Many of the more harmful pesticides have active ingredients – such as glyphosate – that are banned or heavily restricted in other places, such as Europe.
Cyanobacterial blooms and algae are common in water bodies around the world. However, Australia is yet to monitor the growth of neurotoxins in our algae.
from www.shutterstock.com
A toxic chemical produced by algae and linked to motor neuron disease has been detected in NSW rivers. Its presence - long suspected but now confirmed - could be linked to a disease hotspot in the Riverina.
An eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis) in characteristic defensive posture. Orange spots on the snakes underside are a distinctive feature of brown snakes.
Matt Summerville
There has been at least one fatal bite from a very small brown snake in Australia. But now we know that venom is different in adult and baby brown snakes.
Blue-green algae blooms are increasing in size and frequency as global temperatures rise.
For the first time, researchers have shown that feeding vervet monkeys a toxin produced by blue-green algae resulted in protein deposits in the brain, consistent with those seen in human Alzheimer’s.
A tiger snake is milked for its venom.
Snake image from www.shutterstock.com