Many species have dubious futures in the face of climate change. But sea turtles have a particularly pressing problem: their sex is determined by temperature. Australia has ecologically and culturally…
It takes just two generations to adapt to warmer ocean temperatures.
Jennifer Donelson
The average temperature of the oceans has already increased significantly due to global warming and will continue to warm rapidly in coming decades. If we are going to effectively manage and conserve fish…
People who get to know flying foxes are less likely to loathe them.
michis
Even Australia’s most iconic, charismatic species are in danger of extinction. Species such as the cassowary, Tasmanian devil and koala all enjoy significant community support and relatively generous funding…
Will rugby union remain one of the big four football codes in Australia?
AAP/Paul Miller
RUGBY WORLD CUP – As New Zealand gets World Cup fever, James Cook University’s Chris Davies discusses where rugby union’s place in the Australian sporting landscape. It’s on again – we’re now four weeks…
Protecting coral reefs means thinking about people, not just marine species.
Fran Tapia
Overfishing is a serious problem on many of the world’s coral reefs – a problem that is generally attributed to too many people. But our research has found that economic development, rather than population…
It’s a bleak picture, but there’s hope on the horizon.
Bill Laurance
What comes to mind when you think of Indonesia? For biologists like myself, Australia’s northern neighbour provokes visions of ancient rainforests being razed by slash-and-burn farmers, and endangered…
Fishing has been banned in Gladstone while authorities try to determine what’s killing marine species.
robstephaustralia
Several individuals have required medical attention after a mystery disease appeared to spread to humans from fish in waters near Gladstone, Queensland. Fishing bans are currently in place and local residents…
Primary forest is best for biodiversity, but we should also look at second-best.
cknara/Flickr
We live in an age of vanishing rainforests. Half of the world’s tropical forests have disappeared since World War II and roughly another 10 million hectares are being felled each year — the equivalent…
Fruit bats carry disease, pollen and a warning about the state of the environment.
shellac/Flickr
This year has had the lot. First came the tempest, then the floods. Fires are on their way as the landscape dries out. Now we have pestilence, in the form of Hendra virus. Calls for bat culls have ensued…
We now know the exact age of a species that confounds scientists.
Lee Berger/University of the Witwaterstrand
Since its discovery in August 2008, the site of Malapa in Johannesburg has yielded more than 220 bones of early hominins representing at least six individuals, including the remains of babies, juveniles…
Equal pay is a test case for employers, who frequently appear not to recognise gender pay disparity.
AAP
Last week’s Equal Pay Day highlighted the fact that despite decades of supposed reform, women’s average full-time weekly earnings remains 17.2% below men. Is this obvious to our employers? Worryingly…
The media needs to ask itself some tricky questions.
st bernard
Debates have raged in the media in the aftermath of recent events in News Ltd UK. Curtailing the freedom of the press; the ethics of methods used to source stories; quality of media reporting; and the…
Rugby union’s potential demise has been greatly exaggerated.
Rumours of the demise of rugby union are a bit like those of Mark Twain’s “first” death - greatly exaggerated. The recent and sudden appearance of a hybrid rugby code ⎯ supported by Mark Ella and played…
Despite the success of the State of Origin, rugby league still lags behind the AFL in terms of popularity.
AAP
The move to establish an independent commission to run rugby league is a long overdue acknowledgement that strong corporate governance is essential in the small but intensely competitive Australian market…
Money is the key theme across the climate change debate: what happened to sustainability?
louisa catlover/flickr
The Government’s equation for creating a prosperous and sustainable Australia includes four key factors: carbon price, renewable energy, energy efficiency and land use efficiency. But it is evident that…
Unrestrained girth … sorry, mirth: MasterChef judges are tough but fair.
In the 1980s Wall Street’s Gordon Gekko arguably became a neoliberal pin-up when he uttered the phrase: “Greed…is good. Greed works.” Fast forward to 2011 and there appears to be another creed: “Cream…