Mystery over hundreds of horseshoe crabs washed up on Japanese beach and other top stories.

• Mystery over hundreds of horseshoe crabs washed up on Japanese beach

  

  Hundreds of horseshoe crabs have washed up dead on a beach in southern Japan, leaving experts mystified. The blue-blooded creatures arrive on the shore in southern and western Japan each year to lay eggs, and it is normal for some to die. But this year the death rate has been more than eight times higher than normal, according to the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. Usually around 50 to 60 dead horseshoe crabs are found on the Sonehigata tidal flats, but 490 have already been discovered this y..

  >> view original



• Qld extends reef invite to DiCaprio

  

  Jamie McKinnellAustralian Associated PressThe Queensland government has extended an invitation to Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio to visit the Great Barrier Reef and learn about its conservation efforts.DiCaprio this week cited the plight of the reef at the Our Oceans Conference in Washington DC.He told the gathering over 600 miles (965km) of reef previously "teeming with life" had been devastated in an unprecedented coral bleaching event."We are seeing this level of impact to coral reefs aroun..

  >> view original



• Macquarie Island research: Tasmanian Premier claims credit for Federal Government intervention

  

  Macquarie Island research: Tasmanian Premier claims credit for Federal Government intervention Updated September 17, 2016 09:36:58 The Tasmanian Premier is taking credit for the Federal Government's support for the Macquarie Island research station.Earlier this week, the Australian Antarctic Division announced it would shift to summer-only activities on the sub-Antarctic island.After intense backlash, the Federal Government announced it was looking at continuing a year-..

  >> view original



• August equals July as hottest month in modern times: UN

  

  By: AFP | Geneva | Published:September 16, 2016 9:58 pm Heating trend has begun because of fossil fuel burning. (File) August equalled July as the hottest month in modern times, the UN’s weather agency said today, warning that extraordinary temperatures were “set to become the new norm”. The United Nations Meteorological Organisation (WMO) also forecast that 2016 will prove to be the warmest year on Earth over 137 years of record-keeping. “It is looking likely that ..

  >> view original



• Researchers have observed individual atoms interacting for the first time

  

  For the first time, researchers have managed to capture images of individual potassium atoms distributed on an optical lattice, providing them with a unique opportunity to see how they interact with one another. While capturing these images is a feat in itself, the technique could help researchers to better understand the conditions needed for individual atoms to come together and form exotic states of matter like superfluids and superconductors.  "Learning from this atomic model, we can unders..

  >> view original

Northern Territory government has most female represensation in cabinet in Australian history .	Scientists discover vast reef behind Great Barrier Reef .
Westpac refunds customers $20 million for foreign transaction fees .	Adelaide v North Melbourne: Kangaroos bow out, so do veterans .