Researchers have deciphered the diet of an important nomadic people in Eastern European history.
By analysing dental calculus, the international team – which included Griffith University researchers – provide the first direct evidence that the diet of the Scythians included milk from horses and other ruminants.
Supervisor and co-author Dr Shevan Wilkin.
For centuries, the Scythians had been immortalised as an empire of horse-back warrior nomads from the Iron Age steppe.
However, recent genetic and isotopic studies had begun to dismantle this myth, revealing the ‘Scythians’ were not a single group, but a diverse, multi-ethnic population of heterogenous origins with population differences in their regimes ranging from pastoralism to agriculturalism.
Building on this shifting narrative, a new study in PLOS One offers the most detailed look yet at the dietary practices of Scythian-era populations.
By applying advanced paleo-proteomic analysis to ancient dental calculus (mineralised plaque) from individuals from Bilsk and Mamai-Gora in modern-day Ukraine, an international research team identified species-specific evidence of dairy consumption through whey, curd, and milk-fat-globule membrane proteins derived from ruminant – such as cattle, sheep, and goats – and horses.
“Finding horse milk proteins in ancient plaque from Scythian era individuals is a major breakthrough,” said Jaruschka Pecnik, first author of the study and PhD Candidate supervised by Dr Shevan Wilkin from Griffith University’s Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution.
“It proves that horses were part of their food system, but the scarcity of these findings raises questions about whether this reflects a preservation bias or a cultural pattern – perhaps a status-based hierarchy or a specific division of livestock functionality.”
“Dental calculus is a remarkable reservoir of personal history,” Dr Wilkin added.
“By capturing the proteins consumed, we can move beyond generalisations about subsistence strategies to reveal the actual food that was consumed due to the constant mineralisation of dental plaque throughout a person’s lifetime.”
Dr Shevan Wilkin
While the study provided evidence for equine dairy consumption, the researchers noted the journey to understanding Scythian food systems was just beginning.
The research team emphasised future studies would need to assess the dental calculus of a much larger number of individuals across the Eurasian steppe to resolve current questions and further clarify the dynamic, multi-faceted food systems of the Iron Age steppe people.
Griffith University’s commitment to teaching and student education has been acknowledged in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by Subject 2026, with business and economics jumping closer to the top 100 in the world.
Business and Economics improved on its 2025 ranking of 126-150 and has jumped to 101-125.
Dean (Sustainability and Rankings) Professor Jennifer Boddy
Dean (Sustainability and Rankings) Professor Jennifer Boddy was thrilled with the rankings, a credit to the University’s work following Griffith Business School’s (GBS) global recognition of an EQUIS accreditation in 2024, which placed GBS amongst the top one per cent of business schools in the world.
“The THE rankings signifies to the world our reputation as a leading institute not just for business, but also across a raft of subjects, exemplifying Griffith’s commitment to making it matter,” Professor Boddy said.
Alongside Business and Economics, Griffith also saw four other subjects improve their global rankings.
Physical sciences was now in the top 201-250 in the world, and Social Sciences saw a jump to the 126-150 bracket.
Arts and Humanities was ranked 251-300, an improvement on its 2025 ranking of 301-400.
Computer science also improved on last year’s result with a 2026 ranking of 176-200.
The THE World University Rankings by Subject 2026 evaluates universities across 11 subject areas employing 18 performance indicators categorised under five core pillars of:
Teaching
Research environment
Research quality
Industry
International outlook
Professor Christoph Nedopil
China’s global economic footprint through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) reached its highest level on record in 2025, according to the China Belt and Road Initiative Investment Report 2025 by Christoph Nedopil.
The report shows total Chinese engagement of USD 213.5 billion across BRI countries in 2025, driven by USD 128.4 billion in construction contracts and USD 85.2 billion in investments. This marks the strongest annual performance since the BRI was launched in 2013, bringing cumulative engagement to almost USD 1.4 trillion.
Energy dominated China’s overseas activity, accounting for 43 per cent of total BRI engagement. China’s energy-related deals reached USD 93.9 billion, combining record investment in renewable energy with a sharp resurgence in oil and gas. While green energy projects in wind, solar and waste-to-energy reached new highs, fossil fuel engagement—particularly gas—expanded even faster, underscoring the complex and sometimes contradictory nature of China’s overseas energy strategy.
The metals and mining sector also reached record levels, with USD 32.6 billion in engagement, reflecting growing demand for critical minerals such as copper to support data centres, electrification and emerging technologies. Technology and manufacturing investments surged to nearly USD 28.7 billion, with major projects in data centres, electric vehicle batteries and hydrogen.
