Ancient roos bounce back
Palaeontologists from Flinders University have described three unusual new species of giant fossil kangaroo. Over the last decade, a series of discoveries around Lake Callabonna in arid South Australia have yielded multiple complete…
Do kangaroos form longterm relationships?
While kangaroos are a very social species, there has until recently been no evidence that they form long-term relationships between individuals. But a new study by researchers from UNSW Sydney indicates that this…
What are food colourings made from?
Food colourings can be made from plants, animals or synthetically. As additives they are given identifying numbers, known as ‘E’ numbers in Europe; in Australia we use the same list but omit the…
How well do elephants smell?
“Does the long trunk of an elephant give it an advantage for a sense of smell? Or is it more designed as a tool for other things?” Elephants have an acute sense of…
How many species can be found in a glass of ocean water?
If you’ve ever been involved in a school experiment looking at ocean or river water under a microscope, you’ll know that even a single drop teems with life, from larvae and fish visible…
Can there be problems when scientists reintroduce endangered species?
There are many projects aiming to replenish or broaden the gene pool of wild animal populations that are under threat. Few are more vital to survival than efforts to save the Tasmanian devil….
The Planet Talks at WOMADelaide
‘The Planet Talks’ is a three-day ecological and conversational forum taking part during WOMADelaide, the music and dance festival which features over 60 groups presented across four days and seven stages. WOMADelaide takes…
How the giraffe really got its neck
The question of how the giraffe got its long neck has long been debated by scientists throughout the world. Since the days of Charles Darwin, the dominant theory has been that the giraffe’s…
Reverse extinctions, Tasmanian tigers and smoky mice
The idea of bringing back extinct flora and fauna is not new, but the challenge is two-fold: first in sequencing a full genome from recovered DNA fragments, and then in taking stem cells…
Groundwater could speed the loss of Antarctic ice
Australian research has uncovered groundwater beneath the Antarctic ice which may increase glacial loss and the rising of ocean levels. Antarctica preserves Earth’s largest ice sheet, and scientists have been warning for decades…
