We're all going on a scat hunt: how citizen science can help save echidnas

Ordinary Australians are making a difference for teams that rely on raw data such as the University of Adelaide's recent project on the monotremesNot everyone would be delighted to receive 150 echidna poo samples in the post but Tahlia Perry was thrilled.The PhD researcher is part of the University of Adelaide's Grutzner Lab team studying the molecular biology of echidnas and the best way to collect the monotremes' hormones is by testing their scats. In February, Guardian Australia put a call out for citizen scientists to participate in the project by downloading the echidna CSI free app and sending through their scat samples - and the team has been inundated. Perry says around 4,000 people have downloaded the app and there have been approximately 2,400 echidna sightings across the country. Continue reading...