Month: August 2022

Categories
Business

Australian tech company Appen’s future uncertain as shares plunge by 27 per cent

Australian tech company Appen's future uncertain as shares plunge by 27 per cent

Shares for an Australian tech company have plunged after their earnings were 69 per cent lower than expected.

On Tuesday, Sydney-based artificial intelligence firm Appen posted its results for the first half of 2022, but that had a detrimental impact on its share price.

The company, which provides important data to tech giants around the world including Facebook, Google and Amazon, has been struggling in recent months.

According to The Australian, when its earnings were taken into account before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization, it had made 69 per cent less than the same period the year before.

Appen generated $8.5 million in net profit over the last six months compared to $12.5 million in the same like period in 2021.

To top that off, the Aussie firm also posted a net loss of $3.8 million.

In total, it suffered a revenue drop of seven per cent to $182.9 million.

As a result, Appen’s share price dropped 27.3 per cent to $4.15 on Tuesday. At time of writing on Wednesday morning, it had recovered slightly, up by two per cent to come in at $4.24.

Appen’s CEO Mark Brayan blamed the poor performance on global market conditions as well as a weaker appetite for digital advertising.

During the earnings call, Mr Brayan said, per the Sydney Morning Herald: “With no improvement in July trading, there remains uncertainty about a continued slowdown of spending from our global customers and their exposure to weaker digital advertising demand.

“As a result, the conversion of forward orders to sales is less certain this year compared to prior years.”

Mr Brayan added in a statement to the ASX that conditions were “challenging” and that they were seeing a “flow-on effect” as customers spent less on advertising.

With lessening demand for their services, Appen also revealed that costs had blown out as the day to day running of the business became more expensive.

It cited investment in product and technology, heightened employee expenses, recruitment, and IT costs as another avenue where money was lost.

Like many other tech companies around the world, Appen has taken a dive, as its share price has fallen 62 per cent this year following massive gains at the height of the pandemic.

At their peak, Appen’s shares were worth around $43.50, back in August 2020. It is now trading at $4.24.

Appen first started on a downward trend in June, after its rival, Canadian IT firm Telus, scuppered a takeover deal.

The Canadian business had proposed a $9.50-per-share takeover bid for Appen, which would have made the Australian company worth $1.2 billion.

It’s unknown why Telus canned the deal.

News.com.au has contacted Appen for comment.

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Categories
Sports

Electrify 2515 plan to subsidize renewable energy, EV car lease in Illawarra suburb

A man and woman holding a child stand in front of a modest home with solar panel roof.

Low carbon emission enthusiasts have launched a scheme to create a fully electrified community, located in the northern Illawarra south of Sydney.

A call has gone out for homes in the postcode 2515 — covering Thirroul, Austinmer, Coledale, Wombarra Scarborough and Clifton — to sign up and potentially receive financial subsidies to convert to solar panels and install a battery, electric cooking, heating, and hot water. lease an electric car.

The scheme was the brainchild of Dr Saul Griffith, engineer and founder of Rewiring Australia and Rewiring America, who has been a climate adviser to US president Joe Biden and now lives locally.

Trent Janson from Electrify 2515 said the aim initially was to get 500 households to go fully electric.

“So taking your energy from the sun with solar panels, storing it in a battery then transitioning your cooking, space heating and water heating to fully electric and then last of all the big one is transitioning to an electric vehicle,” Mr Janson said.

“We chose this community because we are from this community.

“We know people here, we feel like we have the ability to mobilize this community and to bring them along.

“We also know there is a really high Greens vote here and there is a really large appetite for a project like this.”

He said Mr Griffith had already calculated the potential reduction in emissions.

“As Saul says, if we were to fully electrify all the homes in Australia we would cut our carbon footprint, he says from 28 to 42 per cent and if you include small businesses it’s between like 45 and 72 per cent.”

