Great Barrier Reef coral bleaching event in 2024 most widespread and severe on record
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Research into Australian skinks' resistance to snake venom could streamline design of antivenoms
Australian skinks have evolved the means to resist snake venom by shutting down their muscles, suggests new research which could help to inform future treatments for snakebites. Research led by the University of Queensland has found that multiple species of Australian skink have evolved venom resistance through changes to a critical muscle receptor. In other animals, the receptor is the target of venom neurotoxins, which cause rapid paralysis and death. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Study co-author Prof Bryan Fry, who leads UQ's adaptive biotoxicology lab, said that when venomous snakes arrived in Australia 25 to 30m years ago from Asia that skinks would have been their prey, resulting in evolutionary pressure to evolve venom resistance. 'What was fascinating was that with the kind of mutations that we documented in the Australian … skinks that gave rise to resistance are the kind of mutations that we've seen in other animals outside Australia,' Fry said. Mongooses, which feed on cobras, are one such example. The researchers showed that the Australian major skink, Bellatorias frerei had the same mutation that gave the honey badger its resistance to cobra venom. The researchers looked at 47 skink species and found that 13 of these were resistant to snake venom. Of these 13 species, some had multiple types of resistance, leading the researchers to discover that the skinks had developed independent mutations conferring resistance on 25 occasions. Fry said the researchers used tissue banks from museums across Australia rather than testing venom on live skinks. Study co-author and UQ researcher Dr Uthpala Chandrasekara said in a statement: 'We used synthetic peptides and receptor models to mimic what happens when venom enters an animal at the molecular level and the data was crystal clear, some of the modified receptors simply didn't respond at all.' 'It's fascinating to think that one tiny change in a protein can mean the difference between life and death when facing a highly venomous predator. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'The more we learn about how venom resistance works in nature, the more tools we have for the design of novel antivenoms.' Dr Andrew Amey, collection manager of amphibians, reptiles and herpetology at Queensland Museum, who was not involved in the research, said that there were more than 470 currently recognised species of Australian skink, with more being discovered all the time – with little known about them. 'It is great to see research looking into how they deal with such an important predator that just might tell us more about how we can manage the effects of snakebite ourselves,' Amey said. The study was published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Australian researchers discover two invasive weeds have the potential to be burned as biofuel
Two invasive weed species could contribute to a creative solution to Australia's energy transition – as ingredients for clean, renewable fuel. Researchers at the University of Queensland found Brazilian nightshade and climbing asparagus – both aggressive vine species – can be converted into biomass pellets. The June research, highlighted this week by UQ's Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, assessed more than 20 weed species for their potential use as fuel. The process involves compressing plant material into small pellets similar in appearance to pet food pellets, which can be used as fuel in residential or industrial heating systems, or electricity generation. The densified organic matter can be used as solid fuel to generate energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels such as coal. 'We try to get the right mix of these ingredients so the pellets burn well and safely,' said lead researcher Dr Bruno Rafael de Almeida Moreira. 'We're trying to discover something useful for our community and environment.' Different plant materials have to be mixed and tailored in specific ways, Moreira explained. Too much moisture or ash-producing minerals in pellets can damage heaters or stoves, create dust when handled and release toxic smoke or gases. Pelletising also helps reduce production costs and emissions, because pellets are easier to move and store more energy per volume than using the raw material, Moreira said. He noted the rapid growth of the global solid biofuels market, especially in Canada, the US, and Europe. Traditionally, solid biofuels come from forest wood sources. In Australia, however, wood pellets made from native forests are not classified as renewable. Recycled timber and wood waste can be used, but only if approved by the federal Clean Energy Regulator, prompting a search for alternatives. Moreira said Australia's diverse biomass sources present a unique opportunity for it to lead the way in sustainable bioenergy production. Study co-author and AgriSustain Lab leader, associate prof Sudhir Yadav, said the new research could support efforts to reduce agriculture's carbon footprint, while boosting the bioenergy sector. 'Agencies like the Australian Renewable Energy Agency have predicted bioenergy will supply 20% of national energy demand by 2050,' Yadav said. 'It's an optimistic but achievable target and a lot of research is required to bridge that gap.' Moreira noted previous estimates putting biomass at just 0.3% of Australia's renewable energy mix. He agreed the leap to 20% was ambitious – but possible, with 'sustained research and innovation'. The researchers said the study is ongoing, with more weed species to be tested. But supply remains a challenge, even for the most prolific weeds. 'Environmental weeds have a limit,' Yadav said. 'We're also thinking about other potential sources of biomass, like green waste collected by councils and households and even some broad acre crops like sorghum.' Microbiologist Dr Ian Paulsen, a distinguished professor at Macquarie University and director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in synthetic biology, who was not involved with the study, said it builds existing research on converting plant matter into fuel. E10 fuel for cars contains ethanol made from crops such as corn in the US, or wheat, barley or sugarcane in Australia, Paulsen said. 'In Brazil, previously, they've run planes of flown on aviation fuel made from getting yeast to turn sugarcane into long chain hydrocarbons.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion But Paulsen said large-scale biofuel production was currently not economically viable without significant government subsidies, or a sharp rise in petrochemical prices. 