Latest news with #NationalScienceWeek
ABC News
a day ago
- Science
- ABC News
Lab Notes: The native ants that take down cane toads
Belinda Smith: It's National Science Week. And this year ABC Science is celebrating the slimy, bitey and downright bizarre creatures that never get featured on postcards. We're shining a spotlight on our underrated animals. And as far as I'm concerned, one of the most underrated creatures is the meat ant. When I was a kid growing up in Western Victoria, I'd often see bird or lizard carcasses absolutely crawling with meat ants, their bones being picked completely clean. Look, I know, meat ants don't sound like the most endearing creatures. But it turns out they're not just aggressive, flesh-tearing fighters. They're also farmers, architects and the best bit of all, cane-toed exterminators. Hi, I'm Belinda Smith and you're listening to Lab Notes, the ABC Radio National show that dissects the science behind new discoveries and current events. To help me convince you that meat ants are underrated is Peter Yeeles, an entomologist and ecologist at James Cook University. Alright, first things first, what are meat ants? Peter Yeeles: Yeah, so meat ants, they're only found here in Australia and only on the mainland. They're not on Tasmania. They're quite a large ant, so sort of depending on the species, they range from about 8 to 12 millimetres. And it's a species complex, so it's actually made up of between six and seven species, depending on who you speak to. But the majority of meat ants that people will see, especially in the southern part of the country, is a species called Iridomyrmex purpureus. Belinda Smith: Yeah, Iridomyrmex means rainbow ant, doesn't it? And purpureus means purple, which is really descriptive of what the ant looks like. Peter Yeeles: Yeah, yeah. So if you look at them from a distance, they just sort of look like a generic large ant with a bit of red and a bit of black. But if you look at them closely, you can see that they're sort of red on their thorax and head. They've got this amazing blue iridescence, which gives them, in combination with that red, this beautiful purple look. Belinda Smith: And they've also got some quite fearsome looking jaws on Peter Yeeles: them too. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. They don't have a sting, so instead of having a sting, they can spray chemicals as a defence. And they have large jaws, which they can use to defend themselves, their colony and also for processing food. Belinda Smith: Right, OK, the meat ant sounds more like a dinosaur and less like an ant. Are they as aggressive as I'm imagining? Peter Yeeles: They're super aggressive. They're very dominant within most of the ecosystems that they can be found in, very competitive. They get their name meat ant from their sort of propensity to strip vertebrate carcasses of meat. And even farmers used to drop dead farm animals near a meat ant nest and they'd clean it up for them. Belinda Smith: Real clean-up crew, sort of like a forensics team almost. Yeah, yeah, exactly. In a kind of grim way. So do they only eat meat? Peter Yeeles: No, so they are quite generalist in terms of what they consume. So the colony is sort of divided into two main components. You've got the worker ants, which are the ones that you see. And then back held in the colony, you've got lots of larvae. So they're the baby ants essentially. And the baby ants need lots of protein. So they consume the sort of the dead insects and things that the workers bring back and the carrion, the meat. While the worker ants primarily feed on carbohydrates, so sugars. And they get those from flowers and from tending bugs, hemipterans and aphids and things like that up in the tree canopy. Belinda Smith: Yeah, meat ants are farmers. And they're livestock are special sugar-producing insects. Peter Yeeles: They're called hemipterans or bugs, we call them bugs. They drink tree sap. So they'll sit on trees and on plants and they've got a long proboscis that they'll use to drink tree sap. But tree sap has lots of sugar in it compared to what the bugs actually need. They only need a little bit of sugar. So they sort of concentrate and expel the excess tree sap. And we call it honeydew. And ants absolutely love honeydew. So they have learned to essentially farm the hemipterans. There are species of ants that will move them around to find the best place on the plant to get the sap. They'll defend them from predators. There are even some when the queen has a mating flight, will carry a hemipteran with her for when she founds her new colony so they've already got hemipterans to start off with. Belinda Smith: Meat ants also like to feast on seeds, which is mutually beneficial for the plants and the ants. So some Peter Yeeles: seeds have like this fatty growth on it called an eliosome, which is part of the seed. But these plants have evolved to have this eliosome larger and fattier than on other plant species. And they do that to attract ants. So meat ants, for example, will pick up the seed because it's got this fatty body and they'll take it back to consume it. They'll eat the fatty body, but they don't eat the seed. The