Irukandji jellyfish are a dangerous part of Australia’s beaches, but scientists at James Cook and Griffith University are working to create better detection methods.
Professor Kylie Pitt said “Jellyfish leave behind DNA in the water as they swim through it and we can actually reliably detect whether or not jellyfish have been there by just taking a water sample and scanning it for the presence of Irukandji DNA.”
Currently, surf lifesavers sweep beaches with nets in high-risk areas to detect the jellyfish, but this is unreliable.
So far this year, fourteen people have been hospitalised from irukandji, though more are expected in the warmer months.