Australian Quarterly

It looked like a little underwater rave. Neon pink, vibrant yellow, and bold blue coral formations lit up the ocean floor off Ko Tao Island, Thailand. For Jennifer Matthews, fresh from an undergraduate degree in biology, the experience was love at first dive. “When I surfaced, the dive instructor explained that those colours were stress pigments.” “The corals were stressed,” she says.

The plastics industry is growing, and it’s a growing problem. Greater Sydney will run out of landfill capacity by 2030 unless major action is taken. Soft plastics — highly susceptible to fire as they are made from crude oil — are stockpiled in warehouses across Victoria following the demise of RedCycle and they have now become a serious fire hazard. Concerningly, the use of plastic is showing no signs of slowing.

Many of us talk to ourselves in our minds–rehearsing conversations, reflecting on our day, or even just narrating life as it unfolds. This internal monologue is known as inner speech, and it’s a normal part of human thought. But in schizophrenia, something is different. For some people, this internal monologue can take on a life of its own – experienced not as self-generated, but as intrusive voices coming from outside. These are called auditory-verbal hallucinations.

Almost half of Australia’s freshwater turtles are now listed as vulnerable, or worse. But in south-east Queensland’s Mary River, the endangered Mary River turtle is being given a fighting chance — thanks to an extraordinary 22-year collaboration between the local community (landholders, Landcare, volunteers) and researchers.

Fewer killer T cells, which are also less efficient and weaker reinforcements: During World Immunisation Week, we look at revelations about how the body responds to influenza over time – and new research reveals why older people are at higher risk of severe influenza infection. KEY FINDINGS: > Older people are at higher risk of severe influenza infections because their killer T cells that normally play an important role in stopping the infection are now in lower numbers and less efficient.

Exposure to workplace aggression and violence (WAV) in healthcare settings is stressful for staff, and a big burden on budgets. A virtual reality (VR) enhanced training tool pioneered by researchers at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia could soon be set to change things.

Fresh water quenches our thirst, is used to grow our food, and sustains our rivers, springs, and wetlands, as well as the ecosystems they support. You may not think about it, but most of the world’s fresh water, 98% in fact, is stored out of sight, and out of mind. That is, most of the world’s fresh water is stored underground. Groundwater plays many important roles.

Matt Baker, Scientia Associate Professor in the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science at UNSW Sydney shares his passion for nature’s oldest motor, the bacterial flagellar motor. Q. Tell us about your passion for the bacterial flagellar motor. Where did this desire to unlock its origin come from, and what fascinates you about it? One of my life’s biggest passions is understanding the origins of complex systems — in particular, the first swimming of bacteria.

Sleep disorders — left unmanaged — have safety implications for our workplaces and on our roads. Drivers with sleep disorders are more than twice as likely to be involved in road traffic accidents. Sleep disorders pose a risk for poor mental health and declining physical health, too.

Professor Peter Macreadie, Director of the RMIT Centre for Nature Positive Solutions and the Blue Carbon Lab, along with a consortium of scientists at are calling for greater collaboration across science, policy and industry to help establish seagrass carbon credits and – ultimately – achieve real-world impact.