Jan 08, 2020 11:55 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
Editors note: We pulled four before-and-after-images from NASAs Worldview application, and asked bushfire researcher Grant Williamson to reflect on the story they tell. Heres what he told us: Ive been studying fires...
Bushfires threaten drinking water safety. The consequences could last for decades
Jan 08, 2020 11:53 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
Bushfires pose serious short- and long-term impacts to public drinking water quality. They can damage water supply infrastructure and water catchments, impeding the treatment processes that normally make our water safe to...
A new way to identify a rare type of earthquake in time to issue lifesaving tsunami warnings
Jan 07, 2020 15:50 pm UTC| Nature
Just a few times in a century, somewhere on the globe, a rare tsunami earthquake occurs. These are mysterious because, while theyre just medium-sized as earthquakes go, they cause disproportionately large and devastating...
The story of a wave: from wind-blown ripples to breaking on the beach
Jan 07, 2020 15:37 pm UTC| Nature
Its a cliché, but Aussies love the beach. And little wonder: with 36,000 kilometres of coastline, Australia is blessed with some of the best beaches in the world. Around 20 million Australians live within 50...
Australia can expect far more fire catastrophes. A proper disaster plan is worth paying for
Jan 07, 2020 15:36 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature
Australia is in the midst of inconceivably bad bushfires. The death toll is rising, thousands of buildings have been destroyed and whole communities displaced. This scale is like nothing before, and our national response...
Koalas are the face of Australian tourism. What now after the fires?
Jan 07, 2020 15:33 pm UTC| Nature
In 1936, The Evening News in Rockhampton wrote: The time has arrived when Australians must decide whether or not they will accept responsibility for the perpetuation of the koala […] It seems extraordinary...
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...
Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility
Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget
Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board
Sudan: civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight