Research & development > Environmental science

Australian fossil reveals ancient plant species

19 June, 2020

Fresh examination of an Australian fossil has revealed evidence of a newly discovered plant species that existed more than 359 million years ago.


Probiotics found to boost coral survival

16 June, 2020

Feeding coral a dose of good bacteria increases their overall health and tolerance to stresses related to climate change, such as rising water temperatures.


Australia's mountains are still growing

22 May, 2020

Parts of the Eastern Highlands of Victoria may be as young as five million years old — not 90 million years old as previously thought.


Speeding up the development of pulse seeds

01 April, 2020

Researchers have created a new technique that speeds up the development of seeds, producing better quality and more abundant pulse crops as a result.


Building blocks for life on Earth arrived later than we thought

19 March, 2020

A large proportion of the elements that are essential to the formation of oceans and life — such as water, carbon and nitrogen — only came to Earth very late in its history.


Fossil methane emissions higher than previously estimated

21 February, 2020

An international team of researchers has found that methane emissions from human fossil sources are at least 25% higher than previously estimated.


Nature-inspired textiles remove oil from water

05 February, 2020

Researchers have developed a new technology for removing oil from water sources, creating textiles with surface properties that passively skim off the oil and move it into a floating container.


Confirmed: climate change increases bushfire risk

16 January, 2020

Over 50 different studies show links between human-induced climate change and increased frequency or severity of fire weather.


Call to stop suppression of conservation science

05 December, 2019

The Ecological Society of Australia is calling for governments, universities and industry to stop the censorship and suppression of science and scientists.


World's scientists declare a climate emergency

07 November, 2019

Scientists warn that "untold human suffering" is unavoidable without deep and lasting shifts in human activities that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and other factors related to climate change.


Mussels could be used in surface engineering

18 July, 2019

The adhesive properties of mussels, and the possibility of their use in a wide range of surface engineering applications, have been detailed by US and Chinese researchers.


Gene discovery could help roots grow deeper

16 July, 2019

Researchers have discovered a gene that determines whether roots grow deep or shallow in the soil — and could be altered to help plants adapt to changing climates.


Does air pollution affect female fertility?

04 July, 2019

Ovarian reserve — a marker of potential female fertility based on the number of resting follicles in the ovary — has been found in a large-scale study to be adversely affected by high levels of air pollution.


Anticancer properties found in medicinal plants

28 May, 2019

The leaves of three Southeast Asian plants are effective in stopping the growth of seven types of cancer. Anticancer properties were also demonstrated in three other medicinal plants.


Pluto's atmosphere predicted to freeze over

15 May, 2019

Pluto's atmosphere is predicted to ultimately collapse and freeze over, according to almost three decades' worth of research from an international team of scientists.


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