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Category: Evolution and Climate
We helped fill a major climate change knowledge gap, thanks to 130,000-year-old sediment in Sydney lakes
Plants capture around half the carbon we emit by burning fossil fuels, making them a crucial part of mitigating climate change. But carbon is often released back into the atmosphere when plants die, decompose and eventually turn into dirt. Carbon is only permanently removed from the atmosphere if it’s stored in sediments that accumulate at the bottom […]
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History of modern human arrival in Europe rewritten, as new fossil discovered
An international research team including scientists from the University of Adelaide has found evidence of human occupation in Europe almost 10,000 years earlier than previously documented, a discovery that stands to rewrite modern human and Neanderthal histories on the continent. In a study published in Science Advances and led by Toulouse University, France, the authors dated distinctive stone tools and […]
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Ancient DNA helps solve mystery disappearance of lions and bears
An international team of researchers led by the University of Adelaide, suggest a change in climate is the likely cause of the mysterious disappearance of ancient lions and bears from parts of North America for a thousand years or more prior to the last Ice Age. In a study in Molecular Ecology, the researchers sequenced DNA […]
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Humans hastened the extinction of the woolly mammoth
New research shows that humans had a significant role in the extinction of woolly mammoths in Eurasia, occurring thousands of years later than previously thought. An international team of scientists led by researchers from the University of Adelaide and University of Copenhagen, has revealed a 20,000-year pathway to extinction for the woolly mammoth. “Our research […]
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Researchers respond to the IPCC’s report that human activity is undeniably heating the planet.
The world’s leading climate scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – IPCC, have warned that the prospect of limiting global warming to 1.5C will be out of reach within 12 years at current rates of greenhouse gas emissions. The latest 2021 report has indisputably confirmed that human activity is heating the planet, causing […]
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Scientists reveal Earth’s secrets in Flinders Ranges rocks
The first virtual plate reconstruction of the Earth’s last billion years of geological history is providing deeper insight into what formed our planet and made it into how it is today. Professor Alan Collins from the University of Adelaide’s Earth Sciences Department in School of Physical Sciences and Environment Institute member, is part of an […]
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Disappointing season for beekeepers in South Australia
La Niña’s cool, but dry weather conditions provided less pollen and nectar for bees. University of Adelaide and Environment Institute member, researcher Dr Katja Hogendoorn said dry periods were having a “major impact” on feed availability for native and honey bees. “The very hot summers and heatwaves during spring cause the flowers to dissipate very […]
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Nature paper reveals platypus and echidna genomes feature mammalian biology and evolution
International researchers join Environment Institute members in solving the mystery of Australia’s most ancient living mammals The research featured in Nature. includes the first complete genetic code of the echidna and a better quality code for the platypus. Environment Institute member Professor Frank Grutzner said the two genomes would provide new insights into the unique biology […]
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Incredible vision in ancient marine creatures drove an evolutionary arms race
Ancient deep sea creatures called radiodonts had incredible vision that likely drove an evolutionary arms race according to new research. The international study, led by Professor John Paterson from the University of New England’s Palaeoscience Research Centre, in collaboration with the University of Adelaide, the South Australian Museum and The Natural History Museum (UK), found […]
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Research Tuesdays – Notifications from Nature with Prof Andy Lowe
We’re delighted to have our member Professor Andy Lowe speaking at this popular series. Digital technology is pulling us away from nature, the allure of screens entrancing young and old the world over. However ironically, it’s also becoming one of the environment’s most valuable allies. Date: Tuesday 10th November 2020 Time: 5:30pm – 6:30pm ACST Register: Zoom […]
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