How a bushfire can destroy a home

Feb 06, 2019 23:35 pm UTC| Nature

Ten years after the devastation of Black Saturday, building design has largely been unrecognised as an area worthy of research. We have advanced our knowledge of the materials used in the construction of homes in...

Our 'bee-eye camera' helps us support bees, grow food and protect the environment

Feb 05, 2019 09:32 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Walking through our gardens in Australia, we may not realise that buzzing around us is one of our greatest natural resources. Bees are responsible for pollinating about a third of food for human consumption, and data on...

The world's shellfish are under threat as our oceans become more acidic

Jan 29, 2019 12:40 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

For the past few million years the worlds oceans have existed in a slightly alkaline state, with an average pH of 8.2. Now, with carbon emissions escalating, there is more CO2 in the worlds atmosphere. This dissolves in...

Carbon capture and conversion must not rely on rare metals

Jan 29, 2019 12:40 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Last year, humans emitted approximately 37 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere a disastrous and unsustainable figure. To avoid the worst effects of climate change we could capture some of that carbon as...

To predict droughts, don't look at the skies. Look in the soil... from space

Jan 29, 2019 12:39 pm UTC| Nature

Another summer, another drought. Sydneys water storages are running on empty, and desalinisation plants are being dusted off. Elsewhere, shrunken rivers, lakes and dams are swollen with rotting fish. Governments,...

Gene drive technology makes mouse offspring inherit specific traits from parents

Jan 27, 2019 14:42 pm UTC| Nature Science

As mouse geneticists, we spend a lot of time waiting for mice to make more mice. Their small size, ease of care and willingness to mate have made mice the mammal of choice for scientists for more than a century. Indeed,...

Flash photography doesn't harm seahorses – but don't touch

Jan 27, 2019 14:36 pm UTC| Nature

We all enjoy watching animals, whether theyre our own pets, birds in the garden, or elephants on a safari during our holidays. People take pictures during many of these wildlife encounters, but not all of these...