BLOGS WEBSITE

Category: Science communication

Rising to the Challenge

Native oyster reef renewal Professor Andy Lowe, Interim Director of the Environment Institute, gives a brief snapshot of the vital environmental research – and actions – underway at our University. The problems we face as a planetary species are daunting in scale and volume – but can be solved through a combination of research (to […]

Posted in Biosecurity, Environment Institute, Faculty of Sciences Engineering and Technology, News, Publications, School of Biological Sciences, Science communication | Tagged , , , , , , , |

Leave a comment

Shining a light on dark web wildlife trade

A huge amount of wildlife is traded on the internet, with e-commerce marketplaces, private forums and messaging apps being the most popular means to sell and buy live animals, plants, fungi and their parts and products online. University of Adelaide researchers conducted a wide-ranging study, published in the British Ecological Society journal People and Nature , to […]

Posted in Environment Institute, Faculty of Sciences Engineering and Technology, News, School of Biological Sciences, Science communication, threatened species | Tagged , , , , |

Comments Off on Shining a light on dark web wildlife trade

Dieback of Eucalyptus trees: end of the line or holding on for a new beginning?

What will happen to an isolated population of the red stringybark (Eucalyptus macrorhyncha) as droughts intensify under climate change? It’s not looking good but there is hope says a research team from the University of South Australia, University of Adelaide, and the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium of South Australia. Dieback of trees due to […]

Posted in Environment Institute, News, Publications, School of Biological Sciences, Science communication | Tagged , , , , , , |

Comments Off on Dieback of Eucalyptus trees: end of the line or holding on for a new beginning?

Call to protect seagrass meadows in China’s waters

Seagrass meadows are crucial habitats that contribute to biodiversity, food security, and climate mitigation. However seagrasses, once common along China’s coastlines, have declined by more than 80% of the seagrass meadows in China’s coastal waters and six seagrass species have disappeared. Even the remaining seagrass meadows are now in decline, and in August 2022 the […]

Posted in Climate Change, Environment Institute, Faculty of Sciences Engineering and Technology, School of Biological Sciences, Science communication | Tagged , , , , , |

Comments Off on Call to protect seagrass meadows in China’s waters

Water buybacks are back on the table in the Murray-Darling Basin. Here’s a refresher on how they work.

The Federal government has announced a new round of strategic water buybacks in the Murray-Darling Basin. The government intends to purchase water entitlements from voluntary sellers in parts of New South Wales and Queensland. A total of 49.2 gigalitres (GL) will be purchased across seven catchment areas through open, competitive and transparent tenders. This water […]

Posted in Environment Institute, News, Publications, School of Economics and Public Policy, Science communication | Tagged , , , , |

Comments Off on Water buybacks are back on the table in the Murray-Darling Basin. Here’s a refresher on how they work.

Ancient DNA reveals a hidden history of human adaptation

Humans may be just as vulnerable to environmental change as other animals, according to our new research analysing genetic data from more than a thousand people who lived across Europe and Asia over the past 45,000 years. We found traces of more than 50 “hard sweeps” in which a rare genetic variant rapidly swept through […]

Posted in ACAD, Environment Institute, Evolution and Climate, Faculty of Sciences Engineering and Technology, News, School of Biological Sciences, Science communication | Tagged , , , , , , , |

Comments Off on Ancient DNA reveals a hidden history of human adaptation

On a tiny Australian island, snakes feasting on seabirds evolved huge jaws in a surprisingly short time

A study by researchers from the University of Adelaide and other institutions has found that in a population of island tiger snakes the bones in their jaws increase in length after feeding on large prey, while their mainland counterparts show no change. The new study presents the first detailed examination of the effects that diet […]

Posted in Evolution and Climate, Faculty of Sciences Engineering and Technology, News, SA Museum, School of Biological Sciences, Science communication | Tagged , , , , , , , |

Comments Off on On a tiny Australian island, snakes feasting on seabirds evolved huge jaws in a surprisingly short time

TREENET National Street Tree Symposium success

Over 330 delegates attended the recent TREENET 23rd National Street Tree Symposium, held in Adelaide in September, making it the most successful ever! The Environment Institute’s Professor Robert Hill delivered the Bob Such Keynote Address at the Symposium. Professor Hill is an expert on how Australian flora has changed in response to the changing climate […]

Posted in bushfires, Climate Change, Environment Institute, Events, Evolution and Climate, extreme weather, Faculty of Sciences Engineering and Technology, News, presentation, School of Biological Sciences, Science communication, Symposium | Tagged , , , , , , |

Comments Off on TREENET National Street Tree Symposium success

Ecologist wins Distinguished Alumni Award for research on invasive alien species across three continents

Dr Pablo García-Díaz, collaborator with Assoc Professor Phill Cassey‘s Invasion Science and Wildlife Ecology Group and previous University of Adelaide PhD student, has been awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions in recognition of the impact his research on invasive alien species has had in Australia, Europe and South America. […]

Posted in Awards, Environment Institute, Events, invasion ecology, Postgraduate, School of Biological Sciences, Science communication | Tagged , , , , |

Comments Off on Ecologist wins Distinguished Alumni Award for research on invasive alien species across three continents

Changes in marine ecosystems going undetected

Existing ways of calculating biodiversity dynamics are not very effective in detecting wholesale species community change due to the effects of ocean acidification. University of Adelaide research shows that in cases where biodiversity metrics show no change or little change, there may still be reorganisation of ecological communities in our oceans. “The belief that climate […]

Posted in Environment Institute, News, Publications, School of Biological Sciences, Science communication | Tagged , , , , , , , |

Comments Off on Changes in marine ecosystems going undetected