The Conversation

The death of the last male northern white rhino in the world raises an interesting question: when does a species pass the point of no return? Corey Bradshaw, Matthew Flinders Fellow in Global Ecology, Flinders University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The end of Jay Weatherill's government has removed a significant obstacle to progress on the federal National Energy Guarantee – even though we don't yet know what the full policy will look like. Kate Griffiths, Senior Associate, Grattan Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New cane toad traps that carefully imitate mating males successfully target breeding females. Males, meanwhile, will turn up for anything that sounds remotely like a toad. Lin Schwarzkopf, Professor in Zoology, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The short answer is no. An individual of one species cannot, during its lifetime, turn into another species. But your question helps us think about life, evolution and what it means to be human. Mark Elgar, Professor of Evolutionary Biology, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

From falcons that hunt by the light of skyscrapers, to bears that sit in wait at weirs, animals are using human structures to help them catch a meal. Bill Bateman, Senior Lecturer, Curtin University Trish Fleming, Associate Professor, Murdoch University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Coral bleaching has struck the Northern Territory, adding urgency to the need for better national management strategies for our warming oceans. Selina Ward, Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Tree bonds are set to be introduced by a Melbourne city council to protect city trees. But how do they work and why are they needed? Joe Hurley, Senior Lecturer, Sustainability and Urban Planning, RMIT University Dave Kendal, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Management, University of Tasmania Judy Bush, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub, University of Melbourne Stephen Rowley, Lecturer in Urban Planning, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Engineering practice assumes that floods are randomly distributed but science suggests they are not. This raises questions about the reliability of flood infrastructure and management strategies. Anthony Kiem, Associate Professor – Hydroclimatology, University of Newcastle Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Queensland's new draft land-clearing laws aim to put the brakes on years of environmental destruction. But the bill contains several loopholes that are likely to stymie progress. Anita J Cosgrove, Senior Research Assistant in the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland April Reside, Researcher, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland James Watson, Professor, The University of Queensland Martine Maron, ARC Future Fellow and Associate Professor of Environmental Management, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Most of Australia's plants and animals are found nowhere else on Earth. This remarkable biodiversity requires a bolder, brighter conservation vision. Euan Ritchie, Associate Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Bek Christensen, Vice-President, Ecological Society of Australia, Queensland University of Technology Bill Bateman, Senior Lecturer, Curtin University Dale Nimmo, Associate professor/ARC DECRA fellow, Charles Sturt University Don Driscoll, Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, Deakin University Grant Wardell-Johnson, Associate Professor, Environmental Biology, Curtin University Noel D Preece, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow at Charles Darwin and, James Cook University Sarah Luxton, PhD Candidate, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Despite it's unpopularity with the public and ongoing reports of endangered and non-game birds being killed - duck shooting season commences this month in Victoria, Tasmania and SA. Siobhan O'Sullivan, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Wind is just air moving from one place where there is high pressure to another place where there is low pressure. Andrew B. Watkins, Manager of Climate Prediction Services, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A new documentary makes some controversial claims about the health of kangaroo populations. But the real threat is not to Australia's iconic kangaroos -- it's to dozens of other, obscure species. Karl Vernes, Associate Professor, School of Environmental & Rural Science, University of New England Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A new rechargeable 'proton battery' - made chiefly from carbon and water - promises to outperform conventional lithium-ion batteries, while also being more environmentally friendly. John Andrews, Professor, School of Engineering, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

To stay up, the bird must overcome gravity with a force called 'lift'. Simon Griffith, Professor of Avian Behavioural Ecology, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New global communities of concerned citizens can help protect iconic places such as the Great Barrier Reef. But the scope of these remote communities must extend beyond mere 'slacktivism'. Georgina Gurney, Environmental Social Science Research Fellow, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Research suggests that speakers of "present-tensed" languages such as German and Finnish - in which the future can be describe in the present tense - are more likely to support stronger climate policies. Astghik Mavisakalyan, Senior Research Fellow, Curtin University Clas Weber, Lecturer, University of Western Australia Yashar Tarverdi, Research fellow, Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia's federal environment laws are inadequate to halt Australia's alarming rates of land clearing and species loss. A more robust set of laws are urgently needed. Samantha Hepburn, Director of the Centre for Energy and Natural Resources Law, Deakin Law School, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

'Virtual power plants' offer extra power to the grid by tweaking the operation of batteries and appliances right across the network. But even this might be too blunt a tool for our future energy needs. Evan Franklin, Senior Lecturer - School of Engineering, Co-Director Future Energy, University of Tasmania Frank Jotzo, Director, Centre for Climate Economics and Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The creation of climate models with open source code, available for anyone to use, has improved scientific collaboration and helped research get more efficient. Martin Jucker, Maritime Continent Research Fellow, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.