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Albert October 3, 2026 at 6:46:59 PM

Hi Ben, I came across your blog post on worm detection. I'm not sure how serious you are about working on this but I work with acorn worms (burrowing marine worms). They are incredibly understudied and while I have made very preliminary observations, we know extremely little about their movements as well and I find myself really wondering about it every time I am out collecting them. If you're ever interested in applying a prototype to mudflats or the ocean floor I would be keen to collaborate. Cheers, Albert

Replied on: October 7, 2026 at 11:40:45 AM

Hi Albert, Thank you for your message. Your work on acorn worms sounds very cool! Unfortunately the worm detector I write about is hypothetical only. I will let you know if I make any prototypes and I would be keen to collaborate. Who knows, maybe detecting worms in mudflats and the ocean floor is easier than in terrestrial soils? I will keep thinking about this. Thanks, Ben

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Marsplanetgirl August 6, 2026 at 12:21:39 PM

Good evening Ben, I really enjoyed your article on the Yalukit William reserve. I think it is fantastic that you are highlighting the build-it-and-they-will-come hypothesis. I think us humans are also one of the "they"s who come to these suburbans builds. I was wondering what your thoughts were on building these habits in suburbia vs in the outskirts - because I assume the thinking behind constructing in suburbia is not purely for ecological restoration, they is an element of serving the human population as well (e.g. footpaths, socialising centres, etc)?

Replied on: August 10, 2026 at 2:21:23 PM

Hi Marsplanetgirl, You are absolutely correct, humans are one of the 'they' who will come. There are a whole range of benefits provided by walks in these nature reserves, including being social/community centers, great for physical/mental health. Reserves allow people to have their own interactions with nature, fostering greater understanding/appreciation of nature, and by extension nature conservation. In terms of serving the human populations, constructed wetlands such as Yalukit Willam are important in flood mitigation, as water runoff will be directed into these wetlands instead of flooding streets/houses. Regarding outskirts vs inner suburbs, the main difference is that it's usually a lot easier to plan and designate an area to become a nature reserve (and build suburbia around it), than to try and make one within an existing suburb. The latter is much more costly. The benefits provided to human populations I don't think depend on the location - inner suburbs or outskirts, the benefits for humans stay the same. Thanks for reading! - Ben