dominated by near- microscopic copepods (well under 1 mm in size) instead of larger but less numerous species such as crabs and shrimps that are typically found on healthy coral. The food webs that build upon these tiny prey animals may well change too. There may be fewer large fishes that eat crabs and more smaller fishes that are specialized to eat tiny prey. How well these species fare, over the medium to longer term will depend on whether their non-food requirements are also able to be met within the altered habitat. Can they find enough shelter from predators? Can they access the services of cleaner species to manage their parasite loads? Is there suitable habitat for supporting safe reproduction?

Regular ongoing surveys using Reef Life Survey methodology or similar would provide useful data showing changes in fish and large mobile invertebrate communities, as well as changes in the composition of benthic cover. Kate’s ongoing research shows that various metrics of epifaunal communities can be estimated based on the composition of benthic cover. That means that photo quadrat data or similar could be used to estimate the productivity of epifauna over time, relating that productivity to the health of the surrounding reefs. Both monitoring approaches would give greater insight into how the eco-system adapts to the rise and fall of the turf-algae cover that develops as coral structures break down.

Dr Stephanie Gardner (University of New South Wales), began new work at LIRS earlier this year, looking to characterise algal-turf communities and the biological and environmental factors leading to their success along Australia’s east coast. Check back soon for findings from her LIRS field trip in March 2021.

By Geoffrey Shuetrim

References

Fraser, K.M., Stuart-Smith, R.D., Ling, S.D. et al. High biomass and productivity of epifaunal invertebrates living amongst dead coral. Mar Biol 168, 102 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03911-1.

To view the LIRS blog, please go to: https://lirrf.org/posts/the-rise-and-fall-of-turf-algae-empires/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised over $13.2 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

Demystifying COVID-19 vaccines and variants

Kate Smith — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Who Dr Jackson Ryan, CNET

What Much of Dr Jackson Ryan’s recent reporting has explored new vaccine technologies, dispelling myths about safety, addressing fear mongering about virus variants and explaining how science will see us through to a "new normal" post-pandemic. In addition to his work on the coronavirus pandemic, Jackson’s long-form story Journey to the Dragon Palace — which follows the Japanese Space Agency’s mission to return ancient asteroid samples to Earth — has been recognised among this year’s top science journalism entries.

Finalist in the 2021 Finkel Foundation Eureka Prize for Long-Form Science Journalism and the 2021 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Science Journalism

Were your sights always set on a career in science journalism, or did you think you would pursue something else when you were younger?

I definitely liked to create, learn and write when I was younger, but I was never set on science journalism, I was definitely more likely to become a scientist. I had great mentors at the University of South Australia during my doctoral studies, but my heart wasn’t in it. Then I thought back to my time at high school, where I’d go to the library at lunch to read New Scientist magazines — and remembered how much that inspired me and made me think about the world in a different way.

I bounced around a bit and wore many different hats before getting to where I am: I was a medical scientist, a researcher, a kid’s TV show host and I used to write about video games, too. The common thread, I realised, was communication and about five years ago I got the chance to make that a full-time job. I haven’t looked back, much to the chagrin of my darling mother who still sends me job notices for academic positions.

A lot of your recent writing has focused on the coronavirus pandemic. What are some of the obstacles you’ve faced while covering COVID-19?

There have been so many obstacles! I think the major challenge is just the deluge of information (and misinformation). The pandemic has been a story that has, at times, changed by the hour. Our understanding of the virus has changed daily. Research into new variants or lockdowns or vaccines or mental health … There's just so much! It’s no surprise that we’re all so confused. It has really shown that we need to be better at conveying the scientific process and uncertainty to the public. Things do change as new evidence emerges. That’s what science is all about!

In Journey to the Dragon Palace, you follow the Japanese Space Agency as it plans to return ancient asteroid samples to outback Australia. How did this story get started?

I’d been following the Hayabusa2 mission by the Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA) for a few years and watched on as it achieved several historic firsts. Hayabusa2 was able to bomb an asteroid and then grab rocks from its surface. It always felt like big news to me — if NASA had been doing the same thing, it would be all over our social media feeds! Knowing the mission was going to return samples to Woomera, in South Australia, I always hoped I could embed myself with the JAXA team and follow the mission to completion in 2020.

What really hooked me was an ancient Japanese folk tale that provided the name of the asteroid, Ryugu. This folktale was a vivid and intriguing story about a young fisherman who visits a palace under the sea — the “Dragon Palace.” The tale has been interpreted in several different ways over the past 1,000 years but the one that resonated with me was the idea that once you leave home, things aren’t the same when you return. This was exactly what the Hayabusa2 mission to the Dragon Palace would be! As soon as that piece fell into place, I did everything I could to learn from JAXA and establish relationships with their scientists and engineers. I am incredibly proud of how the story turned out!

Are there any topics that you would like to focus on through your journalism in the future?

In the short-term, the most important topic remains the coronavirus followed closely by the climate crisis. We’ll be reckoning with both for a long, long time.

Further into the future, I really want to make sure that long-form science journalism can thrive in Australia. I think the pandemic has shown just how important explanatory journalism is — but the most impactful and affecting stories are still stories. You can wrap the facts up neatly, but people really listen when the story resonates with them on a personal and emotional level. I hope there’s a place for that kind of storytelling in the future and I hope to build a place for Australian writers to flex that muscle. That’s the dream, anyway.

What have been some of the highlights in your career as a science journalist?

When I took on the role of science editor at CNET.com, I wrote that I really wanted to bring research from people “much smarter than me” to our audience. I think that’s the most rewarding thing about this job: Being able to learn from experts and impart that sense of wonder and joy of discovery to an audience. I get highlights every day when readers email me and say they learned something from a piece I’ve written.

I have to say Journey to the Dragon Palace was certainly the most rewarding writing experience I have had so far, but I have some cool opportunities in the next year that I am really looking forward to — and can see them making the highlights list, too.

I was also fortunate enough to be a finalist for a Eureka in 2020! That was a highlight. Unfortunately, the brilliant ABC Coronacast team of Norman Swan, Tegan Taylor and producer Will Ockenden got the gong. They’ve made a mortal enemy out of me, and I am looking for revenge (but not really: I totally love what they do!).

In addition to CNET, where do you consume your science news?

I don’t think people fully understand how marvelous the science journalism and writing scene is in Australia. We have a truly impressive array of talented freelancers working across huge global sites like Nature, WIRED, Scientific American and a number of really great staff at some of the major mastheads across the country. We also have more “indie” titles like Cosmos, Australian Geographic, Space Australia … all these places rule. I keep my eye on as much of this work as possible and think everyone else should too!

You can also read the best of the best every year in The Best Australian Science Writing anthology, which is 11 years old and highly recommended – and in 2021 it’s edited by another Eureka Prize finalist, the incredible Dyani Lewis!

]]>

The diverse world of Annelida: an international consideration

Dr Pat Hutchings — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Annelida, a common and diverse group of marine invertebrates, populate habitats all over the world. However, many questions around their evolutionary relationships remain unanswered - AM scientists invited international colleagues to help!

Annelida is a diverse and abundant group of marine invertebrates that populate habitats all around the globe, from the highest mountains to the abyssal depths. The origins of all extant annelids are still being debated, but annelid-like fossils have dated back to the Cambrian period (approx. 543 million years ago). Genomic and transcriptomic studies have been essential in relating Annelida to the molluscs, branchiopods, nemerteans and phoronids.

Annelids exhibit a tremendous diversity in morphology, lifestyles and adaptations to different environments. The evolution of this diversity has occurred over a relatively short geological timeframe – and as such, unravelling the relationships within the annelids has remained difficult.

Over the past two decades, many studies on the origins of annelids have been undertaken and to date, over 20,000 species of Annelida have been described. Although these studies have radically changed scientists' views on the evolutionary relationships within the group, much remains to be done.

We invited a number of researchers from all over the world to explore these enigmatic relationships, examine the latest discoveries within this group and address the systematics of the main annelid groups. This has culminating in the recent Special Issue: Systematics and Diversity of Annelids. We invited 46 colleagues from 16 countries and 37 institutions, representing researchers at all stages in their careers from graduate students, early career researchers, to senior researchers. This team of researchers truly highlights the international and collaborative nature of annelid research.

All 12 chapters are multi-authored and are international, with Australian Museum scientists and collaborators at the centre of the work. Maria Capa wrote three of the chapters and Pat Hutchings two, and together they wrote an historical overview and highlighted areas of future research. Other AM staff who contributed to this work include Dr Elena Kupriyanova who co-authored a chapter on “Fan worms: yesterday, today and tomorrow”. Chris Glasby, an AM Research Associate, coordinated a chapter on “Annelids, in extreme aquatic environments, diversity: and adaptations and evolution”. Pat Hutchings’s PhD student, Nicolas Lavesque from Bordeaux University, also contributed to one of the chapters on Terebellida.

Most of the chapters address major groups of annelids and provide an overview of their morphology and a history of their discovery, including the number of species described per decade, their biology and ecology, as well as highlighting their worldwide distribution and identifying geographical areas and habitats where major studies need to be undertaken. Throughout the Special Issue, there is a strong emphasis on the future directions to annelid research.

Importantly, this research highlights that many more Annelida remain to be described; further research needs to be undertaken in unsurveyed biogeographical regions, habitats and depths, and in new techniques of sampling, identifying and analysing biodiversity. Species considerations need to be afforded when studying molecular data that allow for distinction between similarly looking or identical specimens.

We suggest that anybody working on annelids or about to start working on this diverse group, should reach out to the research team and read this Special Issue. It must be stressed the international nature of annelid research must be considered in any future works, and how so much still remains to be done.

Dr Pat Hutchings, Senior Fellow, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum.

Dr Maria Capa, Research Associate, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum; and Ramon y Cajal Fellow, Departament de Biologia, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Spain.

Meagan Warwick, AMRI Project and Communications Officer, Australian Museum.

]]>

Connecting women in the health and medical research sector

Kate Smith — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Who Dr Melina Georgousakis, founder of Franklin Women

What Dr Melina Georgousakis is committed to developing the next generation of Australia’s researchers and ensuring that women are equally represented among them. Through the establishment of Franklin Women, she is providing the infrastructure for a sector-first mentoring program, delivering events and building a community to foster the formation of new mentoring relationships.

Winner of the 2021 University of Technology Sydney Eureka Prize for Outstanding Mentor of Young Researchers

Tell us a little bit about the inception of Franklin Women

I started Franklin Women when I was an early career researcher. I had just left a lab-based role and had moved into immunisation policy and was loving it. This career pivot got me thinking about my career aspirations and the skills and connections I might need to get there.

At around the same time I had started to hit some barriers to these aspirations and after speaking to my peers and then looking at the data, I realised that many of those barriers were because of my gender. I came to recognise that despite women being overrepresented earlier in health and medical research careers, they were grossly underrepresented in leadership roles. Ultimately, despite a large investment in their training, they were being lost from the sector.

That was the year I started Franklin Women, a social enterprise that connects and provides development opportunities to women in their career journeys across the sector. The rest, as they say, is history!

Over the space of seven years, you’ve built a thriving community. Can you tell us a bit about the women in it?

What I am proudest of with Franklin Women is the amazing women who have touched our community over the years. One of the things I was very intentional about when I started the organisation was that I wanted it to connect women who shared a common passion to improve health, but came from different organisations, roles, career levels and disciplines.

This is exactly what Franklin Women has become — a supportive community of women working across the entire health and medical research ecosystem, whether they are in lab-research or implementation science, in government, at a medical research institute, completing a PhD or leading an organisation. Wonderful things have come from bringing these women together.

What philosophies underpin your approach to Franklin Women?

One of the main philosophies we have tried to embody is one of collective investment in our overall mission — to create a health and medical research sector where women thrive. We have this in mind with everything that we do as it’s our strong belief that much more can be achieved, and at a much faster rate, when individuals and organisations come together. It is also a lot more fun working with others than on your own!

Some good examples of how we go about this is drawing upon Franklin Women’s individual memberships to fund our annual Carer’s Scholarship, connecting a leader from one organisation with a future leader from another through our Mentoring Program and even our Academic Partners — an alliance of diverse health research organisations who have each invested in Franklin Women and our mission for the greater benefit to the whole sector.

Your events are hugely popular among women in the health and medical research sector. What role do they play in your approach to mentoring?

They have been popular which is amazing for us as we feel like we have hit the mark with providing what women need, and want, right now. I guess they contribute to mentoring in two ways. The first is by creating opportunities for women to find a mentor or to mentor someone else. Our events bring together women in diverse roles, organisations and career levels, creating this amazing mixing pot of opportunity.

The second way is by providing training on mentoring. We came to realise that while everyone seemed to be telling women to ‘get a mentor’, doing so is often easier said than done. To address this, we have delivered a few events that talk about what mentoring is, provide tips on how to go about finding a mentor and how to get the most out of mentoring relationships. The conversation at our first mentoring event brought to light just how underutilised mentoring relationships were among women in the medical sector and inspired our Mentoring Program, which we have now been delivering for five years with the amazing support of leadership consultants, Serendis Leadership.

What advice do you have for young female researchers trying to carve their own path?

Just do you. Often in the research sector a single career path is promoted that is built around very specific metrics of success. This can create an environment where we try to mould ourselves to fit this system as opposed to reflecting on what our unique strengths are, and where we can bring the greatest value and get the most happiness.

The one thing the Franklin Women community has shown me is the varied career paths out there that call upon research skills and where you can have great impact on health. The fun part is finding that path this is right for you.

What are your ambitions for Franklin Women?

Well, my biggest ambition is that Franklin Women becomes redundant as that means women are thriving in their respective roles and workplaces, but I think that might be a while off yet. In the meantime, I obviously hope the organisation can grow to reach and support more women in their career journeys. But more important than growing is ensuring that the support we provide is meaningful. I always ask the team, “How will this thing that we are delivering help someone right now?”

]]>

Do Pobblebonks sing to suit their surrounds? Calling all citizen scientists to help solve this mystery!

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +1000

If a frog calls in a forest, would anyone actually hear it? This may sound like a philosophical question, but it is a genuine concern for frogs – like ‘pobblebonks’ – living in forested habitats. Find out how you can help using the FrogID app!

In Australia, the variety of croaks and ribbits you may hear are the “advertisement calls” of male frogs. Frogs are almost solely reliant on advertisement calls for attracting mates and calls are essential in helping females locate male frogs. With female frogs potentially spread far and wide, a male frog needs to produce a sound that will reach the ears of any potential mates.

However, their calls face many potential obstacles along the way. In particular, the physical structure of a frog’s habitat may impact the way in which their call travels and reduce the distance over which they can be heard. In cluttered spaces such as forests, frog calls may echo and become distorted, whereas in open spaces, calls may be lost on the wind…

Different sounds are not all impacted equally. Short, high-frequency sounds are those most distorted in forests, while long, low-frequency sounds are easily absorbed and scattered in open spaces. To counteract this, frogs may make subtle changes to the frequency and duration of their calls depending on the structure of their environment, ensuring that their serenade will be sure to catch the attention of a female frog, no matter where they are calling from.

I am investigating whether this theory holds true for an Australian group of frogs. Banjo frogs, or “pobblebonks,” are a group of species found throughout most of eastern Australia - the Eastern Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes dumerilii), Northern Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes terraereginae), Giant Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes interioris), and Western Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes dorsalis). Banjo frogs are habitat generalists, living and calling in a range of different habitats. The distinctive “bonk” of a banjo frog can be heard anywhere from the tropical rainforests of northern Queensland to the chilly climes of Tasmania, and many places in between.

To determine whether habitat influences the structure of banjo frog calls, I am analysing recordings submitted by citizen scientists through the FrogID app. FrogID allows users from anywhere across Australia to record frog calls and submit the recordings to the expert validators at the Australian Museum for identification.

To further understand the variation in banjo frog calls across their entire range, I am in need of more recordings from forest habitats, particularly from northern Queensland. So again, I ask: if a frog calls in a forest, would anyone hear it? If you do, please be sure to record the call using the FrogID app!

This spring, please tune your ears to the “bonk” of a banjo frog, and record their calls using the FrogID app!

Grace Gillard, Honours student, Australian Museum Research Institute and UNSW.

]]>

News from LIRS: Deconstructing coral colonies

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation is featured at the AM. For this month, we feature Deconstructing Coral Colonies.

Dr Kyle Zawada is a humble man, but show him just a glimpse of Acropora loripes and he’ll give you its distribution, distinctive features and more in a heartbeat. Whereas some specialize in the language of mathematics or the coded workings of the human mind, Kyle’s forté lies in interpreting the cogs and gears that make up the reef. “Branching colonies provide habitat for juvenile fishes but you’ve also got big boulder colonies which are very long-lived and build the reef framework.” That’s the simple version anyways. It was his efforts to systematize this knowledge that carried him through his PhD: “I spent some time in the Natural History Museum in London, pulled out a bunch of old coral skeletons, blasted them with a 3D laser scanner and came up with a set of quantitative metrics for coral shape.”

The doctorate had been a gamble, but it paid off: a single application, an overnight bus across the length of England and within two weeks Kyle was flying out from St Andrews for his first taste of Lizard Island life. “I was very, very green. I came out here with my PhD supervisor and some of the guys from the University of Sydney. They were working on underwater mapping projects just as I am now. But I was new to this field research and coral ID and it was pretty tricky.” In fact, the trip proved to be the perfect immersion and Kyle, thrown in head first, soaked up the skills. “I’ve managed to come back almost every year since, and become more and more confident… I love it out here.”

Would that it were all such smooth sailing. In the three years since Kyle’s first visit, cyclone Nathan churned up the island’s reefs followed by two years of mass coral bleaching. “I came out again in 2015 to do the coral surveys at trimodal reef- one of the island’s most biodiverse areas. On that same trip, cyclone Nathan struck and we had to lock down in the library. After it passed, we went back out and the reef had just been decimated. It went from 90% coral cover to 10% in some places.” Kyle and his team are now surveying these areas annually to track the reef’s recovery with some promising signs: “For both 2020 and 2021, the corals have been on the brink of another widespread bleaching. But in our 2019 surveys, we saw a lot of coral recruits- young coral colonies. And now we’re seeing that a lot of them have survived and are growing from splotches into big, bright colonies.”

Recovery, it seems, just might be possible. And as Kyle sagely points out: “Corals are 300 million years old. They existed before there were trees on land. Since they’re been around for a very long time, it gives you some hope that they may find a way to survive.” Each year, he marks in new colonies on the underwater maps and scores out those that have died. By overlaying the slates one year on another, Kyle can then see how the reefs are adapting across all 21 sites monitored.

Which leaves only the million-dollar question: how do you identify corals? Kyle breaks it down into two steps: “First you look at the macro structure- whether it’s like a boulder, or a table, or if it’s branching. You can use that to narrow it down to the coral’s family or genus. And then you have to look at the micro structures- the coral polyps and the corallites- to narrow it down to the species.” Unfortunately with some 600 varieties across the Great Barrier Reef, the process is rarely straightforward. “We end up having a lot of fueled debates in the lab late at night about which coral species we think is which.”

In the end, Kyle considers his years of research on Lizard Island very well spent; “The research station is an awesome place. The weather is amazing. You get to spend your days in the water doing cool things and talking to great people… I don’t like to make future plans but I think as long as I’m answering cool questions and engaging my brain, I’ll be happy.” Who could ask for more?

Written by Elliot Connor

This work is funded by a LIRRF grant awarded by the Australian Museum, thanks to the generosity of the Charles Warman Foundation. The project leaders are Dr Maria Dornelas (University of St Andrews) and Dr Joshua Madin (University of Hawaii) who were unable to get into Australia during 2020 due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Luckily, Australia-based colleagues, including Kyle, were able to step into the breach in early 2021 to ensure the continuity of this long-term dataset. – Editor

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised over $13.2 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

One Fish Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Examination of historical museum specimens, in both Australian and Indonesian collections, resolve a 170-year taxonomic conundrum.

Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor, ichthyologist, and herpetologist extraordinaire. He was a decorated naturalist, his proverbial hat adorned with so many feathers such that it resembled a small bird. Among many of his accomplishments was his work on fishes of East Asia, a monumental compendium that stands today as one of the most important pieces of ichthyological literature. But Bleeker’s work, although extensive, was sometimes nebulous.

He is of course, hardly to blame. The science of taxonomy has grown tremendously since the 1800s, and what was deemed sufficient in the past may not necessarily be representative today. After all, contemporary work is built upon historical foundations, lending to the perpetual state of flux that makes taxonomy so interesting.

The story here begins with Coenraad Jacob Temminck and Hermann Schlegel, in 1845. They, like Bleeker, contributed much toward present day ichthyology and herpetology. In a series of monographs detailing the zoology of Japan, Temminck and Schlegel included an illustration of a little fish with a discontinuous lateral line and long pelvic fins that trailed past the anal-fin origin. The illustration was accompanied by a short description of a new labrid genus, which they called Cirrhilabrus, although strangely enough no species name was given.

Several years later in 1851, Bleeker, in his treatment of the ichthyofauna of the Dutch East Indies, came upon a little fish that was presented to him from Indonesia. To this fish he gave the name Cheilinoides cyanopleura, a new genus and species of labrid. Bleeker’s new species shared many similarities to Temminck and Schlegel’s Cirrhilabrus, though presumably he wasn’t aware of their earlier description. This did not go unnoticed for long, and in 1853, he (Bleeker) assigned a species to Temminck and Schlegel’s Cirrhilabrus (as C. temminckii), thus fixing the type of the genus by monotypy.

In the same year, he described a new species of Cirrhilabrus based on material taken from Lawajong, Solor, Indonesia. He called his new species Cirrhilabrus solorensis, after its eponymous place of origin. His description was brief, though it includes a reassignment of Cheilinoides cyanopleura to Cirrhilabrus (as Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura), thus placing Cheilinoides in the synonymy of Cirrhilabrus and ending its status as valid. To summarise, 8 years after Temminck and Schlegel named Cirrhilabrus, three species of Cirrhilabrus were known.

Today, the genus has grown to include more than 60 species, accounting for nearly 10% of the entire family. Bleeker’s Cirrhilabrus solorensis still stands, though the scanty description has not withstood the test of time, and today, the name is misapplied to several fishes known from across Indonesia, all of which differ remarkably from each other in coloration patterns. At least two of these disagree with Bleeker’s original description of the nominate species.

So, what do we do? We can call upon one of the cardinal rules of taxonomy here. When in doubt, always consult the holotype. The holotype is the single specimen upon which the description and name of a new species is based. Unfortunately, the holotype of Cirrhilabrus solorensis is stored in the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, Netherlands. With travel restrictions in place, travelling there to examine it was not an option. Fortunately for us, our colleague Esther Dondorp was nice enough to send us high-resolution images of the holotype.

The images of Bleeker’s holotype revealed several unique characters that were not detailed in his original description, such as the characteristic blue coloration the species takes on when preserved in alcohol. This is where the Australian Museum’s extensive collection of preserved fishes comes in handy. It took no time at all to track down jars of Cirrhilabrus solorensis held in storage at the Australian Museum, and also other regional museums such as the Western Australian Museum. Detailed examination of these specimens corroborated what we know of these fishes based on their live coloration, that the name Cirrhilabrus solorensis is indeed a catchall for several new species masquerading under the same moniker. These new species were separated from C. solorensis and described as C. aquamarinus and C. chaliasi. The former draws attention to the arresting coloration of the males, in ludicrous aquamarine, to which no other Cirrhilabrus remotely resembles. The latter is a patronym given in honor of Vincent Chalias, a Balinese based biologist who is a fierce proponent of sustainable aquaculture.

It goes without saying that museums hold the keys to unlocking windows of our past, providing a wealth of information that otherwise lost to the passage of time. The importance of historical material cannot be emphasised enough, with museums simultaneously acting as historic time capsules and centres for cutting-edge research.

These historic repositories allow us to resolve difficult taxonomic quandries such as this, with implications that can alter the way we manage biodiversity and assess endemic species. After all, we can’t conserve what we don’t know, and taxonomic revisions like these help shed light on potentially new species hiding in plain sight.

Yi-Kai Tea, PhD candidate, University of Sydney; 2019–20 AMF/AMRI Postgraduate Award Recipient, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Reaching new heights: A new species of frog found on the second highest mountain in Vietnam

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +1000

A species new to science has been discovered by an international team of scientists, including Australian Museum Amphibian and Reptile curator, Dr Jodi Rowley. This new species of tiny frog, at only 2-3 cm in body length, can be found in the mountainous forest on Mount Pu Ta Leng, Vietnam.

A tiny species of frog living at over 2,300 metres elevation on Mount Pu Ta Leng in northwestern Vietnam has been discovered by an international team from Vietnam, the UK and Australia. This represents the twelfth new species of frog discovered in the Hoang Lien Range of northern Vietnam in the last 10 years, highlighting the area’s rich yet poorly known amphibian diversity.

Mount Pu Ta Leng is the second highest mountain in Vietnam, reaching a height of 3,049 m. It is not an easy place for scientists to conduct surveys, due to its high elevation, steepness, low temperatures and high humidity all year round. However, in 2019 a small team of biologists led by Luan Thanh Nguyen, braved the conditions search for the Critically Endangered Botsford’s Leaf-litter Frog (Leptobrachella botsfordi). Instead of finding this rare species on Mount Pu Ta Leng, we found a population of another species of Leptobrachella. After carefully checking their appearance and DNA, we confirmed that this frog species was previously unknown to science and have named it as a new species – the Mount Pu Ta Leng Leaf-litter Frog (Leptobrachella graminicola).

The common name of the species, the Mount Pu Ta Leng Leaf-litter Frog, refers to its mountainous home, while its scientific name, Leptobrachella graminicola, refers to one of the interesting behaviours of the new species. The Latin term, gramineus translates to grass-like and incola means inhabitant – so graminicola means living in grass-like microhabitats. A fitting name, as all the frogs we studied were found on grass-like vegetation along streams at night.

The Mount Pu Ta Leng Leaf-litter Frog is small, at only 2-3 cm in body length. It is only known from forests at 2,300 m elevation in Lao Cai and Lai Chau provinces, Vietnam. Due to its mountain-top habitat, it is likely to be restricted to a very small area and is potentially threatened by habitat loss and tourists’ activities. Although the mountain is within a Natural Reserve, a tourist trek has been created by local people which leads to the top of the mountain. Numerous camps have been built along the trekking route without the permission from the local authorities. Despite conducting two surveys in search of frogs by our team on this mountain, we still don’t know much about this species, including its tadpole, ecology, and breeding behaviour. Further studies are essential in furthering our understanding of this species.

Since 2015, our team has been working amphibian conservation in the Hoang Lien Range, with a focus on the conservation of two Critically Endangered species, Botsford’s leaf-litter frog (Leptobrachella botsfordi) and Sterling's toothed toad (Oreolalax sterlingae). This long-term conservation project also facilitates the research and enhanced understanding of other amphibian species within their range. In addition to our achievements on the conservation of the two target species, we have achieved some significant findings, such as the discovery of new species. This year we welcome the official scientific recognition of Mount Pu Ta Leng leaf-litter frog.

The discovery of this tiny new frog species is the fifth new frog species discovered by our team in the Hoang Lien Range since our collaboration "Amphibian conservation on the roof of Indochina" started in 2015. It also highlights the unique and imperilled biodiversity of the Hoang Lien Range – known to be home to more than 85 species of amphibians, many of which are threatened with extinction.

Luan Thanh Nguyen, Botsford’s leaf-litter frog EDGE Fellow, Asian Turtle Program of Indo-Myanmar Conservation.

Benjamin Tapley, Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians, Zoological Society of London.

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator of Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology at the Australian Museum and UNSW.

]]>

What’s that smell? Protecting our wildlife using volatilomes

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics and UTS Centre for Forensic Science PhD candidate Amber Brown, and supervising scientists Dr. Greta Frankham, Dr. Maiken Ueland and Dr. Barbara Stuart, have completed a world-first study which optimised the collection and analysis of volatilomes from live reptiles.

If you ever been waiting at the baggage carousel at an airport, chances are that you have probably come across one of Australia’s most hard-working and effective agents. Yes, that’s right, we are talking about the detector dogs who keep our borders safe from biosecurity and criminal risks from both domestic and overseas sources.

While these dogs are extremely effective in performing their jobs, they are expensive to train and keep. Additionally, these animals are generally only trained to detect one or two of a long list of illicit items that are of concern to border agents. These limitations present a unique opportunity to understand how a dog’s nose works and how we can potentially mimic it with technology.

The long list of items of concern for border agents includes high profile items such as drugs, explosives, money, tobacco and plant material/fruits. One of the most valuable is illegally trafficked wildlife, including many iconic Australian reptile species smuggled live for the illegal pet trade.

A world-first study recently published in Forensic Science International: Animals and Environments has focused on studying the methods for improving the detection of live Australian reptiles in transit.

To do this, we studied volatile organic compounds, which are the chemical compounds responsible for odours that are given off by all items, both natural and synthetic. These are the odours that detection dogs use to find different target items that are hidden within luggage. The total composition of these compounds is known as the “volatilome”; this can be collected and analysed using sophisticated instruments to determine an odour profile for different items, or in our case, for smuggled reptiles. This type of research had never been conducted on living animals. Therefore, the most essential and fundamental step of our research was to optimise both the volatilome collection as well as the analysis methods that would be suitable for a range of different reptile species and individuals. This way, we can be confident that we will be able to determine the most important odorous compounds that can be used for locating these smuggled animals.

After careful consideration and planning, the team designed a container and attached a tube which was capable of collecting volatilomes from captive reptiles. In this work, we sampled Shingleback lizards (Tiliqua rugosa), Eastern Blue Tongues (Tiliqua scincoides) and Children’s pythons (Antaresia childreni) held at Featherdale Wildlife Park. We then designed and tested all the steps from volatilome collection through to analysis for future studies. This included determining which material (coating in the tube) was most suitable to collect reptile odours. We then determined how long it took the animal to generate a stable volatilome profile, as well as how long it took to collect a reproducible volatilome profile. In the lab, we had to optimise how the odour sample was extracted and separated so we could accurately determine the chemical components of each odour.

Because this technology is being developed to better identify criminal activity, it is critical that it is developed with forensic standards in mind, for which thorough optimisation is essential. As a result of this work, databases of volatilomes can be accurately and reliably built which can serve as the foundation for future volatilome detection technologies.

Amid this pandemic, numerous community research members generously partnered together to complete this study. We are very excited to see what the future holds for this new field in wildlife forensic science!

Amber Brown, PhD candidate, Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum; and, University of Technology Sydney.

Dr Greta Frankham, Research Assistant, Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum & Industry Fellow Centre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney.