Saul Griffith standing in front of white background with arms crossed
Dr Saul Griffith says Australia is well placed to lead the world in electrification.(Supplied: Rewiring Australia)

Saul Griffith on his website said Electrify 2515 would potentially be the first of many areas to adopt the program.

“This would be a world first demonstration of full electrification that brings to light the abundant future available if Australia invests in the decarbonisation of its household infrastructure,” he said.

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Categories
US

Blake Masters wins Arizona’s GOP primary for Senate, will take on Democrat Mark Kelly

Blake Masters wins Arizona's GOP primary for Senate, will take on Democrat Mark Kelly

Chandler, Ariz. — Republican Blake Masters won the GOP primary for Senate in the crucial swing state of Arizona on Tuesday, NBC News has projected, and will face Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in the fall.

With more than three-quarters of the vote in, Masters led the primary race Wednesday morning with 39 percent of the vote.

The projected Republican nominee won a hard-fought race that features several leading candidates who have embraced former President Donald Trump. He has scored Trump’s endorsement and has touted it in campaign speeches and TV ads. The limited polling in the run-up to the primary showed Masters with an edge against businessman Jim Lamon and state Attorney General Mark Brnovich, the other major candidates.

Kelly, meanwhile, cruised to a primary victory after running unopposed for the Democratic nomination as he seeks re-election. He was projected by NBC News to win the nomination shortly after polls closed in Arizona.

Kelly was not in Arizona to watch the results come in. He was in Washington, where the Democratic-controlled Senate is voting this week on medical care for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits and, potentially, on a better climate, health care and tax bill.

Image: Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters arrives for a campaign rally hosted by former President Donald Trump in Prescott Valley, Ariz., on July 22, 2022.
Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters arrives for a campaign rally hosted by former President Donald Trump in Prescott Valley, Ariz., on July 22, 2022.Mario Tama / Getty Images file

The Arizona contest is shaping up to be one of the most hotly contested races this fall and could determine which party controls the Senate for the next two years. Democrats have a 50-50 majority and Republicans need a net gain of one seat to seize control.

Arizona, once a reliably Republican state, has become more competitive in recent cycles: Voters there elected Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in 2018. And the state was narrowly won by President Joe Biden in 2020, the same year Kelly won a special election by 2.4 points.


Sahil Kapur is a senior national political reporter for NBC News.

rebecca shabad contributed.

Categories
Business

Cost of Living crisis: WA wholesaler New West Foods warns of ‘perfect storm’ with food, pub prices set to rise

Cost of Living crisis: WA wholesaler New West Foods warns of 'perfect storm' with food, pub prices set to rise

WA’s biggest independent food distributor has warned consumers to expect further hikes at their favorite pubs and restaurants – and eventually supermarkets – as supply chain pressures and skyrocketing input costs continue to drive up prices.

The price of vegetable oil supplied by New West Foods to hundreds of eateries across WA has almost doubled since August 2020, with eggs up 75 per cent over the same two-year period.

Salmon has jumped 50 per cent while cheese and bacon are both up around 35 per cent.

Even the humble frozen chip – a staple of takeaway menus everywhere – has climbed 25 per cent.

The scale of price rises over the past two years.
Camera IconThe scale of price rises over the past two years. Credit: The West Australian

The majority of those price rises have come in the last 12 months as myriad factors combined to create what New West Foods managing director Damon Venoutsos said was the “perfect storm” for food costs.

Mr Venoutsos described distribution businesses like his own as the “canary in the coal mine” for price increases because – unlike supermarkets and fast-food chains – they did not enter into long-term agreements with suppliers.

“Most of the time we get 30 days’ notice from our suppliers that prices are going up whereas your big retailers (such as Coles and Woolworths) and quick service restaurants (such as KFC) can lock in their prices for anything up to six months ,” he said.

“Often we’re using the exact same supplier so while I don’t know when (the supermarkets) are going to catch up, it’s inevitable they will have to.”