seed's got the very hard seed coat so it's not edible to the ants. So once they've eaten that fatty eliosome, they'll dispose of the seed, usually in like a garbage heap essentially, just outside the nest, and disperse that seed for the plant away from its parent. Belinda Smith: When I think of meat ants, I tend to think of their nests. They're just these beautiful rounded domes cleared of most stuff. But how big can they get? I imagine we're only just sort of seeing a tiny proportion of what a meat ant colony would look like from the surface. They Peter Yeeles: can be relatively deep, sort of up to a couple of metres, but generally their size is sort of laid out over the landscape. So most meat ants are what we call polydomous. So they'll have one queen usually, and she's held in one central nest. And then radiating out from that nest will be sort of a network of cleared pathways which have satellite nests. So they'll have multiple nests for that one colony, for that one queen. And they can be spread out over quite a large distance as well. So there's plenty of records of meat ant colonies with a series of nests that stretch over half a kilometre across. Oh my gosh. They can be quite large. They travel quite a long way as well when they're sort of foraging. So we've seen them in Western Australia travelling well over 100, 120 metres just to get food. So they can spread quite a long way from that central nest. Belinda Smith: Now are meat ants dangerous to humans or just occasionally annoying? Peter Yeeles: Yeah, they're not really dangerous, but they're just a nuisance. So often when you go camping or something like that, if you accidentally put your tent near a meat ant mound, it's pretty miserable, and I think you'd end up having to move. They've got quite a nasty bite, especially when they're very numerous and they're crawling up your legs. And Belinda Smith: they certainly know how to track down food. Peter Yeeles: They're very efficient foragers, so they'll be spreading out from those central place nests quite a long distance looking for food. And when they find food, they'll travel back to their nest, leaving a pheromone trail, which all of the nest mates will then follow back to the food to consume it as quickly as they can. Belinda Smith: This voracious foraging isn't limited to native food sources. They attack invaders too. I Peter Yeeles: think probably the most famous one would be meat ants interacting with cane toads. So some researchers at the University of Sydney found that meat ants were able to kill and consume young cane toads, which are obviously quite poisonous to most other animals that try to eat them. They found that meat ants consumed these baby cane toads, and there has been some research into looking at how those meat ants could be utilised to try and control cane toads when they're in very high densities, high populations, potentially moving meat ants to around billabongs and waterholes where the cane toads lay their spawn. Belinda Smith: How fascinating. So meat ants just don't... They're not affected by the cane toad poison at all? Peter Yeeles: No, I'm not actually aware of the mechanism. I don't know whether it's that they consume parts of the cane toad which aren't toxic, or whether they're just immune to that toxin, I'm not sure. Belinda Smith: So could the meat ant be a practical solution to a cane toad problem? Peter Yeeles: I think that the challenge involved in utilising meat ants as a control for cane toads is primarily going to be associated with moving and manipulating the locations of the ants. It's quite difficult to move ant colonies around and then have them established because they'd be moving into communities which are already established. Belinda Smith: Are you aware of any trials or any results that might have come out of...? Peter Yeeles: I'm not aware of whether that's been successful yet or not. Yeah, that's Rick Shine and Georgia Ward-Fears' work. It'll be very interesting to see though. Belinda Smith: Where does the meat ant rate in terms of your favourite ant species? Peter Yeeles: I'd probably be pretty high. I guess I'm fascinated by ants that have these abilities to influence and change the habitats that they live in. So meat ants are definitely one of those. Belinda Smith: And meat ants are definitely underrated, that's very clear. Peter Yeeles: Ants in general, they're one of the most ecologically important animals that we have. There was a famous entomologist in America who once said that if you were to remove all of the birds and mammals, many communities would continue functioning pretty much as they are now. But if you were to remove all of the ants, you'd see these sort of broad scale changes to how those communities function. Belinda Smith: That was Peter Yeeles, an entomologist and ecologist at James Cook University. And thank you for listening to Lab Notes on ABC Radio National, where every week we dissect the science behind new discoveries and current events. I'm Belinda Smith. This episode was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Menang Noongar people. Fiona Pepper's the producer, and it was mixed by Ross Richardson. Catch you next week.