Dr. Maiken Ueland, ARC DECRA Fellow & Senior Lecturer, Centre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney.

Dr. Barbara Stuart, Associate Professor, Centre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney.

]]>

Fire shooting ‘butterfly bobtail’ named in honour of Professor Merlin Crossley!

Mandy Reid, Meagan Warwick — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Two new species of ‘butterfly bobtail’ squid have been discovered among museum collections. One species has been named Iridoteuthis merlini in honour of longstanding Australian Museum affiliate and UNSW professor, Merlin Crossley.

Commonly called ‘butterfly bobtails’ members of this cephalopod family have silvery sides, colourful shields on their underside and have large round eyes that take up a large proportion of their heads. They are pelagic, fluttering about in the open ocean while emitting sparkling light from a large light organ, or photophore, filled with luminescent bacteria.

They use this luminescence not only to countershade their body shape from downwelling light to mask themselves from predators hunting from below (using the shield to regulate the light) but can also squirt out bioluminescent bacteria to form a light cloud, otherwise called ‘fire shooting’ to startle potential predators to distract them while the clever butterfly squid slips away unnoticed.

In a recent study by Dr Mandy Reid, Malacology Collection Manager at the Australian Museum Research Institute, members of two genera, Iridoteuthis and Stoloteuthis, were examined at the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington.

Iridoteuthis and Stoloteuthis species are superficially quite similar. Examination of the Stoloteuthis maoria type specimens (those that are used to define a species), revealed that the type specimens comprised not only two species, but represented two genera. The males are the ‘real’ Stoloteuthis maoria, and the females belonged to an undescribed species, now formally described and named Iridoteuthis merlini.

A second undescribed Iridoteuthis was also discovered among the Te Papa collection and has been named Iridoteuthis lophia in the same publication. Both new species are found in New Zealand waters and Iridoteuthis merlini also occurs off southern and southeastern Australia.

Iridoteuthis merlini has been named in honour of Professor Merlin Crossley. The name honours his longstanding association with the AM and services to the Australian Museum as a Trustee, Honorary Associate and the previous Chair of the Science Advisory Board. Merlin is a prolific researcher, passionate educator and powerful science communicator. Professor Crossley is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and a Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of New South Wales and is a leading molecular biologist in Australia, holding numerous honours and accolades in his name.

These discoveries underpin the importance of museum collections and the endless surprises they contain, the significance of international scientific collaboration, and the need for rigorous taxonomic research to learn more about the fascinating creatures that share our space in the world.

Dr Mandy Reid, Collection Manager, Malacology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Meagan Warwick, Australian Museum Research Institute Project and Communications Officer.

]]>

Swifter, Higher, Stronger: What makes Australia’s Olympic team names so extraordinary

Alice Gage — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Australia is famous for its incredible animals – their amazing evolutionary attributes, their fearsome skills, their awesome abilities. The same might be said for the Australian sports teams currently swimming, swooshing and soaring to the top of the leaderboard at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. So, what’s in a name? We ask our scientists from the Australian Museum Research Institute to give us an insight into why Aussie team names represent the best of the best.

Scientist: Dr Mark Eldridge, Principal Research Scientist, Terrestrial Vertebrates

Most amazing physical ability: Increases speed by travelling further with each hop, not increasing the number of hops. This not only allows kangaroos to travel faster but is highly energy efficient.

Why they outrun the rest: The largest of the living kangaroos, the Red Kangaroo can hop the fastest, jump the highest and the furthest. Routinely travelling at 20-25km/hr, Red Kangaroos can hop at speeds up to 60km/hr. They can leap to a height of 3m and can cover 3-8m in a single bound depending on speed.

Gold, silver or bronze?: Gold of course!

Red Kangaroo fact sheet

Scientist: Dr Sandy Ingleby, Collection Manager, Mammalogy

Secret weapon: “Porpoising” – the classic behaviour of dolphins travelling at high speed close to the surface as they propel themselves out of the water in a series of parabolic leaps. It has been shown that at certain speeds (known as the crossover speed) it is energetically more efficient in terms of reducing drag on their bodies to be air-born rather than remain in the water. When travelling fast dolphins need to remain close to the surface in order to breathe more frequently.

Why do they out-swim the rest: Dolphins are among the fastest of all marine mammals. With streamlined, teardrop shaped bodies, tight skin and broad tail flukes that are able to generate strong propulsion, they can reach speeds of around 8 metres per second.

Gold, silver or bronze?: Gold of course – they use both morphological and behavioural adaptations to be the best.

Common Dolphin fact sheet

Scientist: Dr Leah Tsang, Collection Manager, Ornithology

Most special attribute: Fastest bird of prey; the Peregrine Falcon is arguably the fastest land animal in the world.

Why they're at the top of the food chain: Extraordinary powers of flight, and keen eyesight.

Gold, silver or bronze?: Gold.

Peregrine Falcon fact sheet

Scientist: Amanda Hay, Collection Manager, Ichthyology

Most impressive adaptation: Their scales called dermal denticles are tiny teeth-like projections. The scales have grooves along their length parallel to the direction of the water, this acts to reduce drag making them super-efficient swimmers. In previous Olympics, swimsuits that were worn where the fabric was based on shark skin were soon banned as they made the swimmers too fast!

Why they’re the boss of the water: The are the top predator in the ocean, equally feared and respected.

Gold, silver or bronze?: Definitely gold.

Shark myths and facts

Scientist: Ross Pogson, Collection Manager, Mineralogy & Petrology

Most singular attribute: Australia provides about 95% of the world's precious opal. Small quantities of precious opal are found in Mexico, Brazil and the United States. It is a uniquely Australian icon – the State Gemstone Emblem of New South Wales and South Australia. Plus, a famous large opal was named the “Olympic Australis’’ because it was found during the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

Why they sparkle like no other precious stone: The opal’s scintillating performance gives flashes of colour. Precious opal is amorphous, consisting of a regular, three-dimensional framework of hydrated silica spheres. A process of diffraction and interference of light over the silica spheres produces a network of spectral colours we call play of colour. The size of the silica spheres determines which colours are seen.

Gold, silver or bronze?: Opal!

Opal fact sheet

Scientist: Dr Leah Tsang, Collection Manager, Ornithology

Most impressive adaptation: Using their large formidable bill for catching prey including snakes.

Why are they the “Kings of the Bush”: Their raucous and distinctive song, and because they are the world’s largest kingfisher (by weight).

Gold, silver or bronze?: Gold.

Kookaburra fact sheet

Scientist: Amanda Hay, Collection Manager, Ichthyology

Most special attribute: Stingrays have one or two barbed and venomous spines on their tail used to defend themselves underwater from being eaten (predation).

Why they leave the others in their wake: They may look like an easy target but don’t mess with a fish with such fierce weaponry.

Gold, silver or bronze?: Gold – stealth and weaponry used to come out on top in a battle.

Black Stingray fact sheet

]]>

Much to discover: Collaborative biodiversity surveys in northern Australia

Dane Trembath, Dr Jodi Rowley — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +1000

The latest Bush Blitz expedition brought together teams of biologists, including AMRI scientists, and community to better understand the biodiversity of Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory. Dane Trembath and Dr Jodi Rowley tell us more about the amazing biodiversity in northern Australia.

It might come as a surprise to many Australians just how little we know about our country’s biodiversity. This is especially true in many of the more remote parts of northern Australia. Every year we get a slightly better understanding of the amazing biodiversity that we do have, which helps better inform vital conservation and land-use planning decisions – but we still have so much to discover! One fantastic initiative to discover Australia’s biodiversity is Bush Blitz, a program that brings together teams of biologists to help document the plants and animals of Australia. The latest Bush Blitz was held on Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory. We found over 40 species of frog and reptile, some of which may just be scientifically undescribed species. It’s a step forward in our shared knowledge of Australia’s biodiversity, and how to best manage it into the future.

Bush Blitz expeditions have dramatically increased our knowledge of Australia’s biodiversity since in the last decade, providing new records of plants and animals across the continent, and resulting in a huge number of new species - over 1700 new species (1657 fauna and 78 flora) of Australian animals to date!

From the 14th to the 25th of June 2021, Bush Blitz joined forces with the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Australian Museum, Northern Territory Herbarium, Anindilyakwa Land & Sea Rangers and Traditional Owners to survey the biodiversity of Groote Eylandt. Groote Eylandt is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the fourth largest island in Australia. Located off the eastern coast of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, the island has an amazing array of habitats ranging from rugged sandstone gorges to large swathes of tropical eucalypt forest. It’s also free of the introduced Cane Toad (Rhinella marina), meaning that animals impacted by the Cane Toad on the mainland, like Northern Quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus) and Monitor Lizards (Varanus spp.), are common.

Given the vast areas without any roads, access to rocky streams and remote gorges was made possible via helicopter – making our work as thorough and efficient as possible and increasing our chances of finding unknown critters. In the afternoons, we were dropped off at locations that we suspected were the best for finding frogs and reptiles and we were picked up the morning after a night of searching the terrain via torchlight. We searched for dragons, skinks and monitors in the day and frogs, snakes and geckos at night.

The Bush Blitz was conducted in partnership with the Anindilyakwa Land & Sea Rangers and in consultation with the Traditional Owners of Groote Eylandt, and together we were able to survey areas never before scientifically surveyed for biodiversity. We also learnt an incredible amount about the frogs and reptiles of the island from the Rangers and community, including traditional uses, names in Anindilyakwa, and species that we unfortunately didn’t encounter during the Bush Blitz but are present on the island and we hope to see one day!

Together, we recorded more than 36 reptile species and 8 frog species in one of the most thorough surveys of the island to date. Reptile finds included Groote Eylandt Marbled Velvet Geckos (Oedura nesos) which are found exclusively in sandstone outcrops on Groote Eylandt, and a range of interesting but extremely difficult to identify Geckos (Gehyra spp.), widespread throughout the island. On the amphibian front, Spaldings Rocket Frogs (Litoria spaldingi) were found throughout the island, tiny Remote Froglets (Crinia remota) were heard calling in rocky seeps, and the tiny Northern Sedge Frogs (Litoria bicolor) were scattered throughout their spiky Pandanus tree homes.

We found rarely reported frogs and reptiles, and suspect that some of these may be scientifically unknown. However, as so many frog and reptile species look so similar across the top end of Australia, a lot of detective work (particularly DNA analyses) will be needed before we can be sure. Stay tuned for more!

It’s incredibly important to know where different species occur, what areas hold the most biodiversity, and which species are likely to be under greatest threat. Only by knowing this can we make informed planning decisions to ensure future generations inherit a country with healthy ecosystems full of a diverse array of unique plant and animal species.

We wish to thank the Anindilyakwa Land & Sea Rangers and Traditional Owners of Groote Eylandt for allowing us to survey for frogs and reptiles on their land. We are excited to confirm just how many species we found together, and whether any are new to science. We also hope that this is the beginning of a collaboration to better understand the amazing frogs and reptiles of such an important part of Australia.

Dane Trembath, Technical Officer, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum Research Institute & UNSW.

]]>

The quest for deep sea critters

Dr Ingo Burghardt — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Although the recent Indian Ocean Territories expedition has been suspended, we found many fascinating deep sea animals during our 19 days at sea. Dr Ingo Burghardt, AMRI scientist on board the CSIRO research vessel Investigator, shares the latest findings.

Dr Elena Kupriyanova, Dr Frank Koehler, Alice Yan, Claire Rowe and I recently embarked with fellow researchers on the Investigating the Indian Ocean Territories (IOT) voyage. Led by Dr Tim O’Hara, the Chief Scientist from Museums Victoria, this expedition on the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator departed from Darwin on the 30th of June. The aim of the expedition was to explore the seafloor across the IOT and its marine life, as very little is known about the marine biodiversity in the IOT region. During the expedition, scientists would complete multibeam mapping and collect benthic and planktonic samples from a number of IOT seamounts. Our job on board was to sort, preserve and identify the marine life collected, allowing the marine biodiversity in the region to be characterised.

During our time at sea, we were fortunate to find diverse deep sea critters in our biological sampling. I wrote about what was happening on board and wanted to share this as a snapshot in time.

14 July 2021:

After leaving the waters around Christmas Island a few days ago, we are now pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The ocean swells are getting bigger and it’s now easier to understand why there are so many structures (hooks, etc.) all over the RV Investigator to prevent things from flying around in rough seas.

Many people probably have romantic notions in mind when they think about a voyage like this but the reality is that we work 24/7, and in shifts. It feels like everything merges into one very long day. I’m working on the late shift, from 2pm to 2am which actually suits my natural biorhythm best!

Sampling is now in full swing and we are pretty busy, sometimes analysing up to three sampling sites during one shift. Sampling alternates between using the CTD (a large instrument that takes water samples from various water depths to measure oxygen, nutrients, salinity and water temperature) and using devices for biological sampling of the sea floor.

For the biological sampling we are mostly using the ‘Beam Trawl’ – a big net that is kept open by a steal beam. Occasionally we also use the ‘Sherman Sled’ as an alternative: a large and robust metal box that can cope with rough surfaces, rocks and more. So far, the Beam Trawl has delivered better results; at times the Sherman Sled only brought back some pretty ‘naked’ rocks (which made our geologist Steph happy but not we biologists).

Most of the catches are still relatively small but contain a good diversity of deep sea critters. Apart from deep sea life, the catch mainly consists of volcanic rocks and/or coral rubble which both offer a good substrate for organisms to attach to. Luckily, we’ve been spared big mud samples so far – wading through and sieving mud would be so much fun (not)!

Every catch has its own highlights, whether it’s bizarrely shaped sea cucumbers, huge sea stars, blood-red crustaceans or alien-looking fish. I’m mainly focusing on polychaete worms and squat lobsters but we haven’t come across many specimens from those groups yet.

This is my second voyage on board the RV Investigator: 2.5 years ago, I was lucky enough to participate in a journey to the seamounts south of Tasmania. But the cool temperate rough Southern Ocean is obviously a different beast compared to the tropical Indian Ocean and it’s interesting for me to see the similarities and differences in the deep sea fauna of seamounts in both very different oceans.

I was under the impression that I would see a similar diversity of deep sea animals in both areas but so far the diversity here in the Indian Ocean seems lower. Tropical waters are generally lower in nutrients than cool temperate waters so maybe that is reflected in lower deep sea diversity around seamounts? But it’s too early to tell and there are so many more ancient seamounts to be sampled soon. So perhaps that perceived pattern will change – stay tuned!

There are also some exciting relatively new techniques performed on this voyage: Katrina West from CSIRO in Hobart is taking loads of water samples from various water depths (brought up by the CTD) to investigate ‘eDNA’ (= environmental DNA). Environmental DNA can come from soil, water or other environmental sources but in this particular case we are talking about organic material (such as mucus) that is produced and released by deep sea organisms and that dissolves their traceable DNA in water.

By means of PCR assays (to be performed back on land later on) Katrina will be able to tell which organisms were present in a particular spot without even seeing it – fascinating stuff which gives us an additional insight into the diversity of deep sea habitats!

The RV Investigator was in the waters off Christmas Island and is expected to dock at Hobart on the 29th of July. The CSIRO MNF is hoping to reschedule the voyage as soon as it is able to.

Dr Ingo Burghardt, Research Associate, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Australian Museum’s 130-year-old black coral collection reveals hidden Australian biodiversity

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Black corals in the Australian Museum represent a treasure trove of biodiversity information – including undescribed species and new species records for Australian waters!

Black corals can be found at great depths, making their collection costly and logistically challenging. For over 130 years, black corals have been collected and deposited in the Australian Museum, resulting in over 200 predominantly unexamined black corals – therefore providing an amazing opportunity to extract biodiversity information about this understudied coral group in Australian waters.

Funded by the 2020-21 AMF/AMRI Visiting Collections Fellowship, Kristina Pahang and I examined the entire black coral collection in the Australian Museum. Some of these specimens have been untouched since they were collected and preserved in ethanol-filled jars for over 100 years!

Examining these specimens over a two-week period has led to significant scientific discoveries including species that have yet to be formally described. For example, Dr Penny Berents from the Australian Museum collected a few colonies in 2003 that have alternating pinnules (branches), suggesting it belongs to the genus Alternatipathes (first noticed by Dr Tina Molodtsova). However, the colonies have relatively short stems for the genus and were collected from shallower depths than expected, suggesting that it is likely a new species and a range expansion for the genus.

This collection demonstrates that there are more black coral species in Australian waters than previously thought. Hiding in this collection are the first Australian records of numerous black coral species. Additionally, Australian waters are home to the most ancient black coral family, the Leiopathidae, individuals of which can live for ~4,000 years and which have been on earth for over 400 million years, surviving through two global mass extinction events!

400,000,000 years) and longest living (individual colonies can live over 4,000 years) black coral family.' />

In terms of future research, many of these specimens will be subject to closer examination including electron microscope scanning of skeletal spines; although microscopic, these are informative features on the skeleton for most species. In addition to SEM images, we will also extract DNA from samples and sequence portions across the genome known as Ultraconserved Elements, which show promise for reconstructing evolutionary relationships and histories.

The Australian Museum collection represents a sample of which species have lived and continue to live in Australian waters. This information (geographic ranges of species, and diversity of species in specific regions) underpins marine conservation decisions, which is why identifying species in museum collections is so important. Continued efforts, including surveying and collecting species from unexplored locations, will allow us to understand and preserve overall biodiversity in Australia.

Jeremy Horowitz, PhD student at the Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University and 2020-21 AMF/AMRI Visiting Collections Fellowship recipient.

]]>

Contact-tracing of Cockatoos reveals spread of foraging culture

Richard Major — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

It may seem as though the action of a cockatoo flipping a bin-lid is a simple one – but world-first research by a team including Australian Museum Research Institute Ornithology expert Dr Richard Major has revealed that this behaviour is far more significant than first thought.

If I had a cracker for every question I received about cockies behaving badly, you’d be calling me ‘Polly’. And after years of fruitless war on my local citrus pickers, new behavioural research provides a possible window to freedom.

What started as an interesting observation of bin-opening has resulted in a significant advance in our understanding of animal learning. Video analysis and intensive fieldwork on 500 colour-marked cockatoos, in combination with a community survey, demonstrated that mastering the wheelie-bin puzzle is not something that clever cockies just work out for themselves. Instead, sulphur-crested cockatoos are copy-cats and after one individual solves the lid-flip puzzle, other birds in its social network imitate the new foraging innovation.

What started out just south of Sydney spread quickly – within two years, bin-flipping had gone viral across 44 geographically-linked suburbs. Some birds modified the technique, perhaps walking the lid up the left side of the bin rather than the right, or holding the half-open bin with their foot, not their beak. These subtle differences in the behaviour were the key to contact-tracing, showing how geographically-localised variants arise in the cockatoo community.

While the behaviour seems largely to be learnt, more than one cockatoo has solved the puzzle. A later, and independent innovator on the northern beaches of Sydney started a similar bin-opening cluster. And although it looks to the casual observer in these areas as if all cockatoos are bin-ravaging villains, colour-marking of individuals showed that fewer than ten percent of birds learn the art, with most swooping into the open bin after the pioneers do the tricky bit (see video). As this video shows, cockatoos also have to stay on the learning curve, to cope with the wild cards that people deal them.

And this is where you can help, by participating in the 2021 cockatoo bin-opening survey and reporting if you have, and if you have not, observed this behaviour in your suburb. We are also continuing to research urban bird behaviour and value your reports of birds, nests, marked individuals (e.g. wing-tags), and behaviours including bin-opening, using the Big City Birds app or website.

So how does this help the backyard battler save their cedar window frames, flyscreens, solar-heaters or citrus crops? Be alert, and a little bit alarmed – lock it down immediately! Wave and shout the first time you observe bad behaviour, while you only have one challenger to contend with. Don’t give the flock the opportunity to share it with their close contacts, because we know they will - and you might be saving your neighbours as well as yourself!

Richard Major, Ornithology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Barbara Klump, Lucy M. Aplin, Sonja Wild, and Jana Hörsch, Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior.

John Martin, Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, Taronga Conservation Society Australia.

]]>

The Climate Cure: The inaugural Talbot Oration

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

On Thursday 3 June 2021, Professor Tim Flannery outlined his manifesto for humanity’s survival of the “climate emergency” in the Australian Museum’s inaugural Talbot Oration.

Listen to the speech below

In his speech, Professor Flannery made the case for using Australia’s proactive and decisive approach to COVID-19 as a model for responding to climate change.

Professor Flannery spoke about the opportunity for Australia to lead in addressing the climate crisis and implement a prompt, effective, science-led government policy on management – and survival – of the climate threat.

Following the keynote address, Professor Flannery was joined by Professor Veena Sahajwalla and former AM president and sustainability adviser Sam Mostyn AO to discuss solutions and actions the public can take to help minimise climate change impact.

Professor Tim Flannery

Professor Tim Flannery is an internationally acclaimed scientist, author, explorer and conservationist. In recognition of his work on the Climate Commission and the Climate Council, he was recently awarded the Geddes Environment Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, joining the likes of Greta Thunberg and Sir David Attenborough.

In his new book, The Climate Cure: Solving the Climate Emergency in the Era of COVID-19, Professor Flannery makes the case for using Australia’s approach to COVID-19 as a model for responding to climate change.

In 2019, Professor Flannery re-joined the Australian Museum as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow focussed on researching the impacts of climate change and raising awareness of the issues, especially impacts on biodiversity and our coastal environments.

The Climate Cure: Solving the Climate Emergency in the Era of COVID-19 (Text Publishing, 2020) is available to buy online at the AM Shop.

About The Talbot Oration

The Climate Cure is a Nights at the Museum special event.

]]>

News from LIRS: Solar power upgrade - towards zero

Dr Lyle Vail — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation is featured at the AM. For this month, we feature the solar power upgrade at LIRS.

After years of planning, the solar power system at LIRS was upgraded and expanded in April 2021. That was one of the wettest periods this year which made installation of the new system by Tropical Energy Solutions (Townsville) very challenging.

The original 30 kW hybrid solar/battery/generator system was installed in 2010, and in 2014 solar capacity was increased to 66 kW. Over its 11 year lifetime to 2021, the system provided about 65% of the station’s electrical power from renewable energy, even with the inevitable degradation of batteries over time. The deficit was covered by running a diesel-powered generator for 2 to 9 hours a day depending on demand.

The current upgrade increases solar capacity to 99.7 kW and solar will now produce about 95% of the station’s electrical needs over the year. The new system incorporates as much of the old system as was feasible, including all of the 288 existing solar panels and the solar frame with its rooms for batteries and inverters. The upgrade added more solar panels and replaced all the inverters and the 20 tons of lead acid batteries with current technology. This used equipment will be re-sold or recycled.

This is a very substantial upgrade that will serve the Station’s power requirements for at least the next decade. The main improvements are:

an extra 50% of solar generating capacity
over 200% more useable battery storage capacity
50% more battery inverter capacity
modern battery technology
a significantly better communications system

At the time of writing, the new system has been operating for almost two months and the generator has not been called into service, despite some rainy periods. Modelling of the new system suggests that the generator will only need to run for part of the day on 30 days per year and it will mostly happen during summer when wet-season cloud cover intersects with high electrical demand.

Before the installation of any solar, LIRS used 40,000 to 45,000 litres of diesel annually to provide power. The old solar power system reduced that to about 12,000 litres per year. Modelling of the new system predicts that diesel usage will drop to about 2,000 litres per year. This represents a large reduction in CO2 emissions and in costs associated with servicing generators and transporting fuel from the mainland and across the island.

Major components of the new system include:

94 additional solar panels for a total of 382 panels with a capacity of 99.7 kWp
12 x Fronius solar inverters
80 x 3 kWh GenZ Lithium Ferro Phosphate batteries
4 x battery enclosures holding 20 batteries each
6 x Selectronics SP Pro battery inverters for a total capacity of 45 kW
Selectronics Select.Live monitoring system

Principal supporters of the project include the Charles Warman Foundation and the Minderoo Foundation. Additional support was gratefully received from GenZ Energy and generous donors to the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation. In addition, we sincerely thank Jay Banyer and Robert Thomas for their technical advice throughout the project.

To view the original blog and more LIRS blogs, please go to: https://lirrf.org/posts/solar-power-upgrade-towards-zero/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised over $13.2 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

A classification conundrum or a new subspecies in the making? Perhaps, it’s both.

Dr Mark Eldridge — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

AMRI scientists have found an unusual population of black-footed rock-wallabies from the central deserts of Western Australia – and surprisingly, the population didn’t seem to belong to any known subspecies…

Museum scientists are often taxonomists – that is we study, classify and describe biodiversity. But sometimes, we encounter unusual individuals or populations that defy our conventional classification schemes. While at first puzzling, these anomalous situations can help us shed light on the evolutionary processes that generate biodiversity.

The black-footed rock-wallaby, Petrogale lateralis, is patchily distributed across much of central and Western Australia. Within this widespread species, five distinct subspecies are recognised. Each are identified by the unique number and/or shape of their chromosomes, as well as their fur colour and body measurements.

In the 1990s, a small and anomalous population of black-footed rock-wallabies was identified at the Townsend Ridges near Warburton in central eastern Western Australia. These rock-wallabies had a mix of chromosomes from two different black-footed rock-wallaby subspecies. Some chromosomes were characteristic of the nearby warru, P. l. centralis found in central Australia and other chromosomes were typical of the wiliji, P. l. kimberleyensis which occurs on the southwest edge of the Kimberley, 1000 km away. Could these Townsend Ridges wallabies represent a novel hybrid zone between these two subspecies?

To test for this, AMRI scientists recently conducted genetic research where we generated DNA sequence data from a mitochondrial DNA gene, which resulted in further complexity. While one Townsend Ridges individual had DNA typical of P. l. centralis (as expected), the remaining individuals had DNA most closely related to other black-footed subspecies and not to P. l. kimberleyensis. Not at all what we predicted!

Although the Townsend Ridges rock-wallabies do appear to represent a hybrid zone, the number and identity of the black-footed rock-wallaby subspecies involved remains uncertain. However, what is clear is that by combining genetic material from different subspecies (through hybridisation) the Townsend Ridges rock-wallabies could be on the way to forming their own new subspecies. So, while we might not be able to taxonomically classify the Townsend Ridges rock-wallabies, they have given us something more valuable; insight into the sometimes messy and complex processes by which new biodiversity can be generated.

Dr Mark Eldridge, Principal Research Scientist, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Dr Sally Potter, Research Associate, Australian Museum Research Institute; and Australian National University.

]]>

Lunchtime Conversation 2021: Professor Larissa Behrendt AO and Dr Jason DeSantolo

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO and Dr Jason DeSantolo explore the legacy of David Unaipon and how traditional systems and knowledge are helping solve contemporary issues.

David Unaipon’s achievements reflect his tireless and lifelong commitment to the pursuit of knowledge. An inventor of machines, an author of ethnographic and literary work, and lecturer on religion and philosophy as a travelling preacher, he existed within, between and as a result of both Western and First Nations knowledges.

Dr Jason DeSantolo is an innovator for today. His wide-ranging and unique research practice integrates video, storytelling and practices of renewal to bring Indigenous world views of culture, knowledge and understanding to the fore. Join Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO and Dr DeSantolo as they consider how today’s innovators are looking to traditional understandings of natural, social, and spiritual worlds to find solutions for contemporary issues – and to view Unaipon’s significant accomplishments from another perspective.

Dr Jason De Santolo

Dr Jason De Santolo (Garrwa and Barunggam) is a researcher and creative producer. Jason co-edited Decolonizing Research: Indigenous storywork as methodology with Jo-Ann Archibald and Jenny Lee-Morgan which was published by Zed Books in 2019. Warburdar Bununu/Water Shield is his latest documentary, produced by Browncabs it explores water contamination in Borroloola, NT. Jason is currently Assoc. Prof in the School of Design, University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO

Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt is a Eualayai/Gamillaroi woman and the Director of Research and Academic Programs at the Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning at the University of Technology, Sydney. She is a graduate of the UNSW Law School and has a Masters and SJD from Harvard Law School. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and a founding member of the Australian Academy of Law. She has published numerous textbooks on Indigenous legal issues.

Lunchtime Conversation Series 2021: First Nations innovators and visionaries. Six illuminating talks exploring the stories and ground-breaking work of First Nations leaders across political, environmental and cultural fields.

]]>

Lunchtime Conversation 2021: Wesley Enoch and Rhoda Roberts AO

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Arts leaders Wesley Enoch and Rhoda Roberts AO reflect on the legacy of writer Oodgeroo Noonuccal and activism in the arts.

The first published Aboriginal poet in Australia, the writings of Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker), captured both the strength of Aboriginal culture and the impacts of colonisation on her people. A charismatic, strong leader from Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island), her distinctive voice pricked the national consciousness and brought another perspective to the literature of the time.

Wesley Enoch, who grew up on Minjerribah, has strong memories of “Aunty Kath”, and is now returning to Country and carrying on her legacy. In this very personal session, arts leaders Wesley Enoch and Rhoda Roberts AO share their memories of Noonuccal and discuss how arts and activism are inseparable.

Wesley Enoch

Wesley Enoch is a writer and director. He hails from Stradbroke Island (Minjeribah) and is a proud Quandamooka man.

Previously Wesley has been the Artistic Director at Sydney Festival from 2017 – 2020; Kooemba Jdarra Indigenous Performing Arts; Artistic Director at Ilbijerri Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Theatre Co-operative and the Associate Artistic Director at Belvoir Street Theatre.

Wesley has written and directed iconic Indigenous theatre productions. The 7 Stages of Grieving which Wesley directed and co-wrote with Deborah Mailman was first produced in 1995 and continues to tour both nationally and internationally. Others include The Sunshine Club for Queensland Theatre Company and a new adaptation of Medea by Euripides’; Black Medea. His play The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table won the 2005 Patrick White Playwrights’ Award.

His most recent production is the Australian premiere of Appropriate by Branden Jacobs Jenkins at the Sydney Theatre Company.

Rhonda Roberts

A Widjabul/Wieybal woman from the Bundjalung territories Rhonda is an experienced motivated and versatile arts executive, with a diverse range of international and national industry practice within commercial, community and non-profit organisations. She is the Curator: Parrtjima Festival, Alice Springs, Festival Director, Boomerang Dreaming Festival and the First Nations Creative Director for the Northern Rivers Performing Arts (NORPA)

As an actor/producer and director, she continues to work as a consultant, is a sought-after speaker and performer in theatre, film, television and radio.

]]>

Lunchtime Conversation 2021: Daniel Boyd and Stephen Gilchrist

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Artist Daniel Boyd and Academic Dr Stephen Gilchrist discuss the legacy of Emily Kame Kngwarreye and the importance of place and ceremony in art today.

