Humanitarian agencies repeatedly warn that not enough aid was reaching Palestinians in need due in part to looting as well as Israeli restrictions
world2 days ago
Scientists working on Australia's Great Barrier Reef have successfully trialled a new method for freezing and storing coral larvae they say could eventually help rewild reefs threatened by climate change.
Scientists are scrambling to protect coral reefs as rising ocean temperatures destabilise delicate ecosystems. The Great Barrier Reef has suffered four bleaching events in the last seven years — including the first ever bleach during a La Nina phenomenon — which typically brings cooler temperatures.
Cryogenically-frozen coral can be stored and later reintroduced to the wild but the current process requires sophisticated equipment including lasers. Scientists say a new lightweight "cryomesh" can be manufactured cheaply, which better preserves coral.
In a December lab trial — the world's first with the Great Barrier Reef's coral — scientists used the cryomesh to freeze coral larvae at the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS). The coral had been collected from the reef for the trial, which coincided with the brief annual spawning window.
"If we can secure the biodiversity of coral … then we'll have tools for the future to really help restore the reefs and this technology for coral reefs in the future is a real game-changer," Mary Hagedorn, Senior Research Scientist at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute told Reuters from the AIMS lab.
The cryomesh was previously trialled on smaller and larger varieties of Hawaiian corals. A trial on the larger variety failed.
Trials are continuing with larger varieties of the Great Barrier Reef's coral.
The trials involved scientists from AIMS, the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, the Great Barrier Reef foundation and the Taronga Conservation Society Australia as part of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program.
The mesh technology, which will help store coral larvae at -196°C, was devised by a team from the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering, including Dr Zongqi Guo, a postdoctoral associate, and Professor John C Bischov. It was first tested on corals by PhD student Nikolas Zuchowicz.
“This new technology that we’ve got will allow us to do that at a scale that can actually help to support some of the aquaculture and restoration interventions,” said Jonathan Daly of the Taronga Conservation Society Australia.
ALSO READ:
Humanitarian agencies repeatedly warn that not enough aid was reaching Palestinians in need due in part to looting as well as Israeli restrictions
world2 days ago
Many children who grew up during the war have been traumatised by the violence and need psychological help, says charity's director Rasha Muhrez
world2 days ago
Abu Qasra, a former agronomist, led the armed wing of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham for five years
world2 days ago
The report by the UN human rights office said such strikes raised grave concerns about Israel's compliance with international law
world2 days ago
The court issued the warrant due to the likelihood that Yoon will not respond to summons without a justifiable reason
world2 days ago
For over 50 years, the Assads maintained their vice grip on society, in large part through the countless informants that walked among the population
world2 days ago
The police said the death of the 22-year-old was not suspicious
world2 days ago
The weather has added an extra element of suffering to hundreds of thousands of people already displaced, often multiple times, while efforts to agree a ceasefire go nowhere
world2 days ago