Invasive grasses are worsening bushfires across Australia"s drylands
As the semi-arid Pilliga Scrub burns in New South Wales, many of us are thinking about fire once again. It's an El Niño summer in the hottest year on record. And there's a remarkable amount of grass drying out and ready to burn......»»
The Last of Us season 2: what we know about the hit HBO Max show"s return
Here's what we know about The Last of Us season 2 ahead of its debut on Max (US), Sky/Now TV (UK), and Binge (Australia)......»»
Kids" sport always cancelled due to rain-soaked grounds? Green infrastructure can help
It's been a rainy winter in many parts of Australia, wreaking havoc on kids' sporting competitions. As mums, it has been frustrating to see so many of our kids' sports matches (and training sessions) canceled because of waterlogged grounds......»»
Apple Account Card in Wallet app now available in Canada and Australia
Apple introduced Apple Account cards in the United States back in 2022 with iOS 15.5. Now, with iOS 17.6, the Wallet app card is expanding to Canada and Australia, two years after the initial debut. more….....»»
Rocket Report: Falcon 9 is back; Starship could be recovered off Australia
Elon Musk doesn't expect the next Starship test flight to occur before late August. Welcome to Edition 7.05 of the Rocket Report! The Federal Aviation Administration grounded SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket for 15 days after a rare failure.....»»
Restoring logged forests doesn"t mean locking them up as "wilderness"—it means actively managing them
On January 1 this year, the commercial logging of native forests ended in Victoria and Western Australia. It was one of the most significant changes in the history of forest management in Australia......»»
How duplicated genomes helped grasses diversify and thrive
Grasses cover about 40% of the Earth's land surface, thriving in a multitude of environments. The evolutionary success of this plant family, which includes rice, maize, wheat and bamboo, likely results from a history of whole-genome duplications, acc.....»»
Scientists using new sound tech to save animals from extinction
Research, conducted by The University of Warwick and the University of New South Wales in Australia, analyzes animal sounds from endangered species including types of elephants, whales and birds......»»
How technology and robotics are helping Brazil monitor and control an invasive coral species
When the expanded yellow tentacles of the sun coral began to appear on the Brazilian coastline, alarms rang. This species, also known as Tubastraea, was not supposed to be there. The movement of oil platforms and other shipping near Rio de Janeiro in.....»»
Invasive insect herbivore alters ecosystem services delivered by cycads
A study published in the June 2024 issue of the journal Pedosphere looks at how a non-native armored scale insect alters the leaf litter decomposition dynamics of the novel host cycad species on newly invaded islands. The scale insect, known as cycad.....»»
Our beef with "Big Meat": The power perpetuating Australia"s live export trade is at play elsewhere
Australia was once the world's largest exporter of live animals. But exports have declined in recent years......»»
From selfie injuries to viral stunts, social media can be risky for children. Could a ban help?
Australia is one of several countries currently considering a social media ban for children. Nationally, there are calls to raise the age a young person can legally use social media from 13 to 16, while South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas is l.....»»
The right to disconnect is coming to Australia—what does this mean for you?
Next month, changes to the Australian Fair Work Act will give workers the formal right to disconnect from all work communication outside their usual work hours......»»
Solar storms could cause more auroras on Tuesday night
Massive explosions on the sun have triggered warnings of geomagnetic storms that could create dazzling auroras in the northern United States, Europe and southern Australia on Tuesday night......»»
Boost creativity in schools and build STEM careers, say educators
It opens the mind and is at the heart of innovation, yet while creativity is recognized as a critical skill for Australia's economic future, it is typically confined to the arts, skipping other areas of the curriculum......»»
Manila is reeling after a super typhoon—we must prepare fast-growing megacities for worsening disasters
Last week, a strong typhoon left a trail of destruction across the Philippines, Taiwan and China. Super Typhoon Gaemi began as a tropical storm but intensified rapidly, leaving at least 65 people dead and triggering environmental fears after it sank.....»»
More Aussies are concerned the transition to renewables will hurt them financially
Support for Australia transitioning to renewable energy is strong across the country (with 59% support), but 41% are concerned about the negative impacts of the transition to green energy on cost-of-living and household energy bills (up 10% since 202.....»»
New research shows how global warming is messing with our rainfall
The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth's land area—particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows......»»
Invasive, blood-sucking fish "may hold the key to understanding where we came from," say biologists
One of just two vertebrates without a jaw, sea lampreys that are wreaking havoc in Midwestern fisheries are simultaneously helping scientists understand the origins of two important stem cells that drove the evolution of vertebrates......»»
Battling the red palm weevil: Investigating the devastation on date palm plantations of the Middle East
The red palm weevil can devastate the valuable date palm plantations of the Middle East. Yet, date producers are still hesitant to apply new technologies that can control this invasive pest. A recent ICARDA study reveals factors that hinder pest cont.....»»
Rare rodent prefers an invasive noxious weed over native vegetation, study finds
In a twist to the native animal survival story, new research shows that a threatened rodent that only survives on offshore islands prefers one of Australia's most invasive weeds for food and shelter......»»