IOL News
3 days ago
- Science
- IOL News
Turning Curiosity into Careers Through STEM Exposure
As we celebrate National Science Week, let us remember that the future of STEM in South Africa lies in the hands of our youth. Image: Supplied Each year, National Science Week invites South Africans to reflect on the role of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in shaping the nation's future. But as we celebrate innovation and inquiry, we must also reckon with the fact that many young people across the country still experience STEM as a distant concept. At Seriti Institute, we see STEM not just as a field of study but as a lifeline for youth in under-resourced communities who are eager to unlock opportunity, purpose, and participation in South Africa's changing economy. Our UNICEF-STEM: Awareness and Engagement Programme is one such intervention designed to bridge that gap. Despite growing recognition of the importance of STEM, South Africa continues to face deep structural challenges: Many public schools still lack essential STEM infrastructure — for instance, more than 18,000 lack laboratories and nearly 15,000 lack computer centres. According to Inside Education (2025), universities produced 5,065 fewer STEM graduates than targeted in the 2023/24 academic year, with a shortfall of 13.6%, especially concerning in critical fields like engineering and physical sciences. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading As we celebrate National Science Week, let us remember that the future of STEM in South Africa lies in the hands of our youth. Image: Supplied Many learners from townships and rural schools have never met a scientist, entered a lab, or explored STEM career options. Digital exclusion, high data costs, untrained educators, a lack of resources, and inadequate structured career guidance all compound the problem, leaving learners without the exposure, support, or confidence needed to pursue and persist in STEM education. The UNICEF-STEM Programme: Building Futures In response to these challenges, Seriti Institute, supported by UNICEF, launched the STEM: Awareness and Engagement Programme, a national initiative equipping Grade 9 to 11 learners from Quantile 1-3 schools with digital resources, career guidance, and real-world exposure to STEM careers. Through an interactive learning platform, learners explore real-world STEM careers, receive mentorship from university students and professionals, and participate in job-shadowing opportunities. The programme aims to reach over 900 learners, train 100 mentors, and empower youth from communities like Alexandra Township to envision clear career pathways and make informed subject choices. As we celebrate National Science Week, let us remember that the future of STEM in South Africa lies in the hands of our youth. Image: Supplied As we celebrate National Science Week, let us remember that the future of STEM in South Africa lies in the hands of our youth. By continuing to invest in programs like the UNICEF-STEM: Awareness and Engagement Programme, we can ensure that more young people from under-resourced communities not only dream of STEM careers but are empowered to pursue them. Together, we can help turn curiosity into lasting careers, one learner at a time. Getrude Mamabolo and Raheemah Boomberg's article explores the persistent gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) exposure for young people in under-resourced South African communities. It highlights how the UNICEF-STEM: Awareness and Engagement Programme, implemented by Seriti Institute, is bridging this gap by providing learners with digital resources, mentorship, and real-world career exposure. The piece also situates this work within the context of National Science Week, making the case for sustained investment in STEM opportunities for youth.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
How a treasured childhood memory inspired this adventure about the search for a beetle
When Joshua Thomson was growing up, the appearance of the first Christmas beetles every year was a cherished moment – they were the sign of good times to come. 'I remember it stood as a symbol of Christmas, summer, water, heat, fun, family and friends. Now, even though my family are living all over Australia, we all still share if we see one,' the Legs On The Wall artistic director says. But like so much of our natural world, the Christmas beetle is disappearing – the victim of climate change and a loss of habitat. So far the data is anecdotal as numbers are hard to pin down. The University of Sydney and Invertebrates Australia have partnered to recruit the public to do their own count to get a better idea of what is happening. But as the Australian Museum has said, even anecdotally, the evidence for their decline is 'compelling'. Thomson has spent a lifetime watching them – and he has also noticed their absence. 'Unfortunately, we're seeing them less and less,' Thomson said. The search for a Christmas beetle is at the heart of the Legs On The Wall show Beetle, co-created and directed by Thomson, in which a young girl and her new friend go hunting for the critter in her backyard. Showing at The Joan Penrith on Saturday as part of National Science Week, Beetle follows Sally and her friend as they explore their backyard in a bid to find the beetle, with insects and other animals coming to life via stunning visual effects and giant puppetry.
