Australia’s caves were formed over millions of years, and exploring them is a journey to a hidden underworld that holds many wonders. But caves and karst landforms need our protection. They house complex ecosystems, critical habitat for plants, animals, and micro-organisms which, in many cases, cannot survive elsewhere. The biggest threat is overuse from tourism – which builds positive awareness, but also damages their natural integrity.
Sustainability is becoming core to big business. CSIRO’s Chief Scientist, Professor Bronwyn Fox, is concerned that Australia is at risk of being cut out of global supply chains if we cannot provide evidence of reducing our carbon emissions. She seeks to leverage our mining sector’s use of digitisation, automation, and control for on-shore manufacturing, creating a suite of technologies that change the way we think about time and space.
It should come as no surprise that quantum computers are inherently good at solving problems in quantum mechanics. Most of these opportunities lie at the intersection with chemical engineering or materials science, meaning the types of technological issues critical to addressing climate change and power generation will be among the first to benefit from quantum computers as their power increases.
Knowledge holders and leaders from across Victoria, including Traditional Owners, gathered at the Royal Society of Victoria to discuss the challenges and opportunities for Victoria in biodiversity conservation and recovery, considering the urgent need to establish an independent Taskforce. RSV President Rob Gell framed the biodiversity crisis as “everyone’s problem.”
You may wonder whether we can separate the cake of life’s three main ingredients: genes, environment, and developmental variation. This remains a goal of many researchers. But just as we can’t un-bake a cake to produce flour, eggs, and sugar, we can’t completely separate out the factors that make you an individual. Things are complicated because genes, environment and developmental variation interact.
