The Conversation
Green hydrogen could be a game changer by displacing fossil fuels – we just need the price to come down
Currently, most hydrogen is produced using fossil fuels but the falling cost of renewables and growing demand for energy have added momentum for clean hydrogen.
Ralph Cooney, Professor Emeritus in Advanced Materials, University of Auckland
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Wallaby joeys and platypus puggles are tiny and undeveloped when born. But their mother's milk is near-magical
All mammals produce milk. But there’s no milk quite like that produced by monotremes and marsupials. Here’s what’s so special about it.
Hayley Stannard, Senior lecturer, Charles Sturt University
Julie Old, Associate Professor, Biology, Zoology, Animal Science, Western Sydney University
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Why is it so damn cold right now? A weather researcher explains
Temperatures plummeted across southeast Australia this week, with Canberra experiencing its lowest temperature since 2018 and the lowest for June since 1986. What’s going on?
Tess Parker, Research Fellow, Monash University
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Global average sea and air temperatures are spiking in 2023, before El Niño has fully arrived. We should be very concerned
Over the past three years, Earth’s climate system has accumulated an average of 11 Hiroshima bombs’ worth of excess energy per second. And it’s showing in the current surge in ocean temperature.
Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia
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Is climate change outpacing our ability to predict extreme heatwaves?
The 2021 Pacific Northwest heatwave outstripped even the most severe climate prections. A new study simulated 45,000 years of weather at Seattle Tacoma airport to try and figure out why.
Damien Irving, Climate Data Scientist, CSIRO
James Risbey, Researcher, Oceans and Atmosphere, CSIRO
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Is leaving dog poo in the street really so bad? The science says it’s even worse than you think
And what about the old water-bottles-on-the grass trick? Does that actually work?
Melissa Starling, Postdoctoral researcher, University of Sydney
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97% of Australians want more action to stop extinctions and 72% want extra spending on the environment
A new survey finds Australians care deeply about the environment but many are not aware of the full extent of biodiversity loss.
Liam Smith, Director, BehaviourWorks, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University
Jaana Dielenberg, University Fellow, Charles Darwin University
Kim Borg, Research Fellow at BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University
Rachel Morgain, Senior Research Fellow, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne
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Supermarket shelves were empty for months after the Lismore floods. Here's how to make supply chains more resilient
When the roads flooded around Lismore, it left supermarket shelves empty for months. Keeping everyone fed took a huge community effort. Now we need to make food supply secure.
Fiona Berry, Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney
Jean S. Renouf, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Southern Cross University
Sheriden Keegan, PhD Scholar, Griffith University
Somayeh Sadegh Koohestani, PhD student, University of Technology Sydney
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All-electric homes are better for your hip pocket and the planet. Here's how governments can help us get off gas
A new report from the Grattan Institute shows most households can save thousands of dollars by getting off gas and switching to electric appliances.
Esther Suckling, Research Associate, Grattan Institute
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Why does grass grow more slowly in winter?
Different grasses respond to and cope with winter in different ways.
Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne
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Hungry gold miners created Victoria's Murray cod fisheries – and we're still dealing with the consequences
Less gold in the mines. Unrest in the camps. And a new fishery for the giant Murray cod which decimated their population. The 19th century gold rush has left a bad environmental legacy.
Paul Humphries, Associate professor in ecology, Charles Sturt University
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Imagine the outcry if factories killed as many people as wood heaters
One day we’ll look back in amazement that wood heaters were once tolerated in cities right next to houses, schools and hospitals.
Bill Dodd, Knowledge Broker, Centre for Safe Air (NHMRC CRE), University of Tasmania
Bin Jalaludin, Conjoint Professor, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney
Fay Johnston, Professor, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania
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Oceans absorb 30% of our emissions, driven by a huge carbon pump. Tiny marine animals are key to working out its climate impacts
Marine life known as zooplankton might be the biggest problem with getting carbon cycling right in climate models. The potential variations in carbon uptake are greater than global transport emissions.
Tyler Rohr, Lecturer in Southern Ocean Biogeochemical Modelling, IMAS, University of Tasmania
Anthony Richardson, Professor, The University of Queensland
Elizabeth Shadwick, Team Leader, Oceans & Atmosphere, CSIRO
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Many urban waterways were once waste dumps. Restoration efforts have made great strides – but there's more to do to bring nature back
Urban rivers and creeks have bounced back from early colonial use as convenient waste dumps. But the restoration work isn’t done yet, as Melbourne’s Darebin Creek shows.
Oliver A.H. Jones, Professor, RMIT University
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Are tree-changers bad at managing their rural properties? A new study wades into the weeds to find the answer
Tree-changers can get a bad rap for not managing their properties well. So will this lead to more absentee neighbours who let weeds run rampant?
Nicholas Gill, Associate Professor in Geography, University of Wollongong
Anna Lewis, Research Program Manager, University of Wollongong
Laurie Chisholm, Associate Professor in Remote Sensing, University of Wollongong
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'We are gambling with the future of our planet for the sake of hamburgers': Peter Singer on climate change
When Peter Singer first published Animal Liberation in 1975, he wasn’t aware of climate change. But the new book, Animal Liberation Now, argues eating plants will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Peter Singer, Professor of Bioethics in the Center for Human Values, Princeton University
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Many First Nations communities swelter without power. Why isn't there solar on every rooftop?
It’s 2023 and residents in remote First Nations communities still suffer from regular power disconnections. The fix is simple: put solar on every roof. But there are challenges to overcome first.
Simon Quilty, Senior Staff Specialist, Alice Springs Hospital. Purple House Medical Advisor. Honorary ANU., Australian National University
Brad Riley, Research Fellow, Australian National University
Lee White, Fellow, Australian National University
Norman Frank Jupurrurla, Warumungu Elder and Director of the Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation, Tennant Creek, Indigenous Knowledge
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Safety vests and helmets make cyclists look ‘less human’ to other road users
Bike riders wear helmets and high-vis vests to reduce their vulnerability on the road. Problem is a new study finds this dehumanises cyclists, putting them more at risk of aggression from drivers.
Sarah Collyer, Research Associate, Caring Futures Institute, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University
Mark Limb, Lecturer in Urban and Regional Planning, Queensland University of Technology
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Bad break-up in warm waters: why marine sponges suffer with rising temperatures
New research has unravelled the mystery of why sea sponges die when the water gets too warm. The cause of death appears to be the sudden loss of microbes that usually act to detoxify sponge tissue.
Emmanuelle Botté, Research Officer, UNSW Sydney
Heidi M. Luter, Research Scientist, Australian Institute of Marine Science
James Bell, Professor of Marine Biology, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
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Can next week's special meeting in Chile break the deadlock over East Antarctica's marine park proposal?
China and Russia have been blocking international plans to protect marine life in East Antarctica. Will next week’s special meeting in Chile break the deadlock? Australia hopes so.
Lynda Goldsworthy, Research Associate, University of Tasmania
Marcus Haward, Professor
Tony Press, Adjunct Professor, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
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