The Conversation

The environmental, cultural and scientific sensitivity of some sites, and rarity of some fossils, means amateur fossil collecting comes with huge risks. Kailah Thorn, EdCC Earth Science Museum Curator, University of Western Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We were supposed to have a 'climate election' in 2019. New research looked at attitudes to climate change in Australia, and may explain why that didn't pan out. Rebecca Colvin, Senior lecturer, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Frank Jotzo, Director, Centre for Climate and Energy Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The NSW floods are a textbook example of the theoretical impacts we can expect on Australian rainfall as climate change continues. Joelle Gergis, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Evacuation and relief centres are often the first place disaster-affected people go, and should provide a minimum standard of living and care. But this standard is not always met. Mark Maund, Research Affiliate, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle Kim Maund, Discipline Head – Construction Management, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle Thayaparan Gajendran, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Climate change has long been dismissed as a significant stress to New Zealand's native wildlife, but research shows it exacerbates existing threats such as introduced predators and habitat loss. Cate Macinnis-Ng, Associate Professor, University of Auckland Angus Mcintosh, Professor of Freshwater Ecology, University of Canterbury Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Undersea shell middens contain important clues about the past - what people ate, who they were interacting with and how the climate was changing. Now we have a better way to detect and excavate them. Katherine Woo, Postdoctoral Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, James Cook University Geoff Bailey, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology, University of York Jessica Cook Hale, Visiting Scholar, University of Georgia Jonathan Benjamin, Associate Professor in Maritime Archaeology, Flinders University and ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University Sean Ulm, Deputy Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It's said the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. Let's hope that's not the case with Mathias Cormann's climate stance when he joins the OECD. Christian Downie, Associate professor, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

As immunisation emerges as the world's primary weapon to combat COVID-19, much more work is needed to improve electricity access so vaccines can be refrigerated. Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland Paul Lant, Professor of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland Vigya Sharma, Senior Research Fellow, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We used satellite images to study the life cycles of mangrove forests in the Northern Territory, Queensland, and New South Wales — and found a surprising degree of variation. Nicolás Younes Cárdenas, Postdoctoral research fellow, James Cook University Karen Joyce, Senior Lecturer - Remote sensing and spatial information, James Cook University Stefan W Maier, Adjunct Research Fellow, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We hear a lot about the Morrison government 'kicking the can down the road' on emissions reduction. New research reveals the precise burden that forces onto young Australians. Lesley Hughes, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University John Hewson, Professor and Chair, Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Malte Meinshausen, A/Prof., School of Earth Sciences, The University of Melbourne Will Steffen, Emeritus Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In healthy populations, the song of regent honeyeaters is complex and long. But where the population is very small, the song is sadly diminished. Ross Crates, Postdoctoral fellow, Australian National University Dejan Stojanovic, Postdoctoral Fellow, Australian National University Naomi Langmore, Research Fellow, Australian National University Rob Heinsohn, Professor of Evolutionary and Conservation Biology, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

What was a feature of power stations such as Yallourn has become a bug. Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Community scientists have been photographing animals and plants in the months after the Black Summer fires. Each observation is a story of survival against the odds, or of tragedy. Will Cornwell, Associate Professor in Ecology and Evolution, UNSW Casey Kirchhoff, PhD Candidate, UNSW Mark Ooi, Senior Research Fellow, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Green hydrogen produced using New Zealand's mostly renewable electricity sounds like a great idea, but a high-tech smart rail and urban tram network is a more obvious and sustainable option. Susan Krumdieck, Professor and Director, Advanced Energy and Material Systems Lab, University of Canterbury Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

I helped survey coral reefs in Norfolk Island for the first time in eight years, and snapped marine life we didn't expect to see there. John Turnbull, Postdoctoral research associate, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Yallourn power station, Australia’s oldest and dirtiest coal plant, will close four years ahead of schedule. Without a national policy, coal workers are left dangerously exposed. Chris Briggs, Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Global conservation efforts have suffered during the COVID-19 outbreak. It's sadly ironic, because avoiding habitat loss is a cost-effective way to prevent pandemics. Marc Hockings, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Management, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

If octopuses simply started evolving a smarter brain, what stops them from ruling over humans? Why has this not happened already? An expert explains what these cephalopods might be capable of. Culum Brown, Professor, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

When scientists first thought to deceive predators with bird smells, the idea seemed crazy. But after seeing how fake news messes with the minds of both humans and animals, it now makes sense. Peter Banks, Professor of Conservation Biology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney Catherine Price, Postdoctoral Researcher in Conservation Biology, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Environmentalism is, for the most part, the domain of the white middle class. We must recognise the contributions migrants already make, and how their power can be further harnessed. Sukhmani Khorana, Senior Research Fellow, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.