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In an analysis of a century’s worth of data on botanical gardens and arboreta, researchers reveal that global living plant collections have reached capacity, impacting their ability to meet scientific and conservation goals. The researchers argue for a global “meta-collection” in which the estimated 3,500 botanic gardens and arboreta worldwide work more closely to conserve […]

A new review has outlined the potentially deadly consequences of extreme heat if global warming reaches 2°C above the preindustrial average. Climate change is increasing the frequency and magnitude of heat extremes worldwide, with cascading effects on human life – from crops, to infrastructure, and health. According to the new research, the areas of the […]

Hundreds of 52-million-year-old eucalyptus leaf fossils show the tell-tale signs that they were munched on by leaf-eating insects. The trail marks left on the leaves are identical to those found on eucalypts today in Australia. But these fossils were found in Argentina. Today, there are more than 700 species of eucalyptus. These flowering plants – […]

Australia’s sea surface temperatures were the warmest on record last year, according to a snapshot of the nation’s climate which underscores the perilous state of the world’s oceans. The Bureau of Meteorology on Thursday released its annual climate statement for 2024 – the official record of temperature, rainfall, water resources, oceans, atmosphere and notable weather. […]

A new climate modeling study published in the journal Science Advances by researchers from the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea presents a new scenario of how climate and life on our planet would change in response to a potential future strike of a medium-sized (~500 m) asteroid. […]

SUMMER READ: John Read – Australian ecologist and author whose conservation research has featured in more than 120 scientific articles – became obsessed with animals as a child and his journey since – around the world and back again to his home in outback South Australia – has brought exhilaration and despair. An unexpected encounter […]

The nearly complete fossilised skull of an ancient extinct bird might lay to rest controversial debate amongst palaeontologists about the first avians. The extinct species, Vegavis iaai, lived in what is now Antarctica about 69 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous Period. The newly described fossil places the earliest known modern bird firmly as […]

New research suggests that 2 massive canyons on the Moon were carved out by streams of impacting rocks travelling at about a kilometre a second. The canyons, Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck – at 270km long and 2.7km deep, 280km long and 3.5km deep, respectively – are comparable in size to the Grand Canyon in […]

A new study has found that reusing lithium-ion battery materials has a much lower environmental impact than mining the raw material – particularly if it’s done with renewable energy. The study, published in Nature Communications, found that recycling batteries emits less than half the greenhouse gases associated with mining and roughly a quarter of the […]

A new study of sediment cores from the Aegean Sea has found that lead pollution from human activities may have begun more than a thousand years earlier than previously thought. Lead is known to have a wide range of human health impacts, especially in children for whom low-level exposure is linked to cognitive decline. Researchers […]

Late last year, a group of 38 scientists sounded an alarm on a potential technology that could “cause unprecedented and irreversible harm” to the world. Their concern wasn’t weaponry, or pollution. It was asymmetry. The technology – called “mirror life” – is now sparking talks in the scientific community, looking at its risks and how […]

Ever noticed a white ring  forming in the bottom of your pasta pan? It’s salt, and physicists have figured out how to make the best one – providing insights into molecular behaviour. Unsurprisingly, the researchers, who published this crucial insight in Physics of Fluids, first started wondering about salt rings at a pasta dinner. “By […]

Quantum field theory suggests that the very structure of the universe could change, altering cosmos as we know it. A new quantum machine might help probe this elusive phenomenon, while also helping improve quantum computers. True or false? It’s a life-or-death question Nearly 50 years ago, quantum field theory researchers proposed that the universe exists […]

In a finding that might surprise many people, researchers comparing Open AI’s ChatGPT to average American opinions have found that the generative AI chatbot leans towards left-wing views in its responses. There is fear in some places that Large Language Models are being developed by businesses with well-known conservative bias, which encouraged a British-Brazillian team […]

Funding through the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation allowed Dr Maree Bilandzic to pursue her work to develop new targeted treatments.

Quantum materials have already changed our technology beyond recognition, and the change is only going to accelerate in the coming decades. But is it possible to make quantum technology sustainable? Professor Qin Li, a chemical engineer at Griffith University, says she has the evidence to show it. The key in her research is carbon – […]

Researchers have used quantum physics and machine learning to quickly and accurately understand a mound of data – a technique, they say, could help extract meaning from gargantuan datasets. Their method works on groundwater monitoring, and they’re trialling it on other fields like traffic management and medical imaging. “Machine learning and artificial intelligence is a […]

The most comprehensive global analysis of genetic diversity has shown that plant, animal and fungi species are losing genetic diversity. Conservation efforts, however, are helping to safeguard species. High genetic diversity is crucial for species to adapt to environmental changes and pressures, as well as to avoid inbreeding. The study, published in Nature, includes data […]

Hard, durable thermoset plastics appear everywhere from aircraft coatings to hip replacements. But they’re extremely difficult to recycle, and  millions of tonnes end up in landfill, or incinerated into the atmosphere, each year. Now a team of researchers has made a plastic which boasts the tough properties of a thermoset, but which can be recycled. […]

A unique study, led by Monash University, has found that when a woman’s or man’s spouse dies, their loneliness and grief persist regardless of whether they are isolated or supported socially, are self-reliant or healthy. The study, published in the journal Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, and led by world-leading loneliness expert Dr Rosanne Freak-Poli from Monash University, […]

Would you give up your sense of smell to keep your hair? What about your phone? A 2022 US study compared smell to other senses (sight and hearing) and personally prized commodities (including money, a pet or hair) to see what people valued more. The researchers found smell was viewed as much less important than […]

Researchers have developed a technology that they say could make more efficient and eco-friendly refrigerators. While it can only nudge things a degree or two right now, the researchers believe their method could easily be scaled up. The technique, described in a paper in Joule, uses a tool called a thermogalvanic cell. “Thermogalvanic technology is […]

A new study suggests that, beneath its cold and dormant exterior, the moon is more dynamic than previously thought. “Knowing that the moon is still geologically dynamic has very real implications for where we’re planning to put our astronauts, equipment and infrastructure on the moon,” says Jaclyn Clark, an assistant research scientist at the University […]

Tens of thousands of fish have died off northwestern Australia, as a large and long-lasting marine heatwave intensifies. The fish kill at Gnoorea Beach near Karratha is concerning our team of scientists, as the hot mass of water heads south towards Ningaloo Reef and the seagrass gardens in Shark Bay. That’s because we’ve seen this […]