Travis Hale - Science & Photography https://www.travishale.com Science, Photography & the Occasional Bad Pun Sun, 13 Sep 2026 07:58:30 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://i0.wp.com/www.travishale.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/cropped-C0_TH-Initials-Side-High-Res-Black.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Travis Hale https://www.travishale.com 32 32 97947215 32: The ocean virome — viruses as ecological engineers of marine ecosystems https://www.travishale.com/32-the-ocean-virome-viruses-as-ecological-engineers-of-marine-ecosystems/ Fri, 25 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0000 https://www.travishale.com/?p=34179 With 10^30 particles in the ocean, viruses are the invisible architects of marine life. From the viral shunt that releases 150 Gt of carbon per year to the regulation of cyanobacteria, these entities control biomass and drive genetic evolution across the global ocean.]]> The ocean is home to more viruses than there are stars in the observable universe. Most of these are bacteriophages, which play a fundamental role in shaping the structure of marine microbial communities. The numbers are staggering. With roughly 10^30 marine viruses in our oceans, if they were laid end to end, they would stretch 10 million light years. For years, the extent of this…

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]]> 34179 40: IEQ and green building — do they always go together? https://www.travishale.com/40-ieq-and-green-building-do-they-always-go-together/ Fri, 25 Sep 2026 01:00:00 +0000 https://www.travishale.com/?p=33476 A building can have a 6 Star Green Star rating and still make people sick.]]> A building can have a 6 Star Green Star rating and still make people unwell. That isn't a criticism of Green Star. It's just a reflection of what the rating was designed for—and what it wasn't. Administered by the Green Building Council of Australia, Green Star assesses environmental performance across energy, water, materials, transport, land use, and the indoor environment.

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]]> 33476 31: Waterborne pathogens — what lives in water that shouldn’t, and why https://www.travishale.com/31-waterborne-pathogens-what-lives-in-water-that-shouldnt-and-why/ Wed, 23 Sep 2026 04:00:00 +0000 https://www.travishale.com/?p=34178 Waterborne diseases have shaped human history. From the cholera pandemics of the 19th century to modern cases of Cryptosporidium, understanding how bacteria, viruses, and protists move through water systems is key to public health. This post explores the science of transmission and the historical lessons that led to modern water treatment.]]> From cholera and typhoid to cryptosporidiosis and legionellosis, many of history's most devastating infectious diseases have been waterborne. Understanding how these pathogens operate is the first step in preventing them. Waterborne illnesses are caused by three primary types of microbes: bacteria, viruses, and protists. Because each behaves differently in the environment…

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]]> 34178 39: The business case for investing in IEQ https://www.travishale.com/39-the-business-case-for-investing-in-ieq/ Mon, 21 Sep 2026 01:00:00 +0000 https://www.travishale.com/?p=33475 Better IEQ costs money. So does ignoring it.]]> Better IEQ costs money. So does ignoring it. The business case for investing in indoor environmental quality is well-supported. The problem is that the cost of improvement is immediate and visible, while the benefits—productivity, health, and staff retention—rarely show up in the same column on a spreadsheet. A 2014 report from the World Green Building Council on health, wellbeing…

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]]> 33475 30: Metagenomics and the tree of life — how sequence data keeps rewriting what we know https://www.travishale.com/30-metagenomics-and-the-tree-of-life-how-sequence-data-keeps-rewriting-what-we-know/ Sun, 20 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0000 https://www.travishale.com/?p=34177 Metagenomics allows scientists to identify microbes without culturing them in a lab. From the Lokiarchaeota of the deep sea to the ultra-small CPR bacteria, sequence data is revealing missing branches of the tree of life and redefining the evolutionary relationship between archaea and eukaryotes.]]> Every few years, metagenomics uncovers an entirely new group of microbes that forces us to rethink evolutionary relationships. The tree of life is still being drafted. For decades, our knowledge of microbes was limited to those we could cultivate in a petri dish. The problem is that the vast majority of microbes simply refuse to grow in a laboratory setting. Metagenomics solved this by…

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]]> 34177 29: Microbes in groundwater — the deep aquifer microbiome https://www.travishale.com/29-microbes-in-groundwater-the-deep-aquifer-microbiome/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 04:00:00 +0000 https://www.travishale.com/?p=34176 Deep beneath the earth's surface, microbial communities survive in total darkness. From single-species ecosystems in South African gold mines to iron-reducing Geobacter, these organisms rely on chemical energy rather than sunlight. This post examines how they enter aquifers and how we can use them for groundwater bioremediation.]]> Hundreds of meters beneath the surface, within aquifers that have been shielded from sunlight for millions of years, microbial communities quietly cycle nutrients. While groundwater is often viewed simply as a filter or a reservoir, it is actually a vast biological habitat where microbes thrive under extreme pressure and total darkness. Microbes do not spontaneously appear underground…

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]]> 34176 38: What a NABERS IEQ assessment involves https://www.travishale.com/38-what-a-nabers-ieq-assessment-involves/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 01:00:00 +0000 https://www.travishale.com/?p=33474 NABERS rates buildings on energy and water. The IEQ tool is less well known.]]> NABERS is well known for rating building energy and water. The IEQ tool is less so. NABERS (the National Australian Built Environment Rating System) is the main framework for rating how commercial buildings actually perform. While most people think of it in terms of energy and water, the IEQ tool has been around since 2016. It uses the same third-party verification process to assess the…

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]]> 33474 28: Microbes in sea ice and polar oceans — life at the frozen edge https://www.travishale.com/28-microbes-in-sea-ice-and-polar-oceans-life-at-the-frozen-edge/ Tue, 15 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0000 https://www.travishale.com/?p=34175 Sea ice is far from sterile. It hosts complex microbial communities, including ice algae and psychrophilic bacteria, that drive significant primary production in polar oceans. These organisms survive in brine channels and release organic matter into the water column during seasonal melts.]]> Sea ice is far from sterile. Despite the cold, salinity, and limited light, it serves as a vibrant habitat for a surprisingly diverse microbial community. For decades, the frozen expanses of the poles were viewed as largely lifeless, with conditions appearing too hostile to support survival. This perception shifted in the 1980s. Researchers discovered extensive microbial communities…

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]]> 34175 37: Reading an air quality report — what the numbers mean https://www.travishale.com/37-reading-an-air-quality-report-what-the-numbers-mean/ Mon, 14 Sep 2026 01:00:00 +0000 https://www.travishale.com/37-reading-an-air-quality-report-what-the-numbers-mean/ You've got an air quality report. Here's how to make sense of it.]]> If you've got an air quality report, here is how to make sense of the numbers. IEQ reports can be dozens of pages of tables and instrument readings. For people who aren't specialists, knowing what to focus on and what the numbers actually mean is half the battle. Here are some of the key parameters and what to look for: CO2: Measured in parts per million (ppm).

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]]> 33473 27: Microbes and water treatment — how biology cleans our water https://www.travishale.com/27-microbes-and-water-treatment-how-biology-cleans-our-drinking-water/ Sun, 13 Sep 2026 04:00:00 +0000 https://www.travishale.com/?p=34174 Water treatment is as much about biology as it is about chemistry. From the activated sludge process to the nitrogen cycle, specific microbes remove the vast majority of organic pollutants. This post explains the biological mechanisms that keep tap water safe and the emerging challenge of antibiotic resistance genes.]]> Making tap water safe to drink relies heavily on microbial activity. While we often imagine water treatment as a simple sequence of filters and chlorine tanks, the most critical work is actually performed through biological treatment and bacterial metabolism. While the concept of treating water isn't new, our grasp of the underlying biology has evolved significantly. In the 1860s…

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