News: School of Biological Sciences
Designing healthier cities with good bacteria
The urbanisation of towns could be contributing to poor health outcomes in our communities, research from the University of Adelaide and Flinders University has found.
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A glimpse into the past: what digging for DNA in cave dirt tells us about ancient Australia?
For most people the term “ancient DNA” might conjur up images of Jurassic Park, where DNA extracted from a mosquito preserved in amber was used to re-create long extinct dinosaurs.
2024 SA Environment Awards Success
Yesterday, on World Environment Day, we celebrated the 2024 SA Environment Award finalists and winners. The evening was a fantastic celebration of environmental champions across the state, emceed by the charismatic Tiahni Adamson.
Tropical fish are invading Australian ocean water
A University of Adelaide study of shallow-water fish communities on rocky reefs in south-eastern Australia has found climate change is helping tropical fish species invade temperate Australian waters.
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SciStarter Australia is a new home for citizen science
Citizen science platform SciStarter Australia has officially launched on the final day of Global Citizen Science month, creating a one-stop location for citizen science projects seeking volunteers in Australia.
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Adelaide is losing 75,000 trees a year. Tree-removal laws must be tightened if we want our cities to be liveable and green
Large areas of concrete and asphalt absorb and radiate heat, creating an “urban heat island effect”. It puts cities at risk of overheating as they are several degrees warmer than surrounding areas.
Heat stress from ocean warming harms octopus vision
While climate change has led to an increase in the abundance of octopuses, heat stress from projected ocean warming could impair their vision and impact the survivability of the species.
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Exploring ancient DNA for environmental insights
Ancient environmental DNA (aeDNA) has revolutionised the study of ancient environments and the evolution of living things. It helps researchers unlock secrets found in sediments, ice, and water and has transformed our understanding of past biodiversity across different timescales, from decades to thousands of years ago. The Environment Institute is privileged to support the training of highly specialised experts in these cutting-edge techniques.
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Wildlife in our homes: Australian reptiles in the global exotic pet market
On March 3rd we celebrate World Wildlife Day, and the theme for 2024 is "Connecting People and Planet: Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation." We are thrilled to feature the research of our guest blogger, Sebastian Chekunov, a PhD candidate from Dr. Phill Cassey's Invasion Ecology research group. Dr Cassey is an ARC Industry Laureate Fellow, Combatting Wildlife Crime and Preventing Environmental Harm.
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Rainy day ice age in the global south
An international study of the mineral deposits in stalactites in South Australia’s Naracoorte Caves, has shed new light on climate conditions in the Southern Hemisphere during ice ages.
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