When Emily Kame Kngwarreye died in 1996, she was recognised as one of the world’s great painters. Her work was inherently tied to deep, layered understanding and interpretation of her Country’s stories, and was the culmination of a lifetime of making art as ceremony.

If an inherent relationship to place is the basis of First Nations visual tradition, what does it mean for contemporary First Nations art practitioners? How do urban-based Indigenous artists – and those whose cultures have been lost to them – maintain links with their heritage and create ceremony through their work?

]]>

Lunchtime Conversation 2021: Bianca Hunt and Professor John Maynard

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

NITV’s Yokayi Footy presenter Bianca Hunt and Professor John Maynard, Chair of Aboriginal History at the University of Newcastle, talk opportunities, barriers and responsibilities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sportspeople past and present.

Sport has allowed First Nations people to compete as equals on the field. Success offers possibilities of financial reward and social acceptance far above that which might be otherwise available. Yet as time goes on, we find sport and racism cannot be separated.

Bianca Hunt

Proud First Nations woman Bianca Hunt, former Co-Host of Yokayi Footy has a wide range of experience across government, corporate, non-profit and most recently media. Bianca has a dual degree in Business (Management) and Creative Industries (Entertainment Industries) and endeavours to have a positive influence on media across her career.

Professor John Maynard

Professor John Maynard is a Worimi Aboriginal man from the Port Stephens region of New South Wales. He is currently Chair of Aboriginal History at the University of Newcastle and Director of the Purai Global Indigenous and Diaspora Research Studies centre.

John gained his PhD in 2003, examining the rise of early Aboriginal political activism. He has worked with and within many Aboriginal communities, urban, rural and remote. Professor Maynard’s publications have concentrated on the intersections of Aboriginal political and social history, and the history of Australian race relations. His work has impacted through a wide range of important research articles published in major peer-refereed journals and publications in Australia, United States and England.

]]>

Lunchtime Conversation 2021: Chels Marshall & Dr Mariko Smith

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Join Indigenous systems ecologist Chels Marshall and facilitator Dr Mariko Smith to discuss how deep cultural knowledge not only overturned the legal fiction of terra nullius but may help reverse the damaging effects of 200 years of Eurocentric land and sea management practice into the future.

Eddie Mabo’s native title claim changed the foundation of this nation’s land and sea law by proving that First Nations people had, through interconnecting social and ecological knowledge systems, lived sustainably and harmoniously on country for millennia.

]]>

Voyage to the deep sea – Destination Unknown

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Five AMRI scientists voyage into the deep sea on board the CSIRO research vessel Investigator. Between laboratory preparations and star gazing, excitement builds en route to their destination – a destination that is largely unknown. Alice Yan tells us more about the voyage journey.

It takes six days and five nights of sailing, at 11 knots or 20 kilometres per hour, to reach our study sites in the Indian Ocean Territories. That is the pace of a fast sprinter, a leisurely bike rider or the maximum travelling speed of a Komodo dragon.

After the initial exhilaration of setting sail from Darwin port, we now ease into the long lull of transit. The days are filled with animated conversation about black corals, scanning the horizon for blue whales, and preparing a comprehensive fish encyclopedia. As for the nights, they are filled with unsullied starlight.

There are 22 scientists onboard the RV Investigator, including experts in jellyfish, barnacles, and volcanology. Museums Victoria are leading the voyage and we are supported by 20 crew members (ranging from chefs to engineers), and 12 CSIRO staff (ranging from geophysicists to hydrochemists). As we sail closer toward our destination, the anticipation onboard mounts, for we voyage into the unknown.

Previous research has only surveyed the geology and oceanography of the waters around Christmas and Coco (Keeling) Islands but little is known of their rich marine life. Directed by Australia Museum Research Institute’s Professor Shane Ahyong, Principal Research Scientist, and Dr Elena Kupriyanova, Senior Research Scientist, I will be eagerly searching for the elusive and extremely rare lobsters of the Glypheidae family over the next 45 days. These tiny crustaceans were once abundant in the Jurassic era. However, until very recently, they have only been found in fossil form and were presumed extinct. I am taking part in this truly international collaboration with the Australian Museum as part of my two-year research Master program at Columbia University. I cannot imagine a more excited explorer than myself. As an environmental lawyer and Fulbright scholar, I seek to practise ground-breaking science alongside the country’s leading scientists, with the view of translating novel research into better future policy.

For now, we wait en route, with a steady eye on the horizon. Sunbathers on deck have spotted myriads of flying fish – a flurry of fluttering white fins across the sea surface, shooting away from the ship’s bow as it carves through the water.

The nights are no less dazzling. At sea, the blackness of the night sky is unadulterated; I have found myself on the open deck utterly transfixed, following the milky way as it stretches from horizon to horizon.

Fortunately, few of us have been afflicted by sea sickness. For those who have fallen victim, it is a noxious venom. A venom that methodically infects your vision, your taste, your hearing – poisoning all your senses and finally your lust for life.

Still, for the sake of scientific exploration, it constitutes a small sacrifice. For the waters ahead – they are abound with marine life yet unnamed and undiscovered.

Alice Yan, Master of Ecology Evolution & Conservation Biology and Fulbright scholar, Australian Museum Research Institute and Columbia University.

Please note, the CSIRO research vessel Investigator voyage has been temporarily suspended and the planned voyage will be rescheduled.

]]>

“A singular civic space” Australian Museum’s Project Discover awarded highest honour at the 2021 AIA NSW Architecture Awards

Alice Gage — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Celebrated for sophisticated stripping back of past layers and exposure of the historical essence of the original Museum, the Australian Museum’s $57.5m renovation known as Project Discover has received three major gongs at the 2021 Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) NSW Architecture Awards, including its top honour, the NSW Architecture Medallion.

Held on Friday 2 July over YouTube Live, project leads Rachel Neeson, Stephen Neille from Neeson Murcutt + Neille and Joe Agius from Cox Architecture received the Greenway Award for Heritage, the John Verge Award for Interior Architecture and the NSW Architecture Medallion.

The jurors praised the design’s “restrained approach” in its ability to create more with less.

“Project Discover introduces few new materials, instead drawing on the existing material palette and recycling old materials, such as brass balustrades as wayfinding signage. The material response celebrates the building’s historic fabric and ejects a new life and energy.”

When accepting the award for Heritage, Rachel Neeson emphasised that the key objective was to strip the building back to its bones and add a couple of extra layers “to make the place feel inviting, welcoming and strong.”

She also said how much she enjoyed working at the AM, “I’m a bit of a sucker for a drawer full of butterflies – it’s great fun to work with the Australian Museum.”

The NSW Architecture Medallion

The highest honour awarded by the Australian Institute of Architects NSW chapter, the NSW Architecture Medallion, is selected by the jury chairs from across the categories.

The jury said that Project Discover "creates a singular civic space, and the design prioritises changes that will sustain the Museum into the long term. It reveals and celebrates the Museum’s rich historic layering, creates legibility of movement, universal public access throughout and enhances the Museum’s engagement with William Street.

“The result is a new civic space for Sydney, where visitors enjoy the architecture alongside the exhibitions.”

The three awards add to the winning streak of the Australian Museum and Neeson Murcutt + Neille’s collaboration – in 2016 the firm was awarded the AIA NSW Public Architecture Award for its design of the Crystal Hall (now known as the Brian Sherman Crystal Hall).

Project Discover was the first step in the future vision of the AM. Visit the Future Plans page to learn more about what's next.

Watch the full awards ceremony below.

]]>

Putting things the right way around: Identification and distribution of upside-down jellyfish

Claire Rowe — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

An AMF/AMRI Postgraduate award helped PhD student, Claire Rowe, provide answers on why upside-down jellyfish have recently appeared in Lake Macquarie, NSW. The search for answers led her to the Gold and Sunshine Coasts in Queensland.

Cassiopea are unusual jellyfish – they spend most of their life upside-down, with their bell resting on sediment in shallow water and their oral arms extending above them. They have photosynthetic algae in their oral arms, called zooxanthellae, and this upside-down position exposes the zooxanthellae to sunlight, helping to provide the jellyfish with up to 90% of their nutritional needs. The other 10% comes from filter feeding on zooplankton including fish larvae, which they capture using stinging cells.

Cassiopea have the potential to bloom in large numbers, with densities of over 30 individuals per m² being recorded. In these high densities they may consume large amounts of zooplankton, alter oxygen levels, and release stinging cells into the water column, causing local fish species to vacate the area and irritate swimmers. This can also cause social impacts to communities that rely on fisheries and tourism.

Upside-down jellyfish are typically considered to be tropical in occurrence. In Australia, populations are predominantly in the northern regions including Darwin, Lizard Island, and Moreton Bay. However, there have been recent reports of upside-down jellyfish from temperate New South Wales, including Wallis Lake in 2009 and Lake Illawarra in 2013, and these were identified as two different species. In 2017, upside-down jellyfish were reported in Lake Macquarie, between these two NSW sites, raising further questions about which species were occurring and where had they come from.

As a PhD student studying Cassiopea jellyfish at the University of Sydney and the Australian Museum Research Institute, my research aims to determine which species of Cassiopea is occurring in order to find out where they have come from. The second aim is to understand the distribution and population dynamics of these jellyfish within the lake. This will allow predictions of when and where the jellyfish will occur in the future and assist in implementing management strategies, where necessary.

To determine which species of Cassiopea occurs in Lake Macquarie, I compared morphology and genetic sequences to specimens held in the Australian Museum collection from Wallis Lake and Lake Illawarra. My results showed that the species occurring in Lake Macquarie is the same as in Wallis Lake but not Lake Illawarra.

The species Cassiopea maremetens occurs in Moreton Bay, Queensland and, as this is the closest other known population, I wanted to see if this was the same species occurring in Lake Macquarie and Wallis Lake. The only problem was that I didn’t have any fresh specimens from Moreton Bay to compare. To be able to make the comparison, I applied for and received an AMF/AMRI Postgraduate Award which allowed me to travel up to Moreton Bay with a car full of collecting gear and collaborate with scientists at Griffith University and the Sea Jellies Aquarium at SeaWorld. Over four days, we collected as many Cassiopea as we could find, totalling seven specimens. I fixed the tip of their oral arms and their gonads in 95% ethanol for genetic study (see below), and the rest of the specimen in a formalin solution so that their structural features remained intact. Critically, I was able to obtain two specimens from the original locality that C. maremetens was described from.

When I returned to Sydney, the specimens were deposited in the Australian Museum collections and DNA sequences were compared to the population from Lake Macquarie. The results indicate that a species occurring in Moreton Bay, is the same as in Wallis Lake and Lake Macquarie, supporting the suggestion this species appears to be expanding its range south down the east coast of Australia. The next step of my project is to examine the morphological characteristics of the specimens and confirm if Cassiopea maremetens is the correct identification.

Claire Rowe, PhD student, Marine Invertebrate, Australian Museum Research Institute and the University of Sydney.

]]>

The science behind the stamps: Land snail research on Norfolk Island

Dr Isabel Hyman — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Australia Post has just released a new stamp issue featuring two of Norfolk Island’s beautiful endemic land snails – species that are currently the focus of taxonomic and conservation work by AMRI scientists.

Land snail diversity is often extraordinarily high on oceanic islands, where isolation from the mainland and the absence of predators can result in large radiations of endemic species. This is the case for Norfolk Island, where many unique forms have evolved over the mere three million years since the island’s formation. For this reason, the endemic land snails of Norfolk Island are currently the focus of taxonomic and conservation work that I am carrying out in conjunction with Dr Frank Köhler. In May 2021, I travelled to Norfolk Island with Dr Mandy Reid (AMRI) and Andrew Daly (Taronga Zoo) to continue our surveys of the land snail fauna, and to collect specimens for a captive breeding program based at Taronga Zoo. And two of the species that we are studying have been celebrated in a recent stamp release!

Despite its small size and recent formation, Norfolk Island is one of Australia’s richest hotspots of land snail diversity, with 70 described species. When our taxonomic revision of these snails began in 2019, the majority of these species were known only from their shells, with no existing live images and little to no information known about their taxonomy, ecology, distribution, life history or conservation status. Our surveys have led us to realise that some species are at high risk of extinction. This has led to the development of a captive breeding program for two Critically Endangered species in conjunction with Taronga Zoo, Parks Australia and the Norfolk Island Regional Council. In addition, studying these species gives a fascinating insight into the evolutionary processes that led to this extraordinary biodiversity.

On Norfolk Island, the evolutionary radiation of land snails is very young, since the island was only formed (by volcanic activity) between 2.3 and 3 million years ago. Evolution is, of course, an ongoing process, and so we would expect different groups of snails to be at different stages of speciation. Some Norfolk Island species appear to have only recently diverged – and often, they are very similar to one another in appearance. In other cases, even if there are many visible differences present, our anatomical and genetic work show that only a single species is present. It is possible that we are seeing very early signs of divergence, and given time, the species may split into two.

The two snails featured in the new Australia Post stamps, Duritropis albocarinata and Greenwoodoconcha nux, both belong in the second category. There is considerable diversity present in the shell, sufficient in both cases for early scientists to divide them into two species. However, a more detailed investigation of comparative anatomy and genetic divergence shows just a single species present in each case.

Duritropis albocarinata is a small snail with a conical shell. In some specimens the shell is elongate and smooth, while in others it is shorter and broader with a sculpture of wavy ribs, and there is also considerable variation in shell colour and banding. However, careful examination shows that there appears to be a continuum between the two forms, and we believe (and hope soon to confirm) that just a single species is present.

Greenwoodoconcha nux is a medium-sized snail with a beautiful glossy shell, chocolate to reddish brown with a broad white peripheral band. However, some specimens have a golden-brown, uniform shell that is missing the peripheral band. This form was originally described as a separate species, but we have found that there are no consistent morphological or genetic differences between them and so we now consider them to be a single species.

Other remarkable forms present on the island include a species with a heavily ribbed shell sculptured with spines, and another species that sticks mud onto its shell for camouflage. The broad morphological diversity of the land snail fauna reflects the rapid diversification that can occur shortly after islands are first colonised. The sheer beauty and diversity of land snails on Norfolk Island is fascinating to explore, and we are delighted that it is being celebrated and shared with the world through the medium of stamps!

Dr Isabel Hyman, Scientific Officer, Malacology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

The Great Australian Trilobite

Dr Patrick Smith — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

A newly discovered trilobite species, found in the collections of the Australian Museum and Geoscience Australia, is the largest species ever unearthed in Australia. At almost double the size of the previous record holder, it is potentially the third largest trilobite species in the world.

Australia’s depths once teemed with the world’s first underwater giants, unlike anything in today’s oceans. This was 460 million-years-ago, during the Ordovician – a period in Earth’s history when Australia’s red centre was covered in a shallow waterway known as the “Larapinta Sea”. A recent effort to digitise the Australian Museum’s palaeontology collection led to a rediscovery of the nation’s most extensive collection of Ordovician marine fossils. This included dozens of species completely new to science, one of which is the largest trilobite ever found in Australia.

I remember the first time I visited the fossil display at Geoscience Australia, back in 2013. It was during the first year of my PhD at Macquarie University. The fossil display was then (and still is) laid out in lavished glass display cases with detailed information on every specimen. One specimen, however, stood out. It was only vaguely identified with a label saying “Lycophron sp.” and appeared to be a massive tail from a trilobite found in central Australia. Most trilobites are only 5 to 10 cm in total length, as generally they were rather diminutive, similar in size to modern woodlice (also called slaters, pill bugs or sowbugs). Yet, moderately sized (15 to 20 cm) trilobites from central Australia are not unusual, particular in rocks from the Ordovician Period (approximately 480–440 million years ago). This is because during the Ordovician there appears to have been a pronounced jump in the average and maximum body size of most groups of marine animals. However, this trilobite on display at Geoscience Australia appears to have been a true behemoth – the tail alone was 16.5 cm in length!

Being curious as to the total size of the animal, I did a few back of the envelope calculations. One could assume, since trilobites are made of three major body segments* (a head [cephalon], a body [thorax], and a tail [pygidium]), that you could just multiply one of these dimensions by three. Unfortunately, the calculation isn’t that simple. Trilobites vary widely in terms of overall morphology, with some having tiny heads and long bodies, or huge tails and tiny heads. To make an accurate calculation, I used the ratios of length for the head, body and tail from the next largest species from the same genus, Lycophron howchini. This other species is known from relatively complete individuals found in the same area from slightly older rocks. It’s ratio of head:body:tail was approximately 1.35:2.00:1.92. Hence, multiplying the length of the pygidium (16.5 cm) by 2.74 (i.e. the total length divided by the pygidial length), gives an overall body length of approximately 45.3 cm for a complete specimen (about the size of an average house cat). Whilst this might not sound huge, it is actually rather impressive for a trilobite. In fact, this made it the largest trilobite currently known from Australia. It surpasses the previous record holder, the 21.9 cm Redlichia rex, known from the much older Cambrian rocks near Emu Bay on Kangaroo Island by a significant margin. It also makes it the third largest trilobite in the world, after Isotelus rex (the largest) known from slightly younger Ordovician aged rocks in Manitoba, Canada, and Uralichas hispanicus (the second largest) from younger Ordivician rocks in the Iberian Peninsula. Terataspis grandis from much younger Devonian rocks in North America may also reach larger sizes, however, its length may be exaggerated by very long tail spines and frequent geological distortion overserved in specimens. Regrettably, since the large tail was only a single specimen, I wasn’t able, at the time of my PhD, to confidently identify it as belonging to a sperate (or previously described) species of Lycophron.

Fast forwarding a few years to 2019. At the time I was digitising the palaeontology collections at the Australian Museum. Amongst the substantial collections of megafauna bones from Welling Caves, opalised dinosaurs of Lightning Ridge and the 370-million-year-old fish from central New South Wales, was a sizable collection of Ordovician fossils from central Australia. In particular, fossils from a region scientists call the Amadeus Basin (named after Lake Amadeus). These were unearthed in the 1970’s by the previous curator and collection manager Dr Alex Ritchie and Mr Robert Jones. Alex had been interested in collecting fossil fish, particularly some of the earliest fish in the world. Alongside these fossil fish, he also collected all the other groups of fossil organism – including lots of trilobites! In amongst this trilobite material were fragments of what appeared to be the same species I had seen at Geoscience Australia. More importantly, the material from the Australian Museum appeared to have a head, which was missing in the specimen from the other collection.

With help from funding from the Australian Museum Foundation, myself and my co-author John Laurie at Geoscience Australia were able to visit both collections and photograph these specimens. Comparing this material with other previously described species of Lycophron, we discovered it differed in having a broad, moderately well-defined border on the tail in large adult specimens. This subtle but significant difference was enough to name this animal as a new species. Given its large size, we called it Lycophron titan – after the ancient pre-Olympian Greek gods, the “titans”, which were known for their gigantic size. Alongside this species we also discovered two new trilobite genera (Ghanaspis and Iridis) and four other new species (Eisarkaspis jonesi, Ghanaspis ritchiei, Iridis schoonorum and Norasaphus (Norasaphus) patersoni.

The discovery of these species (in particular Lycophron titan) would not have been possible without the amazing fossils in the Australian Museum collections and Geoscience Australia. This just goes to show the value of having such collection and the benefits of collaborative research between institutions with large fossil collections. Australia, in particular, is lucky in that we have many scientific institutions which house large fossil collections in most of our states and geological surveys. These places are really the factory floors for new (and amazing) species discoveries, and the engine rooms of scientific research.

Dr Patrick Mark Smith, Technical Officer, Palaeontology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

All hands-on deck to discover the secrets of the Indian Ocean Territories

Claire Rowe — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Five personnel from the Australian Museum Research Institute have embarked with a team of research scientists from around Australia on an expedition to explore deep-sea marine life around the Indian Ocean Territories.

The seafloor across the Indian Ocean Territories (IOT) consist of a series of deep seamounts that arise from the abyssal plain. Part of the IOT includes Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, both of which sit on top of massive seamounts. Very little is known about the biodiversity in the IOT region, and so Australian Museum scientists (Dr Elena Kupriyanova, Dr Frank Koehler, Dr Ingo Burghardt, Alice Yan and Claire Rowe) are joining fellow researchers from around Australia on the “Investigating the IOT” voyage. Led by Dr Tim O’Hara, the Chief Scientist from Museums Victoria, this expedition will run for 45 days on the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator, which departed from Darwin yesterday and returns to Fremantle on the 13th of August.

The aim of the voyage is to complete multibeam mapping and collect benthic and planktonic samples from a number of IOT seamounts. Our job on board will be sort, preserve and identify the marine life collected, allowing the marine biodiversity in the region to be characterised. This voyage is important because the Australian Government has recently announced a process to create new marine parks in the regions of Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The data collected on our voyage will assist this process by providing important information for conservation and management plans to be put in place. The collections from the voyage will be deposited in the Australian Museum, Museums Victoria, the Australian National Fish Collection and other participating museums for ongoing study of the biodiversity of this poorly known Australian territory.

It has been a stressful start to our journey with the recent COVID-19 outbreak across Australia, forcing us to leave Greater Sydney sooner than expected. After completing the first of three COVID-19 tests required to board the RV Investigator and receiving negative results, we were able to group again in Darwin. As we arrived 5 days earlier than anticipated, we had time to explore the area, including visiting Crocosaurus Cove and tasting the famous laksa at Mindil Beach Markets. However, we were not safe yet… while enjoying a nice lunch in the Botanic Gardens on our last day in Darwin, we received an urgent alert instructing us to board the RV Investigator ASAP. Darwin headed into a snap 48-hour lockdown, and we only had an hour’s notice to board the ship! We ran back to our hotels, grabbed our belongings and raced towards the ship.

We are now all safely on board – we have unpacked, completed our third and final COVID-19 test, and yesterday we headed out to sea.

If you would like to track our voyage, including watching a live video stream, please go to: https://www.csiro.au/about/facilities-collections/mnf/research-vessel-equipment-data/rv-investigator

Stay tuned for more information about what we find…

Claire Rowe, PhD student, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute and The University of Sydney.

Please note, the CSIRO research vessel Investigator voyage has been temporarily suspended and the planned voyage will be rescheduled.

]]>

The sex life aquatic: How sea snakes have overcome the tricks of sex at sea

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +1000

When you think of “sensitive” lovers, snakes are probably not the first thing that comes to mind. But our new research reveals how important tactile communication is in the sex lives of snakes.

You may be familiar with how snakes on land find a mate, but how snakes find mates underwater has proven to be more elusive. On land, male snakes find mates by “smelling” pheromone trails left behind by females as they move. This, however, is impossible in an aquatic world where these chemicals are diluted and washed away in the waves. In our recently published paper in the Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society, we detail the enlarged touch receptors in the male turtle-headed sea snake (Emydocephalus annulatus), which likely evolved to overcome the challenges imposed by an aquatic sex life.

An additional hurdle to finding a mate is that turtle-headed sea snakes can’t see very clearly underwater. They will literally try to mate with just about anything with the vaguest similarity to a female sea snake—sea cucumbers, ropes, even flippers!

Once he does manage to spot a female, keeping track of her without floating away is an incredibly tricky task to surmount when you evolved on land and moved to sea relatively recently. Given the incredible challenges of the sex life aquatic, we hypothesised that male turtle-headed sea snakes may have evolved an enhanced sense of touch to maintain contact with females during courtship.

Underwater tactile foreplay

Like many snakes, the faces of turtle-headed sea snakes are covered in tiny bumps. These tiny bumps are, in fact, touch receptors. But when we looked closely at Australian Museum and Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory specimens, we realised that in male turtle-headed sea snakes, they’re really not that tiny at all!

We also found mature males have enlarged scale structures on their snout, chin, and their cloaca (a dual-purpose hole for reproduction and excretion). The location of these enlarged scale structures along the body suggests a role in tactile sea snake courtship.

The touch receptors on the chin of males ("genial knobs”) have the same specialised cells as those on the face, but the outer bump is four times larger. Their position on the underside of the head gives sensory feedback to the male as he swims above females. With such poor eyesight and difficulty tracking her via scent, these enlarged touch receptors likely help him orient towards the direction of her swimming. Additional and enlarged touch receptors on his anal scales (“anal knobs”) likely provide feedback to help him align his sexual organs with her’s. Genital alignment may seem like a trivial task, but for a limbless noodle creature in a buoyant aquatic world, touch receptors on your parts are essential!

Males also have a conical scale on their snout known seductively as the “rostral spine”. While courting the female, the male will prod the female’s back with this hardened scale. We also investigated the micro-structure of the rostral spine and found it is made of thickened layers of skin with no specialised sensory cells. We think it may simply play a role in piquing the female’s interest in mating with an amorous male.

Similar “tactile foreplay” behaviours have been observed in species of boas and pythons. These snakes have retained a claw that is attached to the remnants of a vestigial hip structure near their cloaca. Like turtle-headed sea snakes, male pythons and boas use this claw to poke and scratch at females to get them in the mood. These courtship behaviours can stimulate beneficial hormonal changes and receptive behaviours in females, which increase mating success for both sexes.

It’s possible that the rostral spine in turtle-headed sea snakes plays a similar role in stimulating females.

Evolutionary transitions

All sea snakes evolved from Australian land snakes some 20 million years ago. This transition from life on land to the life aquatic involved remarkable and rapid evolutionary adaptations, such as paddle-shaped tails for swimming, glands that excrete saltwater and cutaneous breathing to avoid the diving sickness. Now, our research is beginning to uncover the importance of touch for social behaviours in sea snakes.

While sea snakes are not usually appreciated for their sensitive side, our discovery suggests an enhanced sense of touch evolved to improve communication between individuals. This is especially crucial in an aquatic world, where other sensory signals such as vision and pheromones are diminished.

As our work continues, sea snakes will continue to surprise us with their fascinating adaptations to the underwater world.

Jenna Crowe-Riddell, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia; and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, USA.

Chris Jolly, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria; Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Northern Territory; and Research Associate, the Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, Sydney, NSW.

]]>

News from LIRS: a tale of two ichthyophiles: Simon & Chris’ story

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation is featured at the AM. For this month, we feature a tale of two ichthyophiles.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. For Dr Simon Brandl and Dr Christopher Goatley, success and frustration came hand in hand. Joint recipients of the 2020 John and Laurine Proud Fellowship, neither could visit the Lizard Island Research Station to resume their work. COVID has taken its toll on the station’s vibrant international community, and now more than 12 months on, it still runs at less than half its usual capacity. When I spoke to the researcher duo, both were eager for a fresh taste of Lizard Island life: we talked about science, the different trajectories each had taken and how they’d come together over a group of tiny, drab-looking fish.

Simon’s interest in marine biology was kindled by his childhood in Italy. “I remember standing at the edge of the old fishing piers, nagging my parents to stay there longer so I could keep on watching the fish. I loved that.” Out of high school, however, it was journalism and not research that drew Simon’s eye. “I considered a career in journalism for a long time, but I always thought that I needed some expertise. So I decided to study biology. For most of my undergraduate degree I was in the midst of the Alps, far from the sea. It was my honors thesis that clinched it.” A chance meeting with an Austrian professor drew Simon into the weird and wonderful world of clingfishes- small, suckered, sedentary creatures. “Unexpectedly, I found these species delighted me. I grew quite fascinated by their extreme life history. To me, they seemed bizarre, like invertebrate vertebrates.” The stage was set.

Not far away, on Portugal’s coastline, young Christopher was undergoing a similar transformation. Placed there by frequent family trips to see close friends, Chris found an exhilarating distraction in the form of rockpooling. “I spent a lot of time hunting for little creatures in the shallows. The camouflaged gobies and blennies were particular favourites.” One thing led to another, and soon Chris found himself in the UK studying marine biology. “It was a fantastic degree, but marine biology in Britain is predominantly mud and worms. That’s what I did my honors on, in fact.” An encounter with some Aussie expats sealed the matter for Chris, who packed his bags and flew to Townsville for an 18-month Masters course.

There, Simon and Christopher met over a shared moment that set them on the same course for life. “I got to James Cook University, and everything was following my career plan. I intended to return to the UK for my PhD- but I didn’t,” Chris recounts. Sitting in their first lecture by Professor David Bellwood, both Chris and Simon shared the same thought: “I want to work with this guy no matter what.” They were hooked.

Nowadays, Simon teaches on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico whilst Chris has spent the past 14 years in Australia. Both continue to study the so-called cryptobenthic fishes that sparked their passion all those many years ago. In Chris’ words: “Half of science is about using confusing words to make yourself sound smart. So if you break it up, ‘crypto-’ means something that is camouflaged and ‘-benthic’ means that it lives on the seabed.” Finding the tiny fish to study is the hard part, for which they use the same method taught to them by the inimitable Professor Bellwood. “You go down underwater and you put a mosquito net over a patch of reef, then a tent over that. It looks ridiculous, but you spray clove oil into this tent and leave it there. When you pull the tent away, you find the little anaesthetized fishes caught in the mosquito net.”

Thus, armed with this knowledge and the support of the fellowship in hand, researcher duo Simon & Chris are clear on what they hope to achieve. “Our plan is to make a thorough inventory of these cryptobenthic fish on reefs, not just Lizard Island but across the shelf of the Great Barrier Reef. The research station sits on one of the best-studied reefs in the world, and it’s linked to the Australian Museum which has got a stellar fish collection. So we hope to make it one of the first places on the planet where we have a really thorough understanding of the biodiversity across a whole ecosystem.” Big fish eat little fish as the proverb goes, making the reef’s smallest vertebrates the backbone of the food chain. And thanks to the patience and hard work of Simon Brandl and Christopher Goatley, we may be one step closer to understanding their place in the richest habitat on Earth.

Written by Elliot Connor.

To view the original blog and more LIRS blogs, please go to: https://lirrf.org/posts/a-tale-of-two-ichthyophiles-simon-chris-story/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised more than $10.7 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

Smile for the Camera! Frog mug shots help track the health of frog populations

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Can we identify individual frogs from photos of their body patterns? A recently published study has confirmed we can for the Blue Mountains Tree Frog!

We all have defining features that make us unique and distinguishable from other people, whether these are genetic differences such as eye colour or freckle patterns, or more acquired traits such as scars or tattoos. This is also the case with many animal species, even those that look identical at first glance!

Scientists have been observing physical differences to identify individual animals using a technique called the photo identification method (PIM) for years. Animals that have been successfully identified based upon their appearance range from dolphins, whales, zebras, and even badgers. In more recent years, this technique has been applied to reptiles and amphibians, successfully identifying individual sea turtles, salamanders, lizards and frogs.