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Categories
Sports

Reece Walsh has unfinished business at Warriors before leaving for Broncos

Reece Walsh has unfinished business at Warriors before leaving for Broncos

With the August 1 deadline passed, Reece Walsh will definitely see out the rest of the season with the Warriors and he says he’s determined to give it everything in his last five games for the club.

Walsh was given an early release from his contract to rejoin the Broncos next season and the Warriors have signed Te Maire Martin on a three-year-deal as his replacement.

But Walsh could have gone even earlier than initially expected, to play out the remainder of this year’s campaign with the Storm.

It could have been a great experience for Walsh to spend time working under Craig Bellamy, play footy finals and potentially win a Premiership.

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However, Warriors CEO Cameron George refused to entertain the possibility of Walsh heading to Melbourne, despite a number of calls from the Storm inquiring about it.

In the end, the Storm picked up David Nofoaluma from Wests Tigers, who’s certainly not a player of Walsh’s quality.

Te Maire Martin is joining the Warriors on a three-year deal from next season.

MARTY MELVILLE/PHOTOSPORT

Te Maire Martin is joining the Warriors on a three-year deal from next season.

So instead of contemplating picking up his first premiership ring, Walsh will head to the Sunshine Coast this weekend for the Warriors’ game against the Rabbitohs.

“I didn’t look into it too much,” Walsh said of the interest from the Storm.

“I was going through a bit at the Warriors and wanted to get back in the team.

“I sort of feel for the Melbourne boys, they’re going through a bit of adversity, but the Warriors have been through adversity for the last three years and they’re the sort of club that can get themselves out of it.

“That transition isn’t going to happen for myself and I’m going to be here at the Warriors.

“I send all my regards to the Storm boys and I’m backing them to play some good footy and prove all the naysayers wrong.”

Walsh isn’t kicking stones about playing out the season with the Warriors and judging by his performance in the 24-12 loss to the Storm last Friday, it’s not affecting how he’s playing.

“I’m not saying in the weeks before that I hadn’t put in the effort or anything like that, but it was a bit of a statement game for myself,” Walsh said.

“If I can keep getting better each week, I’ll put my heart and soul into my jersey each week.

“If I can keep doing the right things, hopefully we’ll go in the right direction.”

The Warriors take on a Rabbitohs team lying seventh on the ladder, so they’ll be desperate for the two points on Saturday to stay in the top eight.

For their other four games in 2022, they take on the top two teams in the NRL, the Panthers and Cowboys, but also have winnable games against the Bulldogs and Titans.

Winning two of their remaining five games will be a pass mark for the Warriors, more would be a bonus and Walsh feels their closer score against the Storm last week compared to when they lost 70-10 on Anzac Day, shows the improvements the club’s making .

“I’m not saying losing is alright, but if you look at where we’re going, we’re going in the right direction,” he said.

“We’ve got a couple of tough games coming up and it’s going to really show our character and what we’re like as a team, so we’ve got to stay tight, keep working hard for each other and go out there and enjoy playing footy.”

Meanwhile, Wayde Egan is to start at five-eighth against the Rabbitohs on Saturday, with Chanel Harris-Tavita out injured.

Wayde Egan will start his first game ever in the halves on Saturday.

Darren England/AAP via Photosport

Wayde Egan will start his first game ever in the halves on Saturday.

Egan filled in for Harris-Tavita when he went off with a knee injury against the Storm last weekend.

Despite it being his first game in the halves at NRL level, Egan did superbly well.

After the game Egan hinted that he’d like to play in the halves again, but didn’t expect it to happen again so soon.

However, Warriors coach Stacey Jones has decided to give him the No 6 jersey for this weekend, with Freddy Lussick named at hooker.

As well as Harris-Tavita, Jazz Tevaga is also out for this round 21 game. He had an arm in a sling after the Storm loss and management were concerned whether he had a serious shoulder at the time. With Tavaga out, Aaron Pene starts at lock.

