environment

Virtual management of the world’s oceans

New computer models are challenging the conventional wisdom in marine science.

Research combats invasive ants on Indigenous lands in northern Australia

Invasive ants are among the greatest environmental, social and economic threats to Australia, potentially costing the nation more than $1 billion annually. However, knowledge of the basic biology of these pest species remains rudimentary, and many management operations have been unsuccessful.

CSIRO ecologist Dr Ben Hoffmann has been working on invasive ants on Indigenous lands, in collaboration with Indigenous ranger groups, for 13 years

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Supercomputer to test nanoparticles before we make them

Every new technology brings opportunities and threats. Nanotechnology is no exception. It has the potential to create new materials that will dramatically improve drug delivery, medical diagnostics, clean and efficient energy, computing and more. But nanoparticles could also have significant health and environmental impacts.

CSIRO physicist Dr Amanda Barnard is making the particles in the virtual world and testing how they interact in various environments before they get made in the real world.

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Measuring mercury with a Midas touch

RMIT University researchers have used nanotechnology to create a pioneering sensor that can precisely measure one of the world’s most poisonous substances—mercury.

The mercury sensor developed by RMIT’s Industrial Chemistry Group uses tiny flecks of gold that are nano-engineered to make them irresistible to mercury molecules.

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