In fact, there's plenty we can do to make future fires less likely

Jan 08, 2020 11:56 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

One of the dominant ideas buzzing around the internet is that theres little we can do to escape the prospect of more frequent and worse bushfires - ever. Thats because theres little we can do to slow or reverse the...

Diversifying approaches to conserving nature

Jan 08, 2020 11:56 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Conservationists dont always agree about the best ways to reinforce the protection of nature. Debates about it can become confrontational. But at the heart of the issue is how to include more people in conservation...

'This crisis has been unfolding for years': 4 photos of Australia from space, before and after the bushfires

Jan 08, 2020 11:55 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Editors note: We pulled four before-and-after-images from NASAs Worldview application, and asked bushfire researcher Grant Williamson to reflect on the story they tell. Heres what he told us: Ive been studying fires...

Bushfires threaten drinking water safety. The consequences could last for decades

Jan 08, 2020 11:53 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Bushfires pose serious short- and long-term impacts to public drinking water quality. They can damage water supply infrastructure and water catchments, impeding the treatment processes that normally make our water safe to...

A new way to identify a rare type of earthquake in time to issue lifesaving tsunami warnings

Jan 07, 2020 15:50 pm UTC| Nature

Just a few times in a century, somewhere on the globe, a rare tsunami earthquake occurs. These are mysterious because, while theyre just medium-sized as earthquakes go, they cause disproportionately large and devastating...

The story of a wave: from wind-blown ripples to breaking on the beach

Jan 07, 2020 15:37 pm UTC| Nature

Its a cliché, but Aussies love the beach. And little wonder: with 36,000 kilometres of coastline, Australia is blessed with some of the best beaches in the world. Around 20 million Australians live within 50...

Australia can expect far more fire catastrophes. A proper disaster plan is worth paying for

Jan 07, 2020 15:36 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Australia is in the midst of inconceivably bad bushfires. The death toll is rising, thousands of buildings have been destroyed and whole communities displaced. This scale is like nothing before, and our national response...