Research & development > Environmental science

Nutrient access affects trees' carbon storage abilities

10 March, 2017 by Lauren Davis

A groundbreaking study led by Western Sydney University has found that common Australian trees are unable to store as much carbon dioxide as previously thought.


World's oldest fossils uncovered

07 March, 2017

An international research team has discovered the remains of microorganisms at least 3.77 billion years old, making them the oldest fossils ever found.


Metal-contaminated soil leads to antibiotic-resistant bacteria

28 February, 2017

Australian and Scottish researchers have found that soils containing lead, manganese or aluminium — even in small amounts — contain bacteria with antibiotic resistance.


Grant to improve sorghum breeding programs

30 January, 2017

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center has announced a three-year, $6.1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand and accelerate the development of advanced sorghum phenotyping and breeding technologies.


As temperatures go up, insect populations go down

12 January, 2017

Scientists have discovered that rising temperatures are damaging insects' ability to reproduce.


The biggest exposed fault on Earth

30 November, 2016 by Lauren Davis

Geologists conducting research off the coast of eastern Indonesia have identified what they claim to be the biggest exposed fault on Earth — a find that will help researchers assess dangers of future tsunamis in the area.


From bread to beer — the gene mutation in barley

24 November, 2016 by Lauren Davis

A research team led by Okayama University has discovered the gene mutation and enzyme that determine whether the dormancy of barley is long (better for food crops) or short (better for beer-making).


Bushfires decrease genetic diversity in frog populations

17 November, 2016 by Lauren Davis

The increasing intensity and frequency of bushfires in Victoria is having a significant impact on the genetic diversity of the state's frog populations.


State of the Climate 2016 — hotter days, warmer oceans, greater fire risk

28 October, 2016

Australia has warmed by around 1°C since 1910, according to State of the Climate 2016.


Newly discovered microorganisms contributing to climate change

18 October, 2016

Scientists from The University of Queensland have discovered a major group of microorganisms contributing to climate change.


A new way to find weakness in the Earth's crust

05 October, 2016

US and Australian scientists have developed a new method to estimate weakness in the Earth's outer layers. Their work will help explain and predict volcanic activity and earthquakes at a much smaller scale than previously possible.


3.7-billion-year-old fossils discovered

01 September, 2016

Australian researchers have uncovered the world's oldest fossils in a remote area of Greenland, pushing back the fossil record to near the start of the Earth's geological record and pointing to evidence of life on Earth very early in its history.


Human-induced climate change is older than you think

25 August, 2016 by Lauren Davis

When do you think global warming first began to take effect? If you answered any later than the Industrial Revolution, you're in for a shock.


The upshot of global warming: lower dengue risk

10 August, 2016

Australian health researchers have predicted that the transmission of dengue could decrease in a future warmer climate, countering previous projections that climate change would cause the potentially lethal virus to spread more easily.


CSIRO ordered to renew focus on climate science

04 August, 2016 by Lauren Davis

Greg Hunt has demanded that CSIRO restore its focus on climate science, less than six months after the organisation announced a number of job cuts in the area.


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