There are other significant changes to the Warriors team, with Adam Pompey dropped to the reserves and Euan Aitken moved from the second row to center.

Josh Curran has been named on the interchange bench, so there is a new-look second row, with Bayley Sironen wearing the No 11 jersey and Jack Murchie at 12.

AT A GLANCE

Warriors: Reece Walsh, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Marcelo Montoya, Euan Aitken, Edward Kosi, Wayde Egan, Shaun Johnson; Addin Fonua-Blake, Freddy Lussick, Tohu Harris, Bayley Sironen, Jack Murchie, Aaron Pene. Exchange: Taniela Otukolo, Bunty Afoa, Eliesa Katoa, Josh Curran. Reservations: Jackson Frei, Dunamis Lui, Daejarn Asi, Adam Pompey, Viliame Vailea.

Categories
Australia

Jellyfish filmed by scuba diver off Papua New Guinea could be rare or new species

Jellyfish filmed by scuba diver off Papua New Guinea could be rare or new species

When scuba diver Dorian Borcherds turned on his video camera, he became transfixed by the giant translucent mass bobbing along beside him.

What he had captured on film in the watery depths off Papua New Guinea now has marine biologists excited.

The jellyfish was believed to be one officially sighted only once before off the coast of Far North Queensland — a quarter of a century ago — but it could also be a new species, a researcher believes.

The owner of a Kavieng-based scuba dive company, Mr Borcherds was diving with a customer in December when he spotted the strange creature and described it on social media.

“Saw a new type of jellyfish while diving today. It has cool markings and is a bit bigger than a soccer ball and they are quite fast swimming,” he wrote at the time.

Still stumped, Mr Borcherds enlisted his daughter in South Africa for help.

“I thought it was interesting as I had never seen one of these before, so I felt [the video] to my daughter who downloaded a jellyfish app,” he said.

“It couldn’t be identified, so she uploaded the footage to the app and within half an hour she had a very excited jellyfish expert on the phone from Tasmania.”

That expert was Lisa-ann Gershwin from the Australian Marine Stinger Advisory Service, who at first thought it was the same jellyfish caught on the Great Barrier Reef in May 1997.

A small spotted jellyfish in blueish water
Screenshots from a video shot in 1997 of the original specimen that was found on the Great Barrier Reef.(Supplied: Queensland Museum)

“I was completely gobsmacked when they sent me through the photos,” Dr Gershwin said.

“I thought, oh my God, what is this thing and where is it?

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Categories
US

Senate approves bill to aid vets exposed to toxic burn pits

Senate approves bill to aid vets exposed to toxic burn pits

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill enhancing health care and disability benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic burn pits won final approval in the Senate on Tuesday, ending a brief stalemate over the measure that had infuriated advocates and inspired some to camp outside the Capitol .

The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 86-11. It now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. Biden described the legislation as the biggest expansion of benefits for service-connected health issues in 30 years and the largest single bill ever to address exposure to burn pits.

“I look forward to signing this bill, so that veterans and their families and caregivers impacted by toxic exposures finally get the benefits and comprehensive health care they earned and deserve,” Biden said.

The Senate had overwhelmingly approved the legislation back in June, but a do-over was required to make a technical fix. That process derailed when Republicans made a late attempt to change another aspect of the bill last week and blocked it from advancing.

The abrupt delay outraged veterans groups and advocates, including comedian Jon Stewart. It also placed GOP senators in the uncomfortable position of delaying the top legislative priority of service organizations this session of Congress.

A group of veterans and their families have been camping out at the Capitol since that vote. They had endured thunderstorms and Washington’s notorious summer humidity, but they were in the galleries as senators cast their votes.

“You can go home knowing the good and great thing you have done and accomplished for the United States of America,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., told them.

The legislation expands access to health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs for millions who served near burn pits. It also directs the VA to presume that certain respiratory illnesses and cancers were related to burn pit exposure, allowing veterans to obtain disability payments to compensate for their injury without having to prove the illness was a result of their service.