Regionally, Africa emerged as the largest recipient of BRI engagement, recording a 283 per cent increase to USD 61.2 billion. Central Asia saw a sharp rise in investment, led by large-scale mining and processing projects in Kazakhstan, while engagement in the Pacific fell to its lowest level in a decade.
The report finds that large, high-value projects now dominate BRI activity, signalling a clear shift away from the “small but beautiful” projects promoted during the COVID period. Private Chinese firms led investment activity in 2025, while state-owned enterprises continued to dominate construction contracts.
Looking ahead, the report anticipates continued Chinese engagement in energy, mining and new technologies in 2026, shaped by global trade volatility, supply chain pressures and the search for new export markets—though with fewer megadeals than in 2025.
Find out more
If you would like to know more about the outcomes of the report, join Christoph Nedopil online to discuss the report in detail in a webinar on Tuesday, 22 January at 6:00pm (AEST).
Griffith University researchers may have unlocked the secret to treating sepsis, with a Phase II clinical trial in China successfully concluding with promising results.
Distinguished Professor Mark von Itzstein AO
The sepsis drug candidate, a carbohydrate-based drug called STC3141, was co-developed by Distinguished Professor Mark von Itzstein AO and his team from Griffith’s Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, and Professor Christopher Parish and his team at The Australian National University.
“The trial met the key endpoints to indicate the drug candidate was successful in reducing sepsis in humans,” Professor von Itzstein said.
STC3141 was administered as an infusion via a cannula and counteracted a significant biological molecule release phenomenon which occurred in the body during the course of sepsis.
The small-molecule experimental drug was a carbohydrate-based molecule and could treat sepsis by reversing organ damage.
Sepsis was known to affect millions of hospitalised patients across the world each year and occurred when the body’s immune response to an infection attacked and injured its own tissues and organs.
“When sepsis is not recognised early and managed promptly, it can lead to septic shock, multiple organ failure and death,” Distinguished Professor von Itzstein said.
The trial, conducted by Grand Pharmaceutical Group Limited (Grand Pharma), involved 180 patients with sepsis, one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide.
Currently, there is no specific anti-sepsis therapy available, and sepsis is considered a clinical unmet need.
Professor von Itzstein said Grand Pharma would now look to progress to a Phase III trial to continue testing the efficacy of the novel treatment.
“It’s hoped we could see the treatment reach the market in a handful years, potentially saving millions of lives,” he said.
Executive Director of the Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, Professor Paul Clarke, said: “I am thrilled to see the results of the trial which ultimately aims to save lives.”
“The Institute and its researchers collectively work on translational research to deliver real and immediate impacts both in Australia, and globally to transform lives.”
A faulty ion channel function is a consistent biological feature of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), providing long-awaited validation for hundreds of thousands of Australians living with the debilitating illness.
The new Griffith University research found a crucial cellular structure responsible for calcium transport, the TRPM3 ion channel, was faulty in immune cells from people with ME/CFS.
Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik
Director and senior author, Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik from Griffith’s National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED), said the TRPM3 played an essential role in calcium transport into cells, regulating responses properly in the body, immune function, and maintaining normal cellular balance.
“When it fails, cells cannot function properly as calcium signalling is essential for healthy immune cell activity,” Professor Marshall-Gradisnik said.
“Our findings provide clear and definitive scientific evidence that TRPM3 ion channels are not working properly in people with ME/CFS.”
Using a gold-standard technique, the team confirmed a significant and reproducible reduction in TRPM3 activity in ME/CFS patients compared with healthy individuals, regardless of location, laboratory, or operator.
Professor Marshall-Gradisnik said reproducing results in another laboratory more than 4,000 kilometres apart showed just how robust this discovery was.
PhD candidate Etianne Sasso
Lead author Dr Etianne Sasso said the discovery strengthened global scientific efforts to understand ME/CFS and validated the lived experiences of patients who had long struggled for recognition.
“These results provide further evidence for developing a diagnostic test for ME/CFS, and will also guide us toward new therapeutic targets, which could eventually lead to treatments which improve cellular function and overall quality of life for patients,” she said.
Dr Sasso said people with ME/CFS had been facing stigma, disbelief and uncertainty, and the research showed their cells behaved differently in measurable ways.
“The faulty ion channels act like ‘stuck doors’, preventing cells from receiving the calcium they need,” she said.
Dr Peter Smith, a clinician who treats ME/CFS patients, said the findings were an important step forward for medical practice.