During a study on the presence and intensity of the amphibian chytrid fungus (Chytridiomycosis) in a Sydney population of the stunning Blue Mountains Tree Frog (Litoria citropa) (more on the original study here), I noticed and was subsequently in awe of the distinctive markings on this species’ body. I decided to investigate the ability to use these markings to distinguish individuals from one another, through photo identification.

During our field surveys, we took photos of the front, sides and top of each Blue Mountains Tree Frog encountered across an 8 month period. We then examined these images and visually matched the black head and body markings of each frog to see if we encountered any of these frogs multiple times … and we did! We were able to match two individuals visually, encountering one individual again after 88 days and another 45 days later. We then checked our findings using a pattern matching software called HotSpotter. Using both methods, we were able to re-match the same two individuals.

The ability to match individuals using their body patterning is great news – this allows us to track frog populations and study how they progress over time without using other identification methods such as tagging, which can be expensive and time consuming. Photo identification requires only a camera! Also, this method may assist in gaining a more holistic view to a frog’s life, such as their life span, how far they travel, and how it may be coping with disease.

Further studies are needed to understand the role of photo identification for Australia’s frogs. For now, our catalogue of mug shots is a small but important advance in our toolkit, that may be particularly useful in monitoring and conserving threatened species in the future.

Jordann Crawford-Ash, Research Assistant & FrogID Validator, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Snails in the abyss: New in-depth knowledge

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +1000

From the deep seas of southern Australia, a previously unknown fauna has started to emerge. In recent publications, Australian Museum Research Associates Dr Anders Hallan and Dr Francesco Criscione name a plethora of venomous deep-sea snails.

Roaming the deep ocean off our southern coastlines are venomous, carnivorous snails of the superfamily Conoidea. Not your usual suspects, these are innocuous-looking, shell-bearing creatures superficially masquerading as any other sea snail. That is, until you examine the animals inside – a considerable part of their anatomy is, in most species, dedicated to housing a large, complex venom apparatus. It is this anatomical feature that makes this extremely diverse group so unique among molluscs.

Over the past four years, our knowledge of Australian deep-sea conoideans has improved considerably. Collaborating with researchers in Europe, we have pieced together a large and almost entirely unknown fauna of the ‘turrids’, a large family conglomerate that together with the Conidae (cone snails) and Terebridae (auger snails) comprise this fascinating superfamily.

Of the ‘turrids’, we have named twelve new genera of the family Raphitomidae, with nearly fifty new species already described or in press. Other groups under our microscope during this collaboration include the rare Bouchetispiridae, Cochlespiridae, and the namesake family Turridae, where all ‘turrids’ were previously placed. Why the quotes, you ask? This is to allow the distinction between the true Turridae from this large informal grouping.

These animals can travel far – through a combination of molecular and morphological data we have discovered that some species are cosmopolitan, occurring in all of the world’s major oceans. In the deep, temperature and salinity are relatively constant from the poles to the tropics. Combined with few bathymetric barriers to separate populations, the potential for gene flow is significant.

Many of the species we have studied are extremely rare, with some even known from a single specimen. In the abyss, the increased dissolution of calcium carbonate – the building blocks of all mollusc shells – translates into thin, fragile and often eroded shells with few characteristic features, at times making identification extremely difficult. In combination with wide distributions, these factors make deep-sea 'turrids' a very challenging, yet highly important group to study. Commonly dominant in the deep sea in terms of species richness, and loaded with pharmacologically important venoms, an understanding of their biodiversity, distribution, and evolutionary relationships is crucial.

This project would not have been possible without the support of the Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) and the prolific deep-sea exploration and sampling in recent years aboard the Research Vessel Investigator. As the samples have steadily resurfaced, our knowledge of this mysterious fauna has deepened. Through intensive study of multiple genes, careful examination of hypodermic teeth, venom anatomy, shell morphology and biogeography, we are now starting to appreciate the nature and diversity of deep-sea ‘turrids’ in Australia.

Dr Anders Hallan, Research Associate, Malacology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Dr Francesco Criscione, Research Associate, Malacology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Crustacean research: New fauna of commensal mysids discovered in New South Wales

Dr Stephen Keable — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +1000

In the new study exploring the Australian Museum Marine Invertebrate collections, a series of seven species of mysids associated with other marine invertebrates have been discovered in the coastal waters of NSW. Two species are new to science and are named after Stephen Keable and Anna Murray!

Mysids are small, graceful crustaceans commonly referred to as opossum shrimp. This analogy with marsupials comes from the presence of a pouch in females, where they carry fertilised eggs and embryos before offspring are released as minute versions of the adult. Mysids can be abundant and commonly form swarms, particularly near the sea floor. Due to their abundance, they are an important link in food webs and are also a traditional part of the human diet in East and South-East Asia. Along with other crustaceans, which require calcium carbonate to form their outer body covering or shell, mysids may be under threat from increased ocean acidity associated with climate change.

In 2015, mysid expert Mikhail Daneliya from Finland visited the Australian Museum Research Institute on an AMF/AMRI Visiting Collection fellowship to examine the Marine Invertebrates collection. Mikhail has recently published the second of his papers that report discoveries made during this visit, and this latest work deals with members of the subgroup Heteromysini.

Mysids of the tribe Heteromysini (family Mysidae) are known to be associated with various coastal benthic invertebrates, like sponges, hydroids, corals and hermit crabs. Compared to other mysids, their anterior pair of walking legs have been transformed into a kind of specialised grasping organ, hence their name (from the Greek stem hetero- meaning different). Many species have been documented from the tropical seas of Australia, but their presence in the cool Tasman Sea was previously limited to one species from the Tasmanian coast and one tentatively identified species from Sydney Harbour.

In the new study exploring the collections of the Australian Museum, a series of seven species, belonging to the genus Heteromysis, have been discovered in the coastal waters of New South Wales. Among them two species, H. keablei and H. murrayae, are new species to science, with the names dedicated to the collectors, Australian Museum marine invertebrate specialists Stephen Keable and Anna Murray.

Additionally, H. communis, associated with sponges, was previously known only from the Northern Territory coast, and H. tasmanica only from the hard sea bottom of Tasmania and southern Australia. Heteromysis macropsis was originally described from India, and this is the first time it has been reported in Australia. It is not yet clear what particular association with different substrates the species has, although in NSW it was found among brown algae, sponges, bryozoans and hydroids. Heteromysis abrucei is a widespread coral reef inhabitant in the Indian Ocean and tropical Australia, but its presence is now confirmed from various localities along the NSW coast. Heteromysis harpaxoides is a brightly colored commensal of the hermit crab Dardanus megistos. It mimics the crab’s red spines and is one of the most well-known heteromysids in Australia, having been recorded from the coral reef habitats throughout the tropical coast. Its discovery in NSW is rather surprising because the host crab is not well known here.

Recognition of these mysids further south in NSW is significant as they have previously been considered tropical species. Other studies have shown that the East Australian Current has been increasingly bringing warm water from the Coral Sea, spreading tropical species further south. The new study contributes to understanding the origin and distribution of the Australian marine fauna and provides supporting evidence of the adaptability of the coral reef inhabitants to the conditions of climate change.

Dr Mikhail Daneliya, Visiting Scholar, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki.

Dr Stephen Keable, Collection Manager, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

AMplify: Australian innovations for tackling climate change

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Listen to Kim McKay AO, AM Director & CEO and Professor Tim Flannery in conversation about the brightest inventions and approaches to reducing emissions and caring for environment. They introduce events on 3 June 2021 in advance of World Environment Day: the inaugural Talbot Oration to be delivered by Professor Flannery on The Climate Cure, and the opening of Spark, the Australian Museum’s new climate change solutions showcase.

As Professor Flannery says, the Australian Museum and its collections are “a grand mechanism for understanding climate change”.

AMplify is a podcast series featuring Director & CEO Kim McKay in conversation with scientists from the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) and experts in First Nations and Pacific cultures. In this special edition of AMplify, Kim is joined by Prof. Flannery, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Australian Museum.

As the AM increases its commitment to raise awareness and research around impacts of climate change, internationally acclaimed scientist, author, explorer and conservationist Professor Tim Flannery joined the museum as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow to focus on researching the impacts of climate change and raising awareness of the issues, especially impacts on biodiversity and our coastal environments.

]]>

This month in Archaeology: Stone hatchets as nut-cracking tools

Dr Amy Way — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Why are there pits on ground stone hatchets? These are wood working tools, but could they have been used for cracking seeds and nuts as well? How to find out? Do experiments! For this month in archaeology, we discuss the recent experimental archaeology paper, led by Dr Nina Kononenko.

By studying the marks on a stone tool, we can see what that tool was used for. In Australia, stone artefacts such as hammerstones and hatchets often have pits on the surface. These pits are produced when these tools are used as anvils for stone-working or opening hard-cased foods such as shell-fish. But could they have been used for plant processing as well?

The recently published paper in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports by Dr Nina Kononenko, Val Attenbrow, Peter White, Robin Torrence and Brit Amussen set up a series of experiments to ask – could these pits be formed from nut-cracking?

What nuts could have been cracked in Australia?

There are many edible endemic nuts and hard seeds in Australia including Quandong nuts (Pardoe et al. 2019), Macrozamia seeds and Macadamia nuts (Asmussen, 2011; Beck et al., 1988; Ferrier and Cosgrove, 2012; Field et al., 2009).

What nuts did they use in this experiment?

In these experiments they used macrozamia and macadamia nuts. Macrozamia seeds have a red-fleshy outer layer. Under this is a hard, woody shell which has to be cracked open to get the soft starchy kernel on the inside. This kernel is highly toxic and must be leached in water for many days to remove the toxin before it can be eaten.

Macadamia nuts have a hard, smooth outer-shell, which can be crushed by resting the nut on an anvil and hitting it with a hammerstone.

What experiments did they do?

The authors conducted a series of experiments with different stones and nuts to test damage marks; specifically, if the marks caused by nut-cracking were different to the marks formed by other activities, such stone knapping. The tools tested were stone tools (anvils and hammers) made from basalt, quartzite and sandstone. In Australia basalt is used to make hatchets and sandstone is used to make grinding stones.

What were the results?

They found that cracking seeds and nuts produces diagnostic wear traits on stone hammers and anvils. One of the key traits of nut-cracking is the presence of ‘distinctive sub-circular or oval patches with surface alteration in the form of localised, dense, shallow impact marks and cracks’.

The authors found that this diagnostic use-wear is only produced after several hours of nut cracking.

What does this mean for Australian archaeology?

To test what this means for Australian stone tools, the authors compared their results with 11 pitted stone artefacts. Kononenko, lead author, highlighted that: ‘Similarities between wear traces produced in the experiments and those preserved on prehistoric stone artefacts made it possible to confirm the re-use of stone hatchets for cracking seeds and nuts’ (Kononenko et al. 2021:2).

It had previously been assumed that ground-edge hatchets were only used for chopping wood. But this study shows that Australian ground-edged stone hatchet heads were used for plant processing and nut-cracking, in addition to wood chopping. Importantly, this shows that many ground-edge hatchets were used for ‘multiple activities and had long and complex use lives’ (Kononenko et al. 2021:2). This shows that the well-know artefact type, the stone hatchet, actually had many more functions.

Dr Amy Way, Scientific Officer, Archaeology, Australian Museum Research Institute; and Conjoint Lecturer, School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Sydney.

Dr Nina Kononenko, Research Associate, Geosciences and Archaeology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Two new species of the world’s largest flying squirrels discovered in the Himalayas by Australian scientists

Professor Kristofer Helgen — Mon, 31 May 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Australian scientists lead an international team that has described and named two new species of gigantic woolly flying squirrels from the Himalayas.

The previously known Pakistan woolly flying squirrel is among the rarest and least studied mammals in the world. It was thought to be extinct for much of the twentieth century until it was rediscovered in 1994 in northern Pakistan. This study outlines the first taxonomic and biogeographic review of the genus, which until now has contained only a single species.

A careful review of museum specimens and published records by Australian and Chinese scientists demonstrated that the genus occurs in three widely disjunct areas situated on the western (northern Pakistan and north-western India), north-central (south-central Tibet, northern Sikkim, and western Bhutan), and south-eastern margins (western Yunnan, China) of the Himalayas, respectively. Taxonomic differentiation between these populations of woolly flying squirrels was assessed using both morphological examinations and molecular analyses. The project began from Dr Stephen Jackson’s initial review on the taxonomy of the flying squirrel, which was further developed in 2017 with our Chinese colleagues, in Yunnan Province.

To measure and photograph the few museum specimens available, members of the team visited museums around the world including the Naturalis Museum (Leiden, Netherlands), Natural History Museum (London, England), Zoological Survey of India (Kolkata, India), Kunming Institute of Zoology (Yunnan, China), and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (Washington DC, USA).

Based on genetic and morphological comparisons it was confirmed that the once known species actually comprises of three widely disjunct populations that represent distinct species, two of which were described as new species during this study. These new species are the Tibetan Woolly Flying Squirrel (Eupetaurus tibetensis) and the Yunnan Woolly Flying Squirrel (Eupetaurus nivamons). The latter was named after the famous Chinese novel by Jin Yong, the Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain – also known as the Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain, due to the squirrel’s habitat being covered in snow for six months of the year. They are amongst the largest species of flying squirrel in the world, weighing over 2.5kg in body mass – just think, they are about the size of a cat!

In the Himalayas these extraordinary species live in the highest regions near the tree line above 3,500 metres elevation. The Pakistan Woolly Flying Squirrel is known to feed on pine needles and rest in rocky crevices, have the highest crown of cheekteeth among flying squirrels and is highly specialised – their faeces, urine and hair hardens to make the substance Shilajit, which is used in traditional medicine. However, the ecology of the new species remains poorly known and is in need of further research.

The discovery of the two new species of woolly flying squirrel helps to demonstrate the diversity of the world’s fauna and the great deal of work that still needs to be done to document and conserve the Earth’s biological diversity. Much of this requires careful comparisons that can only be made in natural history museum collections.

Dr Stephen Jackson, Research Scientist, NSW Department of Primary Industries; and Research Associate, Australian Museum.

Professor Kristofer Helgen, Chief Scientist and Director, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

How to judge a national science prize: inside the Eureka Prizes

Alice Gage — Sun, 30 May 2021 00:00:00 +1000

The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are judged by dozens of Australian and international experts at the top of their fields. One of those judges is Aussie astronomer Professor Bryan Gaensler, currently ensconced at the University of Toronto. After more than 10 years as a judge of the Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science, Bryan gave us an insight into the formidable process of selecting the best from a brilliant bunch.

We start with a clear criteria

This makes the jobs of judges much easier. We read each application, look for the ways they address the criteria and give a score for each aspect. These scores are combined, and then we get together to discuss what has come out of it.

But the criteria is just a starting point

We talk them through in detail to develop a final ranking, the selection of finalists, and the choice of the overall winner of the prize.

We don’t always agree

Almost every year there are differences in how the judges assess the applications – sometimes my clear favourite is the one that another judge likes the least, and vice versa!

But that’s a good thing

It’s important to have diverse perspectives on a panel, rather than to apply a narrow set of views of what excellence looks like.

We always find common ground

In such cases, we talk through our opinions, and this has always been a very insightful and collegial conversation where we share insights and different points of view. It usually doesn’t take long to converge on our decisions.

The overall common thread in the list of past winners of the Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science is of drive, vision and sacrifice

These people don’t just wake up each day saying, “I wonder what should I do today?”, but set out a careful long-range plan some time ago. With grit and guts and brilliance and patience, they’re gradually making their way to the goals they set themselves.

There’s nothing quite like the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes

I tell my colleagues here in Canada that we have not just one national prize for science, but a whole suite of prizes, and they’re amazed. It’s so important and special that Australia values science in this way, at a national level.

]]>

Beyond the recognition, securing a Eureka Prize can create a range of new opportunities

Fri, 28 May 2021 00:00:00 +1000

For their extensive research and work with government to preserve the world’s largest coral reef system, Associate Professor Andrew Brooks and his team at Griffith University were awarded an Environment, Energy and Science (DPIE) Eureka Prize for Environmental Research. But beyond the recognition, securing a Eureka Prize has created a range of new opportunities, for the team.

In 2010, policy around the Great Barrier Reef water quality was based on the assumption that sediment, a major source of pollution to the Reef, was primarily sourced from erosion off all of the hillslopes within the catchments. But Associate Professor Brooks and his team realised the numbers weren’t stacking up.

Over the next six years, they conducted field tests in the Great Barrier Reef catchment and created a much clearer picture of how sediment entered the Reef, finding that a large proportion came from channels and gullies. This evidence guided their work with government and shifted the policies on programs aimed at reducing pollution to the Great Barrier Reef.

The team’s achievements impressed the judges and secured Associate Professor Brooks and his colleagues a coveted Eureka Prize – in front of an audience of distinguished guests from the scientific community and government.

]]>

Prized connections - combining Indigenous knowledge with Western science

Kate Smith — Fri, 28 May 2021 00:00:00 +1000

“This work is based on 10 years of collaboration with Ngukurr community in remote Northern Territory. I am so proud our work has been recognised as Innovation in Citizen Science and to have shared the Awards evening with three inspiring young leaders from Ngukurr”, said Dr Emilie Ens following her acceptance of a Department of Industry, Innovation and Science Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science.

Talking about her team’s prize-winning work later, the Macquarie University lecturer recalls the day that Indigenous rangers in southeast Arnhem Land spotted a near-threatened bright orange and blue grasshopper their shouts filled the air.

“We stumbled across the host plant Pityrodia first, and we hoped might see it,” says Emilie. “Then, there it was - a Leichhardt's Grasshopper (Petasida ephippigera). Everyone was very excited because it’s so rare and a great indicator of the health of Country, of good fire management.” Her co-winner, Cherry Wulumirr Daniels (a 73-year-old senior Ngandi woman), had not seen the grasshopper since she was a child, more than 60 years earlier.

The grasshopper was found during a biodiversity survey, one of the project’s core initiatives. The surveys have led to a 140-page field guide of the local flora and fauna, which will be published in seven Indigenous languages, as well as English and Kriol.

The work of the Ngukurr Wi Stadi Bla Kantri (which means “we study the country” in Kriol) research team combines Indigenous knowledge with Western science and transfers knowledge between generations.

]]>

The curious tale of the Australian Museum Olm

Dane Trembath — Thu, 27 May 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Just how did Europe’s only blind, cave-dwelling salamander turn up in Sydney?

The Australian Museum collections are the largest and oldest natural history collections within Australia. These collections are important because they are a snapshot in time of what species have lived where, and they are widely studied by researchers around the world. The Herpetology collection is home to over 180,000 amphibian and reptile specimens. They range in size from the enormous Komodo Dragon and Giant Galapagos Tortoises to tiny rainforest-dwelling frogs. Some of our most important specimens include four extinct Australian frog species and an important collection of very early specimens from Sydney prior to large scale development.

A recent inventory of our collections has brought to light some of our oldest specimens of amphibians and reptiles, that are now being digitised for the first time. One of these highlights is not only biologically extraordinary, but also fascinating in how it came to be at the Australian Museum 160 years ago.

The Olm (Proteus anguinus) is an aquatic species of salamander that lives exclusively in caves along the Adriatic seaboard, as far inland as the headwaters of the Black Sea drainages, as far north as Istrian region (Slovenia) and as far south as Montenegro. Olms are remarkably well-adapted to living in total darkness, underground and underwater. As they are blind, they have one of the best senses of smell of any amphibian and have specialised ears that can sense vibrations from the ground and water. They also have a highly sensitive sensory organ in their head known as the ampullary organ that can detect prey through electrical changes in the water – and no worries if prey is nowhere to be found, because the Olm can also survive for up to ten years without food!

The Olm has a very slow way of life. It is known to live on average about 70 years, and in the wild has been recorded staying still in the exact same spot for seven years! However, as with so many amphibian species, its survival in the wild is threatened from a variety of activities, chiefly habitat disturbance from humans.

So how did an Olm make its way to the Australian Museum?

Until the 1870s, specimens in the Museum's collection were on public display in glass cabinets. In 1877, Edward Palmer was employed to catalogue the existing collections. As the Olm was found with an original tag tied to it, we know that the Olm specimen was received prior to 1877. Initially, we assumed it was probably part of a specimen exchange with other museums, a common occurrence at the time.

A search of records on these exchanges however, did not show any records of Olms and further detective work was needed. Searching Sydney newspapers at the time revealed that this special specimen was received as a donation to the Australian Museum in January 1861. From that account it is listed as “A Proteus from the Magdalenen Grotto, near Adelsberg by Mr R.S. Willis, Grey Cliff”.

But where is Grey Cliff? In fact, Grey Cliff is not a suburb, but appears to be a mistranslation for Greycliffe House, a historic two-storey residence in the current suburb of Vaucluse. At that time, the house was leased to a Mr Joseph Scaife Willis, a prominent Sydney businessman and his wife Janet who moved there in 1855. Of their five children, the oldest Robert Speir Willis was born in 1837 and is believed to be the Mr R.S. Willis listed in the newspaper article. Between 1852 and 1862 he was enrolled at University of Sydney where he graduated with a Masters of Arts in 1862. Robert then embarked on some overseas trips and spent some time working for his father. In 1865 he entered the ministry and eventually became the Reverend Robert Speir Willis. Though we will never know how he obtained the specimen, Robert was known for giving public talks on all the beautiful cities he had visited, and all the customs he had observed. Perhaps on one of these earlier trips, he may have obtained an Olm live, or also a preserved specimen, and then decided to donate it to the Australian Museum where it now resides. During these times it was also common for people to have private natural history collections.

We do know that after Olms were described to science in 1768, specimens were sought after as scientific objects, gifts, and pets which further aroused interest in this strange subterranean animal. As transport methods throughout Europe and the world increased, Olms were regularly obtained and sold to collectors and aquarium owners, and some even were exhibited at the World Exhibitions in Paris and Vienna in 1867 and 1873. Thus, it seems more probable that Robert obtained the specimen on a visit to this area or as a gift from his parents. Adelsberg, the location mentioned in the newspaper, was the German name for Postojna, a town in Slovenia which is very close to the Postojna Cave complex where the species can be seen today.

The Olm specimen has now been digitised and added to the electronic database. The specimen is considered an important part of our collection – even after close to 150 years, the specimen is in fine condition, and the Australian Museum only holds one specimen of the Olm. More so, the specimen provides an insight into Olms (i.e. morphological or genetic diversity changes over time) long before they became threatened and may allow us to better conserve Olms in the wild today.

Dane Francis Trembath, Herpetological Technical Officer, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Primary school students go virtual to explore behind the scenes of Palaeontology

Wed, 26 May 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Over the past year the Australian Museum’s Education and Palaeontology teams have collaborated with the NSW Department of Education’s Technology 4 Learning team to create a fun virtual reality (VR) experience for 8 to 12-year-old school students. The experience hits NSW Curriculum Science and Technology learning objectives as students freely investigate animal adaptations and classification through fossils in 3D, using VR.

The 3D experience was made using Situ360, an immersive multi-media tool, which allows you to navigate through and create your own adventure by clicking into a variety of 360-degree spaces, watching videos and reading relevant content. Into the future, you will also be able to explore 3D scans of the fossils seen in the spaces.

During your virtual journey you meet the Museum’s resident palaeontologists Dr Matt McCurry and Dr Patrick Smith, who both try to convince you to follow their preferred speciality – vertebrate versus invertebrate fossils! If you follow Matt, you will gain an up-close look around his office, and if you choose Pat, you will end up amongst his favourite fossils in the palaeontology collections. Through following both scientists, you will acquire insight into their expert knowledge about fossils, with a focus on classification, adaptations, and comparative anatomy. Additionally, you can ‘dig’ a little deeper with a visit to the Museum’s mysterious workshop area! In here you will see Matt excavating a fossil using a mini drill, and Tina Mansson making fossil casts. Here you will also have the opportunity to learn more about scientific technologies such as 3D scanning.

VR is an engaging tool and gives students the opportunity to access the Museum’s experts and explore behind-the-scenes, normally off limits. The experience also aims to inspire teachers and students to research and create their own 3D experience using photo spheres of the Museum’s spaces which will be made available to NSW public education schools soon.

You can watch and explore behind the scenes in palaeontology at the Australian Museum here.

By Fiona Brell, Education Project Officer

]]>

It’s hard to live in the city: the decline of frog species from our urban areas

Mon, 24 May 2021 00:00:00 +1000

How are frogs faring across Australia, from bushland to your backyard? Are frogs persisting, even in the most built-up of areas? In a recent study, FrogID data helps us understand how frogs in Australia respond to urbanisation.

Urban areas are unique environments for animals, as key habitats are usually fragmented or highly modified for human use. Additionally, cities often have increased pollutants from industrial and household chemicals, traffic noise and light pollution. This can cause animals to migrate from urban habitats, change the way they communicate with one another, or alter certain behaviours such as foraging. Some animals do not appear to be bothered by these additional stressors, such as the well-known Australian ibis (Threskiornis moluccus) which has adapted well to the urban lifestyle.

However, not all species are cut out for the city life. These species struggle to tolerate the changes and usually make the move to live in the ‘quieter’ outer suburbs. To avoid potential biodiversity losses within our cities, it is paramount that we understand how different animals are responding to urbanisation.

One group of animals that is declining rapidly across the globe, with the unenviable position of being one of the most threatened vertebrate groups, are frogs. Despite their predicament and their important role in healthy ecosystems, we know very little about them, including how they fare in our ever-growing cities.

To understand how frog diversity is changing due to urbanisation, we used data collected by citizen scientists for the Australian Museum’s FrogID project, which has generated over 300,000 frog records for over 200 frog species since its inception in late 2017! This allowed us to look at data from across the entirety of Australia, rather than at a local or regional scale, for the very first time.

We found that the number of frog species in cities across Australia was less than half (59% lower) than in natural areas. When we consider species diversity, the picture was just as grim. Shannon diversity (which considers the number of records per species) was 59% lower in cities than natural areas. Similarly, phylogenetic diversity (which takes into consideration how closely related species are to one another) was a staggering 79% lower! Additionally, less than half the threatened species found in natural areas were found in urbanised habitats.

There was some good news, however. Out of 196 frog species in Australia that we had enough data for, 60% (118 species) could still be found in urban areas and interestingly, one species, the Northern Trilling Frog (Neobatrachus aquilonius), was only found in urban areas. However, this frog only has six records in FrogID, so we definitely need more citizen scientists to help record it! In addition, cities provided habitat for threatened species such as the Red Crowned Toadlet (Pseudophryne australis), demonstrating that cities can be important places for biodiversity conservation, even for threatened species.

Our findings have made it clearer than ever that frogs need to be considered in both current and future urban planning and land development decisions. Correctly managing key habitats within urban areas (even at small scales) has been shown to increase frog diversity. Keeping natural areas within our cities can really help frog populations, and the FrogID project is providing us with data that can help us answer follow-up questions such as “what frog species are likely to be urban-tolerant?” or “what types of habitat best support diversity in urban areas?”.

Frogs are quite sensitive to the changes in their environment, and like canaries in the coalmines, they are usually the first to respond to negative impacts. So, where we see frogs declining and disappearing, it is likely that other animals are affected too. By understanding how frogs are responding to our ever-changing environments and by considering them in urban planning, we are likely providing habitat that benefits the rest of our biodiversity too.

Brittany Mitchell, PhD Candidate, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute; and, Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of BEES, UNSW Sydney.

]]>

Six surprising facts about the Australian Museum Research Library

Thu, 20 May 2021 00:00:00 +1000

To celebrate Library and Information Week, Librarian Adria Castellucci lets us in on some of the Australian Museum Research Library’s best kept secrets.

The Australian Museum Research Library exists to support research and exhibitions in our specialist subject areas of natural history and cultural collections. While people love libraries and museums, they don’t often realise that one might exist inside the other.

Unlike other parts of the Museum that members of the public are familiar with, the Library is open by appointment only. However, if you walk up the sweeping glass staircase to level 3, you’ll be able to peek into our Reading Room, and check out some rare books or archival material on display in the foyer.

Our Library has been around in one form or another, since the first decade of the Australian Museum’s existence. The first reference to a library was made in the minutes of 8 June, 1836:

This makes us the second oldest library in Australia!

By 1850, the bookshelves were overflowing the boardroom; today, with over 120,000 volumes in our collection, we are one of the largest natural history resources in Australia.

Most of the rare books in the AM Library’s collection were published in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but a handful are much older. The oldest book in the Library, Libri de piscibus marinis, was published between 1553 and 1555 – nearly a decade before William Shakespeare was born.

Another book, Icones Animalium, was published in 1560. Its author, Conrad Gesner, was attempting to publish an encyclopedia of every animal known to exist. Due to sixteenth century fieldwork practices (aka. “word of mouth”), it also includes such fantastical beasts as a satyr and even a unicorn.

Books as old as the ones in our collection can hold all sorts of secrets and hidden Easter eggs. One that we’re aware of is the supposed “UFO” in the 1557 book, Prodigiorum ac ostentorum chronicon. This ‘chronicle of portents and prophecies’ is a chronology of strange and unusual events throughout history, with accompanying wacky woodcut illustrations (including more satyrs!)

One of them, meant to depict a comet flying over the Middle East in 1479, looks remarkably like an alien rocket ship – so much so that extra-terrestrial enthusiasts have even requested to view the book in person to find evidence of their existence.

When you want to find a book in your local library, you’d expect everything in their collection to be findable online, wouldn’t you? Well, in a library as old as ours, not everything has yet made its way into our digital records. While you can find a lot of what we hold on our online catalogue, we still rely on a card catalogue to find some of our older material.

In case you're not familiar with them, a card catalogue is like a cabinet filled with tiny drawers, each of them containing dozens of little paper cards with a book title, author, or subject written on it, which then refers you to another card to find the location of your book. If you aren't used to analogue searching, it can take a while to get your head around it!

As a special library with lots of rare and unique books, we get researchers from all over the world contacting us to use our collection. However, our main users are our staff right here at the Australian Museum. We love helping our colleagues with their research for scientific papers, exhibitions, marketing, and so much more. Here’s what a few of them had to say about their experiences using the library:

The Australian Museum Research Library is open by appointment on Mondays and Tuesdays. You can visit our displays on Level 3 of the Museum seven days a week. If you are interested in visiting the Library for your research, you can search our catalogue or email us at library@australian.museum.

]]>

Holt’s Long-eared Bat: A new cryptic species discovered in Western Australia

Dr Mark Eldridge, Andrew King, Dr Harry Parnaby — Wed, 19 May 2021 00:00:00 +1000

AMRI scientists recently collected DNA samples from bats at Coolah Tops, NSW – the results of which have led to the discovery of a new bat species, endemic to the forests of far south-west Western Australia.

