With the price of oil continuing to rise, there is a growing demand for alternatives fuels and energy sources.

In recent years, fuels such as ethanol and hydrogen have been touted as the next big thing. But how realistic are they, and will they come in time to rescue us before oil becomes too expense for the average consumer.

I spoke with Dr David Lamb from the Energy Transformed Flagship, based at CSIRO's Newcastle laboratory and started by asking him if we can wean ourselves from oil.

Links

• Hydrogen transportation: stepping on the gas
• Energy Transformed Flagship

Dr Tom Okey from the CSIRO talks about the changes in the marine ecosystem off the coast of Eastern Australia, brought on by climate change.

More information available on the CSIRO website.

There's also science news and the science quiz.

In this episode of Science Talk Australia:

• Introduced plants threaten Australia's native fauna and floras
• An Australian scientist helps find a new type of extremophile
• Online praying helps cancer sufferers in the USA.

Links:

• Garden plants endanger natives
• Life finds a way in unlikely circumstances
• Praying online helps cancer patients

Large scale coral die-offs are now occurring more frequently than at any time in the last 11 000 years, according to a new study by Australian-based scientists.

Associate Professor John Pandolfi from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies and The University of Queensland, discusses what he and his team have learnt from fossilised coral reefs in Papua New Guinea and how that knowledge can be applied to reefs of today.

Image: ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies

• ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies