News: Environmental Science

Time to wake up to the illegal trade of sleepy lizards

Smugglers attempt to disguise shingleback lizards as other freight to the detriment of the animals health and wellbeing.

Australian reptiles face serious conservation threats from illegal poaching fuelled by international demand and the exotic pet trade.

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Scientists unearth secrets about the evolution of soil-burrowing cockroaches

A giant burrowing cockroach (Macropanesthia rhinoceros), a species commonly bought as a pet that can reach up to eight centimetres long and weigh 30 grams. Image by Yi-Kai Tea

Evolutionary biologists have assessed the phenomenon of parallelism in soil-burrowing cockroaches for the first time.

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New standards to assist conservation and decision-making

TERN fieldwork

University of Adelaide and TERN researchers have partnered with the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) to standardise both environmental monitoring and data systems for improved decision-making.

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The Federated States of Degradia

Carbon Neutral, a Perth-based carbon offset provider, has planted 30 million native trees and shrubs since 2008. Their ambition is to plant a 200km highway of trees across Western Australia’s Wheatbelt, as shown in this image taken using a carbon neutral drone by photographer Russell Ord.

With almost a third of arable land classified as degraded, what can we do to reverse the rapid pace of degradation and can we do it in a way that benefits us?

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New genetic biocontrol research to help prevent mice plagues

Paul Thomas microscope

Scientists are partnering with the CSIRO and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions to fine new solutions to control mice populations.

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Blind dating: Scientists sense the sex life of sea snakes

Sea snake sex life

Meet the sensitive new age sea snakes that use touch receptors to help them locate and court females.

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Which environments did ancient Aboriginal peoples forage in Australia’s Western Desert?

Habitat suitability model. Excavated rockshelter sites with long archaeological sequences (lime green) include: (1) Karnatukul (Serpent’s Glen), (2) Bushturkey-3, (3) Kaalpi, (4) Puntuntjarpa, (5) Parnkupirti, (6) Puritjarra, (7) Glen Thirsty, (8) Tjungkupu, and (9) Kulpi Mara.

Scientists have used more than two decades of satellite-derived environmental data to suggest the possible foraging habitats of pre-contact Aboriginal peoples living in the Western Desert.

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On a mission to discover unknown Australian species

Insect collections Braggs labs

New technologies to play vital role in discovering and documenting all unknown Australian species by 2050.

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How are 'cute' social media videos encouraging the exotic pet trade?

Tiger cub by Jan Van welt from Pixabay

Researchers are concerned video sharing platforms could be contributing to the normalisation of exotic pets and encouraging the exotic pet trade.

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What is a 1 in 100 year weather event?

Flood photo by sandid, pixabay

People living on the east coast of Australia have been experiencing a rare meteorological event. Record-breaking rainfall in some regions, and very heavy and sustained rainfall in others, has led to significant flooding.

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