Imma Perfetto
Cosmos science journalist
Reef pest feasts on ‘sea sawdust’
Australian Marine scientists have discovered crown-of-thorns (COTS) starfish larvae feast on blue-green algae bacteria, known as “sea sawdust” or Trichodesmium, according to new research in Science Advances.
“With sea sawdust blooms on the rise in recent years, our findings suggest this could help explain the increase in COTS populations, which have devastated our coral reefs for decades,” says lead author Benjamin Mos, from the University of Queensland.
The findings build on earlier research that suggests human activities, such as fertiliser usen or sewage and stormwater runoff, may be responsible for the increase in blue-green algae blooms.
“Blue-green algae blooms can extend hundreds to thousands of kilometres across the ocean and often float on the surface in large rafts like sawdust – hence the name,” says Mos.
“It plays a crucial role in marine ecosystems by making nitrogen from the atmosphere available to other sea life, but now we know it is also a food source.
“By knowing how sea sawdust helps COTS thrive, we can potentially change the way we combat this very damaging coral predator.”
Ships could predict freak waves before they happen
A new tool to predict rogue waves at sea has been developed by researchers from the University of Maryland in the US.
“Freak or rogue waves are a danger to ships, offshore infrastructure, and other maritime equipment. Reliable rogue wave forecasts could mitigate this risk for operations at sea,” the authors write in their new study in Scientific Reports.
The researchers created a neural network they trained using a dataset of 14 million 30-minute-long samples of sea surface elevation measurements. The data was collected from 172 buoys near the US, and Pacific Islands.
Their neural network can correctly predict 75% of rogue waves 1 minute before they hit, and 73% of rogue waves 5 minutes before they hit.
They say that such a tool could allow ships to warn workers to seek shelter, perform emergency shutdowns, or manoeuvre to minimise the impact.
Active fabric inspired by pangolin and armadillo scales
Scientists in Singapore have developed a flexible wearable fabric that can stiffen on demand. The new technology, RoboFabric, could be made into medical devices or soft robotics.
The system of 3D-printed tiles are joined together with metal fibres. When these fibres contract the tiles interlock and stiffen, increasing the rigidity of RoboFabric by more than 350 times.
“We envision that in future, patients who need a plaster cast for fractures would have the option of customising a flexible limb support that is fabric-like before stiffening,” says lead scientist Wang Yifan from the Nanyang Technological University School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
“Unlike conventional rigid and unremovable casts, they would also be easy to put on or remove at the touch of a button. In daily use, joint supports can also help the elderly in their daily tasks, helping to reduce the muscle strength needed for heavier loads.”
The research is described in a new paper in Science Robotics.
Groundcherries could grace our supermarket shelves
The groundcherry (Physalis grisea) is a little-known relative of tomatoes that tastes like a cross between a pineapple and a tomato.
They’re grown in gardens and small farms across North America, but scientists are attempting to transform them into a mainstream crop using CRISPR-Cas9 to change their genetic makeup.
“Groundcherries have a lot going for them,” says Savanah Marie Dale, a graduate student at the Boyce Thompson Institute in the US and co-first author of a recent paper published in Plants, People, Planet.
“They’re nutritious, have a uniquely delicious flavour, and can grow in a variety of climates. The problem is that they have some pesky traits that make them difficult to cultivate on a large scale.”
Already, the researchers have created plants with a more compact growth habit, making them easier to cultivate. They have also increased fruit size and are working on ways to keep the fruit attached to the plant longer to make harvesting easier.
