Australia’s research infrastructure is world-class and supports our innovation, research and development activities.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia’s research infrastructure has contributed to global efforts to develop vaccine and treatment options as well as furthering our understanding of infection biology, and will be crucial to support Australia’s socio-economic recovery post-COVID-19.
Continue reading “How Australian research infrastructure supports global efforts during COVID-19”
According to recent media coverage, Australian honey and honey producers are under threat from fraud.
Illegal logging and wildlife poaching are driving species to extinction. But the scientists working to save these species may also inadvertently be releasing information that helps poachers find and destroy these species. Read on for helpful advice on how to avoid releasing a treasure map for poachers, rewritten from an interview with Robyn Williams for ABC’s Ockham’s razor.
Continue reading “Saving threatened species from the danger of poachers”
Feral honey bees – European bees which have escaped from hives into the wild – are surprisingly useful in Australia. They pollinate over 70% of crops that require pollination, like apples, pears, lucerne, melons, berries, canola. But with Varroa mite, a blood-sucking pest of bees, decimating the feral honey bee population globally, and set to invade Australia in the near future, what can be done to maintain pollination services?
Over the last few years, food production and processing have been embarking on the biggest change since the industrial revolution. Novel approaches that exploit robotics, machine learning, computer vision, epi-genetics and gene editing technologies are being used to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of food production.
Prof Andy Lowe 