Adventure Ausrama Blog

It is not know why but the Great Barrier Reefs is always being attacked by hordes of Crown-of-Thorns starfish. Forty per cent of damage to the reef is done by the pest. Robots that can identify starfish and then inject them with a lethal toxin are being used to fight the invasion. The system works by having a submersible robot patrol about 30cm off the sea floor. When it sees a starfish an arm is extended and the injection is done. If a target is questionable the view is recorded in the robot's data base. A copy of the video is sent to human controllers who verify whether the robot has to return to finish the job. The robots get the starfish early before they can do any real damage to the reef. After the robots have done what they can, human divers go in to clear up the remaining starfish. This combined protective system will give the reef time to recover. ◆ Science  by Ty Buchanan   ◆ Adventure Australia Funny Animal Photos Funny Weird Things A...

Like South Africa, Australia is known as a region of frequent shark attacks. A lot of research has been done over the years in an attempt to reduce such attacks. Humans are not normal food for sharks. It is when humans behave in a similar way to injured fish that attacks occur. Electronic pulses and sounds have been tried with limited success. Colored diving suits have also proven to be ineffective, until now. It has been discovered that blue lines on wetsuits disrupts the vision of sharks because they are color-blind. White stripes also work as a deterrent but in a different way. Poisonous fish have white on their bodies. It tells potential predators that eating them will have dire consequences. The cryptic wetsuit that "blinds" sharks is aimed at divers, while the white stripped warning suite is for those close to the beach. Diving equipment and surfing gear is also being colored to match the wetsuits. Though shark attacks cannot be stopped entirel...