Building giants: the origins of extreme biology in baleen whales. Baleen whales are unlike any other animal. They have evolved unparalleled specialisations for feeding, hearing, smell, cognition and – above all – the largest ever body size. These extreme features underlie the unmatched dominance of baleen whales in today's oceans. The origins of these key adaptations required major changes in the anatomy and function of the skull and teeth. However, exactly how and when the extreme innovations o ....Building giants: the origins of extreme biology in baleen whales. Baleen whales are unlike any other animal. They have evolved unparalleled specialisations for feeding, hearing, smell, cognition and – above all – the largest ever body size. These extreme features underlie the unmatched dominance of baleen whales in today's oceans. The origins of these key adaptations required major changes in the anatomy and function of the skull and teeth. However, exactly how and when the extreme innovations of baleen whales began remains an outstanding question in animal biology. This proposal aims to combine exceptional Australian fossils with recent advances in 3D imaging, biomechanics, and evolutionary analysis to discover how the secrets to the success of baleen whales first evolved.Read moreRead less
Dark canaries: new multidisciplinary understanding about the origins, radiation and response to environmental change of southern hemisphere bats. This project will overhaul global understanding of the origins of bats, their flight patterns and the role of echolocation in resource partitioning in an environmentally changing Australia. It will also provide information vital for conservation and novel biomimetic understanding of the modulation of ultrasound for medical and engineering purposes.
Mesozoic Austral Biodiversity: Research and Regional Museum Applications. The impact of environmental alteration on Australia’s biodiversity has poorly understood long-term effects. This project examines the controversial biogeography and evolution of Australia’s biodiversity during the Age of Dinosaurs (mid-Cretaceous ~100 MYA) and their adaptational responses to climatic change. Fossils readily capture the public imagination and thus help promote complex scientific concepts in the global media ....Mesozoic Austral Biodiversity: Research and Regional Museum Applications. The impact of environmental alteration on Australia’s biodiversity has poorly understood long-term effects. This project examines the controversial biogeography and evolution of Australia’s biodiversity during the Age of Dinosaurs (mid-Cretaceous ~100 MYA) and their adaptational responses to climatic change. Fossils readily capture the public imagination and thus help promote complex scientific concepts in the global media. This project raises awareness about sustainable use of non-renewable fossil resources through public education and ecotourism fieldwork programs; these will help generate local interest and thus protection of sensitive fossil localities by highlighting them as lucrative tourism assets for regional communities.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100107
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
Purchase of a multi-purpose Schottky field emission gun scanning electron microscope. Scanning electron microscopy is a basic analytical tool for imaging surfaces of natural and synthetic materials and identification of nanometre-scale features and their compositions. At the University of Tasmania, it supports four of our six designated priority research themes: Antarctic and Marine Studies, Environment, Frontier Technologies, and Sustainable Primary Production. Our research depending on this te ....Purchase of a multi-purpose Schottky field emission gun scanning electron microscope. Scanning electron microscopy is a basic analytical tool for imaging surfaces of natural and synthetic materials and identification of nanometre-scale features and their compositions. At the University of Tasmania, it supports four of our six designated priority research themes: Antarctic and Marine Studies, Environment, Frontier Technologies, and Sustainable Primary Production. Our research depending on this technique includes many fundamental and applied topics from a wide range of disciplines, such as developing portable detection devices for explosives, finding more efficient and sustainable ways to explore for ore, investigating the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems and improving salinity and drought tolerance of crops.Read moreRead less
Marine Geological Investigation of the Naturaliste Plateau and Diamantina Zone - the tectono-magmatic development of a non-volcanic passive margin. Australia's continental margins impact enormously on our major industries including tourism, hydrocarbon production and fisheries, and are particularly significant with respect to biodiversity and hazard planning (both long and short term), yet knowledge of the seafloor of our margins is desperately poor. To contribute to alleviating this problem, we ....Marine Geological Investigation of the Naturaliste Plateau and Diamantina Zone - the tectono-magmatic development of a non-volcanic passive margin. Australia's continental margins impact enormously on our major industries including tourism, hydrocarbon production and fisheries, and are particularly significant with respect to biodiversity and hazard planning (both long and short term), yet knowledge of the seafloor of our margins is desperately poor. To contribute to alleviating this problem, we will use the R/V Southern Surveyor research vessel to produce swath mapping imagery and dredge samples from the seafloor of a geologically fascinating part of the southern section of the Western Australian margin dominated by the Naturaliste Plateau and Diamantina Zone. Read moreRead less
