News
Tiny waves in the deep ocean can affect the climate thousands of kilometres away
2+ hour, 21+ min ago (411+ words) What happens in the deep ocean might seem far removed from your everyday life. A new study shows otherwise....
How redefining one word strips the Endangered Species Act’s ability to protect vital habitat
1+ day, 10+ hour ago (920+ words) It wouldn’t make much sense to prohibit people from shooting a threatened woodpecker while allowing its forest to be cut down, or to bar killing endangered salmon while allowing a dam to dry out their habitat. But that’s what the…...
Giant kangaroos survived until 6,500 years ago on the New Guinea coast
3+ day, 3+ hour ago (596+ words) A new study challenges conventional thinking about what drove the extinction of megafauna....
Hummingbirds and pineapples: why this ancient relationship hits the evolutionary sweetspot
3+ day, 10+ hour ago (494+ words) Over the past 20 million years, bromeliads repeatedly evolved new adaptations to the point that some of them are hard to recognise as close cousins. However, one idea that dates back to Charles Darwin is perhaps the strongest, and that is…...
Neil the seal is more than a viral animal. He’s become a global folk hero
3+ day, 20+ hour ago (781+ words) I am one of Hobart’s many residents who travelled to a nearby beach to witness Neil the seal – an animal that has been receiving global attention for his wild personality and humorous antics. Neil’s latest arrival in Tasmania was in…...
Bees ‘facial expressions’ may be a sign of their inner lives
6+ day, 7+ hour ago (929+ words) It’s easy for us to tell if someone is enjoying their meal or not. They lick their lips if they like it, grimace if they don’t. Our new research, published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows…...
Africa’s wildlife laws follow a colonial model which separates people and animals: why it’s not working
6+ day, 13+ hour ago (846+ words) Africa is home to many iconic national parks and marine reserves, such as Virunga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niokolo-Koba in Senegal, Kruger National Park in South Africa and Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Many of them were…...
Climate change means an earlier spring, which can be disorienting and threatening for migrating birds
6+ day, 14+ hour ago (620+ words) Spring migration has taken flight, but with rising temperatures and shifting seasons, birds are adjusting when and how they migrate to keep up with a rapidly warming climate. Morgan Tingley, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University…...
Seaweeds are not plants – and six other surprising facts about aquatic flora
1+ week, 3+ day ago (764+ words) Hidden beneath the water’s surface is a botanical world that is among nature’s most innovative and ecologically important. As I highlighted in a recent paper, an extraordinary range of adaptations have evolved in aquatic plants for life beneath the water’s…...
Prickly starfish and urchins are decimating Australia’s reefs. But we could find ways to protect them
1+ week, 5+ day ago (827+ words) Australia is home to some of the world’s most beautiful reefs. This includes the lush Great Southern Reef, which wraps around Australia’s southern coastline, and the world-renowned Great Barrier Reef. But the corals of the Great Barrier Reef and the…...