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David Bowman

Professor, Environmental Change Biology, University of Tasmania

Tasmania is a superb natural laboratory for ecological research and has stimulated the seminal research into the ecology and evolution of landscape fire. My research is focused on the ecology, evolution, biogeography and management of Australian forested landscapes. Specifically, I undertake pure and applied research to understand the effects of global environmental change, natural climate variability and the cessation of Aboriginal landscape burning on bushfire activity and landscape change.

My research programs, involving national and international collaborators, use an assortment of techniques, including remote sensing and geographic information analyses, stable isotopes, ecophysiological analyses, mathematical modelling, biological survey and molecular analyses.

Climate Change Series

Our planet is burning in unexpected ways - here’s how we can protect people and nature

Sep 18, 2023 06:29 am UTC| Science Nature

People have been using fire for millennia. It is a vital part of many ecosystems and cultures. Yet human activities in the current era, sometimes called the Anthropocene, are reshaping patterns of fire across the...

Australia needs a national fire inquiry – these are the 3 key areas it should deliver in

Jan 23, 2020 10:48 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Australias bushfire crisis has been unprecedented, so it demands an unprecedented national response. Never before has such a large area been burnt by multiple fires in a single fire season, including bushland in...

A crisis of underinsurance threatens to scar rural Australia permanently

Jan 07, 2020 15:35 pm UTC| Insights & Views Business

Australia is in the midst of a bushfire crisis that will affect local communities for years, if not permanently, due to a national crisis of underinsurance. Already more than 1,500 homes have been destroyed with months...

There's no evidence 'greenies' block bushfire hazard reduction but here's a controlled burn idea worth trying

Jan 07, 2020 15:32 pm UTC| Nature

The current bushfire crisis provides compelling evidence of the dangers posed by extremely dry landscapes and hot, windy conditions. While theres no evidence greenies precipitated the current crisis by blocking hazard...

Our land is burning, and western science does not have all the answers

Nov 19, 2019 02:16 am UTC| Insights & Views Science

Last weeks catastrophic fires on Australias east coast and warnings of more soon to come will become all too common as climate change gathers pace. And as the challenges of modern hazard reduction become clear, there is...

The bitter lesson of the Californian fires

Nov 14, 2018 11:50 am UTC| Nature

California is burning, again. Dozens of peoples have been killed and thousands of buildings destroyed in several fires, the most destructive in the states history. The California fires are just the most recent in a...

Economy

What should you do if you can’t pay your rent or mortgage?

The cost of living crisis is making it difficult for many people to pay their bills, including housing costs. Private sector rents have increased by an average 9% over the year to February 2024, and rising interest rates...

Reducing energy demand and improving efficiency will help prevent the next gas crisis

Gas prices have relaxed, Europe has come out of the winter with record gas storage levels and a surfeit of liquefied natural gas is set to reach the shores of Europe over the coming years. Many commentators are hopeful...

Minimum wage for South African farm workers: study shows 2013 hike helped reduce poverty even though compliance was poor

Minimum wage policies are typically aimed at reducing poverty. Yet there is little direct evidence of this effect, especially in developing countries. And none for South Africa. In a recent paper, we consider the...

Gas is good until 2050 and beyond, under Albanese gas strategy

The Albanese government is talking up the crucial role of gas as a transition fuel through to 2050 and beyond. In a gas strategy to be released on Thursday, the government envisages the fuels uses would change over...

South Africa’s plan to move away from coal: 8 steps to make it succeed

The South African governments Just Energy Transition Implementation Plan was launched in November 2023. It is a roadmap guiding the country away from reliance on coal-fired power towards renewable energy alternatives by...

Politics

Donald Trump Allegedly Offers Oil Execs a Deal to Scrap EV Incentives for $1B Donation

Former President Donald Trump reportedly proposed a $1 billion deal to oil executives, offering to end electric vehicle (EV) subsidies in return for campaign funding, according to The Washington Post. This move underscores...

US Supreme Court upended decades of precedent in 2022 by allowing voters to vote with gerrymandered maps instead of fixing the congressional districts first

For the 2022 midterm elections, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use congressional districts that violated the law and diluted the voting power of Black citizens. A 5-4 vote by the Supreme Court in February...

Germany lowers voting age to 16 for the European elections

Ahead of the European parliament elections in June, Germany has lowered the age limit on participation to 16. This makes it the largest of just a handful of states in the EU to allow people under the age of 18 to vote....

South Africa will be president of the G20 in 2025: two much-needed reforms it should drive

South Africa will play an important international role in 2025 as president of the G20. The G20 is a group of 19 countries as well as the African Union and the European Union. Between them they represent 85% of global...

What early 2024 polls are revealing about voters of color and the GOP

By the end of winter 2024, the return of Donald Trump to the top of the GOP presidential ticket has revealed a surprising trend in the former presidents base of support: his increasing popularity among Black and Latino...

Science

Why are algorithms called algorithms? A brief history of the Persian polymath you’ve likely never heard of

Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without...

IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects

About a trillion tiny particles called neutrinos pass through you every second. Created during the Big Bang, these relic neutrinos exist throughout the entire universe, but they cant harm you. In fact, only one of them is...

The Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future, and NASA is calling on private companies for backup

A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Its budget has ballooned from US$5 billion to over $11 billion, and the sample return date may slip from the end of this...

Dark matter: our new experiment aims to turn the ghostly substance into actual light

A ghost is haunting our universe. This has been known in astronomy and cosmology for decades. Observations suggest that about 85% of all the matter in the universe is mysterious and invisible. These two qualities are...

A Nasa rover has reached a promising place to search for fossilised life on Mars

While we go about our daily lives on Earth, a nuclear-powered robot the size of a small car is trundling around Mars looking for fossils. Unlike its predecessor Curiosity, Nasas Perseverance rover is explicitly intended to...

Technology

Microsoft Integrates AMD AI Chips into Azure, Competing with Nvidia’s GPU Offerings

Microsoft announced Thursday that it will integrate AMDs MI300X processors into its Azure cloud services, offering a competitive alternative to Nvidias GPUs. Azures New AI Processing Power According to Reuters,...

Altcoins a ‘Relatively Huge’ Risk as Big Returns Fade, Analysts Warn Investors

Analysts caution that altcoins now represent a relatively huge risk, with the days of massive returns fading. Markus Thielen of 10xResearch suggests the high-reward era is over as crypto market narratives...

Bitcoin Has Best Day in 2 Months as SHIB to Get More Scarce with Shibarium

Bitcoin experienced its largest single-day rise in nearly two months, while ShibaSwaps expansion to Shibarium is set to increase SHIBs scarcity by boosting its burn rate. ShibaSwap Launches on Shibarium, Increasing SHIB...

Kia's Electric Pickup Spotted in US Testing, Targets Tesla Cybertruck, Ford F-150 Lightning

Kias upcoming electric pickup, designed to rival the Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T, and Ford F-150 Lightning, has been spotted testing in the U.S., marking a significant step in its development. Kias Strategic Move into...

OpenAI Strikes Deal with Reddit to Bring Content to ChatGPT, Boosting Stocks

OpenAI and Reddit announced a partnership on May 16 to integrate Reddit content into ChatGPT, enhancing the chatbots capabilities and driving Reddits stock up 12% in extended trading. Reddit Diversifies Beyond...