Behind the Paper
The real stories behind the latest research papers, from conception to publication, the highs and the lows
Developing a coral "baby food" to support early life survival
Feeding coral larvae with tailored lipid supplements — a kind of coral “baby food” — boosts their survival, strength, and settlement. This discovery offers a new pathway to improve coral restoration and resilience on the Great Barrier Reef and beyond.
Wild-type bacterial silk: a next-gen biomaterial beyond silkworm and spider silks
Discovery of “Wild Bacterial Silk” and Its Journey from the Lab to Industrial Horizons
Research published today, October 23, 2025
The forensics of mobile mRNA data in plants
This is an account of my personal journey through a project that involved many collaborators, and ended up challenging a whole research field.
Rocket Science for Spaceship Earth
When we send rockets into space, we must guide them to their destination given mission constraints. Tools from the mathematics of control theory are used to help solve this challenging problem. What can these tools tell is about how to 'steer' social-ecological-technical systems on Earth?
Developing a Marine Bioassay for Emerging Contaminants Using Haliotis midae
Our study presents a marine bioassay using Haliotis midae to evaluate the toxicity of emerging contaminants in South African coastal waters. We adapted international protocols to a local context, offering a tool for marine monitoring aligned with national and global sustainability goals.