Scientific discovery rarely unfolds in a straight line. While surveying the vertebrate fauna of Coolah Tops in central NSW, AMRI scientists collected DNA samples from several species of long-eared bat (Nyctophilus species). In order to help identify these morphologically similar bats to species, we compared them genetically to samples from other long-eared bats collected decades earlier from across Australia. The analysis, using mitochondrial DNA genes, showed that one species sampled at Coolah Tops was Gould’s Long-eared Bat (N. gouldi), but that the individuals from WA (used for comparison), previously thought to also be Gould’s Long-eared Bat, were genetically highly distinct and represented a separate species.

Gould’s Long-eared Bat is a small (~12g) insect-eating bat that is widely distributed along the eastern Australian seaboard. In the 1970s it was realised that an isolated population, thought to be the same species, also occurred in far south-west WA over 2,000 km to the west. Our genetic analysis has shown that this WA population is not closely related to eastern Gould’s Long-eared Bat populations. Previous morphological comparisons found relatively minor but consistent differences between these eastern and western Australian populations; however, morphological differences amongst microbat species are often subtle. Taken together, the genetic and morphological data indicate that the WA population represents a species new to science.

We therefore had the honour of giving this species a scientific name. It is now known as Holt’s Long-eared Bat (Nyctophilus holtorum sp. nov), in honour of Mrs Mary Holt and the late Dr John Holt who funded our original research at Coolah Tops through a donation to the Australian Museum Foundation, and have been generous long-term supporters of biodiversity research and conservation in Australia.

Holt’s Long-eared Bat has one of the most restricted distributions of the three dozen Australian bat species of the family Vespertilionidae and, along with the Western Falsistrelle (Falsistrellus mackenziei) discovered in 1986, is endemic to south-west WA. Holt’s Long-eared Bat is restricted to the forests of the far south-west, an area of some 20,000 square km – one third the size of the Sydney Basin. Not a lot is known of the ecology of Holt’s Long-eared Bat but it seems to prefer forests with a shrubby understory and a higher density of potential roost sites in old tree hollows.

The famous British bat taxonomist Robert Tomes was way ahead of his time when he named Gould’s Long-eared Bat in 1858. He thought it was a very distinct species, but his successors disagreed. They thought the differences were too trivial to justify a new species and it wasn’t until 1979 that scientists recognised Gould’s Long-eared Bat really was a valid species. This demonstrates that “cryptic” is a relative term – that is, relative to the knowledge of the time and skill of the observer. Further morphological studies (such as overall skull shape and wing morphology) are likely to identify more differences between Holt’s and Gould’s Long-eared Bats, and in future they may no longer be viewed as “cryptic” species.

This taxonomic research has significant implications for bat conservation. The recognition of Holt’s Long-eared Bat as another range-restricted endemic WA mammal species encourages a greater focus on conservation priorities for a species that was previously thought to have a wide distribution on both sides of Australia. It also clearly demonstrates that we have not yet identified all of the unique species that occur in Australia, even in comparatively well studied groups such as mammals. Since many species in Australasia occur nowhere else, ongoing taxonomic research of our unique biodiversity remains a priority.

Dr Mark Eldridge, Principal Research Scientist, Mammalogy Collection, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Andrew King, Research Assistant, Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Dr Harry Parnaby, Research Associate, Mammalogy Collection, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Living on the edge! Molecular insight into Sydney’s endangered bandicoot population

Wed, 12 May 2021 00:00:00 +1000

An endangered population of long-nosed bandicoots are inhabiting an iconic Sydney headland – and molecular insights show that they are surviving on the edge.

The impact of European settlement over the last 200 years has resulted in significant declines in Australian biodiversity, particularly in mammals. The fragmentation of once large, continuous populations due to habitat disturbance and development, has resulted in smaller, disconnected populations which are vulnerable to loss of gene flow, reduced diversity, and increased differentiation via genetic drift. The extinction risk of isolated, remnant populations is also amplified as these populations are more susceptible to increased inbreeding, genetic erosion and impacts from environmental factors. These impacts are particularly evident along the highly urbanised east coast of Australia, especially around the greater Sydney region.

Small, ground dwelling marsupials in particular have been impacted by these changes, such as the long-nosed bandicoot (Perameles nasuta). As a habitat generalist, long-nosed bandicoots have a broad distribution along the east coast of Australia, from far north Queensland to southwest Victoria. They inhabit open forests, shrub land, coastal heath and vegetated urban land. Bandicoot life history traits, such as high reproductive output and omnivorous diet, have meant that long-nosed bandicoots have been able to persist in fragmented and disturbed environments where other species have not.

Long-nosed bandicoots were once abundant throughout greater Sydney, however urbanisation has since pushed individuals and populations to the edge. Such is the case with the remnant population on North Head, the headland at the entrance to Sydney Harbour, which is listed as an ‘Endangered population’ by the New South Wales Threatened Species Scientific Committee. The listing is due to the population’s small size, apparent isolation on the headland and other threats including fox predation and vehicle strikes. Currently the endangered population is managed by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, and Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Annual surveys have been carried out over the last two decades to monitor this population, with the estimated population size remaining relatively consistent (n = 170) over the 260-hectare site.

To further inform the management and conservation of the population, we undertook a genetic study to investigate two questions. Firstly, to assess if there is any gene flow between individuals in the ‘Endangered’ North Head population and those remaining populations of bandicoots in the nearby northern Sydney suburbs; and secondly, to measure genetic diversity of the North Head population over time. To do this, DNA from tissue samples collected from long-nosed bandicoots from 2001-2019 were extracted and sequenced, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers were analysed from 167 individuals from both North Head and greater northern Sydney suburbs.

Our results showed that long-nosed bandicoots from North Head were genetically differentiated and clustered separately to those from other areas throughout greater northern Sydney. This suggests there is limited gene flow on to or off the headland, supporting its original listing based on isolation. Importantly however, our analyses suggested the current boundary of the ‘Endangered’ population was not a biological boundary and should be further investigated and expanded if necessary.

Genetic diversity analyses of the North Head population from 2002-2019, found relatively constant levels of genetic diversity and only minor levels of inbreeding, suggesting this population is not yet suffering serious detrimental genetic effects due to its isolation. Results also found a small number of individuals sampled at North Head showed greater similarity to other northern Sydney populations, suggesting the occasional movement of bandicoots onto North Head. As these types of movements are beyond the dispersal capabilities of this species and there are significant geographical barriers present, this may be a result of human intervention. This ad hoc gene flow has likely aided the North Head population in maintaining genetic diversity however, translocation of animals should only be carried out by authorised agencies in order to ensure the best welfare and scientific outcomes for the individuals and populations involved, with impacts being tracked and monitored over time.

Our genetic study is the first genetic assessment of this population and has increased our understanding of the North Head long-nosed bandicoots, enabling for greater insight into effective management strategies to conserve this ‘Endangered’ population. This is particularly important following a recent fire that ravaged much of the population’s habitat. This work has provided valuable baseline genetic data that can be used to monitor and manage this population as it recovers after the fire.

Holly Nelson, Honours Student, The University of Sydney & Australian Museum Research Institute

Dr Greta Frankham, Research Assistant, Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum Research Institute

Dr Mark Eldridge, Principal Research Scientist, Terrestrial Vertebrates , Australian Museum Research Institute

Dr Mark de Bruyn, Senior Lecturer in Evolutionary Biology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney

Dr Viyanna Leo, Wildlife Ecologist, Australian Wildlife Conservancy

Dr Jennifer Anson, Senior Ecologist, Australian Wildlife Conservancy

]]>

From field to museum – studies from Melanesia in Honour of Robin Torrence

Dr Jim Specht, Meagan Warwick — Wed, 12 May 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Dr Robin Torrence, Senior Fellow in Archaeology and Geosciences at the Australian Museum, is a giant in her field. Over the last 35 years, Robin has impacted so many – including the 32 authors who have contributed to the recent special edition of the Technical Records of the AM!

Dr Robin Torrence, previously Senior Principal Research Scientist at the Australian Museum, has influenced many. Today, the Technical Reports of the Australian Museum has released a very special edition in honour of Dr Robin Torrence. The collection of 16 papers by 32 authors covers a diverse range of topics on archaeological materials and museum specimens, but also a diverse range in geographical coverage and time. Over the last 35 years, Robin has taught, supervised, examined, mentored, conducted fieldwork and museum research or been a co-author with all of the first authors and most of the other authors.

Robin has led an exciting, diverse and influential career – and continues to do so at the Australian Museum. Robin’s archaeological research focuses on roles of ancient material culture, especially stone tools, social strategies and exchange systems, and she is particularly interested in how the manufacture, design and exchange of tools can help minimise risks. Robin has also participated in fieldwork around the world, from the USA, Greece, Papua New Guinea to Eastern Russia.

Robin’s association with Australia began in the 1970s and early 1980s during her time teaching Archaeology at Sheffield University. During this time, Robin had encounters with Australian archaeologists at a number of conferences, which led to several visits to Australia and in 1988 and 1989, Robin joined the Australian Museum’s project in the Talasea area of West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG). By 1991, Robin moved permanently to Australia and began her own project on the obsidian sources of West New Britain in PNG, holding Fellowships at the Museum and under the Australian Research Council schemes. These resulted in many significant papers on geochemical characterisation, the production, value and exchange of obsidian stemmed tools in Middle Holocene times, and the social and economic significance of obsidian in general. It was in 2002 that Robin joined the Australian Museum as a Research Scientist, the same year she was awarded the Society for American Archaeology Award for Excellence in Archaeological Analysis. Since then, she has been awarded the ICOM Australia Award for International Relations, the Australian Museum Research Institute Medal and elected fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales and the Australian Academy of Humanities (just to name a few).

Each paper in this volume reflects Robin’s various projects, interests and expertise. For example, Vince Neall and his colleagues present new results of geochemistry of tephras from volcanic eruptions – this paper relates to Robin’s continuing avid interest in volcanic landscapes. Since Robin’s days as a doctoral candidate on the island of Melos in Greece, Robin has collaborated with a range of volcanologists, soil specialists and others in Australia, PNG, New Zealand, the USA and the UK on the histories, dating and impacts of volcanoes of central New Britain (PNG). In addition to ‘big picture’ projects, Robin has also addressed the microscopic end of the scale by promoting studies of usewear and residues on stone and other artefacts, and the identification of phytoliths and ancient starch granules to address aspects of past lifestyles that generally do not leave macroscopic evidence. The usewear studies have been greatly enhanced by Nina Kononenko, a specialist in the study of use-wear of stone tools, choosing to make Australia, and Sydney in particular, her new home, a move that was strongly supported and encouraged by Robin. Their subsequent collaborations have produced significant results, including identification of Lapita age obsidian tools as probable tattooing implements. In this volume Nina combines with Pip Rath to explore some of Robin’s ideas about the specialised production of the stemmed obsidian tools, a topic also pursued by Paul Dickinson. These two papers complement each other, suggesting the probable existence of an organised workshop-style production system in which groups of specialists and novices produced a range of stemmed tools.

Further papers include plant phytolith and usewear studies, Lapita pottery sites in the island of the Anir group in New Ireland Province in PNG, evidence of cannibalism during the last 500-600 years at sites on Rossell Island in Milne Bay Province (PNG), the trade of stone axes and obsidian, and enigmatic stone tools in Borneo. The second half of the volume consists of papers relating to museum and collection studies and reflect a shift in Robin’s interests to issues about indigenous agency in the production of museum collections from PNG, especially in response to western colonialism. As a sign of changing times and agency, Elizabeth Bonshek describes the initiative of the Langgu people of Solomon Islands who decided that the Australian Museum needed to update its holdings from their area and have created a ‘time capsule’ of their feasting bowls for the Museum, while Peter Sheppard records how Solomon Islands’ war canoes of the 19th century have ‘evolved’ into racing canoes for ceremonial occasions in the present.

The papers in this edition convey a small but clear picture of the energy, imagination, inspiration and dedication that Robin has displayed over the last 35 years. In presenting this volume to her, the authors and editors express their thanks and appreciation for her friendship and collegiality and wish her a successful and productive future.

Dr Jim Specht, Senior Fellow, Archaeology and Geosciences, Australian Museum.

Meagan Warwick, AMRI & External Partnerships Coordinator, Australian Museum.

]]>

Fossil evidence sheds light on why whales and dolphins have large brains

Matthew McCurry, Meagan Warwick — Mon, 10 May 2021 00:00:00 +1000

An international team of palaeontologists, led by AMRI and UNSW’s Dr Matthew McCurry, shed light on why whales and dolphins have such large brains – with the help of baleen whale fossils.

The reasons why whales and dolphins have evolved large brains – which are only rivalled by those seen in primates – have long been debated. A new study by a group of international scientists, from Australia, New Zealand, Italy, the UK, the US and Japan, and led by the AM’s Dr Matthew McCurry helps answer the hotly debated topic. Their findings have just been published in the prestigious scientific journal, the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.

Cetaceans (whales and dolphins) are renowned as having the largest and one of the most highly developed brains in the animal kingdom – for example, the sperm whale has a brain roughly 7-9 kg in size¹. Many species also have brains that are relatively large compared to their body size. Despite the amount of scientific research undertaken in this area, the reason why this group evolved large brains remains abstract. One of the most prevalent arguments is tied with echolocation; a sense used to navigate environments and hunt prey². Dolphins and other toothed whales use a series of high-pitched clicking sounds, which are ‘beamed’ out through their heads and reflected back off objects such as prey.

The argument is that toothed whale brains evolved to be large in size (even relative to their body size) due to the need to process complex sensory information that is gathered during echolocation. Tied to this, it has generally been thought that baleen whales had small brains compared to toothed whales (the group that includes sperm whales and dolphins) because they did not echolocate. This study debunks this hypothesis.

Our international group of scientists measured and CT scanned a number of mysticete (Baleen whale) fossils and then calculated the size of the cavity where the brain sits, to estimate brain size. The results of the study subsequently showed that the early baleen whales had surprisingly large brains, therefore contradicting the idea that echolocation was the primary driver of brain size in the group. Dr McCurry has said that the large brain sizes arose before echolocation and therefore, cannot be the only cause of evolution in brain size.

Instead, Dr McCurry suggests that sociality could be a more important driving factor, but it is difficult to tell how social a fossilised species was. The data gathered in this study indicated that non-echolocating whales also possessed large brains. Although baleen whales are typically thought of as solitary animals, they are still socially complex – for example, Humpback whales communicate via songs and feeding behaviours.

The driving factors behind the complexity and size of brains are multifaceted and are still debated in relation to primates, ungulates and carnivores. Echolocating whales, such as toothed whales and dolphins, do have a larger brain size which confirms the cognitive demands in echolocation. However, we cannot contribute the evolution to a single factor – echolocation, foraging complexity and sociality likely played varying and influential roles.

Dr Matthew McCurry, Curator of Palaeontology, Geoscience and Archaeology, The Australian Museum; Lecturer, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science, The University of New South Wales.

]]>

Which frogs are best equipped to survive the human world?

Mon, 03 May 2021 00:00:00 +1000

We rank Australia’s frog species based on how likely they are to persist in human modified habitats – with some surprising results!

We live in a time when urban expansion outpaces human population growth, and when forests are being cleared faster than they can be gained. Human-driven habitat loss and modification is a major cause of global frog declines and if we are to conserve our amazing frog diversity, it is important that we identify which frog species are likely to be tolerant of habitat modification, and which are likely to be intolerant. This will allow conservation efforts to be directed towards the species that are most in need of our help.

Like us, frogs have preferences when it comes to where they live. While some species might be perfectly content living anywhere with water – in your backyard pond, down a drainpipe or even in your toilet – others have more specific (arguably, more refined) tastes, showering under the misty waterfalls of the rainforest, or riding fast-flowing streams.

But as the human population grows and the natural landscape becomes increasingly modified, these frogs are at risk of losing their homes, and finding a new one that supports their survival is no easy feat. The nearest suitable habitat may be too far away to reach and the journey can be treacherous. Anyone who has ever played Frogger or its various modern reincarnations would be able to tell you that as a frog, braving a road is a gamble on life.

To understand which species could persist or even thrive in a modified habitat, and which ones were vanishing, we created a ‘modification tolerance index’ that we could use to rank frog species from intolerant to tolerant. To create this tolerance index, we combined over 126,000 records of frogs submitted by people across Australia to the FrogID project, with a global measure of human habitat modification. This measure considers a broad range of human stressors including built-up areas, roads, railways, agriculture, energy production, mining, and night-time lights. We examined 87 frog species (those with 100 or more FrogID records) – more than a third of Australia’s frog species.

Alarmingly, we found that an overwhelming 70% of the frog species examined were intolerant of human modified environments.

The most intolerant species were habitat specialists (those with specific habitat requirements). This includes many frogs from the Pseudophryne genus such as the Red-crowned Toadlet (Pseudophryne australis), which resides exclusively in the Sydney Basin’s Hawkesbury sandstone regions, inhabiting open forests with temporary water bodies along drainage lines. Although their geographic range includes the more modified parts of Sydney, they are rarely found in people’s backyards, preferring remnant forests instead.

Frog species that laid their eggs on land were also amongst the most intolerant. This category, again, includes all the frogs from the Pseudophryne genus including the Crawling Toadlet (Pseudophryne guentheri), Bibron’s Toadlet (Pseudophryne bibronii) and Red-backed Toadlet (Pseudophryne coriacea). The resources they depend on (for example, moist leaf litter) are rarely present in human modified habitats. The future of these frogs will therefore depend on our ability to preserve their natural habitats.

There is some good news, however, for species that call from vegetation. These frogs tended to be the most modification tolerant, which suggests that creating greenspaces and ‘frog-friendly’ gardens with plenty of vegetation could help to improve frog diversity in modified areas, including our cities.

But when it comes to life in our cities, suburbia and farms, the standout and most tolerant species were the generalists. These species can use a diverse range of resources and can tolerate a wide variety of environmental conditions and habitats (including human modified habitats). Unfortunately, these tolerant species were few and far between. Only 3 in 10 frog species examined were tolerant of modified habitats and this was only considering the obvious elements of human modification. Our index did not account for other direct and indirect human impacts such as our influence on the climate, introduced species and water resource development. Factor those in, and the proportion of intolerant frogs are probably even higher!

Clearly, supporting the long-term persistence of frog populations requires greater consideration of the impacts of humans on the environment. We also need improved conservation measures. A good place to start would be to focus on habitat specialists and species we identified as intolerant of human modified habitats. Thankfully, with the help of thousands of citizen scientists distributed across the country, acquiring the information that scientists need to make informed conservation decisions is now easier than ever.

Read further for more information on Australia’s least and most tolerant frogs.

Coming in last on our list (the most intolerant of human modified habitats) was the Crawling Toadlet (Pseudophryne guentheri), a small ground-dwelling frog, no more than 4cm in body length, from southwest Western Australia. While this species was the least tolerant of the frogs that we studied, there were species that just didn’t have enough data for us to study. Most of these were habitat specialists, secretive species or species that live in very remote parts of Australia – those that are likely to be even more intolerant of habitat modification.

The second most intolerant species was the Bleating Froglet (Crinia pseudinsignifera), another small species (reaching 3cm in body length) from southwest Western Australia. This species lives in temporary swamps in granite areas.

The Ticking Frog (Geocrinia leai), another Western Australian frog, came in as the third most intolerant species. This small (no more than 3cm in length) frog can be found in the south west of the state in Jarrah forest. The males – the sex that makes advertisement calls – live up to their name, wooing females with a continuous ticking call. Females lay their eggs in a cluster on land under wet leaf litter, logs and waterside vegetation.

On the other hand, Australia’s most tolerant frog turned out to be the Striped Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes peronii). This species is likely a familiar one to the residents of Australia’s east coast, from south of Cape York to northern Tasmania. Males have a distinctive call that sound a lot like a dripping tap or a tennis ball being hit. In a chorus, they can sound like a mass of microwave popcorn. Not only does this species occupy human modified habitats, but it may even prefer them to more pristine habitats.

The second most tolerant species was the White-lipped Tree Frog (Litoria infrafrenata), a northern Queensland species and Australia’s largest frog, reaching 13.5cm in body length. This frog inhabits rainforest and Melaleuca swamps, but it is not unusual for them to appear on farms and in suburban gardens.

Third place for tolerance went to Western Australia’s Motorbike Frog (Litoria moorei). The frog doesn’t get its name for no reason. Its advertisement call resembles the rumble of a motorbike. If you had this species in your backyard, you would be forgiven for thinking that someone was doing burnouts outside your house.

Gracie Liu, FrogID validator, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute; and, PhD candidate, University of New South Wales.

]]>

This month in Archaeology: 2020-21 AMF/AMRI Visiting Research Fellow on the Rock Art Recovery Project

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Wayne Brennan, a 2020-21 AMF/AMRI Visiting Research Fellow, discusses how scientists and Aboriginal communities work together on the Rock Art Recovery Project - two ways walking together side by side.

The impact of a wildfire on cultural features in the landscape can have disastrous results for the conservation of rock art. However, the subsequent clearing and recovery efforts from the fires, and opening up of country can assist survey teams in locating rock art sites. The Rock Art Recovery Project builds on work done in the early 2000s and is based on a holistic approach to rock art conservation, whereby the Aboriginal community and scientists work together to create a skilled team of rock art recorders and monitors. The skills and experience of the team are appropriate for assessing, recording, and monitoring pigment art and engravings. This approach of culture and science walking together side by side and assisting each other, is paramount to the project and could become a model for other groups in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (GBMWHA) and the Sydney-Blue Mountains Region.

From the beginning this has been a sharing project, with all aspects jointly managed and conducted by individuals in both the Aboriginal and archaeological communities. Conservation and recording techniques are shared and discussed with clearly identified and measurable outcomes supported by the communities. Presentations and publications are also jointly produced and authored. Strong friendships have developed as a result, not only between archaeologists and First Nations People, but also between people from different Aboriginal groups.

Graham Davis -King (Deerubin LALC) and Muliyan Waters (Wiradjari) long term partners in the Wollemi rock art project (2000 till the present), are also involved, being the Aboriginal community coordinators for this new project. Barry William (Darkinjung) will be the community coordinator for the Darkinjung LALC which will be working in the Wommera Range area of Parr Conservation Area.

The project aims to better understand the relationship between the cultural heritage, especially rock art sites (drawings, stencils, paintings, and engravings), of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (GBMWHA) and that of other parts of New South Wales, and to describe culture changes over the past few thousand years. The project values contemporary Aboriginal viewpoints, involves extensive ongoing community consultation and participation and advocates for government, industry, and community approaches to research.

Areas of focus

Three sites have been identified as particularly at risk, and these will form the focus for the initial surveys. These sites include:

Linden Ridge - urban interface and Blue Mts National Park
Mt Irvine Mt Wilson Ridge - remote and urban interface
Woomarah Range (Parr Conservation Area) - remote area

Managing viewpoints

As a rock art specialist, I tend to manage viewpoints rather than focus on the literal meaning or interpretation of the individual motifs or elements.

Aboriginal rock art connects people with country, lore, story and the ancestral creational beings of that country. Aboriginal people recognise that culture and spirit are important elements of a sustainable future. This project assists with passing down knowledge and recognises the importance of culture and ceremony.

This project’s major innovation relates to knowledge sharing. It recognises the real-world benefits of sharing expertise. It also allows local communities to take leadership roles in sustainable protection and promotion of “at risk” cultural features. This is particularly important in the Blue Mountains, a region that boasts a remarkable record of human presence dating back at least 40,000 years and faces a significant bushfire risk.

The approach

As I’ve mentioned, the approach of culture and science walking together side by side and assisting each other is an integral and unique part of the project. You may ask what I am referring to by cultural knowledge and scientific knowledge in the project?

Cultural knowledge is passed down through storytelling, song, dance, art, ceremonies, and rituals. This still occurs today.

In regard to the science side of this project, I am referring to mapping, physical site conservation and management, field skills and technical equipment (map reading, photography, site plans, historic and lithic artefact identification, data entry and recovery). Professional standards include cultural awareness, stakeholder engagement, legislation, and oral history collection.

The project has begun with a series of “on country” workshops to engage with local custodians and discuss their participation in rock art conservation and protection. We aim to provide field experience and training for all attendees including Traditional Custodians and students – two ways walking together, side by side.

Wayne Brennan

Gamilaraay and Blue Mountains Community

2020-21 AMF/AMRI Visiting Research Fellow

]]>

The Australian Museum Magazine turns 100

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +1000

After a controversial beginning, the Australian Museum Magazine has reached 100 years of continuous publication, with the historic latest issue a timely fit for the milestone.

"Since the Museum is supported by public funds for the instruction and enjoyment of the whole people, the Trustees have decided to make an increased effort to reach a wider public", writes Museum Director Charles Anderson in the very first edition of the Australian Museum Magazine.

First published on 29 April 1921, the magazine was a pet project of Trustee Ernest Wunderlich, a businessman and industrialist who even paid for a full-page advertisement in the first edition to promote his company's products.

Charles Anderson had been appointed Director of the Australian Museum just three months earlier following the death of long-serving director Robert Etheridge in 1920. He was keen to nail his museum credentials to the mast, writing an editorial and five articles for the first edition.

Behind Anderson's appointment as director lies a tale of political intrigue, with the selection process mired in controversy.

With Etheridge's death, veteran scientist Charles Hedley – assistant director for 12 years – was the logical choice to lead the Museum: urbane, popular with staff, and a world leader in his field of conchology.

But Hedley had recently fallen foul of Trustees and his boss. His misdemeanour? To arrange a petition requesting permission for Museum staff to join the state public service superannuation scheme.

Perhaps to Hedley's surprise, Etheridge took this seemingly innocuous act as insurrection. "Unconstitutional conduct", he fumed. "Grossly irregular action", raged Trustee Frederick Coghlan, who as Auditor General – the state's most powerful public servant – held a statutory seat on the Museum's board.

Under the 1853 Australian Museum Trust Act, the Trustees were vested with complete control of the Museum and its assets. With Hedley's staff petition, they seemed determined to resist the growing wave of workplace democracy now sweeping the world in the wake of the war.

Hedley's claim on the top job was fought repeatedly by Coghlan, who won the battle and had the board appoint Anderson in his place. Instead Hedley was made Keeper of the Collections – an empty job title with no specified duties – before the board forced him to resign in 1924.

Ironically, Hedley's first article for the magazine is not about the collections he was supposedly keeping, but an introduction to Aboriginal rock art around Sydney.

The magazine, wrote Anderson, would appeal to the average citizen, by describing "the haunts, habits and life-histories of the common animals of our bush, ponds, and seashore."

Articles were written by the Museum's science staff, who were "paid a penny per line and three shillings per photograph".

The quarterly magazine quickly became a success, its print run of 1000 copies selling out within a month.

Over the last 100 years, the magazine's title has changed several times – to Australian Natural History in 1962, then ANH in 1989, and Nature Australia in 1995.

The current masthead, Explore, was launched in 2006 to provide Museum Members and supporters with the latest news on Museum research, acquisitions and events.

Befitting the significance of the publication's centenary is the historic Winter 2021 issue – the first-ever single-topic issue of the magazine, dedicated to First Nations news and issues and guest edited by the respected journalist and Wiradjuri man Stan Grant. The issue takes a deep dive into the significant work of the AM’s First Nations team, including a closer look at the revolutionary new exhibition, Unsettled.

Readers can find digitised copies of nearly all Museum publications here, dating back to 1836.

Brendan Atkins is a former editor of Muse and Explore, successor magazines to Australian Museum Magazine. He is currently writing a biography of Australian Museum scientist Allan McCulloch.

]]>

News from LIRS: 2021 Coral bleaching at Lizard Island

Dr Anne Hoggett — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation will be featured at the AM. For this inaugural month, we feature the 2021 Coral bleaching at Lizard Island blog from Dr Anne Hoggett.

More than 20 years ago, it was predicted that coral bleaching would become an annual event globally by 2050 and that it would happen even earlier on the Great Barrier Reef. That prediction shows every sign of being fulfilled.

Corals bleached at Lizard Island in early 2021 for the fourth time in six years (information about the 2020 event is here). These events are due to local weather conditions acting on top of already-elevated sea temperatures caused by global warming. Corals can only tolerate a narrow range of temperatures and they’re adapted to the conditions in which they live. Even half a degree above the ‘normal’ summertime maximum can cause corals to bleach if the temperature stays high for long enough. It doesn’t take much to push it above that limit in summer nowadays.

Local weather patterns now play a big part in bleaching events. Strong sunlight interacts with temperature to cause bleaching and hot, calm, cloudless days are now dangerous for coral reefs. Lizard Island had exactly that sort of weather throughout December 2020.

The ‘normal’ maximum sea surface temperature in the area is about 29.5oC. The average daily temperature exceeded that level from 21 December to mid-January (see graph) and maximum daily temperatures exceeded it for much longer. Right on cue, corals started to bleach in early January 2021.

Three cyclones affected the area during that summer. None of them approached Lizard Island closely but their weather patterns strongly affected the course of the bleaching event. Cloudy, rainy and windy weather cooled surface waters and reduced the stress on corals from both temperature and sunlight.

Cyclone Imogen formed just as corals were starting to bleach and it provided some respite from the weeks-long build-up of heat stress. That was quickly followed by a much stronger system, Cyclone Kimi, which brought water temperature below the danger zone for some weeks. Fortuitously, that was right in the middle of summer when continued heat accumulation could have been lethal. Throughout January, corals remained partly or fully bleached but they didn’t progress to more severe bleaching which would certainly have happened without the weather changes. As Cyclone Kimi’s effects dissipated, the temperature began to increase again in late January and reached the danger level by the middle of February. ‘Bad’ weather associated with the monsoon trough cooled the water in mid-February, but temperature began to rise swiftly again as the weather changed to ‘good’. Corals remained bleached but alive. The weather pattern that became Cyclone Niran started long before the cyclone was declared in early March, providing more respite at the end of summer.

Now, in late March, we feel confident that there won’t be much death of corals from this year’s bleaching event. Most of the susceptible ones remain partly or fully bleached but the accumulated stress that they’ve suffered is decreasing and a few are showing signs of recovery. While some corals have died following bleaching over the past few months, it’s a tiny proportion.

So, the reefs around Lizard Island continue to regenerate from terrible destruction in the four summers of 2014 to 2017. It’s terrifying and saddening to think that this regrowth could have been lost through bleaching. But happily, corals have survived this summer and can continue to grow and reproduce – at least until next summer. Every summer now is nerve-wracking for those of us who love coral reefs. It’s only a matter of time before another bleaching event causes mass mortality.

