Environment Archives - Page 53 of 57

So many fish, one great map

From ugly ducklings like the Rough Dreamer to the kiss-me-I’m-really-a-prince Clown Triggerfish, Australia’s marine fishes are now at your fingertips thanks to FishMap. FishMap is a free online mapping tool that anyone can use to find out which fishes occur at any location or depth in the waters of Australia’s continental shelf and slope. You...

Friday Fish Time

Sturgeon Whiptail: I was kicking back watching one of those fishing shows on TV the other day and they were somewhere in Canada catching sturgeon – and they were huge. Think sturgeon. Think caviar. So, does Australia have any of these? Nup. We have this thing above, but I have got to say they are a...

Environment

The flies of March are upon us

There are about 400 species of March fly in Australia. Some of these feed on flower nectar and pollen but the majority prefer a helping of blood.

Tassie oysters wear their heart on their shells

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ50ekji7sY&w=640&h=360] Video transcript is available here. Protecting the future of Aussie aquaculture farming through new sensor technology Whether you prefer your oysters from the rock or the Pacific, served kilpatrick or mignonette, there is one sound which will soon dictate if they are worthy of making it to our plate or not – a...

Finding a good Pinot Noir

by Lee Belbin- Research Scientist, Ecosystem Sciences I like good wine and after many years enjoying Australia’s wonderful Shiraz, I’ve transitioned through Cabernets to Pinot Noir. But finding a good Pinot Noir is a lot harder than finding a good Shiraz. The Atlas of Living Australia might not be the most obvious place to look,...

Nation under fire

By Matthew Paget Striking images of smoke plumes and scarring from the bushfires that swept south eastern Australia in January 2013 have been put together from selected NASA satellite imagery by CSIRO and partners from the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN). To help study and manage the impact of the fires, the latest cloud-free images...

Environment

The Lord Howe Island stick insect and the case of the ship-wrecked rats

On Balls Pyramid, a sheer rocky island off the coast of mainland New South Wales, the Lord Howe Island stick insect clings to life. Once thought to be extinct, the stick insect is arguably the rarest insect on the planet. This inhospitable crop of rock, the dramatic remnant of a volcano, contains the last known natural sanctuary for...

It’s time to shower you with gifts!

To celebrate the recent release of the Oxijet shower nozzle, which we helped develop to cut your water usage while improving your perceived water pressure, we have a handful to give away.

As exciting as watching grass grow

By Mikayla Keen Contrary to popular belief watching grass grow is awesome. For Rasha Kardo it won her the opportunity to visit CSIRO’s High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre. The HRPPC is a high-tech research hotel which studies plant function and performance under controlled conditions (in the lab) and in the field. Rasha, a South Australian...

Environment

Saving water and enjoying a good shower? It CAN happen

As Australians battle another hot, dry summer, a new shower nozzle that uses up to 50 per cent less water while maintaining the sensation of full pressure could provide us with guilt-free showers – simply by adding air. Dr Jie Wu, one of our fluids specialist, says the Oxijet nozzle feels just as wet and strong...

Friday Fish Time

OK, this is not the most pleasant FFT picture we have had but it is interesting. One of our regular FFT readers (and the winner of the inagural FFT identifcation quiz) Phillip Clark from Focus Fisheries in WA sent the pictures in. Phillip is a member of a fishing club and another member found the...

Environment

The answer, my insect friend, is blowing in the wind

By Kim Pullen – Australian National Insect Collection Insects hide their enormous diversity well. We may hear that several thousand species live in and around our town or city, but where are they all? They are in every patch of garden or vegetation. They are on nearly every bird or mammal that walks, runs or...

Environment

So many fish, one great map

Friday Fish Time

The flies of March are upon us

Tassie oysters wear their heart on their shells

Finding a good Pinot Noir

Nation under fire

The Lord Howe Island stick insect and the case of the ship-wrecked rats

It’s time to shower you with gifts!

As exciting as watching grass grow

Saving water and enjoying a good shower? It CAN happen

Friday Fish Time

The answer, my insect friend, is blowing in the wind

Got a sticky beak for science?