David Unaipon (1872-1967) was an Indigenous Australian man who was an inventor, author and preacher. Unaipon’s achievements were critical in breaking down regressive Aboriginal stereotypes. In commemoration of his work and contributions, Unaipon was rewarded with his image being printed on the Australian $50 note. Here are some of the key events and points from David Unaipon’s life.

Early life

Unaipon was born at the Point McLeay Mission in Coorong, South Australia. He was the fourth of nine children. He began his primary education when he was 7 years old at the Point McLeay Mission School. While at school, his teachers commented on his supreme intelligence and manners. He left school at 13, where he worked as a servant for C.B. Young in Adelaide. In the 1890s, he travelled throughout Adelaide; however, he found that his dark skin undermined his employment chances.

Inventions

Unaipon spent half a decade working on a perpetual motion machine while working on a range of other devices. During his lifetime, Unaipon took out 19 provisional patents for different inventions; however, he couldn’t afford to get any of his designs fully patented. Unaipon was also instrumental in developing modern sheep shears. Unfortunately, Unaipon was never compensated for any of his inventions or contributions.

Writing

David Unaipon was the first Indigenous author to be published. The University of Adelaide commissioned Unaipon to write a book about Aboriginal legends, and from 1924, Unaipon wrote several articles for the Sydney Daily Telegraph.

Legacy and tributes

On top of being recognised on the Australian $50 note, the David Unaipon Literary Award celebrates the best writing of the year from an unpublished Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander author. It has been awarded annually since 1988. Unaipon Avenue in Ngunnawal (Canberra) is also named after him.

Bashar Ibrahim is a marine biologist based in Sydney, Australia who heads up a team of 6 biologists. His research and work has produced many academic publications which have been cross referenced and praised by numerous big name marine biologists in the community.

Ibrahim now focuses his work on the study of Great White Sharks across the world, with many expeditions to South Africa to perform field work and observational studies. He is also renowned for the activism and actions taken to preserve sharks in Earth’s oceans. Sharks across the world are an endangered species due to myths, overfishing and fear, and may face extinction in the later years. Ibrahim is keen to stop that from happening, and aims to spread the truth about sharks and dispel media misinformation labelling them as ‘man-eaters’.

Bashar Ibrahim’s interest and journey into the world of marine biology began as a teenager, when he was snorkelling at the beach and observed the sea life below him, noting that it was like an entirely new world under the surface of the water. The way sea animals interacted with each other and the environment around them fascinated Ibrahim, and from that day forward he would watch many documentaries about the ocean and its inhabitants.

Enrolling in Macquarie University, he studied and completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in Marine Biology. He went on to obtain his PhD through the research of the reproductive timing and synchronized reproduction of Sea Urchin in Argentina. Upon completing his doctorate, he went to work for the Australian Institute of Marine Science, a government-backed tropical marine research agency.

His real interest with sharks began when he was invited on a field observation study of Great White Sharks and their movement and migration habits.

During the expedition, he was witness to the implementation of tracking devices on Great White Sharks. This up close and personal encounter with the feared ocean predator was a crucial moment in his marine biology career, and he decided to pursue research projects associated with sharks, namely the Great White Shark.

Throughout the years, he has produced academic publications related to sharks, and has worked with many big names in the marine biology community and field. For many, Bashar Ibrahim is the up and coming star of shark studies in marine science. With global surveys revealing that shark numbers are in great decline due to a variety of factors, Ibrahim has dedicated his off-time to spreading awareness about these misunderstood sea animals, regularly running online awareness campaigns and the like. His efforts for the conservation of sharks has led him to receive several awards for conservation and charity efforts.

Bashar Ibrahim continues his work to this day at research facilities located with universities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his field work is limited to Australia, however beforehand he regularly travelled between South Africa  and Australia, completely field work in Kleinbaai to do with Great White Sharks. South Africa and Australia are both known for having significant populations of sharks, specifically the Great White Shark, and thus these locations are perfect for a marine biologist’s field work specializing in Great White Sharks.

Overall, Bashar Ibrahim is a renowned up and coming marine biologist who specializes in sharks, namely the Great White Shark. His fascination with sea life started as a teenager, and has led him to pursue a fruitful career in marine biology. His work with the Australian Institute of Marine Science has produced numerous academic publications, co-authored with big names in the marine science community. He continually raises awareness for the conservation of sharks across the world.

For the science world, the 2010s decade was a period of excitement and wonder, as acclaimed researchers and scientists around the globe explored new theories and hypotheses. Whether it be in the field of subatomic particles, genetic engineering or medicine, research is essential to the success and development of solutions to real-world issues. Here are the most seminal discoveries of the 2010s.

#1 Higgs boson

Thanks to the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, the standard model of particle physics was completed. In the 1960s, Peter Higgs, along with other well-known physicists at the time, predicted the existence of a new particle that would be able to explain mass generation.

However, it wasn’t until 2012 that CERN was able to announce their discovery formally and thereby support Higgs’ thesis from 50 years earlier. Higgs, along with Francois Englert, were both awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics for their efforts.

#2 CRISPR

It wasn’t until the early 2010s that the world saw the full potential of genetic engineering. CRISPR technology can be used to edit genomes, allowing researchers to alter DNA sequences. It’s primarily been used in the agricultural sector to prevent the spread and reproduction of diseases crops; however, the technology generated controversy in 2018 when a Chinese scientist genetically altered two baby girls to be immune to HIV.

#3 Face transplant

In 2010, the first-ever full-face transplant was successfully administered. While partial face transplants had been carried out since around 2005, a group of Spanish doctors conducted a complete face transplant on a man who had injured himself while shooting.

A year later, a team of doctors in Massachusetts operated on Dallas Wiens, who had been injured in a power line accident that left him without lips, eyebrows or nose, and even blind. The surgery saw Wiens recover his sense of smell and speech; however, his sight could not be restored.