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Koala-detecting dogs sniff out flaws in Australia's threatened species protection

Mon, 2019-08-05 06:05
Environmental protections in Australia are built on assumptions about where animals live – and it's harming our wildlife. Romane H. Cristescu, Posdoc in Ecology, University of the Sunshine Coast Anthony Schultz, PhD Candidate, University of the Sunshine Coast Celine Frere, Senior lecturer, University of the Sunshine Coast David Schoeman, Professor of Global-Change Ecology, University of the Sunshine Coast Kylie Scales, Senior lecturer, University of the Sunshine Coast Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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2℃ of global warming would put pressure on Melbourne's water supply

Fri, 2019-08-02 06:09
Hitting the Paris targets will go a long way to securing Melbourne's water supply against future pressure. Ben Henley, Research Fellow in Climate and Water Resources, University of Melbourne Andrew King, ARC DECRA fellow, University of Melbourne Anna Ukkola, Research Associate, Climate Change Research Centre, Australian National University Murray Peel, Senior lecturer, University of Melbourne Rory Nathan, Associate Professor Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Don't just blame government and business for the recycling crisis – it begins with us

Thu, 2019-08-01 06:04
Australia's recycling woes belong to everyone, from households to government to business. It's time to stop pointing fingers and get to work on a solution. Trevor Thornton, Lecturer, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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New Zealand poised to introduce clean car standards and incentives to cut emissions

Thu, 2019-08-01 06:04
New Zealand has proposed new fuel standards, along with a consumer rebates for cleaner cars – paid for by higher costs for high-polluting cars – to cut its rising transport emissions. Robert McLachlan, Professor in Applied Mathematics, Massey University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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What are native grasslands, and why do they matter?

Wed, 2019-07-31 06:04
The Monaro grasslands are a tiny surviving fraction of the native grasslands that once grew across the Southern Tablelands. Mike Letnic, Professor, Centre for Ecosystem Science, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Some good conservation news: India's tiger numbers are going up

Mon, 2019-07-29 17:01
An exhaustive search involving 44,000 field staff, 318,000 habitat surveys and nearly 35 million photos has revealed India's tiger population is on the rise. Matt Hayward, Associate professor, University of Newcastle Joseph K. Bump, Associate Professor, Gordon W. Gullion Endowed Chair in Forest Wildlife Research and Education, University of Minnesota Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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NSW's water plan is 'not working' but we can save the Barwon-Darling

Mon, 2019-07-29 17:00
Irrigators get too much water from the Barwon-Darling even when river levels are critically low, according to a NSW government review. Barry Hart, Emeritus Professor Water Science, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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The Albany pitcher plant will straight up eat you (if you're an ant)

Fri, 2019-07-26 15:27
Albany pitcher plants are more closely related to cabbages and roses than any other carnivorous plant. Adam Cross, Research Fellow, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Extreme weather caused by climate change has damaged 45% of Australia's coastal habitat

Fri, 2019-07-26 06:02
Corals, mangroves and seagrass habitats have been affected by extreme weather events, and some may never recover. Russ Babcock, Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Anthony Richardson, Professor, The University of Queensland Beth Fulton, CSIRO Research Group Leader Ecosystem Modelling and Risk Assessment, CSIRO Eva Plaganyi, Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Rodrigo Bustamante, Research Group Leader , CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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2,000 years of records show it's getting hotter, faster

Thu, 2019-07-25 05:58
The clearest picture yet of the past 2,000 years of global temperatures has shown warming in the last 50-odd years is unprecedented in the last two millennia. Ben Henley, Research Fellow in Climate and Water Resources, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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New demand-response energy rules sound good, but the devil is in the (hugely complicated) details

Wed, 2019-07-24 10:07
Proposed rules for managing energy demand could potentially lower prices and reduce blackout risk, but there are reasons to be skeptical. Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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There's a simple way to drought-proof a town – build more water storage

Wed, 2019-07-24 05:59
Many rural town water supplies cannot weather even a single year of drought. This is a failure of planning and funding on a grand scale. Michael Roderick, Professor, Research School of Earth Sciences and Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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40 years ago, scientists predicted climate change. And hey, they were right

Tue, 2019-07-23 06:00
Scientists introduced credible climate change to the world in 1979, but it's taken decades for their message to sink in. Neville Nicholls, Professor emeritus, School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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It's Sarabi's pride, Mufasa just lives there: a biologist on The Lion King

Mon, 2019-07-22 06:02
Lions don't generally have armies of hyenas, but not every aspect of The Lion King is inaccurate. Alexander Richard Braczkowski, PhD Candidate - Wildlife Cameraman, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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The waterwheel plant is a carnivorous, underwater snap-trap

Fri, 2019-07-19 13:40
Waterwheel plants use snap up mosquito larvae, tiny fish and even tadpoles in freshwater wetlands around the world – including remote parts of north Australia. Adam Cross, Research Fellow, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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More than 28,000 species are officially threatened, with more likely to come

Thu, 2019-07-18 20:05
An update of the IUCN Red List attempts to map the real extent of global biodiversity loss. Peter Kyne, Senior Research Fellow in conservation biology, Charles Darwin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Dog owners could take the lead on dingo conservation with a 'Fido fund'

Thu, 2019-07-18 09:19
A small surcharge on dog food could massively improve conservation for Australia's native dingos and wild dogs. Neil R Jordan, Lecturer, UNSW Rob Appleby, PhD student at the Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Taller, faster, better, stronger: wind towers are only getting bigger

Thu, 2019-07-18 05:48
A proposal for 270m tall wind turbines on Robbins Island has ruffled some feathers – but here's why towering turbines are here to stay. Con Doolan, Professor, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Adani has set a dangerous precedent in requesting scientists' names

Wed, 2019-07-17 15:12
Adani's request for the names of individual scientists reviewing their groundwater management plan has chilling implications for scientific independence. Samantha Hepburn, Director of the Centre for Energy and Natural Resources Law, Deakin Law School, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Lights out! Clownfish can only hatch in the dark – which light pollution is taking away

Wed, 2019-07-17 04:44
Clownfish eggs exposed to artificial light completely fail to hatch, highlighting the growing problem of light pollution. Emily Fobert, Research Associate, Flinders University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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