Roughly 70% of disability claims related to burn pit exposure are denied by the VA due to lack of evidence, scientific data and information from the Defense Department.

The military used burn pits to dispose of such things as chemicals, cans, tires, plastics and medical and human waste.

Hundreds of thousands of Vietnam War era veterans and survivors also stand to benefit from the legislation. The bill adds hypertension, or high blood pressure, as a presumptive disease associated with Agent Orange exposure.

The Congressional Budget Office projected that about 600,000 of 1.6 million living Vietnam vets would be eligible for increased compensation, though only about half would have severe enough diagnoses to warrant more compensation.

Also, veterans who served in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa and Johnston Atoll will be presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange. That’s another 50,000 veterans and survivors of deceased veterans who would get compensation for illnesses presumed to have been caused by their exposure to the herbicide, the CBO projected.

The bill also authorizes 31 major medical VA health clinics and research facilities in 19 states.

The bill is projected to increase federal deficits by about $277 billion over 10 years.

The bill has been a years-long effort begun by veterans and their families who viewed the burn pits used in Iraq and Afghanistan as responsible for respiratory problems and other illnesses the veterans experienced after returning home. It was named after Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson from Ohio, who died in 2020 from cancer he attributed to prolonged exposure to burn pits. His widow, Danielle Robinson, was the first lady Jill Biden’s guest at the president’s State of the Union address earlier this year.

Stewart, the former host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” also brought increased exposure to the burn pit maladies veterans were facing. He was also in the gallery watching the vote Tuesday. He wept and held his head in his hand as the final vote began.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a situation where people who have already given so much had to fight so hard to get so little,” he said after the vote. “And I hope we learn a lesson.”

The House was the first to act on the burn pits legislation. An earlier version of the House approved in March was expected to increase spending by more than $320 billion over 10 years, but senators trimmed some of the costs early on by phasing in certain benefit enhancements. They also added funds for staffing to help the VA keep up with the expected increase in demand for health care and an increase in disability claims.

Some GOP senators are still concerned that the bill will increase delays at the VA because of an increased demand for veterans seeking care or disability compensation.

“What we have learned is that the VA cannot deliver what is promised because it does not have the capacity to handle the increase,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., led the effort to get the bill passed in the Senate. After passage, Tester told reporters he received a call from Biden, thanking him for “taking a big weight” off his shoulder.

For Biden, the issue is very personal. He has raised the prospect that burn pits in Iraq were responsible for the death of his son Beau.

“We don’t know for sure if a burn pit was the cause of his brain cancer, or the diseases of so many of our troops,” Biden said at his State of the Union speech. “But I’m committed to finding out everything we can.”

Moran said that when the bill failed to pass last week, he was disappointed but remembered the strength of the protesters who had sat outside in the scorching heat for days.

“Thanks to the United States Senate for demonstrating when there’s something good and a good cause, this place still works,” Moran said.

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Associated Press staff writer Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.

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Categories
Business

Telstra to deregister radio sites after accusations of ‘hindering’ Optus 5G rollout

Telstra to deregister radio sites after accusations of 'hindering' Optus 5G rollout

Telstra has been ordered to deregister more than 150 radio sites under a court-enforceable order, after Australia’s consumer watchdog raised concerns the company was “hindering” a rival telco’s 5G rollout.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched a lengthy investigation after over concerns about the telecommunication giant’s registration of 315 low-band radiocommunications sites back in January.

Low-band spectrum, such as 900MHz, can transmit over greater distances and is used by mobile network operators to provide coverage and capacity.

The ACCC probe raised concern Telstra’s regulation of the 315 sites would have “hindered” or prevented its rival Optus from deploying its 5G network, thereby preventing it from engaging in competitive conduct.

Under the court undertaking, Telstra is now required to deregister all remaining radiocommunications sites registered in the 900MHz band.

