A massive reef was just discovered hiding behind the Great Barrier Reef and other top stories.

• A massive reef was just discovered hiding behind the Great Barrier Reef

  Australian researchers have investigated signs of geological structures hidden behind the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, and have found a much deeper reef spanning more than 6,000 square kilometres (2,316 square miles). New seafloor maps of the area have revealed a vast, underwater field of doughnut-shaped mounds, each one measuring 200 to 300 metres (656 to 984 feet) across, and some as much as 30 metres deep.  Scientists have seen hints of this enormous reef for over 30 years, but until no..

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• Larger Stars Can Still Have Gas-Rich Debris Disks, Says Study

  

  Contrary to their expectations, astronomers have discovered large young sun-like stars with abundant reservoirs of carbon monoxide gas in their debris disks. They also found sun-like stars with lower mass and non-existent gas in their debris disks ...

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• Grain growers keep close eye on Russian wheat aphid spread

  

  Grain growers keep close eye on Russian wheat aphid spread Posted August 29, 2016 15:02:49 Grain growers are keeping a close eye on warming temperatures, with the onset of spring likely to increase the number of Russian wheat aphid sightings. The Russian wheat aphid was first discovered in Australia in June, and has now spread across much of south-eastern Australia. The pest can destroy up to 100 per cent of barley crops and 80 per cent of wheat crops. Initially found..

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• Cops use tinnie to catch armed man

  

  AN alleged criminal thought he had ‘got off the hook’ when he fled into a Palm Beach canal after running through residents’ yards armed with a knife on the weekend. But a group of quick thinking Gold Coast police managed to borrow a teenager’s “tinnie” and gaff hook to nab the man by the pants and drag him back to shore.Footage captured by a nearby resident on Sunday morning, shows the moment police made the unusual arrest armed with only a life jacket and fishing gear.media_cameraPolice command..

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• Climate change could cut coffee production up to 50pc by 2050, report shows

  

  Climate change could cut coffee production up to 50pc by 2050, report shows By Josephine Asher Updated August 29, 2016 12:54:22 Coffee production could be cut by up to 50 per cent in a few decades because of the effects of climate change, a report has found.The coffee industry is worth $19 billion worldwide, with more than 2.25 billion cups of coffee consumed every day and nearly half of all Australians drinking coffee regularly.But the report, A Brewing Storm, sh..

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• HI-SEAS mission: These guys just spent a year on Mars (sort of)

  

  HI-SEAS mission: These guys just spent a year on Mars (sort of) Updated August 29, 2016 12:31:31 Imagine it was your job to live in Hawaii for a year. That wouldn't be so bad, right?But what if instead of a tropical beach, you were placed on a rocky, barren plain chosen for its resemblance to Mars? And what if you couldn't move about freely, but were instead largely confined to a small structure with only limited contact with the outside world?That's been the experience..

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• Southern hairy-nosed wombat makes rare appearance in South Australia's north

  

  Southern hairy-nosed wombat makes rare appearance in South Australia's north By Khama Reid Updated August 29, 2016 08:52:48 A southern hairy-nosed wombat has been spotted in South Australia's north, believed to be the first sighting of the creature in the area in more than 50 years.Andamooka resident Katalin Wilby said she and her son spotted it about 15 kilometres out of Andamooka about a week ago, as they were driving home from Roxby Downs."I was quite surprised..

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• Juno completes closest ever Jupiter fly-by

  

  NASA's Juno, the spacecraft on a Jupiter mission, has successfully completed its first of 36 orbital fly-bys of Jupiter, coming closer to the giant planet than any man-made object before it.The time of the closest approach was on Saturday at 1.44pm GMT, when Juno passed about 4200 kilometres above Jupiter's clouds, the US space agency said on its website.At that time, Juno was travelling at a speed of 208,000km per hour.Juno was launched on August 5, 2011, and arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016...

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