Biology and marine biology | News at Curtin

‘Toad-proofing’ farms could help stop the march of invasive pest

Samuel Jeremic — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 01:55:27 +0000

�鶹ֱ�� research has found farmers making small changes to how they give water to […]

Oil spill still contaminating sensitive Mauritius mangroves three years on

Samuel Jeremic — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 03:09:16 +0000

Three years after bulk carrier MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef off Mauritius, […]

Listen up: New insights into little penguins’ sensitivity to noise

294101E — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 00:19:13 +0000

�鶹ֱ�� researchers have used state-of-the-art imaging technology to shed light on the hearing sensitivity […]

History repeats as Coral Bay faces mass loss of coral and fish life

Samuel Jeremic — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 01:47:06 +0000

A perfect storm of environmental factors has seen a monumental loss of fish and coral […]

Snapping shrimp create rowdy reef in Kimberley Marine Park

Samuel Jeremic — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:30:00 +0000

Underwater reefs are generally thought of as tranquil places — however some truly unruly residents […]

Kimberley Reef Connect project to make a splash

Lucien Wilkinson — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 01:45:09 +0000

The Kimberley Marine Park is known to support diverse marine life however little is known […]

Harmful substances impacting tiger snakes across Perth, study finds

Lauren Sydoruk — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 00:17:06 +0000

New research has found tiger snakes in Perth’s urban wetlands are accumulating high levels of chemical substances from ingesting PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), impacting the venomous reptiles’ overall health.

Curtin whale song expert gets top gong from peers

Emma Chadwick — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 01:00:00 +0000

A pioneering marine scientist, whose dedication has contributed to a greater understanding of the secret […]

Study finds 107-million-year-old pterosaur bones are oldest in Australia

Lauren Sydoruk — Wed, 31 May 2023 00:24:38 +0000

A team of researchers have confirmed that 107-million-year-old pterosaur bones discovered more than 30 years ago are the oldest of their kind ever found in Australia, providing a rare glimpse into the life of these powerful, flying reptiles that lived among the dinosaurs.

Leading soil ecologist appointed new Head of School at Curtin

Yasmine Phillips — Wed, 24 May 2023 01:56:37 +0000

An internationally recognised microbial ecologist has been appointed the new Head of the School of Molecular and Life Sciences at �鶹ֱ��.

Marine heatwaves decimate sea urchins, molluscs and more at Rottnest

Lucien Wilkinson — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 01:00:00 +0000

�鶹ֱ�� researchers believe rising sea temperatures are to blame for the plummeting number of […]

Short-term bang of fireworks has long-term impact on wildlife: study

Yasmine Phillips — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 22:28:41 +0000

Popular fireworks should be replaced with cleaner drone and laser light shows to avoid the “highly damaging” impact on wildlife, domestic pets and the broader environment, new Curtin-led research has found.

Everyday Aussies’ social media posts help find missing plant species

Lucien Wilkinson — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 01:02:32 +0000

Scientists have identified six new or rediscovered Western Australian plant species from photos taken and […]

Study finds blowing bubbles among echidna’s tricks to beat the heat

Lucien Wilkinson — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 02:20:16 +0000

�鶹ֱ�� research into how echidnas might respond to a warming climate has found clever techniques used by the animal to cope with heat, including blowing bubbles to wet its nose tip, with the moisture then evaporating and cooling its blood.

3D imaging of shark embryos reveals evolution of pelvic fins

Lucien Wilkinson — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 04:32:06 +0000

�鶹ֱ�� researchers have revealed how the pelvic fins of fish such as sharks and chimaeras have evolved from their sudden appearance in the fossil record over 410 million years ago.

Piece by piece: the Gogo fossils and their tale of evolution

Karen Green — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 03:30:49 +0000

Modern scanning technologies are allowing palaeontologists to discover soft-tissue fossils and provide new knowledge about vertebrate evolution.

Synthetic firefly glow lights new path to disease detection

286333f — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 17:28:27 +0000

A research team has found a way to synthetically create a firefly’s ‘glow’ that could have positive impacts on the access to medical light-imaging tools used to detect tumours and other diseases.

New eDNA toolkit could save species on the brink of extinction

Lauren Sydoruk — Sun, 09 Oct 2022 18:11:57 +0000

New �鶹ֱ��-led research has used eDNA technology to track the movements of a critically endangered fish in South Africa in the hope of safeguarding its future.

New research finds deep-sea mining noise pollution will stretch hundreds of miles

Lauren Sydoruk — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 16:42:45 +0000

New research examines the potential for underwater noise pollution from seabed mining operations, which could affect the understudied species that live in the deep sea.

Fin whale songs shed light on migration patterns

Lauren Sydoruk — Tue, 24 May 2022 17:48:26 +0000

A Curtin-led research team has uncovered valuable information on the migration patterns of the fin whale, as well as where they breed and feed, which will help aid in the monitoring and protection.

New ‘crime scene investigation’ may save endangered carnivorous plants

Yasmine Phillips — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 14:35:17 +0000

Researchers have created a new botanical “CSI” tool that may hold the key to safeguarding the future of Australia’s critically endangered carnivorous plants.

Singing fish no tall tale

Zoe Taylor — Sun, 27 Aug 2017 20:00:27 +0000

A Curtin-led research team has identified seven unique fish choruses while recording the sounds of fish off the coast of Port Hedland, Western Australia over an 18-month period.

Keep your friends close and your anemones closer

�鶹ֱ�� — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 17:28:08 +0000

A team of Australian marine biologists have discovered that removing clownfish from anemone-clownfish colonies is having far-reaching negative consequences.

WA Scientist Wins Seafood CRC Award

�鶹ֱ�� — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 00:53:18 +0000

Dr Janet Howieson at Curtin’s Centre of Excellence for Science, Seafood & Health (CESSH) received the Seafood Cooperative Research Centre’s David Thomason People’s Choice Award.

Sharks can hear you

�鶹ֱ�� — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 00:11:38 +0000

Internationally renowned marine researcher and �鶹ֱ�� imaging and applied physics professor, Dr Darlene Ketten is studying something that’s never far away from conversation in Perth: sharks