'It's technologically feasible; the real problem is that it's hard to be cost-competitive compared to the fossil fuel industry,' he said, noting the latter benefits from over a century of global subsidies and highly efficient infrastructure. Paulsen said proposing invasive weeds as fuel posed logistical concerns, particularly in terms of the difficulty of harvesting large volumes of scattered biomass without damaging ecosystems. Moreira said expanding the diversity of bioenergy sources was critical to achieving net zero targets. He emphasised the importance of increasing funding and interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing renewable energy solutions, calling it 'an opportunity for us to come together and brainstorm ideas, exchange knowledge across the country, around the world'. 'We have to be sure about the diversification of this space … we cannot rely only on wind or solar panels,' he said. 'It's about ensuring clean energy for all people in the future.' Flinders University's Vincent Bulone is a professor in glycoscience, the study of glycans, or sugars, and part of the search for alternative sources of energy and development of new materials. He said the study highlighted an 'emerging and promising area of research' for sustainability and land management in Australia. He echoed, however, that implementing it would require strategic investment in the appropriate technology, infrastructure and policy. Bulone said Australia's regional diversity demanded a 'distributed bioenergy model' tailored to local biomass availability – in this case, invasive weeds in Queensland – industry needs and community energy goals, especially in remote and Indigenous communities. 'Pelletising invasive weeds could become one of the components of Australia's renewable energy strategy, particularly in rural and remote areas where weed prevalence and energy needs are high.' It is not a stand-alone solution, but represents a 'valuable component of a broader, diversified bioenergy strategy,' he said.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Great Barrier Reef suffers biggest annual drop in live coral since 1980s after devastating coral bleaching
The Great Barrier Reef has suffered its biggest annual drop in live coral in two out of three areas monitored by scientists since 1986, a new report has revealed. The Australian Institute of Marine Science (Aims) report is the first to comprehensively document the devastating impacts of the early 2024 mass coral bleaching event – the most widespread and severe on record for the Great Barrier Reef. In the months that followed that event, scientists described a 'graveyard of corals' around Lizard Island in the north and a study recorded the death of 40% of corals at One Tree Island in the south. Aims has conducted annual in-water surveys of the world's biggest reef system since 1986, checking the health and extent of corals. Sign up: AU Breaking News email This year's survey report found that in the reef's northern section – between Cooktown and the tip of Cape York – bleaching, two cyclones and associated flooding had caused coral cover to fall by 25%. In the southern section, from Mackay to just north of Bundaberg, coral cover had fallen by 30%. The northern and southern zones suffered the highest annual drops on record. Coral cover fell by 13% in the central section, which had escaped the worst of the heat in 2024. Dr Mike Emslie, who leads the long-term reef monitoring program at Aims, said coral cover was becoming more volatile. 'It has been a pretty sobering year of surveys with the biggest impacts I have seen in the 30-plus years I have been doing this,' he said. 'This volatility is very likely a sign of an unstable system. That's our real concern. We're starting to see record highs in coral cover that quickly get turned around to record falls.' Coral bleaching describes a process whereby the coral animal expels the algae that live in its tissues and give it its colour and much of its nutrients. Without its algae, a coral's white skeleton can be seen through its translucent flesh, giving off a bleached appearance. Mass coral bleaching over large areas, first noticed in the 1980s around the Caribbean, is caused by rising ocean temperatures. Some corals also display fluorescent colours under stress when they release a pigment that filters light. Sunlight also plays a role in triggering bleaching. Corals can survive bleaching if temperatures are not too extreme or prolonged. But extreme marine heatwaves can kill corals outright. Coral bleaching can also have sub-lethal effects, including increased susceptibility to disease and reduced rates of growth and reproduction. Scientists say the gaps between bleaching events are becoming too short to allow reefs to recover. Coral reefs are considered one of the planet's ecosystems most at risk from global heating. Reefs support fisheries that feed hundreds of millions of people, as well as supporting major tourism industries. The world's biggest coral reef system – Australia's Great Barrier Reef – has suffered seven mass bleaching events since 1998, of which five were in the past decade. With relatively benign impacts from cyclones and bleaching in the five years before the 2024 event, coral cover had reached record levels in some places. But that recovery, Emslie said, was largely driven by fast-growing acropora corals that were more susceptible to heat stress. 'We had said it could all get turned around in one year and, low and behold, here we are,' he said, adding that coral cover was now mostly back in line with long-term averages. The 2024 and 2025 events were part of an ongoing global mass coral bleaching event that led to more than 80% of the planet's reefs being hit with enough heat to cause bleaching, affecting corals in at least 82 countries and territories. A study last year found ocean temperatures on the Great Barrier Reef were likely at their hottest for at least 400 years and were an 'existential threat' to the Unesco World Heritage-listed reef. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Widespread mass bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef was first seen in 1998 and happened again in 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2024 and 2025. Emslie said: 'These impacts we are seeing are serious and substantial and the bleaching events are coming closer and closer together. 'We will ultimately get to a tipping point where coral cover can't bounce back because disturbances come so quickly that there's no time left for recovery. 'We have to mitigate the root causes of the problem and reduce emissions and stabilise temperatures.' The Aims report comes a month before the federal government is due to reveal its emissions reduction target for 2035. The Albanese government promised Unesco last year it would 'set successively more ambitious emissions reduction targets' that would be 'in alignment with efforts to limit global temperature increase to 1.5C'. Last week, the Climate Change Authority, which will advise the government on what target to set, released a report that said holding warming 'as close as possible to 1.5C' was key to addressing the threats facing the reef. Richard Leck, head of oceans at WWF Australia, said the government needed to set a target consistent with 1.5C. 'This is the one action the government can take to give the reef a fighting chance.'
