Compensation push for GM-contaminated farmers 29/6/2017

Featured

It’s on again. Greens are pushing for some kind of compensation for canola growers who have had their crops contaminated with neighbours’ genetically modified seed.

Such farmers can find their crops attract much lower prices on the world market.

This story began as a media release from a politician but quick interviews with an industry expert and the farmer most affected by GM contamination brought it to life.

From The Great Southern Weekender Thursday June 29 p5.

From The Great Southern Weekender Thursday June 29 p5.

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Bush burning helps Gouldian finches thrive 18/6/2016

Featured

A formerly “threatened” species has been reclassified “vulnerable” as the birds start to repopulate the East Kimberley.

Photo by Martin Pot

Photo by Martin Pot

Two scientists, Sarah Pryke and Sarah Legge, have worked hard to identify the Gouldian Finches’ ideal habitats and feed, and a third, Alex Watson, is working with Kija Rangers to re-establish them.

The method depends on mimicking the effects of the traditional Aboriginal mosaic burning practices using modern technology.

As the website Science Network WA is now defunct I have reproduced the story here: Continue reading

Saltworks provide unlikely rest stop for weary travellers 20/5/2016

Featured

Courtesy Sora Estrella.

Courtesy Sora Estrella.

Can a large-scale industrial development benefit endangered and threatened species, such as certain migrating shore birds?

It seems Dampier Salt’s Pilbara operations are providing an important diet supplement to birds like the Red Knot, Great Knot and Bar-tailed Godwit.

Science Network [read this story]

Science Network WA has ceased publication so I have copied the story here: Continue reading

Ausgold inches to mine trigger point 22/6/2017

TEXT BY GEOFF VIVIAN

EXPLORATION company Ausgold is inching ever closer to the day it hopes to begin open pit mining in several locations near Katanning.

X22ALB_005PCEO Matthew Greentree said the company first needed to find one million ounces of gold within its 4,031 square kilometres of leases.

“We’ve already defined 637,000 ounces; if we push that to a million that would be a fairly reasonable sized operation,” Dr Greentree said.

“That would be a trigger point to start studies and development for a
mining project.

From The Great Southern Weekender Thursday, June 22, 2017 p5.

Isotopic technique pinpoints Burrup rock art age 10/5/2013

Text by GEOFF VIVIAN

TWO Australian National University researchers have used a high-tech isotopic method to estimate the potential age of the Burrup Peninsula’s rock art, based on the rate at which the rock surface erodes.

"Our measurements indicated that some of the surface erosion rates at the Burrup are amongst the lowest in Australia and indeed the world"—Prof Pillans. Image: Paul Williams

“Our measurements indicated that some of the surface erosion rates at the Burrup are amongst the lowest in Australia and indeed the world”—Prof Pillans. Image: Paul Williams

Geologist Professor Brad Pillans and nuclear physicist Professor Keith Fifield employed cosmogenic radionuclide measurements of the isotope beryllium-10 on rock surfaces at the world-famous Pilbara site.
They concluded that the oldest carvings could be 20- 30,000 years old, or even older, which implies they were possibly made when the site was a range of low hills about 100km inland from the glacial-period coastline. Continue reading