THE TIME SCALES OF MAGMATIC AND EROSIONAL CYCLES. Precise information on time scales and rates of change is fundamental to understanding natural processes and the development and testing of quantitative physical models in the Earth Sciences. Uranium decay-series isotope studies are revolutionising this field by providing time information in the range 100-100000 years, similar to that of many important Earth processes. This project will establish a dedicated Uranium-series research laboratory and ....THE TIME SCALES OF MAGMATIC AND EROSIONAL CYCLES. Precise information on time scales and rates of change is fundamental to understanding natural processes and the development and testing of quantitative physical models in the Earth Sciences. Uranium decay-series isotope studies are revolutionising this field by providing time information in the range 100-100000 years, similar to that of many important Earth processes. This project will establish a dedicated Uranium-series research laboratory and investigate (1) the processes and time scales of magma formation, transport and differentiation beneath western Pacific island arc volcanoes, (2) the time scales and relative roles of physical and chemical erosion in Australian river basins.Read moreRead less
Optimum control of the in-use performance of talc-based compositions. It is important to improve the quality of their Talcom body powder, baby powder and other cosmetic products involving talc. The areas that can and need to be improved are shining characteristics, assessing the slip properties as well as developing the cosmetic chemistry of talc and other additives. The proposed project will generate: a) simple but reliable test methods for measuring slip and shine, b) methods for control of t ....Optimum control of the in-use performance of talc-based compositions. It is important to improve the quality of their Talcom body powder, baby powder and other cosmetic products involving talc. The areas that can and need to be improved are shining characteristics, assessing the slip properties as well as developing the cosmetic chemistry of talc and other additives. The proposed project will generate: a) simple but reliable test methods for measuring slip and shine, b) methods for control of the physical and chemical characteristics of talc blends, c) mathematical model(s) for property and process control, which is useful to improvement of the final talc properties and in-use service.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560736
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$250,622.00
Summary
Centre for Particle Characterisation (North Queensland). The aim of this proposal is to establish a state-of-the-art research facility as part of a comprehensive material characterisation infrastructure required to support JCU's expanding activities in geology, oceanography, sustainable water research and nanotechnology. New instruments to measure attractive forces between particles, material density, porosity, surface area, and carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur content in conjunction with replacin ....Centre for Particle Characterisation (North Queensland). The aim of this proposal is to establish a state-of-the-art research facility as part of a comprehensive material characterisation infrastructure required to support JCU's expanding activities in geology, oceanography, sustainable water research and nanotechnology. New instruments to measure attractive forces between particles, material density, porosity, surface area, and carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur content in conjunction with replacing an old grain size analyser will provide advanced instrumentation for research across several Schools with a diversity of research priorities. The proposed facility will create new opportunities for collaborative programs with national and international researchers as well as foster industry partnership.Read moreRead less
The geochemical role of iron in basaltic magmatism and planetary differentiation: an experimental study. The amount of Fe in primitive terrestrial basalts is surprisingly variable. The reasons for this are poorly understood, but could include melting of Fe-enriched refertilized mantle sources, increasing partitioning of FeO into the melt with depth of melting, or oxidation of some FeO to Fe2O3. An experimental investigation of the effects of Fe both as 2+ and 3+ on the partial melting of model ....The geochemical role of iron in basaltic magmatism and planetary differentiation: an experimental study. The amount of Fe in primitive terrestrial basalts is surprisingly variable. The reasons for this are poorly understood, but could include melting of Fe-enriched refertilized mantle sources, increasing partitioning of FeO into the melt with depth of melting, or oxidation of some FeO to Fe2O3. An experimental investigation of the effects of Fe both as 2+ and 3+ on the partial melting of model mantle material should help resolve this problem, while also providing the fundamental thermodynamic data needed to calibrate a general model for upper mantle phase relations.Read moreRead less