Severe thunderstorms are sweeping through southern Australia. But what makes a thunderstorm "severe"?
Clusters of severe thunderstorms are expected to strike Australia's southern regions over Thursday and Friday......»»
Biased AI in health care faces crackdown in sweeping Biden admin proposals
The future of the proposals is uncertain as Trump admin comes to office. The Biden administration on Tuesday issued sweeping health care proposals that would see Medicare plans gr.....»»
New analysis reveals the "brain drought" putting Australia"s STEM future at risk
A new analysis reveals that plunging domestic tertiary enrollments in science, technology, engineering and math subjects (STEM) is putting Australia's economic future at risk......»»
Civil lawsuits study reveals effectiveness of environment-focused litigation in US, but also large inequalities
A sweeping study of three decades of lawsuits has revealed both the effectiveness but also the underuse of civil litigation to enforce environmental protections......»»
Australia in a baby bust? It"s not that simple—and a panic won"t help
There is a seemingly endless stream of news headlines about plummeting birth rates. Many have alarmist narratives about the perils of "baby busts" and "population decline." This reflects a deep-seated anxiety about what declining birth rates mean for.....»»
Why Monday is the most dangerous day on a building site
Australia's construction industry employs more than 1.3 million workers. That's about 9% of the workforce......»»
Milestone legal case from 35 years ago holds important lessons for how courts deal with scientific evidence today
This month marks 35 years of DNA evidence being used in Australian legal cases. But unlike DNA firsts in other countries, Australia's is perhaps the most significant legal milestone that is practically unheard of......»»
In Patagonia, more snow could protect glaciers from melt—but only if greenhouse gas are curbed emissions soon
In an era of dwindling glaciers, Southern Patagonia has managed to hold on to a surprising amount of its ice. But, a new study in Scientific Reports from INSTAAR postdoc Matthias Troch suggests that this protective effect might be pushed up against i.....»»
Characterizing shifts in Sicily"s seasonal rainfall
Around the world, man-made climate change is increasing both the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. Seasonal patterns in rainfall are an especially important indicator of these changes: While a lack of rain can lead to more severe drou.....»»
DOJ indicts Phillips 66 for Southern California refinery allegedly dumping industrial wastewater into sewer
A federal grand jury in Los Angeles voted to indict Texas-based oil refiner Phillips 66 for allegedly dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater from its Carson refinery into the Los Angeles County sewer system and then failing.....»»
Humpback whale nursery hotspot detected in Australian waters
Marine biologists from The University of Western Australia have recommended protection measures for a humpback whale nursery ground in the Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia's Pilbara region......»»
Emperor penguin released at sea 20 days after waddling onto Australian beach
The only emperor penguin known to have swum from Antarctica to Australia was released at sea 20 days after he waddled ashore on a popular tourist beach, officials said Friday......»»
Astronomers take first close-up picture of a star outside our galaxy
Located a staggering 160,000 light-years from us, the star WOH G64 was imaged thanks to the impressive sharpness offered by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO's VLTI). The new observations reveal a star puffi.....»»
Disinformation and deepfakes played a part in the US election. Australia should expect the same
As America takes stock after Donald Trump's re-election to the presidency, it's worth highlighting the AI-generated fake photos, videos and audio shared during the campaign......»»
Plastic reduces krill"s ability to remove carbon in the deep ocean, marine ecologists find
New research shows that increased levels of plastic pollution in the Southern Ocean could reduce the ability of Antarctic krill, a tiny shrimp-like crustacean, to help take CO2 from the atmosphere. The results are published this month in the journal.....»»
Reef studies highlight missing clues to conserve fish species
In Australia, shellfish reef restoration projects are helping to recover degraded coastal systems and enhance fish habitat, but much more research is needed to support and evaluate these efforts, researchers say......»»
Madagascar"s huge ocean algae bloom was caused by dust from drought-stricken southern Africa
Scientists have found new evidence that desertification, potentially linked to global warming, leads to large amounts of nutrient-rich dust landing in the sea, causing ocean algae to grow rapidly. Biological oceanographer John A. Gittings and an inte.....»»
Australian women are still being paid almost $30,000 a year less than men and the gap widens with age
Australia's gender pay gap has been shrinking year by year, but is still over 20% among Australia's private companies, a new national report card shows......»»
Employment outcomes study finds women veterans weathered pandemic lockdowns better than men
The U.S. economy took a severe hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered lockdowns that cost many workers their jobs beginning in March 2020......»»
Lonely dolphin in Baltic Sea found to be talking to himself
A team of marine biologists at the University of Southern Denmark has discovered a solo male dolphin living in the Baltic Sea, who appears to be talking to himself. In their paper published in the journal Bioacoustics, the group describes how they an.....»»
First ever goat-fish petroglyph reveals Egyptian understanding of zodiac symbols
A new study by Dr. Linda Evans and her colleagues from Macquarie University, Australia, published in the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, has recently identified what may be an Egyptian petroglyph depicting the zodiac sign Capricornus, a hybrid creat.....»»