News: Science communication
Australia’s least wanted – 8 alien species and diseases we must keep out of our island home
This week’s landmark report on the impact of invasive alien species revealed costs to the global economy exceeded US$423 billion (A$654 billion) a year in 2019. Costs have at least quadrupled every decade since 1970 and that trend is set to continue.
The true damage of invasive alien species was just revealed in a landmark report. Here’s how we must act.
Invasive alien species are driving biodiversity loss and extinctions in every country, all over the world.
Invasive alien species a major threat to nature, people
A new international report, co-authored by Dr Phill Cassey from the University of Adelaide, has found that the number of alien species has been rising continuously for centuries in all regions, but are now increasing at unprecedented rates.
[Read more about Invasive alien species a major threat to nature, people]
How algae conquered the world – and other epic stories hidden in the rocks of the Flinders Ranges
Earth was not always so hospitable. Evidence of how it came to be so beautiful and nurturing is locked in the rocks of South Australia’s Flinders Ranges – a site now vying for World Heritage listing.
New platform to energise citizen science
The University of Adelaide will adapt and deploy the globally proven citizen science platform SciStarter in Australia, courtesy of a $160,000 grant from the South Australian Government’s Citizen Science Fund.
Two citizen science finalists announced for the Citizen Science Awards 2023
The finalists for the this year's Citizen Science Awards 2023 have just been announced and they are Insect Investigators and Find Our Fungi!.
[Read more about Two citizen science finalists announced for the Citizen Science Awards 2023]
The feral flying under the radar: why we need to rethink European honeybees
Australia’s national parks, botanic gardens, wild places and green spaces are swarming with an invasive pest that is largely flying under the radar. This is yet another form of livestock, escaped from captivity and left to roam free.
[Read more about The feral flying under the radar: why we need to rethink European honeybees]
‘Humanity’s signature’: study finds plastic pollution in the world’s lakes can be worse than in oceans
A world-first study has found concentrations of plastics in some lakes are higher than in the most contaminated parts of oceans, demonstrating the extent to which plastics have invaded Earth’s ecosystems.
New Australian laws for ‘engineering’ the ocean must balance environment protection and responsible research
The Australian Labor government has introduced a bill to regulate “marine geoengineering” – methods to combat climate change by intervening in the ocean environment.
Climate change threatens to cause ‘synchronised harvest failures’ across the globe, with implications for Australia’s food security
New research shows scientists have underestimated the climate risk to agriculture and global food production. Blind spots in climate models meant “high-impact but deeply-uncertain hazards” were ignored. But now that the threat of “synchronised harvest failures” has been revealed, we cannot ignore the prospect of global famine.
Newsletter & social media
Join us for a sensational mix of news, events and research at the Environment Institute. Find out about new initiatives and share with your friends what's happening.