Researchers at QUT and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute have found that the dengue fever mosquito common to north and central Queensland poses the greatest danger of spreading the Zika virus in Australia.

MBARI researchers recently measured high concentrations of carbon dioxide in air blowing out to sea from cities and agricultural areas, including Silicon Valley.

Many researchers and amateur naturalists keep track of dates for the first robin of spring, the first peepers or ice-out on ponds, and such records can offer decades of data on the timing of plant and animal life cycle events known as phenology.

A volunteer stands on the front deck of a whale watching vessel and captures the perfect photograph of a blue whale tail fluke to send to the Cascadia Research Collective.

A research project led by a University of Lethbridge undergraduate has revealed evidence of an evolutionary relationship between migration and vocal duetting in birds.

Fire ecologists and wildlife specialists at La Trobe University have made key discoveries in how wildlife restores itself after bushfires, and what Australian conservationists can do to assist the process.

The study, published this week in Wildlife Research journal, looks at various reserves in Victoria after bushfires had taken place. It finds that the surrounding area of any fire dictates what species survived and went onto thrive.

Key findings of the study include:

• Invasive species such as Australian ravens, magpies and house mice were commonly found recolonising burnt areas surrounded by agriculture;
• Native species such as crested bellbirds, hopping mice and white-eared honeyeater were commonly found recolonising burnt areas surrounded by mallee vegetation; and
• Other native species such as Major Mitchell’s cockatoos, mallee ringnecks and white-winged choughs were commonly found recolonising burnt areas surrounded by a mix of mallee vegetation and sparse grassy woodland.

To minimise damage of large bushfires and to protect important species and vegetation, strategic burns create firebreaks – vital in slowing the spread of fire.

Read more at La Trobe University

Nine years ago tomorrow—April 20, 2010—crude oil began leaking from the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig into the Gulf of Mexico in what turned out to be the largest marine oil spill in history.

Galapagos giant tortoises, sometimes called Gardeners of the Galapagos, are creatures of habit. 

Scientists from Lancaster University have discovered that immune responses originally found to prevent fungal infections are also important in eliminating Trichinella spiralis, a round worm and the causative agent of Trichinosis.

The American Bumblebee – a species once more commonly seen buzzing around Southern Ontario – is critically endangered, according to a new study led by York University.