“This research provides concrete biological evidence that supports what patients have been describing for decades,” he said.
“Knowing there is a measurable cellular dysfunction helps us recognise ME/CFS as a legitimate medical condition and improves confidence in patient care.
“This breakthrough brings real hope for future treatment options.”
ME/CFS symptoms included profound, persistent exhaustion; post-exertional malaise, pain, cognitive difficulties, dizziness, temperature instability and sensory sensitivity, severely restricting day-to-day functioning, education, employment and social participation.
The study was conducted across independent laboratory sites on the Gold Coast and in Perth, with participants recruited from South East Queensland, North East New South Wales, and Western Australia.
The study received funding support from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the Stafford Fox Medical Research Foundation.
The paper ‘Large-scale investigation confirms TRPM3 ion channel dysfunction in ME/CFS’ has been published in Frontiers in Medicine.
New research led by Griffith University is shedding light on the growing strain public liability insurance is placing on Australia’s visitor economy, with early findings pointing to systemic challenges beyond the control of individual businesses.
The study, part of the national THRIVE 2030 visitor economy strategy, examines the underlying architecture of insurance for tourism operators and identifies pathways to improve affordability and access across the sector.
Initial insights reveal that while businesses can strengthen internal practices such as risk management and reporting, the most significant drivers of rising insurance costs are external. These include the escalating impact of climate change on the frequency and severity of natural disasters, as well as ongoing global uncertainty following the COVID-19 pandemic. Within Australia, the issue has been intensified by post-pandemic economic conditions. With many operators facing cost-of-living pressures, businesses have limited ability to absorb or pass on higher premiums—leaving insurance costs as a growing constraint on day-to-day operations and long-term viability.
The research highlights that several parts of the visitor economy are disproportionately affected, including caravan parks, event venues, festivals, attractions, adventure tourism operators, amusement rides and agritourism businesses. For many in these sectors, insurance affordability is emerging as a critical barrier to growth and, in some cases, continued operation. Led by Griffith University PhD scholar Fiona Antonucci, the project is co-funded by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and brings together expertise from across academia and industry. The research team includes Professor Sarah Gardiner, Director of the Griffith Institute for Tourism, Professor Basak Denizci Guillet, and CSIRO economist Professor George Verikios.
The findings are expected to inform a series of policy recommendations and industry-focused outputs aimed at improving the availability and affordability of public liability insurance. By identifying practical reforms and innovative approaches, the research seeks to support a more resilient and sustainable future for Australia’s visitor economy. Industry input will continue to play a role in shaping the final outcomes, ensuring the research reflects the real-world challenges and priorities of tourism operators across the country.
Could we – that is, Homo sapiens – and an archaic and now-extinct species of early human have lived alongside each other on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi more than 65,000 years ago?
This is the question posed by an international team of archaeologists after several seasons of excavations at Leang Bulu Bettue, a limestone cave in the Maros-Pangkep karst area of southern Sulawesi.
And, if it turns out the answer to this conundrum confirms the overlapping timelines of our species and another type of human, could they have met and interacted with each other?
The results of this new study, led by Griffith University and published in PLOS One, reveal, for the first time, a deep sequence of archaeological deposits extending to at least eight metres below the current ground surface – layers that preserve traces of human activity far older than the arrival of our own species on Sulawesi.
In contrast, modern humans (Homo sapiens) are thought to have reached the island at some stage prior to the initial peopling of Australia about 65,000 years ago.
“The depth and continuity of the cultural sequence at Leang Bulu Bettue now positions this cave as a flagship site for investigating whether these two human lineages overlapped in time,” said Griffith PhD candidate Basran Burhan, an archaeologist from South Sulawesi, who led the study under supervisor Professor Adam Brumm from Griffith University’s Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution (ARCHE).
Excavations conducted since 2013, with funding from the Australian Research Council and Griffith University, revealed a uniquely long and well-preserved record of human occupation, with the deepest and oldest such evidence dating to earlier than 132,300-208,400 thousand years ago.
Among the most striking findings of this early human occupation was evidence for animal butchery and stone artefact production – including distinctive, heavy-duty stone tools known as ‘picks’ – all made long before our species had left Africa.
“These activities appear to represent an archaic hominin cultural tradition that persisted on Sulawesi well into the Late Pleistocene,” Professor Brumm said.
“By around 40,000 years ago, however, the archaeological record shows a dramatic shift.”