By Anne Hoggett.

To view the original blog and more LIRS blogs, please go to: https://lirrf.org/posts/2021-coral-bleaching-at-lizard-island/

Since its inception in 1978, The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has raised more than $10.7 million to support science on the Reef.

You can support these and other projects by making a donation. Donations are tax-deductible in Australia.

]]>

A Sutton Hoo ship rivet, the Australian Museum and a War Hero

Ross Pogson — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +1000

As a result of the new film on Netflix, The Dig, there has been renewed interest in the Anglo-Saxon ship burial site, Sutton Hoo. We have found a surprising link between the 1400-year-old Sutton Hoo burial, the Australian Museum, and a WWII war hero.

The Australian Museum Mineralogy collection holds a 55 mm iron rivet (D.39416) in two parts, the shaft and the ‘rove’ (a diamond shaped piece of iron with a central hole through which the shaft was driven) from the 1400-year-old Anglo-Saxon ship burial site at Sutton Hoo, Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. Over time they have been converted to goethite, an iron oxy-hydroxide.

The Australian Museum acquired the rivet in 1955, as a donation from Mrs O.M. Sherington, and the Mineral Register entry is in the handwriting of Oliver Chalmers, Curator of Minerals at that time, for 30th June 1955. I came across the rivet in 1979 during my first year at the Australian Museum and being interested in ancient history, I immediately realised what it was. The current screening of the movie ‘The Dig’, which features the 1939 Sutton Hoo discovery, has subsequently raised interest in this historic item from our collection.

I did some research which turned up a remarkable WWII story revealing the identity and exploits of the donor, Mrs Olive Marie Sherington (nee Hingley), from Collaroy, Sydney. Olive left Australia on a cruise to Europe, just a few months after her husband died in 1939. However, due to the declaration of war in September of that year the ship was turned back to London. After this unexpected incident, Olive was determined to serve the Empire in some capacity to help the war effort. Olive was holidaying in London when the war broke out, and she enlisted and served in the Battle of France in May 1940. Initially she helped run the British Army and Navy Club in Paris, but in April 1940 flew back to London to train with the British Women’s Mechanised Transport Corps. The Corps provided drivers for ambulances, staff cars and supply vehicles, and later Olive became a Senior Commandant in that organisation.

Olive drove trucks and ambulances in France and was one of the first women ashore at Normandy. She was one of the last British Forces women to leave France in June 1940 after the Dunkirk evacuation and was also one of the first to return to France, driving her truck off a landing craft onto the beaches, days after the invasion. She was never far from the front lines and was always ready to help. In her progress through newly liberated Europe she rescued, tended and transported many wounded soldiers and civilians at great danger to herself.

Olive was cited for her courage and fortitude when she transported a party of 13 seriously wounded British soldiers against dreadful odds to the motor vessel "Madura", just days after the fall of France, and stayed onboard caring for the wounded.

For her extraordinary wartime service, Olive was Mentioned in Despatches, awarded the ‘King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct’ badge from King George VI and received a commendation for bravery from Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Olive was much loved by her wartime compatriots and the patients she helped to transport and tend and was affectionately known as ‘Sherry’. Olive later worked with the Council of Voluntary War Workers in France, Holland and Germany, and back in Australia worked on behalf of war orphans with Legacy. Olive died on 16 December 1971, but her remarkable wartime exploits deserve retelling.

When the Anglo-Saxon ship burial and the amazing “Sutton Hoo treasure” were discovered in May 1939 it created a sensation. It was one of the most exciting discoveries ever made in British Archaeology, and the treasures can be seen on display in the British Museum where I first saw them in 1981. The gold and silver finds, including a sword, helmet & shield, and finely engraved decorative items such as a buckle, shoulder clasps and a purse lid set with polished garnets are very beautiful. People flocked to the site from all over Great Britain to see this excavated burial mound and its remarkable imprint of a 27 metre buried ancient ship with impressions of timber planks still visible and iron rivets (now mineral ‘rust’) still in place and lined up in rows. The occupant of the grave, (possibly Raedwald, an early 7th Century King of East Anglia) was not found, as the body had completely disintegrated.

A newspaper report of 4th August 1939 in The Herald (Melbourne, Victoria) has an extensive coverage of the Sutton Hoo find, including a detailed eyewitness account by Olive which begins: “Mrs Olive Sherington, of Sydney, who was present at the excavation, said:- I spent a week watching the searchers working with infinite caution using a fine brush and a tiny probe.” Another newspaper report of 5th August 1939 (The Daily News, Perth, W.A.) reports Olive said: “Excavators gave me a small piece of dark-red cloth in which the sword was wrapped, also a bolt from the coffin-ship”. Presumably, Olive brought the rivet back to Sydney after the war ended. We don’t know the circumstances of Olive’s donation after keeping the rivet for many years, but possibly she just wanted a secure place to keep her much prized memento safe for posterity, and here we are, still talking about it 66 years later!

Ross Pogson, Collection Manager, Mineralogy & Petrology, Australian Museum Research Institute

]]>

The hunt for the not-so-elusive dung beetle

Chris Reid — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +1000

Last month, Dr Chris Reid and Aidan Runagall-McNaull arrived in Northeast NSW to determine the impacts of the 2019-20 bushfires on dung beetle populations (read the recent AM blog here). Now nearing the end of their fieldwork, there is some good news to report.

We are approaching the end of six weeks of fieldwork and it’s currently pouring outside. So, time to write up some notes and some observations on six wonderful weeks of 4WDriving around some of the most spectacular country Australia has to offer, in the hunt for the elusive dung beetle. To be honest, the dung beetles have not been elusive during our fieldwork – we have managed to find all of our target species.

To unwind a bit – we are part of a group of researchers examining the impact of last summer's bushfires on terrestrial invertebrates. This research group includes colleagues at the Australian Museum, and we are funded by the Federal Government via University of NSW. For the project, we overlaid the distribution of the 2019-20 bushfires and the distributions of beetles; from this, we came up with a list of species that, on paper at least, appeared to have had at least 50% of their known areas destroyed. These species were selected from groups that were (a) easily identified; (b) easily trapped; and therefore (c) had well-mapped distributions. Dung beetles are effectively 'it' on our formulated list – they also have a long adult season, include many flightless species and are attracted to baits, so that their absence is likely to be significant.

There are approximately 550 native species of dung beetle in Australia, including around 150 in NSW. The native dung beetles form two groups – about half are in a single genus, Onthophagus, most of whose species are found in relatively dry habitats, and the rest are in about 20 genera which occur in relatively wet forests. Many of the latter species are flightless and hence of concern when bushfires destroy the wet forests. Two species of Onthophagus and 12 species of 'other' are the ones we have been specifically chasing.

Therefore, we have been targeting wetter forests: areas with both burnt and unburnt similar forest types, where the target beetles are known to occur – yes, it is a bit complicated! From 436 baited traps at 109 sites, we have extracted about 8,000 dung beetles and we are fairly sure we have found all the target species. However, this will need to be confirmed with microscopy in the lab.

Given that there is a lot of checking and analysis yet to be done, we can’t confirm too much at present. Our impression is that at sites where we have a burnt/unburnt pairing, the burnt sites have fewer individuals of the target species but target species are not eliminated (except in severely burnt areas and most of the rainforests we have examined are only singed at the edges). This at least seems to be good news.

Meanwhile it’s raining. That’s what happens in rainforests and this morning on Mount Nardi we got soaked, picked up a lot of leeches and I just noticed one sucking on my leg. But it’s a small price to pay for being in such beautiful country.

Dr Chris Reid, Research Scientist, Entomology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Aidan Runagall-McNaull, Technical Officer, Entomology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

A journey through time and place in search of a snake

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +1100

How was the Australian Keelback snake (Tropidonophis mairii) named? A historical investigation has led to the identification of where the snake came from – but with a twist.

Modern taxonomic research, the science of naming species, often works with recently collected specimens for which the localities are precise (sometimes down to a few square metres). However, many of the species named in the early nineteenth century (in the earliest days of the scientific discovery of Australian fauna) were named using specimens now lost, from localities as expansive as just “Australia,” and accompanied by brief descriptions that aren’t of use in distinguishing the species from other similar ones. In such cases, it can be difficult to definitively link a name to a specific population or locality. This creates problems when deciding which of a group of closely related species already has a name, and which are new to science.

One such case is the Australian keelback snake (Tropidonophis mairii), the only Australian species of a large group of semiaquatic non-venomous snakes (the natricine snakes). The species is found in association with the rivers and floodplains of northern Australia, from the Kimberley to far north-eastern NSW, but there are also many closely related species in New Guinea.

The scientific name of the Australian keelback snake was originally coined by the British zoologist John Edward Gray in 1841, applied to a specimen in the Museum of the Army Medical Service in Chatham, England. As was typical for Gray, the description was very limited and the features described for the species didn’t clearly differentiate the species from any other in the genus, including those now known from nearby New Guinea. The locality given was just “Australia” and the specimen, obtained by a Dr John Mair, is now lost (the remnants of the Chatham collection were dispersed in the 1860’s when the British Army moved the training hospital for its medical staff to Netley).

In order to find out more about the species, we need to ask who was John Mair? How and from where did he get the snake that now bears his name? Was it even definitely from Australia?

A large amount of historical sleuthing was needed to track down Mair and his activities. John Mair arrived in Sydney in 1828 as an army surgeon with the 39th Regiment. Over the following five years, he became a significant figure in the medical history of Australia – associated with the fight against smallpox, Mair worked in both the military and civilian hospital systems. During this time, he was confined to the Sydney region where his movements went no further inland than Bathurst and no further north than Port Macquarie (even the evidence for that is limited). Mair then spent several years at military stations in the Mediterranean but was sent back to Australia in 1842 to help with Hobart Hospital. Mair left Australia for the second time in 1843 and spent the rest of his life in Canada around Kingston, Ontario, where he died in 1877. In this later phase of his life, he became a fervent supporter of the Christian Temperance movement; Mair wrote a 300 page book (Nephaleia) in support of the movement, in addition to writing numerous letters to Temperance journals and newspapers, combining biblical quotes with his studies of the pathological effects of alcohol on the body to make his case. At no time prior to the description of the snake bearing his name did he venture within the distribution of that species, or any other Tropidonophis species.

So how did he obtain the specimen? It was his link with the 39th Regiment that provided the solution to this problem. The regiment sent officers from Sydney to support other colonies. Among these was Captain Collet Barker, who was sent as commandant to Fort Wellington. This was a short-lived settlement on Raffles Bay in the Top End of the Northern Territory, within the distribution of the Keelback. Following Raffles Bay, Barker went to Perth and finally Albany, appointed commandant of that settlement. These three localities uniquely match three other snakes that John Gray had also ascribed to Mair. Barker is known to have had a particular interest in snakes, providing descriptions of them in his diary. Barker was recalled to Sydney in 1831, with instructions to explore the mouth of the Murray River en route, but it was there that he was killed. With his personal effects being carried to Sydney by the same ship, it is likely that any preserved natural history specimens in his possession would have been brought back to his regiment and passed on to Dr Mair. Mair would have taken the specimens back to England on his return in 1833 and passed them on to the Museum of the Army Medical Service.

While this resolves the issue of the locality from which the Keelback Snake was collected (Fort Wellington in the Northern Territory), it is a bittersweet discovery. Collet Barker, who had an interest in snakes and who collected the Keelback, received no recognition for his work on Australia’s snakes until now. However, John Mair, who was merely the conduit for the snake’s transport to England, received the lasting kudos of a snake being named after him.

Dr Glenn Shea, Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Anatomy, University of Sydney; and Research Associate, Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute

]]>

A new species of tiny horned frog found at the top of a mist-shrouded mountain

Dr Jodi Rowley — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +1100

The international team from Vietnam, the UK and Australia set off on a mission to find Critically Endangered frog species in the Hoang Lien Range in northern Vietnam – and on the way, they found a species new to science!

The tops of mountains are really important places. Like islands in the sky, mountains have a very unique climate compared to their surrounds. Due to their height, they are typically cool and wet, and, over time, animals that have adapted to these conditions often become isolated to particular mountain ranges, or even to one or a few peaks. In 2017, a collaborative research team joined forces to climb Mount Ky Quan San, one of the highest peaks in the Hoang Lien Range of Vietnam. Whilst our mission was to search for a Critically Endangered frog species, the Botsford’s Leaf-litter Frog (Leptobrachella botsfordi), in the process we also discovered a frog species previously unknown to science. Owing to the habitat of this new species, we named it the Mount Ky Quan San Horned Frog (Megophrys frigida).

Most people climb mountains for the personal challenge, fitness or maybe the views, but the Frogs of Fansipan team climb mountains to better understand and conserve the unique amphibians of the Hoang Lien Range in northern Vietnam. We’re an international team from Vietnam, the UK and Australia and we’ve been working together in Vietnam since 2015. Our focus is the Hoang Lien Range, as the region is home to still poorly known frog fauna, many species of which are only known from a few high-elevation areas and are at great threat of extinction. So far, we have discovered and named four frog species new to science in these mountains.

In 2017, we set our sights on Mount Ky Quan San, Vietnam’s third highest peak, at just over 3000m elevation and only 20km from Vietnam’s highest and more famous mountain, Mount Fansipan. We wanted to find out if one of Vietnam’s most threatened frogs, the Botsford’s Leaf-litter Frog (Leptobrachella botsfordi), might also occur there.

We started our expedition in the foothills of the mountain, with impressive peaks looming over terraced rice-paddies. It was picture perfect, but the beautiful view from the base was soon forgotten as we ascended the mountain. The hike was far from easy – the mud and rock paths were steep and slippery, and hours of climbing such steep slopes was nerve-wracking, especially for those of us who were scared of heights. Our high-elevation campsite at about 2800m above sea level was also not the kind of campsite you’d pick on a holiday. Waterlogged and with cloud at ground-level, a bitter chill cut through our makeshift camp, and our jackets.

Although most of the forest had been cut down, at night we found a single moss-laden stream flanked by small twisted trees to survey and thankfully came across many frogs. We suspected that some were species that we’d seen on Mount Fansipan, but many of the frogs were so similar in appearance to each other that we just weren’t sure. We were excited to descend the peak, not just to get out of the rather miserable conditions, but also to find out what frog species we had encountered.

Back in our offices and labs, we continued our collaboration, working together to examine the appearance of the frogs, and analysing their DNA and advertisement calls. We gradually identified each species with more certainty than we were able to on the mountain. We discovered that one of the tiny Horned Frogs (Megophrys) that we had encountered on that mossy stream on Mount Ky Quan San was actually unknown to science, and we have now named it the Mount Ky Quan San Horned Frog (Megophrys frigida).

The Mount Ky Quan San Horned Frog is just one of many new frog species discovered in the Hoang Lien Ranges in recent years. Unfortunately, this new species like many of the others, is likely to only occur in a small area that is being impacted by habitat loss and is already threatened with extinction. Therefore, giving this tiny frog a name is just the first step in helping ensure it remains on Mount Ky Quan San for generations to come.

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator of Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology at the Australian Museum and UNSW

Luan Thanh Nguyen, Botsford’s leaf-litter frog EDGE Fellow, Asian Turtle Program / Indo Myanmar Conservation

Benjamin Tapley, Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians, Zoological Society of London

Acknowledgements

This work is the result of a collaboration between the Zoological Society of London, Hoang Lien National Park and the Australian Museum.

We are extremely grateful to the staff at Hoang Lien National Park and Bat Xat Nature Reserve for their assistance and collaboration. We are also grateful for the assistance of Stephen Mahony in the description of this new species. This work was supported by the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong, an AMF/AMRI Visiting Fellowship (2017/2018) " Discovering the diversity and conservation status of the Horned Frogs of the Hoang Lien Range, Vietnam" and by The EDGE of Existence Programme.

More information

Tapley, B., Cutajar, T., Nguyen. L.T., Portway, C., Mahony, S., Nguyen, C.T., Harding, L., Luong, H.V., Rowley, J.J.L. (2021). A new potentially Endangered species of Megophrys from Mount Ky Quan San, northwest Vietnam. Journal of Natural History. 54: 2543-2575.

]]>

Vale Chief Jerry Taki Uminduru, southern Erromango, Vanuatu

Yvonne Carrillo-Huffman — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +1100

The recent passing of Chief Jerry Taki Uminduru, (1942- 2021) a Vanuatu Cultural Centre Fieldworker from southern Erromango Island, has brought great sadness to everyone who had the privilege of knowing and working with him. Chief Jerry, as he was commonly known, was a Giant Cultural Warrior, a story-teller and a living library of Erromangan history, culture and Kastom knowledge.

He was passionate in the preservation and revivalism of Erromangan culture and was actively involved in education programs with the youth. Chief Jerry began his work as a full-time Cultural Centre Fieldworker in 1984 following the accident that disabled his uncle, James Nombuat, the previous southern Erromangan Fieldworker. Chief Jerry was based in his village of Umponielongi, and travelled regularly throughout the island pursuing cultural work and attending the annual Cultural Centre Fieldworkers’ workshops in the capital, Port Vila.

Deeply connected to his people, land and culture, Chief Jerry was an outstandingly dedicated Cultural Field worker, for the VKS, working intensively during the year as part of his fieldworker’s activities; travelling, recording, documenting, promoting cultural preservation through local workshops, always focussing on elevating, reactivating old knowledge systems of history, cosmology, songs, dance, raw materials, production and rights to be passed on to future generations.

A long discussion into the early hours of the morning during the 2002 Melanesian Arts Festival being held in Port Vila, resulted in the birth of a new initiative to find support for Chief Jerry and his people to revitalise cultural practices by working with old collections of their cultural heritage at the Australian Museum.

The Erromango Cultural Revival Project was a continuation of past major cultural initiatives made by former Erromangan Fieldworkers Sempet Naritantop , James Nombuat and Kirk Huffman (Curator of the Cultural Centre’s National Museum in the capital, 1977 – end of 1989) and by women Fieldworkers (from 1994) to promote and reinvigorate Erromangan culture. This new stage (2002-2014) would further consolidate the ongoing relationship between the Vanuatu Cultural Centre and the Australian Museum.

Every aspect of this close collaboration opened up new windows of opportunity over a period of 12 years. In 2003, Sophie Nemban, the female Vanuatu Cultural Centre Fieldworker from southern Erromango came on a cultural study visit to Sydney, kindly funded with a small grant from TAMS (formerly The Australian Museum Society). This was the first time Sophie had travelled overseas and embarked in a research project studying Erromangan female cultural objects in a museum. To assist with her research project, a digital camera was given to her to document her work and personal experiences. The process and outcome of her documentation work provided the foundation to further invigorate her cultural work with Erromangan women in the following years. She later travelled extensively with her uncle, Chief Jerry, by foot and boat throughout her island helping to organise workshops, sharing her documentation and archival images from her research visit at the AM.

Sophie’s shared her cultural work experiences by attending and participating in a major international Indigenous Knowledge Symposium in Auckland in 2010.

In 2006, Chief Jerry came to the Australian Museum on a study project with the early collection of male cultural items from his island. This important work would complement and complete Sophie’s previous study and further invigorate his commitment to share old knowledge to activate the production of men’s cultural objects.

In 2008, Chief Jerry requested, via the VKS, for this writer to come and make a collection of examples of the new Erromango barkcloths to illustrate Erromangan community efforts over five years of cultural revival work. The subsequent collection made is of great significance: each barkcloth represents the first examples of barkcloth production to be made collectively by each community in over 100 years. During the time of this 2008 collection visit, the opportunity arose to film document aspects of early historical accounts of Erromangans with the outside world. The resulting 2009 film ‘Nelokopmne rises again’ (long and short versions).

In 2013, Chief Jerry contributed with Australian Museum Pacific Culture staff in organising a section of the ‘Made in Oceania: Tapa – Art and Social Landscapes’ exhibition for The Ratenstrauch-Joest Cultures of the World Museum in Cologne, Germany. The RJCW Museum curatorial exhibition team agreed to the proposal for Chief Jerry to travel to Sydney to make a selection of barkcloths and provide his own interpretation for the exhibition. He co-authored a chapter for the catalogue and co-presented with this writer in the exhibition space: “The Nevsem Dream: The Work of Lifting The example of southern Erromango, Vanuatu” in Cologne in 2014.

At the close of the above exhibition, Chief Jerry actively participated in taking down the display of Erromango barkcloths and assisted preparing and packing the objects with the AM courier to take them back to Sydney.

Chief Jerry was a cultural mentor to his people and those who had the privilege and honour to work with him over the years. His Noruwotu (knowledge/wisdom) legacy will remain in the old songs, stories and cultural continuity on his island and as a living memory within the Erromangan collections of the Australia Museum.

]]>

Australian abyssal worms: research reveals the unnamed species living in our deep-sea environments

Dr Laetitia Gunton — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +1100

A recently published international study including 30 authors from 19 institutions, led by the Australian Museum, has indicated that over 50 new species of marine worm from the eastern Australian abyss await to be described and named.

Have you ever wondered what lives in the deep sea? Are you curious about what kind of organisms can survive below 1,000 metres and even deeper? The surprising answer is that the oceans are teeming with life from the narrow fringe between the tides (intertidal zone) down to the deepest ocean trenches (around 11,000 metres). Organisms found thriving in the remote deep-sea environment include fish, crabs, sponges, starfish, corals, molluscs and worms.

How do we know this and is the deep-sea environment well-researched in Australia? You may think the east coast of Australia is the best studied in the continent – the Great Barrier Reef is world famous and an iconic symbol of Australia, and there is relatively high population density and research capacity along the east coast. Yet, until recently, the deep seas (deeper than 200 metres) off the east coast were extremely poorly sampled for biology. From the British Challenger expedition in 1874 to the Tangaroa voyage from New Zealand in 1982, only seven biological samples had been collected from abyssal depths (3,000 – 6,000 metres) along the length of eastern Australia. Furthermore, these were all collected by non-Australian cruises whilst passing through the area.

This dearth of sampling motivated the pioneering 2017 Research Vessel Investigator expedition, ‘Sampling the Abyss’ to the eastern Australian abyss. The cruise was the first to systematically collect biological samples from Tasmania to southern Queensland, from 1,000 to 4,000 metres in depth. From this month-long cruise, a staggering 25,710 organisms were collected and the majority (58% of the species) were thought to be new to science. An immense range of organisms were found at these depths including sponges, corals, octopuses, fish, crabs, lobsters, starfish, sea cucumbers, sea anemones, and importantly for the present study – over 6,000 worm specimens! These worm specimens were sent to the AM to be studied and incorporated into the Marine Invertebrate collections.

Here at the AM, we were able to identify many specimens to species level. However, worms are extremely morphologically diverse, meaning they don’t all look like the common garden earthworm. The phylum Annelida, which we work on at the AM, contains over 80 families. Generally, a worm taxonomist will specialise on a few or just one family; therefore we needed help from our colleagues and sent specimens to Museums Victoria, Melbourne and further afield to specialists in China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain and the UK. In total around 1,800 worms were sent to international specialists.

Before this study, only 15 worm species were formally described (given scientific names) from Australian waters below 1,000 metres. Our study reports at least 214 species of worm, 55 of which are new to science and await to be described. So far we have described six species: Petta investigatoris, Petta williamsonae, Gesaia csiro, Phalacrostemma timoharai Melinnopsis gardelli and Melinnopsis chadwicki (Image 1). Our team of international worm collaborators is now working away on new species descriptions (Image 2) which will be published soon in the Records of the Australian Museum.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg! There are likely to be thousands of undescribed worm species burrowing around in Australian deep-sea sediments. Our study is the first baseline record of deep-sea worm species from Australia and one of only a handful of invertebrate datasets from this area. It is always exciting to discover who is in our own backyard (back ocean!).

Dr Laetitia Gunton, Technical Officer Digitisation, Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute; 2018-20 recipient of the Chadwick Biodiversity Fellowship.

]]>

A tiny frog with tusks rediscovered on the New England Tablelands and North West Slopes of eastern Australia

Dr Jodi Rowley — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +1100

All is not lost for an endangered population of frogs – the Tusked frog (Adelotus brevis) of the New England Tablelands and Nandewar bioregions has been rediscovered after fears of their extinction.

A small but remarkable frog, the Tusked Frog (Adelotus brevis), is named after their pointed “tusks” on their lower jaw. Although a dull brownish colour on top, they have brilliant red or orange flashes on their legs and a marbled black and white belly. Males of the species have much larger heads and bigger tusks than females, and they use the tusks to fight with other males in defense of breeding sites. They’re not your average frog!

The Tusked Frog is distributed along the east coast of Australia, from the central coast of Queensland, to just north of Sydney in New South Wales (NSW). The species was once widespread throughout the vast New England Tablelands and the Nandewar regions (North West Slopes) of NSW. However, the species appeared to vanish from the region sometime after the 1970s. As a result of these declines, the Tusked Frog on the New England Tablelands and Nandewar regions was deemed “in immediate danger of extinction” and formally named an endangered population in 2001.

Not coincidentally, this was the same time that other frog species in the region disappeared or suffered dramatic population declines. The Peppered Tree Frog (Litoria piperata) and the Yellow-spotted Bell Frog (Litoria castanea) are missing and are feared to be extinct. Only a single population of the Booroolong Frog (Litoria booroolongensis) has recently been rediscovered from the New England Tablelands. The likely reason for these simultaneous disappearances was a disease caused by the amphibian chytrid fungus. This same disease is responsible for amphibian population declines and disappearances around the world.

The last records of the endangered population of the Tusked Frog were in the late 1990s and mid-2000s. Surveys across the former range of the endangered population over recent years have failed to detect the species, and scientists were fearing the worst.

However, during this summer (2020-2021), the distinctive ‘chirrup’ call of the species was again heard west of Tenterfield in the Mole River area of northern NSW, and recorded with the Australian Museum's FrogID app. This is an area where the species hadn’t been reported for over 40 years, and for now, this site represents the only known location of this endangered population of Tusked Frogs.

In this quiet bend of a river, it appears that conditions were just right so as to provide refuge for a small tusked frog. An important part of our natural history, previously feared extinct on the New England Tablelands and Nandewar regions, is not lost. The faint ‘chirrups’ of the Tusked Frog still carry through the night air in at least one valley in the region, and we have an opportunity to ensure that it continues to do so for generations to come.

Help survey your local frogs: FrogID

This rediscovery also highlights just how much we still have to learn about our frogs. By simply downloading the Australian Museum's free FrogID app and recording the calls of your local frogs, you can help better understand and conserve frogs like the Tusked Frog.

If you live in the New England Tablelands or Nandewar regions, please do listen out for the Tusked Frog (listen here).

FrogID on ABC Landline

Watch an ABC Landline segment on FrogID: Finding Frogs: The project to find Australia's frogs.

Dr Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum Research Institute & UNSW Sydney.

]]>

Celebrating Women of the AM

Kim McKay, AO — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Today is a significant day for the Australian Museum. On this International Women’s Day, the AM has announced the first Indigenous appointment to the AM’s executive leadership team, as we welcome Laura McBride as Director, First Nations. Laura, a Wailwan and Kooma woman, has been at the forefront of the AM’s mission to be a strong advocate for First Nations’ cultures. Her ongoing commitment to challenge traditional societal and institutional structures makes the celebration of Laura’s appointment so relevant on this year’s International Women’s Day, with the theme of “Choose to Challenge.”

I think the late, great, Ruth Bader Ginsberg said it best when she said: "Women belong in all places where decisions are being made." I could not agree more. I have been “choosing to challenge” inequality over the course of my career and aim to propel others forward to achieve their potential.

When I joined the AM seven years ago, there were no women on the executive leadership team, and it has been one of my priorities as Director & CEO to change this (I am the first female Director & CEO of the AM in its 194-year history). Laura’s new appointment takes female representation on the executive leadership team to 63 percent. Women also make up 60 percent of our employees, including 57 percent female representation on our management team. Equality means 50/50 representation of men and women – we still have work to do in this space, as women make up 80 percent of our entry level roles at the AM.

We also have a majority of women on the AM Trust and two former female AM presidents in Sam Mostyn AO and Catherine Livingstone AO. Current Trustees include Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO, Professor Kathy Belov AO, Jennifer Bott AO, Maile Carnegie, Shauna Jarrett, Josephine Sukkar AM and Sara Watts.

There’s significant evidence of the importance of women holding leadership roles – not only do female leaders reduce the gender pay gap, but they also improve performance. A balance of women and men in the workplace also ensures that we are representing our stakeholders effectively. As a strong supporter of women in leadership, I try to actively promote women within the AM, and also across the Museum sector where I have championed a nation-wide mentoring program through the Council of Australasian Museum Directors. During the four years of the mentoring initiative some 70+ women graduated from the program.

Laura is a great example of someone who has developed in her career throughout her 11 years at the AM. Serving in a variety of roles, Laura has demonstrated her skill, commitment and passion and has played a pivotal role in assisting the executive leadership team in planning and actioning the objective for the AM to move beyond its colonial past towards a more connected future with First Nations stakeholders and knowledge-holders.

Laura has built a team of committed First Nations staff at the AM – many of them women – and has championed First Nations storytelling through developing the Garrigarrang: Sea Country gallery, the award-winning GADI exhibition, and most recently through the curation of the Unsettled exhibition, opening at the Museum in early May.

While Laura’s appointment and the gender equity we see at the AM are reason to celebrate, I want to do more to ensure women are effectively represented at all levels across the AM, including in science.

Former Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) Dr Rebecca Johnson AO served at the AM for 16 years and was the first woman to be appointed to the position of Director of AMRI. In early 2020, Rebecca took up the prestigious role of Chief Scientist and Associate Director of Science of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

The entire AM community is proud of Dr Johnson’s outstanding success and her contribution to the international museum sector will ensure she continues to collaborate with the AM well into the future. I’ll be working with our new AMRI Director and Chief Scientist Professor Kris Helgen to ensure that women in science continue to be celebrated and elevated within their roles at the AM. There are so many great female scientists here at the AM including Dr Anne Hoggett, Dr Amy Way, Dr Jacqueline Nguyen, Dr Isabel Hyman, Dr Mandy Reid, Dr Elena Kupriyanova, Dr Helen Smith, Dr Leah Tsang, Dr Sandy Ingleby, Amanda Hay, Dr Greta Frankham and Dr Jodi Rowley and many more, including our women technical and digital officers, senior fellows, volunteers, students and honorary associates.

Museums are fantastic places to work and because of this, people rarely leave until they retire. The NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet has initiated a program to transfer roles to allow people to grow within the cultural sector. We look forward to collaborating with them on this initiative to ensure the women and men of the AM continue to receive the recognition and professional development opportunities they deserve.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2021, please join me in congratulating Laura McBride on her appointment. I look forward to working with her and all my colleagues as we “Choose to Challenge" today and every day.

