On this week’s news update…

New Food Experience
Scientists create a new way to experience food…

New Coral Reefs
…two new deep-sea coral reefs are discovered…

Antarctic Drone
…and a drone that will help study the Antarctic.

First up…

Computer science students at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia have created a new and unique way to present and experience meals.

They have designed a special plate that uses a system of electrodes and a computer program to move small droplets of food around a dinner plate. The technology enables chefs to move liquid square by square along a fixed path, allowing them to experiment with their dishes by combining different flavors or putting solid and liquid items together—all before you take a bite.

By moving the food on your plate in this unusual way, chefs can add an extra creative flair to their dishes. Its creators hope this is just the beginning for interactive food experiences and that it will encourage computer scientists to learn programming by having a snack!

Up next…

Galápagos Marine Reserve

Galápagos Marine Reserve in Ecuador is one of the largest protected marine areas in the world. Now with the help of an underwater robot called SuBastian, scientists studying the area have discovered two new deep-sea coral reefs.

These reefs live on underwater cliffs at depths between 370 and 420 meters. Unlike coral reefs nearer the surface, these reefs are in a much darker and colder part of the ocean. Which is why scientists think that they may have been protected from the impact of climate change and pollution—which is why they believe the reefs are in such good condition.

In the long term, they hope that these near-perfect deep sea reefs may help them better understand the impact of climate change on coral reefs.

And Finally…

British Antarctic Survey

British Antarctic Survey is a scientific organization that monitors and studies the Antarctic. From next January, they will be testing a new kind of technology to help them carry out their scientific research.

Windracers ULTRA

Meet the Windracers ULTRA drone, which can fly distances of up to 1,000 km allowing it to travel to remote and potentially unexplored areas. Unlike most traditional aircrafts, the drone has no pilot and is instead flown by an advanced autopilot system—making it safer than sending a human crew to potentially dangerous locations for scientific research.

Special sensors on the drone will help scientists gather data from below the ice, data which they hope will help them predict how the ice may melt in the future. If the upcoming test flights are successful, this could mark a turning point in the way scientific research is carried out in the Antarctic.

One day multiple drones could even work together to gather data from larger areas than before, and their lower carbon emissions could make Antarctic research more environmentally friendly.

That's all for this week, we'll see you next time!