An earlier occupation phase, defined by cobble-based core and flake technologies, and faunal assemblages dominated by dwarf bovids (anoas, labrador-sized wild cattle that are endemic to Sulawesi) alongside now-extinct Asian straight-tusked elephants, was replaced by a new cultural phase.
“This later phase featured a distinct technological toolkit, and the earliest known evidence for artistic expression and symbolic behaviour on the island – hallmarks associated with modern humans,” Mr Burhan said.
“The distinct behavioural break between these phases may reflect a major demographic and cultural transition on Sulawesi, specifically the arrival of our species in the local environment and the replacement of the earlier hominin population.”
PhD Candidate Basran Burhan
The research team suggested Leang Bulu Bettue could provide the first direct archaeological evidence for chronological overlap – and possible interaction – between earlier humans and Homo sapiens in Wallacea.
These findings highlighted the critical importance of Sulawesi for understanding human evolution in Island Southeast Asia, and opened new avenues for exploring how different human species coexisted, adapted, then disappeared.
“That is why doing archaeological research in Sulawesi is so exciting,” Professor Brumm said.
“For example, you could dig as deep as you like at an Australian site and you’ll never find evidence for human occupation prior to the arrival of our species, because Australia was only ever inhabited by Homo sapiens.
“But there were hominins in Sulawesi for a million years before we showed up, so if you dig deep enough, you might go back in time to the point where two human species came face-to-face.”
To add to the anticipation, the team has also not yet reached the bottom of the cultural deposits at the site.
“There may be several more metres of archaeological layers below the deepest level we have excavated at Leang Bulu Bettue thus far,” Mr Burhan said.
“Further work at this site could therefore reveal new discoveries that will change our understanding of the early human story on this island, and perhaps more widely.”
Maintaining a bedroom temperature of 24°C at night while sleeping reduces stress responses in older adults, according to new Griffith University research.
Dr Fergus O’Connor
Dr Fergus O’Connor from Griffith’s School of Allied Health, Sport and Social Work assessed the effect of increasing nighttime bedroom temperatures on heart rate and stress responses in older adults.
“For individuals aged 65 years and over, maintaining overnight bedroom temperatures at 24°C reduced the likelihood of experiencing heightened stress responses during sleep,” Dr O’Connor said.
“When the human body is exposed to heat, its normal physiological response is to increase the heart rate.
“The heart is working harder to try and circulate blood to the skin surface for cooling.
“However, when the heart works harder and for longer, it creates stress and limits our capacity to recover from the previous day’s heat exposure.”
Study participants wore fitness activity trackers on their non-dominant wrist, and the bedroom temperature was monitored via installed temperature sensors throughout the Australian summer-long data collection period.
The data from the study provided the first real-world evidence of the effect of increasing bedroom temperature had on heart rate and stress responses.
“Climate change is increasing the frequency of hot nights, which may independently contribute to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality by impairing sleep and autonomic recovery,” Dr O’Connor said.
“While there are guidelines for maximum daytime indoor temperature, 26°C, there are no equivalent recommendations for nighttime conditions.”
The paper ‘Effect of nighttime bedroom temperature on heart rate variability in older adults: an observational study’ has been published in BMC Medicine.07
Integrating nature-based therapies into clinical health care could help to address global declines in mental health, a Griffith University study published in Nature Mental Health has found.
With global rates of stress, anxiety and depression continuing to rise, researchers found the delivery of nature-guided experiences through existing healthcare frameworks would offer a scalable, evidence-based solution.
Lead author Professor Emeritus Ralf Buckley from the School of Environment and Science said the mental health benefits of exposure to nature were well documented, but access remained limited.
School of Environment and Science Professor Emeritus Ralf Buckley.
“Nature-based therapies are not currently funded anywhere in the world as a national-scale response to poor mental health,” Professor Buckley said.
“For those who could benefit, barriers such as cost, mobility, distance, and psychological challenges often prevent access, and these could be overcome by embedding nature therapy into clinical healthcare.
“Evidence shows one-third of urban residents in developed nations andtwo-thirds in newly industrialised countries never visit national parks.”
Co-author Professor Paula Brough from the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing said the findings make a case for nature-based clinical mental healthcare to sit alongside existing treatments such as medication and counselling under the banner of occupational therapy.
Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing Director Professor Paula Brough
“Occupational therapy is a well-established allied health profession, supported by current funding and regulatory frameworks, and it could provide a practical pathway for individuals with clinically diagnosed mental health conditions to engage in nature-based therapy,” Professor Brough said.