]]>

Drought, dung and destruction

Chris Reid — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Dung beetles may not be the first animals to come to mind when thinking about the organisms impacted by the 2019-20 intense bushfires - but perhaps they should. We were recently in Northeast NSW to determine the impacts on dung beetle populations.

We were driving through the bush with 4kg of the freshest kangaroo dung available, frozen in the back of our 4WD. There was good reason for this. We are part of a large Federal Government-funded project examining the impacts of the intense 2020 fire season on invertebrates. When you think of all the organisms impacted by last year’s intense bushfires, dung beetles might not come to mind - but perhaps they should.

These pintsized poo-piling powerhouses perform extremely important ecosystem functions. By gathering and burying dung, dung beetles help cycle nutrients, taking waste on the surface and making it available to plants, animals and fungi underground. They are so efficient at this, that they reduce the availability of dung to other insects and help regulate their numbers. The process of digging burrows also aerates soil, making oxygen available to plant roots and underground microbial communities, as well as allowing water to soak in rather than just flowing across the surface. This intricate relationship with many other plants and animals can make dung beetles a great indicator of ecosystem health overall.

Australia has about 550 species of native dung beetle, many of which are flightless. The evolution of flightless characteristics is typically due to predictable and stable environments. Therefore, it’s no surprise that most of Australia’s flightless dung beetles are found in wet rainforests where there were rarely fires to escape from. Unfortunately, this is rapidly changing.

Increasingly severe and prolonged droughts have impacted forests across Australia, and led to the burning of areas rarely, if ever, touched by fire. These areas are inhabited by plant and animal species that have not evolved to be fire tolerant and may be much more severely impacted by fires than others. Even the iconic Australian Eucalyptus tree, adapted over millions of years to withstand bushfires, is having trouble adapting to these extreme temperatures and periods of dry, hot weather. We regularly drive past vast areas of ghostly, black-stemmed terrain that was once dense Eucalypt forest – a stark reminder of our rapidly changing climate. Australia is experiencing fires that are too intense for some established gumtrees to survive, or too frequent to allow new saplings to reach maturity.

The effect of these changing fire regimes on our native dung beetle fauna is poorly understood. Dung beetles are an integral part of Australian forests and understanding how their populations are impacted is important if we are to predict how forests will adapt to more frequent, more intense fires. We set pitfall traps baited with fresh dung in burnt and unburnt locations, returning the next morning to collect the trapped beetles. It’s only early days, but initial results show that burnt areas contain fewer dung beetles, even a year after the fires. If we are to help conserve our native plants and animals in the face of climate change, research projects on overlooked but foundational groups like dung beetles are vital.

Aidan Runagall-McNaull, Technical Officer, Entomology, Australian Museum Research Institute

Dr Chris Reid, Research Scientist, Entomology, Australian Museum Research Institute

Acknowledgements:

We are grateful to Symbio Zoo, Helensburgh for the roopoo, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NSW, for access to their estate, to our colleagues Professors Shawn Laffan and Gerry Cassis in University of New South Wales, for leading this project, and to the Federal Government for funding this project.

]]>

Lifting the shroud from the marsupials of Turin

Dr Mark Eldridge, Dr Sandy Ingleby — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Hidden for over a century, a significant historic collection of marsupials and monotremes has been unveiled in Turin, Italy.

An international collaboration involving scientists from Italy, Australia and Brazil has documented and catalogued an historic collection of marsupials and monotremes housed in the Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali of Torino, Italy. The 135 specimens from Australia, New Guinea, Wallacea, and Central and South America arrived in Turin between 1819 and 1899 as a result of several major Italian scientific expeditions, which included visits to Sydney and Melbourne during the 1860's.

The Australian Museum’s involvement in this project dates back to an email enquiry in early 2019 from the Collection Manager of Mammalogy and Ornithology at Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali of Torino, Italy. A recent inventory of that collection brought to light a series of historic marsupial and monotreme specimens whose species identity and scientific importance was uncertain.

Although age and the historic taxidermy process had compromised some morphological features, the inventory and re-examination of the collection enabled most specimens to be identified to species and the taxonomy updated. The 127 marsupial and 8 monotreme specimens documented in the collection include representatives of at least 58 species, mostly from Australia and South/Central America.

Some of the specimens are of very high scientific value representing species that are now globally extinct, including Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), Crescent Nail-tailed Wallaby (Onychogalea lunata) and Eastern Hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes leporides), or are currently threatened including the Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), Banded Hare-wallaby (Lagostrophus fasciatus), and various quoll, bandicoot and bettong species.

The small series of Eastern Hare-wallaby specimens in Turin are especially significant as these are in remarkedly good condition and represent a very poorly known species. The Eastern Hare-wallaby was once abundant in the grassy inland plains of southeastern Australia, but became extinct in the 1890's following European settlement. By comparison, the Australian Museum holds 4 skins and 5 skulls of this species registered from 1883-1890, but none are in as good condition as those in the Turin collection.

The publication of this revised catalogue will bring the existence of these important specimens to the greater attention of the scientific world, allowing them to be more easily incorporated into ongoing studies of marsupial and monotreme diversity, evolution and conservation. It also highlights a period in Australian history when many mammal species, now rare or extinct, were relatively abundant and were collected or traded between natural history museums worldwide.

Dr Mark Eldridge, Principal Research Scientist, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute

Dr Sandy Ingleby, Collection Manager, Mammalogy, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute

]]>

This month in Archaeology: The oldest archaeological evidence of insect foods on stone artefacts in the world

Dr Amy Way — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +1100

New evidence for the oldest insect foods on stone artefacts in the world found in Cloggs Cave in the lands of the Krauatungalung clan of the GunaiKurnai people, in the southern foothills of the Australian Alps.

This month in Archaeology we discuss two papers just published in the journal Scientific Reports and Australian Archaeology by researchers from Monash University and the GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) (Stephenson et al. 2021; David et al. 2020).

The GunaiKurnai have long had oral histories about feasting on the migratory Bogong moth which have remained scientifically invisible, as organic remains are rarely preserved in the archaeological record.

This all changed recently with the discovery of an ancient grindstone at Cloggs Cave, in the foothills of the Alps. The team recovered a grindstone which retained 2000-year-old microscopic remains of ground and cooked Bogong moths. This is now the oldest archaeological evidence of insect foods on stone artefacts in the world.

Researchers say the find indicates Bogong moths would have been harvested, prepared and cooked by up to 65 generations of Aboriginal families and provides an insight into how the GunaiKurnai travelled and interacted with different landscapes and Country for over 2000 years.

This research is being conducted under a research partnership between GLaWAC, Monash University and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH).

Where is Cloggs Cave?

Cloggs Cave is a small limestone cave located in the lands of the Krauatungalung clan of the GunaiKurnai people, in the southern foothills of the Australian Alps near Bairnsdale, Victoria.

The limestone makes the sediment alkaline, which is good for the preservation of organic materials.

Cloggs Cave was first excavated in the early 1970s by Josephine Flood (1980). The new excavation began in 2019. It was initiated by the GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation and directed by Professor Bruno David. The new excavation was aimed at better understanding the antiquity of Aboriginal occupation and included an extensive dating program using techniques not available in the 1970s.

What did they find?

During the 2019 excavation, the excavation team found a small, flat grindstone near a buried standing stone and ancient fireplaces dating to between 1724±16 BP and 2091±16 BP, which equates to 1600-2100 years ago. As stated in the publication, "The grindstone is a tabular fragment of sandstone with two flat and parallel ground surfaces (Surfaces A and B in Figure 3), in the form of a flat dish. It measures 10.5 cm long × 8.3 cm wide × 2.2 cm thick and weighs 304 g". The outer margins are either in-tact or worn from use, indicating the grindstone was last used in the recovered form.

Use-wear and residue analyses

The surface of the grindstone was not smooth, unlike grindstones used for processing seeds, which tend to be highly smoothed and polished from processing siliceous plants. Instead, the surface of this grindstone contained fine unidirectional striations (see Figure 4, A and B).

Archaeologist and pharmacologist Birgitta Stephenson was asked to join the research team, to study the microscopic residues preserved on the tool’s grinding surfaces. Those residues would indicate what the grindstone was used for. Birgitta analysed nine residue samples using a new biochemical staining technique that enables identification on a cellular level. This indicated that insects or immature vertebrate(s) had been prepared using the grindstone. In addition, microscopic analyses identified carbonised insect wings on the surfaces. These were compared with modern reference samples and a match was made with the Bogong moth.

How were the Bogong moths cooked and eaten?

Ethnohistoric accounts and oral traditions from Aboriginal communities record Aboriginal people across the region cooking and eating Bogong moths, either by cooking them directly on heated earth or by grinding the moths into a paste which was then formed into cakes which were smoked and preserved for weeks.

The Bogong moth migrates from southern Queensland to Victoria’s alpine country to keep cool each summer. GunaiKurnai people would travel to the high country to feast on the moths, taking advantage of their large numbers and high fat content to provide a rich food source.

The Cloggs Cave grindstone is very small, and the only one ever found in the cave, despite large-scale archaeological excavations. As recounted in interviews undertaken in the late 19th and early 20th century across GunaiKurnai Country, caves were used for special purposes by mulla mulling - doctors and magical practitioners. This appears to have been the case at Cloggs Cave at the time the grindstone was dropped or placed in the cave some 2000 years ago.

The grindstone also has traces of powdered crystals and there are stone arrangements in the cave. Stalactites broken by people thousands of years ago are also present. There is no other evidence of food remains in the cave – it was not used for everyday camping.

The researchers think that the Bogong moth remains don’t relate to activities that took place in the cave, but rather to the activities of the portable grindstone’s owner as he or she travelled towards the high country during late spring or summer.

The discovery reflects the severed cultural history faced by the GunaiKurnai. People no longer travel to the mountains for Bogong moth festivals and the oral histories aren’t shared anymore, so it’s a lost tradition. "The world has become a different place, but for 2000 years this grindstone has been sitting idle with a story to tell," says Russell Mullett, a key GunaiKurnai Elder who has coordinated the research for GLaWAC from the onset. A single artefact has sparked the rebirth of knowledge that helps to tell the story of the Gunaikurnai people.

Dr Amy Mosig Way, Scientific Officer, Archaeology, Australian Museum Research Institute; and Conjoint Lecturer, School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Sydney.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) for assisting with the cultural permissions for this blog.

]]>

Fairy Wrasses and Fairy Tales!

Yi-Kai Tea — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +1100

A recent study with Yi-Kai Tea and Joey DiBattista at the Australian Museum uncovers the evolutionary origins of the most species-rich wrasse lineage with the help of an integrative genome-wide dataset.

Fairy wrasses (genus Cirrhilabrus) are among the most evolutionarily successful and captivating of the extant labrids, with their 61 species accounting for nearly 10% of the family. Yet previous attempts to resolve their evolutionary relationships have been unsuccessful. Using an integrative genome-wide dataset, we uncover the evolutionary history and patterns of diversification driving the evolutionary success of the fairy wrasses.

With their exuberant colours, fiery personalities and captivating courtship displays, the fairy wrasses have captivated underwater photographers and aquarists alike. With a maximum length of just over 15 centimetres in the largest species, what the fairy wrasses lack in size they make up for in beauty and numbers.

While fairy wrasses have been known to science since the mid 1800s, it is only in the last few decades that fairy wrasse taxonomy has really taken off. Presently, the genus has grown to accommodate 61 species, with many more new species discovered annually. These brightly coloured fishes live in large groups in low-complexity rubble reefs adjacent to coral cover, at depths ranging from 10 to 250 metres. Like all wrasses, the fairy wrasses are sequential hermaphrodites, meaning that females are capable of changing into fully functional males.

Yet for such a diverse group, with species found all over the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the evolutionary history of the fairy wrasses has been shrouded in mystery. Previous phylogenetic studies have been met with limited success, in part due to low sequence variation in mitochondrial DNA and the lack of informative morphological characters. Together, these factors have made the fairy wrasses among the more phylogenetically recalcitrant and intractable lineages to untangle.

Our recent study takes a new approach at resolving the evolutionary history of the fairy wrasses. Using a combined dataset, comprising of genome-wide ultraconserved elements and mitochondrial DNA representing 80% of all fairy wrasses, we are now beginning to understand the reason for their diversification.

The fairy wrasses shared a common ancestor about 9 million years ago during the late Miocene, with most of the deeper divergences occurring between 5.7–7.4 million years. These deeper Miocene divergences were succeeded by a series of cladogenetic events between 3.3–4.7 million years ago, with several species splitting from their closest relatives as recent as 100 thousand years ago. Biogeographical reconstruction indicates that most of these events took place within the Pacific Ocean, in particular, the Indo-Australian Archipelago. During the Pleistocene glacial cycles, this region would have been characterised by rapid expansion and contraction of sea levels. These fluctuating and oftentimes ephemeral barriers acted as sort of a species pump, by isolating and allowing populations to diversify and speciate from each other. Our study also indicates that the fairy wrasses underwent at least five independent incursions into the Indian Ocean, expanding outside of their Pacific Ocean centre of diversity.

There is also evidence to suggest that sexual selection has some part to play in the overarching evolutionary story of the fairy wrasses. We have only just begun scratching the surface of this exciting group, and more work still needs to be done in order to fully understand the drivers of speciation. For one, the rapid expansion occurring in short temporal scales during the last glacial cycle has made phylogenetic reconstruction challenging, with extensive discordance between gene trees and species trees.

Nonetheless, this research provides exciting insights into one of the most spectacular groups of coral reef fishes, with important findings that may be of interest to species conservation and management. In particular, the highly unusual mutant wrasse (Conniella apterygia), an Australian endemic species restricted to a narrow distribution of reefs in far northwest Western Australia, is presently listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.

Yi-Kai Tea, PhD candidate, University of Sydney; 2019-20 AMF/AMRI Postgraduate Award Recipient, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Wombat pouch microbes: protecting the young?

Professor Kristofer Helgen — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Marsupials are born without a functioning immune system, yet they manage to survive, how?

Being born young has its challenges. In humans, preterm babies (born before 37 weeks in the womb) have poorer survival outcomes compared to babies born at full term. The same is not true for marsupials, who, unlike us, are born at a much earlier stage (within 1-6 weeks).

While marsupials share many features with placental mammals like us (e.g. providing milk to their young), we are actually quite distantly related. Current evidence suggests that we share a common ancestor with marsupials ~160 million years ago – back when dinosaurs dominated Earth! A big difference between us is that marsupials have pouches; this is highlighted in the name, as marsupial derives from the Latin marsupium, meaning bag, pouch, or purse. Upon birth, the tiny joey (baby of the marsupial world) embarks on an epic journey, crawling from the birth canal to the pouch while exposed to the harsh outside world (watch this video to witness how this happens in kangaroos). Once in the protective pouch, the joey attaches itself to one of the mother’s teats and grows. When the joey is too big for the pouch, it witnesses a ‘second birth’, leaving its mother’s cosy pouch for the outside world.

How does the underdeveloped joey survive being born into a microbially rich world without a functioning immune system to protect itself? The mother has a few strategies up her sleeve to help. She packs immune cells and antibodies into her milk which she feeds to her joey. Her pouch itself changes and starts secreting antimicrobial compounds that bathes her joey and protects it from infection. Researchers in the 1970’s and 1980’s tested whether pouch secretions inhibited microbes, by taking samples from the pouches of quokkas. They could not grow microbes (or grew very few) from the pouches of quokkas with joeys (or pregnant mothers soon expecting), whereas microbes could be grown from samples from non-reproductively active females. Microbiology has come a long way since the 1970’s, and it’s now possible to survey microbes without growing them by isolating and reading their DNA. This method allows for a better assessment of microbial diversity, as many microbes still can’t be grown in labs. With this in mind, for our study we wanted to use modern DNA technology to investigate what microbes are found in the pouch, and how they change in response to the reproductive cycle of the mother.

The marsupial we chose to study was the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons), the faunal emblem of South Australia. How did we collect pouch samples from these wombats, who spend most of their time underground? This is where Dr David ‘Tags’ Taggart, a co-author of the study comes in. Tags has over 30 years of experience studying the ecology and behaviour of this species and has developed an effective method for capturing them in the field. We went out under the cover of darkness, armed with custom-made wombat nets (10-foot steel poles braced with ultra-tough netting). A spotter would shine a high-powered spotlight onto a wombat (usually sitting on its burrow doing its business), which would temporarily stun it, allowing the people with nets enough time to swoop in and make a catch. Easier said than done, considering the finesse involved in running over uneven terrain with minimal visibility all while carrying a 10-foot steel net. Wombats are also exceptionally strong, with some reaching weights of up to 30 kg!

Over three field trips, we managed to capture and sample 26 wild female wombats, from which we collected microbial samples from their pouches using swabs. We took these swabs back to the lab, where we isolated and read the microbial DNA. From this data, we found that the diversity of microbes was very high in the pouches of non-reproductively active females (similar level to control skin swabs), with this diversity dropping drastically if the female had a joey in the pouch or was expecting. The types of microbes that we found in the pouches of reproductively active females did not appear random, with 4-5 microbial species dominating the community. We next searched a large DNA reference database to see if these dominant microbial species had any matches to microbes previously isolated. While we did not find any exact matches, the closest match for three of these species were to pouch microbes previously isolated from tammar wallabies. The number of genetic changes between these microbes is consistent with the time we think wombats and tammar wallabies shared a common ancestor (~50 million years ago), which could suggest that these pouch microbes have been cospeciating with marsupials.

To summarise, our study was the first to investigate wombat pouch microbes, and using newer DNA-based methods, we replicated previous pouch microbe research that found drastic drops in pouch microbial diversity associated with the mother protecting its newly born joey. Our results highlight that the microbes that manage to survive in the wombat pouch are not random and may be found in the pouches of other marsupials. Could these microbes be another form of protection for the joey? Microbes are adept at fighting other microbes, and from an evolutionary point of view, microbes that benefit their host (e.g. through protection) would improve their own survival by having a host to live in. There is much still to learn here, and we hope that future research in the pouch will expand our understanding of how animals and microbes can work together to each other’s benefit. Such research may also discover novel and medically-relevant antimicrobials, which are desperately needed given the rise of antibiotic resistance plaguing our hospitals.

Dr Raphael Eisenhofer, Post-doctoral Researcher, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide.

Professor Kristofer Helgen, Chief Scientist and Director, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

New insights into the pink cockatoo, an outback Australian icon

Kyle Ewart — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Scientists have undertaken the first genetic assessment of the pink cockatoo, providing insights into how the species has evolved in the harsh inland regions of Australia and how we can conserve this Australian icon.

The pink cockatoo (Lophochroa leadbeateri, also known as Major Mitchell’s cockatoo) is one of Australia’s most iconic bird species. It is a stunning species; both males and females displaying soft pink-white plumage and a distinctive bright red, yellow and white crest. Referring to this bird, Major Sir Thomas Mitchell (1792-1855) wrote, “Few birds more enliven the monotonous hues of the Australian forest than this beautiful species whose pink-coloured wings and flowing crest might have embellished the air of a more voluptuous region.”

Pink cockatoos are found in low densities across the arid and semi-arid inland of Australia, surviving in some of Australia’s harshest habitats. They eat seeds from a variety of plants, including some exotic agricultural and noxious species, and supplement their diet with insects. Like some other parrot species, they are very long-lived – a captive pink cockatoo from Brookfield Zoo, USA, recently passed away at the age of 82!

The pink cockatoo is divided into two groups (i.e. ‘subspecies’): one in the central/western part of its range (L. l. mollis), and one in the east (L. l. leadbeateri). These two groups differ in their appearance – birds from the eastern group are slightly larger and have a more prominent yellow band in their crest. These two groups have been recognised as subspecies for over two decades. However, in the past, up to four different subspecies have been recognised. There has been no genetic research to clarify the two currently recognised subspecies or to determine whether they are evolutionarily distinct. Additionally, the pink cockatoo is under threat in some parts of its range, largely due to the removal of hollow-bearing trees, upon which this species relies for nesting. The species is also poached from the wild for the illegal wildlife trade. The beauty and intelligence of this bird makes it sought after as a pet around the world.

To better understand the evolution of the pink cockatoo and help improve its conservation, we undertook a genetic study of the species across its entire range. We were able to generate genetic data from over 50 pink cockatoo specimens held in museum collections throughout Australia, including many from the Australian Museum and the Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO, Canberra.

These genetic data support the presence of two pink cockatoo subspecies, as predicted from their morphology. This is seen in genetic differences between birds to the east and to the west/north of the ‘Eyrean Barrier’ region, which comprises the Flinders Ranges and Lake Eyre Basin. The Eyrean Barrier has likely limited the movement of birds between the two areas, leading to reduced gene flow. When gene flow is obstructed, genetic differences accumulate in the isolated groups, which can lead to the formation of different subspecies, and even species. However, we found that the genetic differences between the two pink cockatoo subspecies were relatively minor.

Importantly, we found parts of the pink cockatoo range which had lower genetic diversity. Management of genetic diversity is crucial to minimise inbreeding and to ensure the species has the genetic capacity to evolve to changing environments in the future. In addition, we identified a panel of genetic markers suitable for wildlife forensic applications for the pink cockatoo, an important tool to investigate trafficking crimes involving this species. These markers can be used to perform ‘provenance testing’, to identify from where birds have been poached, and ‘parentage testing’ to determine whether a bird has been legally captive bred (and not poached from the wild).

This comprehensive genetic assessment of one of Australia’s most charismatic but relatively understudied parrots, the pink cockatoo, has increased our understanding on its evolution, and provided a basis for effective conservation management for this species.

Kyle Ewart, Research Associate, Australian Museum Research Institute; and Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Sydney.

Acknowledgements:

This study was a collaboration between the University of Sydney (Nathan Lo), AMRI (Rebecca Johnson and Greta Frankham), CSIRO (Leo Joseph) and the University of Edinburgh (Rob Ogden). This study would not have been possible without samples and support from the Australian Museum, Australian National Wildlife Collection, Western Australian Museum and Museum Victoria.

]]>

Does the Blue Mountains Tree Frog have really bad neighbours?

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Neighbourly feuds are a universal problem – but for The Blue Mountains Tree Frog, could the other frog species they share a stream with, be deadly?

This year has a been a challenging one with the global pandemic, but diseases aren’t just impacting humans. Our biodiversity has been battling devastating diseases for decades and amphibians are one of the most affected groups. A single disease, chytridiomycosis, has so far left hundreds of amphibian species around the world extinct and even more threatened and some of these species are rather close to home.

The disease chytridiomycosis is caused by the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), or Bd for short. Bd infects the keratinised skin layers of adult frogs and mouthparts of tadpoles. This pathogen was only discovered a few decades ago, yet has been detected on every continent except Antarctica (as there are no frogs there). In Australia, at least four frog species are now thought to be extinct due to Bd, with many more species devasted due to the disease, including the well-known Southern Corroboree Frog (Pseudophryne corroboree).

Strangely, there appears to be species that are rather unaffected by Bd, despite often being infected by it. These species are called reservoir species, becoming a safe haven for the pathogen and potentially spreading it around their neighbourhood (their stream or pond) and to the other, more susceptible species that live there.

While there has been extensive research on Bd, there are still many Australian frog species that have not been tested for the pathogen. We simply don’t know how much of a threat this pathogen is to most of our frog species, and which frog species are the ‘bad neighbours’ posing a particular risk to some of our rare or threatened frog species.

We surveyed two streams in southern Sydney, with a focus on three species: two potential bad neighbours (or reservoir species), the Common Eastern Froglet (Crinia signifera) and the Stony Creek Frog (Litoria lesueuri), and the Blue Mountains Tree Frog (Litoria citropa). The latter is a beautiful species found from the Hunter River in NSW to north-eastern Victoria, but has now disappeared from some areas, and may be very susceptible to Bd.

When we found frogs of our three focus species, we tested them for Bd. Testing frogs for Bd involves a swab, similar to a COVID-19 test; however, instead of swabbing their nose and throat, we gently swab their feet, legs and belly. Each swab is then taken back to the Australian Museum and processed in our DNA lab.

Over 7 months we managed to swab a total of 152 frogs. After many hours of pipetting, we were thrilled to see that the number of frogs infected was not particularly high, even in the two species we were worried about being reservoir species. Although more investigation is needed, our potentially bad neighbours, the Common Eastern Froglet and the Eastern Stony Creek Frog didn’t seem to be dramatically contributing to the spread of the disease in this location as we feared - so no eviction notice needed for now!

Unfortunately, we did find infected Blue Mountains Tree Frogs. The good news is that there were relatively few frogs infected and at relatively moderate infection intensities. This was a relief; however, we only studied frogs at one site, so more research is needed throughout their range to understand just how susceptible the Blue Mountains Tree Frog is to Bd.

More work is needed to better understand the impact of disease on Australia’s frogs. Our findings highlight how dangerous it can be to make assumptions based upon studies from other areas, at different times and with different species. We need local studies to inform local conservation. Just because a frog species is a bad neighbour in one neighbourhood, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be in another!

Jordann Crawford-Ash

Herpetology, Australian Museum Research Institute

Acknowledgements

A warm thank you to Rowena Morris from the Illawarra Parks and Wildlife office for supporting this research and allowing us to survey in Dharawal National Park and the Frog and Tadpole Study Group for awarding us their student research grant. We also thank Chris Portway for his guidance (and patience) with lab procedures, and all our excellent volunteers; Tim Cutajar, Kathy Potter, Stephen Mahony, Simon Crawford-Ash and Mitchell Hodgson.

More information

Crawford-Ash, J., & Rowley, J. J. L. (2021) Bad neighbours? Dynamics of amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection in three co-occurring frog species of southern Sydney. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 143:101-108.

]]>

Celebrating AMRI Women in Science

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +1100

To celebrate this year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we are profiling women from the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI).

Recognised annually on 11 February, International Day of Women and Girls in Science acknowledges the critical role women and girls play in science and technology communities. Started by the United Nations in 2015, this day also highlights the need for science and gender equality and the importance of inspiring and engaging women and girls in science.

In honour of the day, we caught up with six brilliant female technical officers, senior fellows and research scientists from AMRI about their careers in science and what inspires them – learn more below:

What is your proudest achievement/highlight of your career?

Naming new species of fossil birds is an incredible privilege and an exciting part of my research. A new species can be named after any distinctive features it might have, where it was discovered, or a person. I named the world’s oldest fossil magpie, Kurrartapu johnnguyeni, in honour of my late father. I also named two fossil songbirds, Daphoenositta trevorworthyi (‘Trevor’s Sittella’) and Dasyornis walterbolesi (‘Walter’s Bristlebird’) after my research mentors.

If you could change one thing about the field you work in, what would it be?

I’m happy to see that there’s a growing number of people from diverse backgrounds working in palaeontology today, which has not always been the case. There have been some positive changes since when I first started out as a student, but there is still much room for improvement. Having a more diverse and inclusive environment can only be a good thing for science.

What drew you to your particular research/science discipline?

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to work with a mentor from the Australian Museum when I was studying second year Biology at the University of Sydney. My mentor, Dr Winston Ponder, was a malacologist and was very clearly full of passion for his job. He helped me to devise a research project and to carry it out, and encouraged me to publish the results. Being drawn into the fascinating world of snails and learning about the process of scientific research by carrying out my own project was a life-changing experience for me.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever achieved?

Since you will spend a large part of your life at work, it is very important to choose a field that interests and inspires you.

What is your proudest achievement/highlight of your career?

Some of the most exciting moments of my career have been on field surveys, searching for rare snails and finding species that were recorded as extinct actually still surviving in the wild. This has happened to me on four occasions, each time on Lord Howe Island or Norfolk Island.

If you were to talk to a 12-year-old girl with an interest in science, what would you want her to know?

I would want her to know that it is important to work in a field that you love and find exciting. If your passion is in science, follow it, and you will find many amazing opportunities.

Were you encouraged to pursue STEM interests/a career in STEM?

My parents and siblings are all specialists in the humanities, so I was the only one in my family to pursue a career in STEM, but I was given great support and encouragement to do this. As well as my family, I was also supported in this ambition by some wonderful science and maths teachers at high school.

What drew you to your particular research / science discipline?

Palaeontology is many children's gateway into science. Dinosaurs are a family favourite! I am one of the lucky children whose imagination ran with palaeontology and never let it go.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

There is some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.

What is your proudest achievement/highlight of your career?

I am happy that I was able to help people along the way.

If you could change one thing about the field you work in, what would it be?

Accessibility. Too much of science is locked behind a paywall; the money for articles is put into the pockets of publishers not researchers. Scientists need to fight for funding for research, which they then publish for free (or pay to have published!) and the general population cannot access these publications. Science education is locked away, so most people never have access to primary literature. How can society benefit from science if it cannot be accessed?

Ableism, sexism, racism, and homophobia are all just as present in science as in any field. There are many things requiring change.

What do you think deters women from going into, or staying, in STEM careers?

Society and culture. It really is a systematic and structural problem that cannot be narrowed down to one thing, e.g. parenting, schooling, or the STEM institution.

At an academic conference, I was told that women were not capable of the kinds of insight and success attained by men. I was told that if I liked science, the best use of my time was as a school science teacher. I notified the organising committee and the person in question was later awarded a conference prize.

The deterrents for women and minorities are in our homes, schools, and workplaces. When we grow up believing what we are taught, sometimes the deterrents are within ourselves.

Who is your biggest inspiration? Who do you think are the most inspirational women in science?

I'm most often inspired by the people around me. Everybody has their own struggles and success doesn't look the same for everyone. People, women and minorities especially, who get up to follow their passion despite the biases of those around them are impressive. The daily grind is hardest. The resilience and strength of people can be astounding.

If you were to talk to a 12-year-old girl with an interest in science, what would you want her to know?

The world is bigger and more wonderful than you can ever imagine. Nothing is certain, not even the bad things.

Were you encouraged to pursue STEM interests / a career in STEM?

Yes and no. I am very lucky and privileged to be able to work on what I love. I will continue for as long as I can!

What drew you to your particular research / science discipline?

I currently work as a Digitising Officer in the Marine Invertebrates department. To be honest, when I was growing up I never wanted to be a marine biologist, throughout my career I followed what I thought were exciting opportunities and it led me here.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

"Just apply for it." Apply for the job/opportunity you never know until you try.

What is your proudest achievement/highlight of your career?

Submitting my PhD thesis, which was a culmination of four years of work on deep-sea worms.

Were you encouraged to pursue STEM interests / a career in STEM?

