Threatened Species Index of Australia: 2020 results show staggering loss of threatened native plants over 20 years

Publicly released: Thu 3 Dec 2020 at 1500 AEDT | 1700 NZDT

Ecological Society of Australia Conference 2020

In just over two decades (1995-2017) numbers of Australian threatened plants have decreased by more than 70% on average. The findings come from Australia’s Threatened Species Index which combines data from hundreds of monitoring programs across Read more about Threatened Species Index of Australia: 2020 results show staggering loss of threatened native plants over 20 years

Pilot whale study reveals copycat calls to outsmart predators

Publicly released: Thu 3 Dec 2020 at 1415 AEDT | 1615 NZDT

Scientific Reports

New Curtin University research has found southern Australian long-finned pilot whales are able to mimic the calls of its natural predator and food rival – the killer whale, as a possible ploy to outsmart it. Read more about Pilot whale study reveals copycat calls to outsmart predators

Getting the handle on hangovers

Publicly released: Thu 3 Dec 2020 at 1400 AEDT | 1600 NZDT

Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental.

How hangovers affect different people is not easy to predict according to a new Griffith University study. The study involved 21 participants (aged between 20 and 32), who completed two identical trials involving the consumption of 8-10 standard Read more about Getting the handle on hangovers

What is the effect of droughts on economic outcomes of livestock farms?

Publicly released: Thu 3 Dec 2020 at 1338 AEDT | 1538 NZDT

In one of the first studies of its kind, a new paper by Motu Research investigates the impact of droughts on livestock farm enterprises by linking financial, agricultural and productivity data with historical weather data. Read more about What is the effect of droughts on economic outcomes of livestock farms?

EXPERT REACTION: Aussies likely to start COVID-19 vaccinations in March after UK approves Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Publicly released: Thu 3 Dec 2020 at 1229 AEDT | 1429 NZDT

Health Minister Greg Hunt has today confirmed Australia is expecting to begin vaccinations in March 2021. This follows the news from the UK overnight that they have approved the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine for emergency use. Below, Australian Read more about EXPERT REACTION: Aussies likely to start COVID-19 vaccinations in March after UK approves Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Money won't save countries from climate change health harms

Publicly released: Thu 3 Dec 2020 at 1030 AEDT | 1230 NZDT

The Lancet

Every country, no matter how wealthy, will suffer health impacts from worsening climate change, according to the 2020 report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change. Heat-related deaths among the elderly, more burns and lung damage from Read more about Money won't save countries from climate change health harms

Lancet Countdown on health & climate change - Bushfires, local launch, policy brief

Publicly released: Thu 3 Dec 2020 at 1030 AEDT | 1230 NZDT

The 2020 MJA-Lancet Countdown on health and climate change focuses on our 'Black summer', complementing the global mega-report, publishes this morning (to be followed by a briefing), while a coalition of medical experts warn the failure to tackle Read more about Lancet Countdown on health & climate change - Bushfires, local launch, policy brief

More frequently sheared sheep are happier mothers

Publicly released: Thu 3 Dec 2020 at 0930 AEDT | 1130 NZDT

Sheep shearing and epigenetic change

More frequently sheared pregnant sheep are more active, have lower stress levels and produce lambs with finer wool, according to University of Queensland research. Dr Edward Narayan from UQ’s School of Agriculture and Food Science and the Read more about More frequently sheared sheep are happier mothers

Incredible vision in ancient marine creatures drove an evolutionary arms race

Publicly released: Thu 3 Dec 2020 at 0800 AEDT | 1000 NZDT

Science Advances

Ancient deep sea creatures called radiodonts had incredible vision that likely drove an evolutionary arms race according to new research published today. Read more about Incredible vision in ancient marine creatures drove an evolutionary arms race

GPS trackers keep tabs on plastic pollution

Publicly released: Thu 3 Dec 2020 at 0600 AEDT | 0800 NZDT

PLOS One

Researchers have developed a low cost, open-source method to track common rubbish like plastic bottles via GPS in order to understand how plastic pollution spreads through the waterways. These “bottle tags” were released at 25 sites along the Read more about GPS trackers keep tabs on plastic pollution