The company holds a license for parts of the 900MHz spectrum band until June 2024.

But up until January, Telstra was making little use of the spectrum and had not registered a new site since 2016.

Optus successfully bid for licenses in the low-band spectrum following an auction by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in December last year.

Telstra then registered the other 315 low-band radiocommunications sites.

They later deregistered 153, with 162 remaining registered.

The undertaking, agreed to by the ACCC, requires Telstra to deregister all remaining radiocommunications sites it registered with the ACMA in the 900MHz spectrum band in January 2022 which would have prevented Optus early access to the spectrum.

ACCC chair Liza Carver said the undertaking meant more Australians in regional and metropolitan areas would have access to a choice of 5G services.

“This is critical as 5G network coverage becomes an increasingly important factor in consumer choice in mobile phones and mobile plans,” she said.

“Competition is key to driving innovation and investment in new technology and providing consumers with greater choice, better quality services and lower prices.”

The new court order comes after Telstra announced it would return all of its call centers to Australia after ongoing consumer demand.

“What we heard loud and clear was that you wanted a change in the way we answered our calls, so we did it,” CEO Andrew Penn said last month.

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Categories
Sports

Boxing news 2022, Paul Gallen to fight two Queensland opponents in same night

Paul Gallen has confirmed his next fight – a radical double bout on the same night billed as the Blues great against Queensland.

The retired Cronulla champion told Wide World of Sports he hopes to punch on with Justin Hodges and another Queenslander back-to-back to headline a card in September.

The details aren’t yet finalized but former Queensland star Hodges is expected to be one of the two opponents.

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“The way he’s been carrying on lately I presume he would be one of them,” Gallen said of Hodges.

“The other one I’m not sure – it’s going to be a footy player, though, it’s not going to be (heavyweight champion) Justis Huni.

“Pretty sure it’s going to be in Queensland… I’m hoping it’s going to be (against) two Queenslanders. Get a bit of an Origin feel about it.

“I’d say it will be six or eight three-minute rounds, and two opponents will do half each. That’s what I think it will be.

“It’s really only one fight, just two opponents.”

Gallen carved out a stellar rugby league career but his boxing feats are impressive in their own right.

He’s had 15 professional bouts and won 12, losing two and having a controversial draw against AFL great Barry Hall. His last fight against him was a unanimous decision loss to Kris Terzievski in May.

But the notion of fighting two different people in the one night is certainly a first for boxing.

His fitness, though, is still up to scratch and he will only need about a month to prepare.

Unseen footage shows Gallen SBW stoush

“I’ve got COVID at the moment so I’ll start next week. The preparation for a fight like this isn’t going to be like the preparation for a Huni or Terzievski, I’m not going to be sparring 25-30 rounds a week,” he told WWOS.

“I might only spar 10 rounds a week, so it’s going to be a lot better for my body and my head long-term.”

Gallen reaffirmed his commitment to retire from boxing before this year is out.

But he’s unsure if the September double header will be his last appearance in the ring, floating to a final fight in December.

Fans will be hoping that is against Sonny Bill Williams, who Gallen has been chasing for years.

“I’ve told everyone this is my last year. I have one more fight booked in for December, no idea who,” he said.

“This could be it, I don’t know. But this is my last year without a doubt.

“If I have one at the end of the year it will be a proper six-eight round fight, if it happens.”

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Here is who NRL legend Paul Gallen has fought during his colorful boxing career

Categories
Australia

Explorers just uncovered Australia’s deepest cave

Cave explorers have traversed what’s now the deepest known cave in Australia.

A group of explorers discovered a 401-metre-deep cave, which they named Delta Variant, on Saturday in Tasmania’s Niggly-Growling Swallet cave system within the Junee–Florentine karst area.

It’s depth just beat out its predecessor, the Niggly Cave, by about four meters.

With a descent that lasted 14 hours and took many months to prepare for, Delta Variant is causing a stir among explorer communities.