“Evidence shows exposure to nature improves mental health conditions, but nature experiences designed to improve mental health are not yet incorporated in regulated clinical healthcare.
“Nature-based treatment requires multiple hours of exposure on a regular basis, and sessions are typically guided by a therapist or facilitator, conducted in small groups, for several hours each week over a sustained period.”
As a young research assistant more than 30 years ago, Professor Mark Kennard joined Professor Brad Pusey in Far North Queensland to explore the humid, dense and remote catchments of the Bloomfield River.
The purpose of this 1993 fieldwork was to survey the little-known Bloomfield River fish fauna as part of a larger study of the freshwater fish diversity of the Wet Tropics of Queensland, following its declaration as a World Heritage Area in 1988.
Professors Brad Pusey and Mark Kennard electrofishing in the early 1990s.
What they ended up discovering during this rugged mission was entirely unforeseen.
“It’s not every day you get to uncover a new species, but Brad and I did just that on this trip more than three decades ago,” said Professor Kennard, who is now Deputy Director of Griffith University’s Australian Rivers Institute.
“We camped every night for three rainy months to sample most rivers of the Wet Tropics.
“That’s when we collected this little fish with a blue-green tinge that we hadn’t seen before; we didn’t know what it was, it didn’t ‘key out’ in a taxonomic sense.
“Once we got a preserved sample back to the lab and analysed it, we knew it was a new species, which is really exciting as a scientist.”
Introducing the Bloomfield River cod
Scientifically named Guyu wujalwujalensis by Professors Kennard and Pusey in recognition of the region’s Traditional Owners, the Kuku-Yalanji Aboriginal people and nearby Wujal Wujal community on the Bloomfield River, the Bloomfield River cod is one of Australia’s rarest and most geographically isolated freshwater fish.
Jabalbina Ranger Eric Murgha holds a Bloomfield River cod.
From the team’s previous survey work, the species is currently found only within a small section of the Bloomfield River channel and some tributary streams, and is the only tropical representative of its family, 1,500km north of its nearest relative.
“But there is still so much we don’t know about it,” said Professor Pusey, now an Adjunct researcher at the Australian Rivers Institute.
“From a sample of 10 individuals, we know what it ate – that’s about it. We need to learn more about their ecology, distribution, reproduction and genetics.
“We need to know these things to better understand and manage the impacts of invasive species and of floods.
“We’re now getting a better idea of their habitat requirements, such as the large, tumbled rock slabs they like to dwell within.
“But that’s not a lot to know about a little fish, and certainly not a lot at present to ensure its continued survival.”
Humble beginnings to multi-partner project
Now, with a renewed focus on managing the Wet Tropics of Queensland, the Bloomfield River cod research project is supported by the Australian Government through the National Environmental Science Program (Resilient Landscapes Hub) and through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
The field research teams from Griffith University and James Cook University were supported on site by the Jabalbina-Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation Rangers and Terrain Natural Resource Management.
The collaborative project, led by Professor Kennard of Griffith University in partnership with Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation and stakeholders, aims to inform management and conservation of this rare and threatened fish species, and manage these threats through science and Traditional Owner knowledge.
Eastern Kuku-Yalanji Traditional Owner Bobby Kulka.
Bobby Kulka, Eastern Kuku-Yalanji Traditional Owner, said working with the scientific research team and project partners had been vital to supporting two-way learning between traditional custodians and scientists, and increase awareness within their communities and skills to care for the species.
“We had no notion of the species until we started working with the research team,” Mr Kulka said.
“It’s been really important, now that we know they’re here and that they’re thriving, we can take that knowledge down to the younger generation and into the schools.
“This is our fish, and we need to take care of them, look after the ecosystem, and be proud of the work that’s going on.
“We all learn so much from each other and it’s vital for the species; they’ve been here for a long time and we want them to be here for a long time.”
Why is this little cod special?
The Bloomfield River cod is isolated to the river between the downstream Bloomfield Falls and the upstream Roaring Meg Falls.
As such, it has one of the most geographically limited distributions of any of the region’s freshwater fishes.
A Bloomfield River cod caught by Professor Mark Kennard and Brad Pusey in the 1990s.
It is thought to be a relict species and may date back to the early Miocene around 20 million years ago.
It could represent what remains of a previously more widespread fauna that is now confined to temperate and sub-tropical regions.
However, recent threats, including the introduction of non-native fish and extreme flood events (such as Tropical Cyclone Jasper in 2023), are putting the species at risk.
Professor Kennard said its population was highly vulnerable due to its isolation, likely low genetic diversity, and potential inability to cope with introduced species or extreme events.
