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A three-ply chord fragment made from bark was spotted on a stone tool recovered at a cave in France.

In a milestone for drought-stricken communities in New South Wales, the waters of the Murray River and the Darling River in NSW have joined for the first time in two years, prompting celebrations among residents of affected towns. The Murray and Darling rivers’ true meeting place is in the town of Wentworth. Its deputy mayor, Tim Elstone, said the water still had about 70km to run until it met the Murray. “It’s not reached all the way through yet – we’ll expect it Thursday or Friday – but we’re all happy, no worries about that.”  

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All-electric Porsche Taycan is on track for Australia for Q4 2020, despite temporary closures of German factories due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The post Porsche Taycan still on track for Australia in 2020 after bagging two awards appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia reaches more than 50% renewables on a low-demand Easter Saturday. Within a decade, this will be the country's average share of renewables.

The post Australia renewables hit 50% of main grid’s net demand on Easter Saturday appeared first on RenewEconomy.

More than $80bn of investment decisions are delayed due to a collapsed oil price and a geopolitical price war

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The extraordinary growth in Australia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, the main cause of recent rises in national greenhouse gas emissions, has stalled indefinitely, with decisions on more than $80bn of investments delayed due to a collapsed oil price sunk by coronavirus and a geopolitical price war.

The price of Brent crude oil is less than half what it was in early January, having fallen again on Friday despite the Opec oil cartel and its allies reaching a supply deal to stop Saudi Arabia and Russia flooding the world with more oil than it can use. The Asian spot price for LNG, which is linked to the oil benchmark, is down about two-thirds in six months.

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Enhanced images reveal life aboard Nasa's stricken Apollo 13 spacecraft in unprecedented detail.

The overwhelming majority of us say we care about animal welfare. But when it comes to shopping, our actions often take a different turn. Amelia Cornish, PhD student, University of Sydney Bidda Jones, Honorary Associate in Animal Welfare, University of Sydney Louise Grimmer, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of Tasmania Paul McGreevy, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare Science, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Greens asked officials to calculate the cost of shutting down the native forest timber industry immediately rather than 2030 as planned

Ending native forest logging in Victoria immediately, rather than phasing it out by 2030 as the state government plans, would save taxpayers $192m over the next decade, according to an estimate by the state’s independent budget office.

The Victorian Greens asked the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) to calculate what it would cost to shut down the native forest timber industry in the state now, including bringing forward the government’s promised $120m transition package for the industry and workers.

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Steep falls in emissions have been the pandemic’s immediate effect. But what’s needed is a green recovery

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So far, discussions of a coronavirus exit strategy have mainly focused on the steps that could bring an end to the lockdown. In the short term, both in the UK and elsewhere, there is nothing more desirable than letting people resume their lives, once it is safe to do so.

But the speed of the “return to normal” is not the only thing that matters. The manner in which the world’s leaders manage the colossal economic and political shocks caused by the virus is also of the utmost importance. And at the top of their list of priorities, alongside human welfare, must be the biosphere and its future.

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Reduction of 5% would represent biggest drop in demand for fossil fuel on record

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Global carbon emissions from the fossil fuel industry could fall by a record 2.5b tonnes this year, a reduction of 5%, as the coronavirus pandemic triggers the biggest drop in demand for fossil fuels on record.

The unprecedented restrictions on travel, work and industry due to the coronavirus is expected to cut billions of barrels of oil, trillions of cubic metres of gas and millions of tonnes of coal from the global energy system in 2020 alone, according to data commissioned by the Guardian.

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The US president signed an order this week stating Americans had rights to use resources in space.

Each week, we publish a gallery of readers' pictures on a set theme. This week it is "insects".

After working on Frozen and Big Hero 6, Sarah Airriess left Hollywood to create a graphic about early Antarctic explorers

This pandemic can be traced to our disregard for animal welfare. But our politicians won’t dare make the connection

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The boast that “when the facts change, I change my mind” is a proud one. “When the facts change, I reinforce my prejudices” is truer. If you want proof, look at the coronavirus that has changed everything and consider the undisputed fact that it spread because of humanity’s abuse of animals.

Imagine a world where facts changed minds. The United Nations, governments and everyone with influence would now be saying we should abandon meat or at a minimum cut down on consumption. Perhaps my reading is not as wide as it should be, but I have heard nothing of the sort argued. Making the case would be child’s play and would not be confined to emphasising that Covid-19 probably jumped species in Wuhan’s grotesque wet markets. The Sars epidemic of 2002-04 began in Guangdong, probably in bats, and then spread to civet cats, sold in markets and eaten in restaurants. The H7N9 strain of bird flu began in China, once again, and moved to humans from diseased poultry.

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Daniel Kariko uses microscopes to create vivid portraits of ordinary insects, including wasps, beetles, silverfish and moths. More than 60 photographs in his new book show these creatures up close, most of them found near where he lives in North Carolina. Aliens Among Us is published by WW Norton

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Delhi is one of many capitals enjoying improved air quality since restrictions were introduced due to the coronavirus

The screenshots began to circulate on Delhi WhatsApp groups last week, captioned with varying expressions of disbelief. Having checked the air quality index, something of a sadistic morning ritual among residents of India’s capital, most could not believe their eyes.

Gone was the familiar menacing red banner, indicating how each intake of breath is really just a toxic blast on the lungs, replaced instead by a healthy, cheerful green. Could it really be that Delhi’s pollution levels now fell into the category of … “good”? “It’s positively alpine!” exclaimed one message.

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The pick of the world’s best flora and fauna photos, including Indian monkeys and a Parisian duck

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The Netherlands is to delay plans to impose a carbon tax from next year on industrial firms included in the EU ETS due to the coronavirus impact, national media said on Friday, citing unnamed cabinet sources.

California’s ETS floor price next year is on track to rise sightly more than 5% despite inflation dropping month-on-month in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to federal data released Friday.

Closing prices, ranges and volumes for China's regional pilot carbon markets this week.