Yes, I was lucky enough to go to a school which had built a new science block just before I joined and there was a big emphasis on taking science subjects.

What drew you to your particular research / science discipline?

Being able to spend time both in the field and in the office reading and writing.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

Choose the option that best exposes you to new ideas and experiences.

What is your proudest achievement/highlight of your career?

Excavating Border Cave in South Africa with Professor Lyn Wadley.

If you could change one thing about the field you work in, what would it be?

More opportunities for early career researchers in science. There is adequate support for PhDs, but very few opportunities afterwards.

What do you think deters women from going into, or staying, in STEM careers?

It is extremely competitive so it's difficult to have career gaps to raise a family.

Who is your biggest inspiration? Who do you think are the most inspirational women in science?

Professor Lyn Wadley is one of the most inspiring women in science. She is a phenomenal scientist who built her career and drove archaeological research in South Africa in an age where women were regularly disregarded. https://trowelblazers.com/lyn-wadley/

If you were to talk to a 12-year-old girl with an interest in science, what would you want her to know?

It will be difficult, but it is possible. And it is worth it!

Were you encouraged to pursue STEM interests / a career in STEM?

Actually, quite the opposite - I was discouraged in high school from taking science. It wasn't until I did my Masters that I was really encouraged to pursue a career in STEM.

What drew you to your particular research / science discipline?

From an early age I was always looking in streams and rock pools for animals catching them and looking at them in detail before returning them to their habitat.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

Never take no for an answer, there are always ways to get around things, and take advantage of often being the only female in the room or on the committee.

What is your proudest achievement/highlight of your career?

Seeing my students become my colleagues and lifelong friends.

If you could change one thing about the field you work in, what would it be?

Just to encourage more women to join the field and ensure that there is a career for them once they graduate.

What do you think deters women from going into, or staying, in STEM careers?

Not enough role models, difficult to find a permanent position.

Who is your biggest inspiration? Who do you think are the most inspirational women in science?

People who have succeeded - and risen to the top. Prof Lesley Hughes Macquarie University is very inspirational.

If you were to talk to a 12-year-old girl with an interest in science, what would you want her to know?

Follow your dreams.

Were you encouraged to pursue STEM interests / a career in STEM?

My teacher at school who taught Botany was very supportive and helped me choose my University.

]]>

Early Birds diary: A morning in January

Cordelia Hough — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +1100

The Australian Museum is for everyone, however people with disability or access requirements have identified barriers that may prevent them from visiting or participating in all the AM has to offer. Early Birds: Autism and Sensory-Friendly Mornings aims to break down these barriers.

Autism is a condition that affects how a person thinks, feels, interacts with others and experiences their environment. It is estimated that 1 in 70 people are on the autism spectrum. Although it is a spectrum condition and there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution, having some knowledge of the common challenges can help museums learn to support this audience and make them feel considered and welcome.

For visitors on the autism spectrum, busy, crowded environments can be difficult, and sudden changes in light and noise levels can cause sensory overload and distress. To break down this barrier, the free Early Birds program offers entry to the whole Museum prior to opening to the general public, meaning much-reduced visitor numbers. By opening early we are also able to augment the environment to better cater for people on the autism spectrum – we can provide special quiet spaces to allow visitors a place to reset, alter the lighting in galleries, turn down the volume of videos and interactives, and have specially trained staff on hand to provide a non-judgemental, supportive atmosphere.

Early Birds is a gateway event where visitors become familiar with the Australian Museum in a safe and supportive environment, in order to feel comfortable and confident visiting us again.

The first Early Birds event took place on Saturday 16 January 2021 from 8am to 10am.

As Early Birds arrived they were welcomed by Australian Museum staff who explained what to do and where to go next in the Museum.

It was great having Amanda Webster (Senior Executive Assistant) volunteering her time and supporting staff. Amanda previously worked for Giant Steps – an organisation founded to help educate children and families experiencing autism.

Visitors received a map of the Australian Museum. Some visitors commented that the inclusion of sensory features on the map made them feel thought of and welcome. Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) staff offered visitors a Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard, which provides positive behaviour expectations, for example, when a child had the desire to run inside, he reminded himself that ‘we walk inside’ by looking at the card.

Printed Visual Stories were available at Admissions. Early Birds were sent a PDF version in an email in the lead up to the event to help prepare for their visit and what to expect.

Aspect staff noticed a positive reaction from one child when he recognised a copy of the Visual Story at the front desk. His mother told Aspect staff that the family had read it together every night for a week, the child slept with it under his pillow and when he saw the familiar Visual Story at the Museum he said “my book, I’m here.”

Sensory Oasis Tents were donated by St Vincent de Paul. Children could use these tents to reset before they continued their journey through the Museum. They featured sensory toys, weighted lap pads or cushions, noise-cancelling headphones and other carefully selected resources. Thank you to Zehra Ahmed (Sustainability and Access Projects Coordinator) for organising these.

One of these Sensory Oasis Tents was positioned in the Members Lounge which was the designated quiet room for the event. Tents were also set up in 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum and a quiet area was set up on Level 2.

Time for a break and an early morning snack at the Hintze Hall kiosk. Thank you to Create Catering and the staff from the AM Shop for opening early. Having these facilities made the Early Birds experience as close as possible to a visit during general opening hours.

First Nations staff Charleen and Sophie welcomed Early Birds into the Bayala Nura exhibition with cultural and sensory objects at an interpretive table. The kangaroo and possum skins feels very soft, and the coolamon's bark feels rough. The emu caller makes interesting sounds.

Karanda (Pacific Collections) volunteered her time to facilitate an interpretive table in 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum. Some of these resources, such as the Meto navigation stick chart, feature in this exhibition. To help convey the purpose of the tables, ‘touch’ symbol cards were in place. Hand sanitiser dispensers were positioned adjacent to the tables.

Thomas from Aspect, a self-proclaimed dinosaur buff, gave highly engaging spot tours in Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family.

The digital interactives were very entertaining.

The lighting in Tyrannosaurs had been increased for Early Birds and the volume of the dinosaur roar soundscape was lowered. This exhibition was very popular with attendees, and almost every group checked it out.

It was great to have additional staff in Tyrannosaurs in case visitors needed to be shown how to exit this high-sensory exhibition.

One Early Bird brought a T.rex tooth to the Museum. It matched the tyrannosaur skull in the exhibition!

The phasmids or stick insects were incredibly popular. Visitors were informed that they needed to be gentle with these living creatures and that the insects have delicate, hooked feet that can tickle!

To learn more read the Australian Museum’s Accessibility and Inclusion Action Plan (AIAP).

Please join us at the next Australian Museum Early Birds morning on Saturday 10 April. Register here.

]]>

Surrender Your Shell: Using DNA to protect the Hawksbill Turtle

Dr Greta Frankham — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Did you know that real tortoiseshell products are made from the shell of critically endangered Hawksbill turtles? This illegal trade has brought the species to the brink of extinction. To learn more, the Australian Museum, WWF-Australia and Royal Caribbean International launch Surrender Your Shell.

The Hawksbill turtle is a sea turtle species native to the tropical waters of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. In Australia they are found nesting and foraging along the tropical coasts of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia. Its distinctive shell is made up of a mosaic of yellows, ambers and browns and has been long sought after to make a range of decorative and functional ornaments, including bowls, furniture inlay, hair accessories, combs, glasses and jewellery. It is estimated that nearly 9 million Hawksbill turtles have been harvested for their shells over the past 150 years. As a result, Hawksbill turtles are now listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and are listed under Appendix I on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Wild Fauna and Flora; this means that it is illegal to trade tortoiseshell products in the same way it is illegal to trade elephant ivory, rhino horn or tiger products.

Despite this ban, poaching and the sale of Hawksbill turtle products still takes place and unlike elephants, rhinos or tiger products, the general public is often unaware that tortoiseshell comes from real, wild turtles and that it is illegal to buy and sell it.

To improve public awareness and to better understand the populations most at risk from this poaching, the Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics (ACWG) at the Australian Museum has partnered with WWF-Australia and Royal Caribbean International on Surrender Your Shell. This project calls upon the public, who may have inherited or unknowingly purchased tortoiseshell, to surrender their items to assist in scientific research on this species. From now until early June 2021, the Australian Government will permit the surrender of these products without risk of prosecution. Instead, surrendered items will be collected by WWF-Australia and sent to the ACWG for DNA extraction and analysis.

Using a small fragment of mitochondrial DNA that can be recovered from degraded or compromised samples, we will compare the DNA pattern (haplotype) recovered from each item to the ShellBank – a DNA database of haplotypes sampled from wild nesting sites around the Hawksbill turtle distribution.

But why are these DNA haplotypes important and what can we learn from them? Female Hawksbill turtles return to the same beach or region where they hatched decades earlier to lay their own eggs. This behaviour is called natal homing and results in geographic structuring in haplotypes across their distribution which can be used as a ‘genetic map’ to determine the geographical origin of surrendered items. DNA haplotypes generated from surrendered tortoiseshell products will provide vital information on where Hawksbill turtle poaching is occurring and identify populations most at risk from this illegal activity. Hawksbill turtles are essential members of reef ecosystems, feeding on algae and sea sponges and promoting coral growth and regeneration; therefore, their protection is crucial for maintaining healthy reef ecosystems into the future.

To learn more about this project, or if you have items you would like to surrender, please visit Surrender Your Shell, and help play a part in the survival of this exquisite seafarer.

Dr Greta Frankham, Research Assistant, Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum Research Institute.

]]>

Recovery and discovery: rare snails on Lord Howe Island

Dr Isabel Hyman — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +1100

After more than a year rodent-free, two of the Critically Endangered land snails on Lord Howe Island are showing strong signs of recovery – and a closely related mystery species has also reappeared!

In November 2020, I travelled to Lord Howe Island with Dr Frank Köhler to survey the Lord Howe Island land snails. This tiny island harbours Australia’s highest diversity of land snails, with around 70 endemic species that are found nowhere else. Frank and I have recently documented these in a new book, A Field Guide to the Land Snails of Lord Howe Island. The snail populations have suffered heavily from rodent predation since rats were accidentally introduced in 1918, particularly the larger species. As a result, several species are considered to be extinct and five are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered. An island-wide rodent eradication program was carried out in 2019, and we had high hopes of seeing increased abundance after more than a year without any rodent predation.

On Lord Howe Island, we met up with other members of Team Snail, including Craig Stehn and Melissa Geise (Biodiversity and Conservation, Department of Industry, Planning and Environment) and Caitlin Woods (LHI Marine Parks). Our aim was to record and collect representatives of all the endemic species, from sites across the whole island. We had a particular focus on the Critically Endangered species, which are primarily found on the upper slopes and summits of the southern mountains. These include a genus called Pseudocharopa that contains three species, P. whiteleggei (Whitelegge’s Pinwheel Snail), P. ledgbirdi (Mt Lidgbird Pinwheel Snail) and P. exquisita (Exquisite Pinwheel Snail).

The three known species of Pseudocharopa were described in the period 1880-1930. One, P. exquisita, has not been seen since 1914 and is considered extinct, a victim of rodent predation. The other two both underwent significant declines after rats were introduced in 1918. Several other species were also described but they are now regarded as synonyms of the three valid species – that is, multiple names for the same entity.

When we first began searching for these rare species in 2016, our searches revealed just a single live specimen each of P. ledgbirdi and P. whiteleggei, in two weeks of surveying. Over the next few years, we often didn’t find any, or if we did, it was no more than one or two. Every single find was thrilling, and was greeted with shrieks of excitement. Then with the rodent eradication in 2019, things began to change. The summits and slopes of Mt Gower and Mt Lidgbird were free of rodents by July 2019 (although the eradication took longer around the settlement area). When we surveyed in October 2019, we saw the greatest numbers ever – seven live specimens of P. whiteleggei, and 11 specimens of P. ledgbirdi.

So, it was with great anticipation that we climbed up Mt Gower with our packs in November 2020, 15 months after the southern mountains were rodent-free – and we were not disappointed! We were able to observe an increase in both species, finding 12 live specimens of P. whiteleggei (and some eggs) and counting an astounding 73 live specimens of P. ledgbirdi!

We also came across two highly unusual specimens that we couldn’t easily identify. They clearly belonged to the genus Pseudocharopa, but could not be assigned to any of the three existing species. Upon our return to Sydney, I searched through all the early descriptions and the holotype specimens at the Australian Museum and discovered that there is a fourth Pseudocharopa species that should also be formally recognised. After checking every Pseudocharopa specimen in our collections, I found several more specimens of this enigmatic species, and pieced together its past history.

This species, Pseudocharopa balli (Ball’s Pinwheel Snail), was first collected in 1887 and appears to have been relatively abundant until 1915. After that, it was not seen again, apart from a single shell found in a very remote locality in 2002, until now. So this species shows a very similar pattern to the other members of Pseudocharopa, showing a significant drop in abundance after the introduction of rats, and is likely to have suffered heavily from rodent predation. It is a wonderful sign that this overlooked and unrecognised species has been rediscovered, and offers hope for other species that have not been seen for many years and are believed extinct, such as Pseudocharopa exquisita. It also highlights the extremely low detectability of land snails, which can hamper attempts to locate rare species or estimate their population size.

We hope to return to Lord Howe Island in November 2021 to continue to document the recovery of these rare and fascinating creatures, and to try to learn more about the poorly understood Pseudocharopa balli. And next time, who knows? We may find that yet another species presumed extinct has survived the rats, and is only now emerging from hiding. We live in hope…

Dr Isabel Hyman, Scientific Officer, Malacology, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Lord Howe Island Board.

Documenting the Land Snails of Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island was funded by the Australian Biological Resources Study, the Graeme Wood Foundation and the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
A Field guide to the Land Snails of Lord Howe Island was funded by a grant from the Australian Museum Foundation.

]]>

This month in Archaeology: The origins of money

Dr Amy Way — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +1100

This month in Archaeology, Dr Way discusses the origins of money examined in the recent PLoS ONE publication, ‘The origins of money: Calculation of similarity indexes demonstrates the earliest development of commodity money in prehistoric Central Europe’ by M.H.G. Kuijpers and C. N. Popa.

‘Money’ – what it is, its origins and its importance – is an interesting concept and was the subject of a recent study that presents evidence for pre-coinage money in Central Europe. While the world’s oldest minted coins date to the beginning of the 7th century B.C.E. in Asia Minor (Kroll and Waggoner 1984), coinage globally is thought to have replaced earlier systems of trade involving standardised precious metal objects.

This paper examines the evolving history of coinage in Central Europe and argues that three bronze objects – rings, ribs and axe blades – were used as pre-coinage ‘money’ in the Early Bronze Age in this part of the world.

Pre-coinage money

While it has long been thought that pre-coinage money existed, it has been difficult for archaeologists to say definitively which objects acted as objects of value exchange before the advent of coins.

What this paper argues

The authors examined 5,028 Early Bronze Age rings, ribs and axe blades from Central Europe and found that they were highly standardised in terms of weight. Standardisation is a central characteristic of money, in terms of weight and/or visual appearance.

In this recent study, the authors develop a method for identifying standardisation or similarity on the basis of weight estimation by hand, as there is no evidence for weighing apparatus such as balances.

They found that bronze rings, ribs and axe blades were often the same weight, and therefore held the potential to be interchangeable in terms of value. They argue that this indicates their suitability as commodity money.

What they looked at (the evidence)

The 5,028 complete rings, ribs and axe blades were found in hoards and dated to the European Early Bronze Age (2150-1700 B.C.E.). Rings and ribs are found in the southern parts of Central Europe in southern Germany, Lower Austria, and parts of the Czech Republic. Axe blades are typically found in central and north-eastern Germany and in between, primarily in the Czech Republic, rings, ribs, and axe blades are regularly found together. These objects are also found in smaller numbers in Southern Scandinavia.

The bronze objects were cast using moulds made of clay or stone or they were casted directly in sand, which made serial production possible.

What they found (the results)

They found that the rings, ribs and a selection of axe blades from the Early Bronze Age displayed sufficient similarities in terms of weight to have functioned as commodity money. Standardisation occurred around a weight of 195.5 grams, with objects in a weight range of 176-217 grams perceived as similar when weighing the objects by hand.

This standardisation was possible because the medium – bronze – could be cast, allowing an unprecedented equality in weight to be produced.

When were rings, ribs and blades replaced, and what is the next commodity money?

Interestingly, axe blades in the following Middle and Late Bronze Ages show no standardisation. Rings and ribs also disappear from the record during this period as a new system of trade in scrap metal and casting cakes appears. These metal objects are not at all standardised, so balances are needed to determine their value. This was made possible during this period by the introduction of the first sets of scales in Western Europe.

What about the world outside Europe?

Europe was a relatively late adopter when it came to both bronze and currency. In Central Europe, the Bronze Age began around 2000 B.C.E., approximately a thousand years later than Mesopotamia (Childe 1930). Around 3000 B.C.E. the first form of currency – the Mesopotamian shekel – also appeared in Mesopotamia (Powell 1996).

What is bronze?

Bronze is an alloy of copper and another metal, often tin. This makes it harder and more durable than copper. People worked with copper for a long time, possibly from as early as 6,000 B.C.E. in the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East, before they started mixing it to make bronze.

The Bronze Age ended around 1200 B.C.E. when people began to forge an even stronger metal: iron.

]]>

FrogID Week 2020 – rapid citizen science data informing frog conservation

Nadiah Roslan — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +1100

FrogID, an AM citizen science initiative, is rapidly gathering the information we need to help understand and conserve Australia’s frogs.

FrogID is the Australian Museum’s national citizen science project which allows anyone in Australia to record frog calls through the free FrogID app to figure out how frogs are tracking, and where they are distributed across the country. To create an annual snapshot of frogs over time and help better understand trends, FrogID Week was created – Australia’s biggest frog count. Now in its third year, FrogID Week is helping make giant leaps in frog conservation.

FrogID Week 2020 making a difference

FrogID Week is an annual highlight of the FrogID project, creating a focused point in time with the mission of recording as many frogs from as many places in Australia as possible. Running between 6 and 15 November in 2020, the third FrogID Week saw record numbers of people submitting recordings through the FrogID app. Over 10,000 submissions were received, resulting in over 20,000 frog records. The 14th of November 2020 received the highest number of FrogID records per day to date, with 2,246 frogs recorded in just 24 hours – more than one frog record per minute!

Every FrogID submission is identified by a frog call expert and this time, a team of more than 10 FrogID validators were on the ready, ears primed to listen to the hundreds of frog calls being submitted each day. Some recordings included a single frog from one species, while others included multiple frogs from up to eight different species! These expert-verified, geo-referenced frog calls are now part of a national collection of frog records of high scientific accuracy available to science. This data also connects Australians to their local biodiversity, helps identify how Australia’s frog populations are changing and how we can help frogs and their changing environments.

FrogID Week gathers information on frogs across Australia in a very short amount of time. In the 10 days of FrogID Week 2020, 103 of Australia’s 242 frog species were recorded across the nation - an increase from FrogID Week 2019 (71 frog species) and FrogID Week 2018 (97 species).

Understanding the impact of drought

Australia has experienced a prolonged period of below average rainfall, spanning several years. The impact of this drought on frog species is unknown, but recordings submitted to FrogID are helping us better understand how they are responding. While frogs were noticeably quieter during the hot and dry conditions across most of the country during 2019, rains fell prior to FrogID Week 2020, and at the same time the Bureau of Meteorology declared a La Niña, which typically signals a wet spring and summer for northern and eastern parts of Australia.

Impacts of the drought were evident during FrogID Week 2019, not just in lower numbers of calling frogs overall, but also in the types of frogs calling. In 2019, we had noticeably fewer records of burrowing frogs such as the Eastern Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes dumerilii) – a species that burrows underground and emerges after rain to breed. For FrogID Week 2020, results for Banjo Frogs were more optimistic - 813 records of the Eastern Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes dumerilii) were received, with the species detected in 8% of all submissions, compared to 4% in 2019. This is a positive indication of our burrowing frogs faring better during years of increased rainfall; however ongoing FrogID submissions from across Australia are needed to help understand whether these frogs have been successful in their breeding attempts.

Understanding the impact of fire

The unprecedented 2019-2020 “Black Summer” bushfires that devastated our biodiversity also made 2020 particularly important for collecting FrogID records and understanding how frogs are hopefully recovering. It is a great achievement that FrogID Week 2020 received 4,540 frog records from priority fire-impacted Local Government Areas across Australia. Utilising national spatial layers of where all fires burnt last summer, these records were approximately 10% of all FrogID Week 2020 records. Notable records came from burnt areas in Victoria, such as the Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea) recorded in East Gippsland by Tim Bawden. It is through these FrogID submissions that we can help understand how our frogs are faring after these devastating fires.

FrogID Week 2020 has provided some good news for our frogs. This snapshot of Australia’s frogs illustrates the potential persistence of many species following drought and fire and provides valuable information on how we can better protect them. We are extremely grateful for the data that Australians have helped us collect during FrogID Week, particularly across such a vast area. If it were not for these collective efforts over the last three FrogID Week events, Australia would have 32,824 fewer records contributing to frog ecology and conservation. Thank you to everyone who has helped FrogID Week become the most rapid data collection on frogs anywhere in the world. While FrogID Week may be over, please keep your FrogID submissions coming to continue to help save Australia’s frogs!

…and congratulations to go:

We would also like to congratulate Brian Davies from the Central Coast of NSW for winning our Top Frogger competition for FrogID Week 2020. Brian submitted a total of 323 submissions, resulting in 918 verified frogs! Thanks to our partner Bunnings Australia, Brian has won a Bunnings Warehouse gift card and a video conference with FrogID Lead Scientist, Dr Jodi Rowley. It’s through the amazing efforts of individuals like Brian that can help us better protect frogs.

Nadiah Roslan, Project Coordinator: FrogID, Australian Museum Research Institute.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Citizen Science Grants of the Australian Government for providing funding for the FrogID project; the Impact Grants program of IBM Australia for providing the resources to build the FrogID App; Bunnings, Fyna Foods for supporting FrogID as project partners; the generous donors who provided funding for the project including John T Reid Charitable Trusts; the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Museums Victoria, Queensland Museum, South Australian Museum, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and Western Australian Museum as FrogID partner museums; the many Australian Museum staff and volunteers who make up the FrogID team; and, most importantly, the thousands of citizen scientists across Australia who have volunteered their time to record frogs.

]]>

Legacy of the Egypt Exploration Fund in the Australian Museum

Peter Dadswell, Dr Stan Florek — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +1100

Understanding dispersed artefacts

Objects acquired from the Egypt Exploration Fund (EEF, now known as the Egypt Exploration Society) were selected by chance or rather subjective judgement about who got what from the sponsored excavations. They represent over 5,000 years of Egyptian history. Some ceramic pots and stone vessels, on a stylistic ground, must be associated with the early and middle phase of the Nagada culture (c. 4,000-3,000 BC), which, near the end, overlapped the early dynastic period when King Narmer became the ruler (c. 3,100 BC).

At the other end, some fragments of fabric (E22914-020, 016 and 017) are dated to the 10th century of the Common Era (AD). The 340 items acquired by the Australian Museum from the EEF average 68 per millennium, or less than 7 per century, representing only tiny specks of the majestic Egyptian civilisation. A few, if any, pots came from the same tomb, grave, pit or building. Why? It is by design, is the short answer.

Since its conception the EEF focused on digging for objects and distributing them widely to subscribing organisations around the world, including those in United Kingdom, United States, South Africa, India, Japan, and Australia. Most of the objects seem to have assumed interchangeable value to the recipient and distributor alike; each pot, shabti or pendant was as good as any other, regardless from which tomb they were recovered. And sometimes a piece of fabric has been cut to smaller fragments to give different subscribers a sample. As a result, it is likely a few ceramic pots from one grave would be scattered over five continents. This eccentric distribution was devised for various reasons, but the funding arrangements and hence commercial imperative was an important factor in shaping museum collections and, in some measure, archaeological thinking.

It is also worth mentioning that British archaeologist John Garstang, who supplied the Australian Museum with over 100 Egyptian artefacts, operated in a similar manner. And nearly 400 artefacts generously donated to the Museum by Ernest Wunderlich are equally haphazard, mostly purchased in antique shops and auctions. As a result, nearly the entire Egyptian collection is incredibly fragmented and random. Many objects can be grouped by place of excavation such as Abydos, El Mahasna, Oxyrhynchus, Serabit el-Khadim, and by broad chronology such as Pre-dynastic, 18th Dynasty, Ptolemaic Dynasty. But beyond these groupings there is little connecting a necklace with a scarab, a cup with a plate, or a shabti with any burial.

The random manner in which the artefacts were supplied to the museums was in large part underpinned by a broader concept of research whereby the objects meant to illustrate progress from crude to refined, from primitive to civilised. An iconic example is that at the Pitt-Rivers Museum in England where sequences of objects are arranged in the progression from simple to complex. But archaeologist Flinders Petri, for decades an imposing figure in excavations and operation of the EEF, followed similar sequencing, prominently in his typology of predynastic pottery. Although archaeological thinking evolved, it substantially changed only after the Second World War when many museums in western countries divested themselves partially or completely of the Egyptian collections. “Excavated assemblages were scattered like confetti, carried away in the hands of curious children for a few cents and by beady-eyed adult punters” writes British archaeologist, curator and lecturer, Alice Stevenson (2019:189) about this process in the USA.

Since 1882 Egypt was practically under British occupation (a protectorate), yet it was the French who, by convoluted colonial arrangements, influenced, and controlled the rules concerning antiquities and their removal from the country. These rules, increasingly tightening, made the removal of items of low value and so called “duplicates”, more likely and sometimes the only legally possible. The Law of Antiquities of 1912 and ultimately Egypt’s independence in 1922 significantly curbed official artefact trade. Although the 1920s-1930s was a fertile period for archaeology in the Near East and Egypt (e.g. the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922) and further progress of a discipline, foreign museums were receiving far less “spoils” and the subscriptions to the EEF dwindled.

From the perspective of time, the EEF operation must be seen as an aggressive colonial enterprise, depriving Egypt of a large portion of its cultural heritage. It was done legally with consent, although under the condition of enormous inequality between a colonised country and imperial powers. By digging into the ground, with the hands of Egyptian workers, and trading uncovered caches, the EEF spread snippets of knowledge around the richer countries of the world, but it also degraded historical sites and evidence embedded in ancient monuments and their surroundings. The commercialised method of operation encouraged a focus on recovering the object but neglecting the conditions of its finding. While only institutions, mostly museums, could subscribe and receive artefacts, some items were given as gifts to influential individuals and dignitaries on various occasions. It is difficult to say how much this model stimulated clandestine excavations and trade, but it become a significant element in the pillaging of Egyptian antiquities.

Ransacking ancient sites has a very long tradition, many tombs were pillaged in antiquity and various buildings demolished and turned into a source for construction materials throughout Egyptian history. For example, the burial chamber of King Kufu in the largest pyramid was completely cleared of all its content, probably by those of his contemporary who knew the secrets of the interior. Consequently, archaeologists have often excavated despoiled structures and ravaged cemeteries.

In principle, through excavation, archaeologists create documentation and gather material objects – a collective pool of evidence from which inferences about past human work, life and even burial practices are drawn. Objects separated from each other and from the context captured in documentation have limited evidential value. And many collections that were developed via subscription to the EEF show this fragmentation and randomness, even if they contain remarkable sculptures, paintings and sarcophagi.

The EEF has evolved since the early 20th century, and under the name Egypt Exploration Society became one of the leading organisations involved in modern research, as well as the promotion and protection of Egypt’s cultural heritage. And the complementary, wonderfully ambitious project, Artefacts of Excavation, initiated some years ago, aims to bring together in digital form artefacts and all related documents from British excavation work in Egypt during the period 1880-1980. This is a commendable attempt to virtually unite many objects dispersed around the world for several decades of the 19th and 20th centuries, but regrettably it will never fully recompense for the vanished contextual evidence crucial in archaeological practice.

For example, a ceramic bowl [E017838] was recovered from Grave H.39 at El Mahasna, excavated in 1908-1909. "This grave had been opened and the skeleton and objects completely disturbed, only a few bones of the former being found. Several objects were, however, found in the rubbish. On sifting the sand, on the floor of the grave were found a string of glazed steatite beads and a large cornelian bead of cylindrical shape. Loose in the rubbish were also found an ivory cow or dog, a small diorite mace head, an ivory comb, and a small flint flake, also several vases" (Ayrton at al 2911). Some of these objects made their way to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1909, but the Australian Museum was not given the above information as if it was immaterial.

A similar bowl [E017837] was obtained from Grave 35 at the same cemetery, described as "circular grave 54 x 54 x 60 inches deep. Plundered. The body had lain on the left side with the head to the south. A piece of sulphate of lime was found before the breast, and before the face stood a polished red pottery bowl decorated with white triangles on the inside. The burial had evidently been wrapped in a mat. A few small beads were found by the neck” (Ayrton at al 2911). Again, this information was not provided with the bowl, and even if it was given it tells us very little about the broader history or this specific burial.

Archaeology, like most of the fields of study, relies on context. Since the 1950s it adopted the very useful concept of assemblage, which can be defined as “an aggregation of diverse objects united by a distinctive and clearly defined context of variable scale” (Hamilakis and Jones 2017) for example the archaeological assemblage of an individual site or a chronological phase. Assemblage implies that objects and features discovered together may represent some common functional unit or event, if only a time and manner of deposition, such as rubbish dumps in the ruins of the ancient city of Antinoe. It has been proved innumerable times that an assemblage or a site is the most fruitful basic unit of study and analysis. If we did not know, for example, that several thousand artefacts from Tutankhamun burial belong together and were deposited at the king’s tomb, our knowledge would be so much poorer.

Even feebly documented assemblage, by modern standard, allows for meaningful research, illustrated by a study of flint artefacts from a few workshops in the quarry site Wadi el-Sheikh. With modern technical methods, individual objects or stylistic groups can be studied via forensic and specialised analyses. This is most fruitful for studying complex objects with a variety of materials and techniques such as mummified human remains in a coffin, mummified animals remains (Evans 2007), complex models, textiles and clothing.

Many museums which, via vagaries of history, assembled these fragmented Egyptian collections have an obligation to care for them well, maximise public and educational benefit and research them as much as it is possible, despite the obvious limitations. By so doing, they would redress, at least in some small way, the historical burden of Egyptomania and its legacy. We hope that “colonial brigandage” of culture will not be repeated in the future. It is interesting that many western nations consider themselves the cultural progenies of Egyptian civilisation but make an unspoken assumption that the ancient Egypt was “western” and modern Egypt is “eastern”.

_* _BC_{– commonly used in Egyptian studies means Before Common Era (BCE).}

]]>