The Age
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
How a treasured childhood memory inspired this adventure about the search for a beetle
When Joshua Thomson was growing up, the appearance of the first Christmas beetles every year was a cherished moment – they were the sign of good times to come. 'I remember it stood as a symbol of Christmas, summer, water, heat, fun, family and friends. Now, even though my family are living all over Australia, we all still share if we see one,' the Legs On The Wall artistic director says. But like so much of our natural world, the Christmas beetle is disappearing – the victim of climate change and a loss of habitat. So far the data is anecdotal as numbers are hard to pin down. The University of Sydney and Invertebrates Australia have partnered to recruit the public to do their own count to get a better idea of what is happening. But as the Australian Museum has said, even anecdotally, the evidence for their decline is 'compelling'. Thomson has spent a lifetime watching them – and he has also noticed their absence. 'Unfortunately, we're seeing them less and less,' Thomson said. The search for a Christmas beetle is at the heart of the Legs On The Wall show Beetle, co-created and directed by Thomson, in which a young girl and her new friend go hunting for the critter in her backyard. Showing at The Joan Penrith on Saturday as part of National Science Week, Beetle follows Sally and her friend as they explore their backyard in a bid to find the beetle, with insects and other animals coming to life via stunning visual effects and giant puppetry.
IOL News
5 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
IRIS, the groundbreaking educational robot changing learning in South Africa, set for launch
Thando Gumede, founder BSG technologies, standing next to educational tutor robot, IRIS Image: Supplied A KwaZulu-Natal businessman's tech-company, BSG Technologies, has made history by becoming the first in the country to design an educational tutor robot that possesses knowledge on subjects from Grade R to tertiary level, in all 11 official languages of South Africa. The launch of the innovation is set for later this month and various government ministers and stakeholders in the science and technology and education sectors are expected to be attended. The founder of the company, Thando Gumede, said she also expected delegates from African countries who have shown interest in attending the launch. She said that this discovery, called IRIS, will revolutionise the education sector and bridge the educational gap in the country, particularly the fields of science and technology. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'This innovative robot aims to provide personalised learning, interactive lessons, and real-time feedback, empowering students to reach their full potential. We are excited to launch IRIS and share its potential with the world. We believe that every child deserves access to quality education, and IRIS is a step in the right direction towards achieving that goal,' said Gumede. She stated that Science, Technology and Innovation Deputy Minister Nomalungelo Gina will officially launch IRIS in the presence of esteemed guests, including the Durban Chamber members, Education MECs, private sector representatives, public sector representatives, delegates from Botswana, and many more organisations. Gumede, from Hluhluwe in the north-east of the province, has also founded a school, BSG Technologies Combined School, where she teaches science and technology, coding, and robotics from Grade R to 12. The school benefits pupils from the rural areas of Umkhanyakude region. She was expected to present the innovation to the delegates who will be attending the National Science Week in Durban.