“It’s a relict, ancient population that’s never had to deal with more modern threats coming into the catchments,” he said.
“So, we need better knowledge to help us understand what we can do to maintain this unique species into the future, and working with the Jabalbina Yalanji Indigenous Rangers is a wonderful way to help achieve that.”
Into the wild with new technology
From multiple sampling trips in recent years, the research team has now surveyed more locations throughout the Bloomfield River catchment, finding the cod in previously unexplored stream sites thanks to the guidance of the Jabalbina Rangers team in Wujal Wujal.
When Professors Pusey and Kennard first discovered the cod during their 1993 fieldwork, surveying sites and sampling was much more challenging without the use of modern technologies routinely used today.
Wujal Wujal Falls.
In those days, the team relied on paper topographic maps for navigation and sampled the fish with a bucket, nets and a very heavy backpack electric fishing device.
“When Brad and I did this 30 years ago, it was just the two of us in a vehicle – we were probably lucky to make it back out,” Professor Kennard said.
“This kind of science is not possible without our team of collaborators and our Jabalbina Rangers team.
“We’re working in quite a remote part of northern Australia on their country; it’s a long drive in, but it wouldn’t be possible to explore these beautiful creeks, rainforests and eucalypt forests without these teams behind us.”
During their most recent fieldwork, the research team from both Griffith and JCU employed the use of electrofishing, underwater cameras and snorkelling, drones and environmental DNA sampling to determine the distribution and abundance of fish species in the river.
They also recorded data on water quality and habitat conditions, and collected samples of the Bloomfield River cod and its food sources for later laboratory analysis.
“The damaging effects of extreme floods associated with Tropical Cyclone Jasper were clearly evident, with significant damage to riverbank vegetation,” Professor Kennard said.
The stream channel had also been greatly scoured with a substantial loss of submerged wood, leading to a significant change in fish habitat structure.”
Cyclone and flooding impacts to the scoured catchments and riparian vegetation can be seen from above.
Compounded with the storm’s wake, the presence of three new introduced fish species posed an increasing threat.
Two of these species – Tully grunter (Hephaestus tulliensis) and eel-tailed catfish (Tandanus tropicanus), were native to other rivers of the Wet Tropics region, and the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) – had been introduced from overseas.
“It is unknown how, why or when these species were introduced into the Bloomfield River, but all three are now very widespread and abundant,” Professor Kennard said.
“There is therefore no doubt they pose a significant risk to the Bloomfield River cod, through competition for food and space, and the potential for predation on cod eggs and larvae.”
In the lab and beyond
With fish, water and potential food sources sampled, the next stage of the project is to find missing pieces of the Bloomfield River cod puzzle, including their genetic diversity and biology, adding exponentially to the limited knowledge of this little-known species.
Dr Kaitlyn O’Mara processes invertebrate samples, which will could determine the Bloomfield River cod’s diet.
“Working in the labs with our genetics colleagues at Griffith University, we’re hoping to be able to answer some of those questions – how many are there, what is their distribution, how genetically diverse is their population, how long do they live, when do they reproduce, what do they eat, what external factors impact them?” Professor Kennard said.
“Can we get some signals from its very interesting past by sampling its DNA in the present?”
Findings from these analyses being undertaken at both Griffith University and James Cook University are expected to be completed in 2026.
Professor Kennard hoped these outcomes would inform next steps for on-ground conservation management to ensure the persistence of the Bloomfield River cod well into the future.
Professors Brad Pusey and Mark Kennard during the recent trip.
In the interim, the research team is developing a bespoke monitoring method the Jabalbina Rangers can use to track the health of Bloomfield River cod populations and their critical habitats long after the project is finished, for “their own species in their own country”.
As to why the nation and the world should know and care about this unassuming, little fish tucked away in the Far North of Australia, Professor Pusey said the risk of losing yet another faunal species to human impacts was far too great to ignore.
“It’s a really significant part of the biodiversity of Australia, and it’s a significant part of the evolutionary history of the fauna; it’s from a southern family, it is surprising it’s up here given the current distribution of the other members of its family,” he said.
“Yes, it is only a little fish, but it’s important in its own right.
“I would liken it to say ‘why worry about tigers, or pandas’ – they’re big and charismatic, sure; but these little fish, even without the charismatic aspect for a lot of people, are equally deserving of protection.
“We shouldn’t be causing the loss of more species, simply because we subjectively place a higher value on them than others.
“So, there is a chance here to do something of really great value.”