But it holds a different kind of fascination for researchers such as myself, who study the interaction between groundwater and rocks (including in the context of caves).

On Saturday a group of explorers discovered a 401-metre-deep cave, which they named Delta Variant, in Tasmania's Niggly-Growling Swallet cave system within the Junee–Florentine karst area.
On Saturday a group of explorers discovered a 401-metre-deep cave, which they named Delta Variant, in Tasmania’s Niggly-Growling Swallet cave system within the Junee–Florentine karst area. (Supplied)

This helps us learn about natural processes and how Earth’s climate has changed over millions of years.

A team of nine cavers from the Southern Tasmanian Caverneers discovered Australia’s deepest known cave on Saturday.

Exciting as Delta Variant is in an Australian context, it is arguably just an appetizer in the wider world of caves; the deepest known cave, located in Georgia, goes more than 2.2 kilometers into the earth.

So how exactly do these massive geological structures form, right under our feet?

Put simply, caves form when flowing water slowly dissolves rock over a long time. Specifically, they form within certain geological formations called “karst” – which includes structures made of limestone, marble and dolomite.

Karst is made of tiny fossilized microorganisms, shell fragments and other debris that accumulated over millions of years.

Long after they perish, small marine creatures leave behind their “calcareous” shells made of calcium carbonate.

Corals are also made of this material, as are other types of fauna with skeletons.

This calcareous sediment builds up into geological structures that are relatively soft.

As water trickles down through crevices in the rock, it continuously dissolves the rock to slowly form a cave system.

Unlike much harder igneous rocks (such as granite), calcareous rocks dissolve on contact with water that is naturally acidic.

When rain falls from the sky, it picks up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and soils along the way, making it acidic.

The more acidic the water is, the faster it will erode karst material.

So, as you can imagine, cave formation can become quite complex: the specific composition of the karst, the acidity of the water, the level of drainage and the overall geological setting are all factors that determine what kind of cave will form.

In geology there’s a lot of spatial guesswork.

So being able to see how deep a cave formation goes is a bit like getting into the deepest layers of a cake, where you may not find the same thing in all directions.

Stalagmites and stalactites

From a research perspective, caves are incredibly valuable because they contain cave deposits (or “speleothems”) such as stalagmites and stalactites.

These are sometimes spiky things that point up from cave floors, droop from the ceilings, or form beautiful flowstones.

Cave deposits form as a result of water passing through. Like trees, they contain growth rings (or layers) that can be analyzed.

They can also include other chemical signatures the water contained, and reveal processes that occurred at the time of formation.

While they may not seem like much, we can use these deposits to unravel past secrets about Earth’s climate.

And since they’re a feature of the interaction between rock and water during cave formation, we basically expect to find them in most caves.

Natural formation of crystals by falling water droplets in Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains in Australia.
Natural formation of crystals by falling water droplets in Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains in Australia. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Descending deep into a cave system is no small feat. You can’t use your mobile (since there’s no reception), it’s incredibly dark and you’re usually relying on a guide line to find your way back out.

There could be many dead ends for explorers, so effectively mapping the space requires time and great spatial exploration skills.

While cave systems are usually stable (shallow caves can, in theory, collapse and form sinkholes, but this is very rare) – there’s always risk.

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The unexpected geometry of caves means you could find yourself making tricky manoeuvres, twisting and swaying in all kinds of uncomfortable manner as you abseil into darkness.

Although the air pressure doesn’t change to a dangerous extent as you descend, other gases such as methane, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide can sometimes pool and lead to suffocation risk.

Despite all of the above, cave exploration is something people continue to do, and it brings great benefit for researchers in various sub-fields of geology.

And though we’ve come a long way, there are always nooks and crannies we can’t get inside – after all, humans aren’t tiny. I’m sure there are small spaces, too snug for us to explore, that open into much longer or bigger systems than we’ve ever discovered.