8 ways to tone down the Christmas lights to help wildlife – and why we should
Dec 12, 2023 15:55 pm UTC| Nature
The Australian government has launched a campaign asking people to switch off light pollution to protect wildlife. So, what does the science say? Should we rethink Christmas lights? In our latest report, we reviewed...
How agriculture can make the most of one of the world’s biggest carbon sink, soil
Dec 07, 2023 08:01 am UTC| Nature
Its right under our feet. We barely notice as we go about our lives, yet it is nothing less than the largest carbon repository among all of Earths ecosystems. This distinction is awarded neither to forests, nor to the...
New genetic research uncovers the lives of Bornean hunter-gatherers
Dec 06, 2023 07:57 am UTC| Nature
Borneo is one of the worlds most biodiversity-rich regions, home to ancient rainforests and an immense variety of wildlife. Among its inhabitants are the Punan Batu, a group of contemporary nomadic hunter-gatherers with...
We're in an El Niño – so why has Australia been so wet?
Dec 05, 2023 09:20 am UTC| Nature
After three La Niña summers many of us would have been expecting much hotter and drier conditions this spring and summer after the arrival of El Niño. Instead, in many parts of eastern Australia its rained...
Why iconic trees are so important to us – and how replacing those that fall is often complicated
Dec 05, 2023 05:38 am UTC| Nature
An ancient kola tree has been cut down in southern Ghana. Local tradition held that the tree had grown on the spot where spiritual leader Komfo Anokye had spat a kola nut onto the ground three centuries...
Rats are more human than you think – and they certainly like being around us
Dec 05, 2023 05:37 am UTC| Nature
Rats have a somewhat unfortunate tendency to enjoy living where people live. Thats how a biologist tried to explain peoples hatred for the rodents in a television news feature about rats gnawing electrical cables in parked...
Cruel summer ahead – why is Australia so unprepared?
Dec 05, 2023 05:37 am UTC| Nature
2023 has shattered climate records, accompanied by extreme weather that has left a trail of devastation and despair, according to the World Meteorological Organization at COP 28. Some of the most significant extreme heat...
South Africa’s plan to move away from coal: 8 steps to make it succeed
Germany lowers voting age to 16 for the European elections
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects