Showing posts with the label Australia
Moment Bali Nine families found out
'Barbie doll' plane bomb terrorists could face death sentences in Lebanon
First population-scale sequencing project explores platypus history
The platypus is the ultimate evolutionary mashup of birds, reptiles and mammals. The iconic, egg-laying, venom producing, duck-billed platypus first had its genome sequenced in 2008, revealing its un…
Climate change threatens world's largest seagrass carbon stores
In the summer of 2010-2011 Western Australia experienced an unprecedented marine heat wave that elevated water temperatures 2-4°C above average for more than 2 months. The heat wave resulted in defol…
Burrowing into the inner world of snake evolution
Looking inside the head of a snake is so much easier when the snake is a fossil. Flinders University and South Australian Museum postdoctoral researcher Alessandro Palci and other evolutionary palaeo…
Coral reef experiment shows acidification from carbon dioxide slows growth
Ocean acidification will severely impair coral reef growth before the end of the century if carbon dioxide emissions continue unchecked, according to new research on Australia's Great Barrier Ree…
First 3D models reveal development of Tasmanian tiger from joey to adulthood
Researchers from the University of Melbourne and Museums Victoria have CT scanned all 13 known Tasmanian tiger joey specimens to create 3D digital models, allowing them to study their skeletons and i…
Locomotion of bipedal dinosaurs might be predicted from that of ground-running birds
A new model based on ground-running birds could predict locomotion of bipedal dinosaurs based on their speed and body size, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Pete…
Tasmanian devil populations continue to decline
Ongoing monitoring of wild Tasmanian devils shows that overall population numbers are continuing to decline, due to the presence of devil facial tumour disease. Results of this research--conducted by…
Western Australia chemical plants threaten 40,000-year-old rock art
On a far flung peninsula halfway up the coast of Western Australia are strange piles of cubic boulders that look like rusty refrigerators and boxes. Decorating their flat faces are more than one mill…
Clues from an endangered blue whale population
Clues in the DNA of endangered blue whales – the largest living animal – has shown that Australia is home to one population that likely travels widely and is adapted to a range of environmental condi…
Fossil bone tissues shed light on Australia’s polar dinosaurs
Dinosaurs that lived in what is now known as Victoria more than 120 million years ago would have dealt with prolonged periods of darkness and below freezing temperatures, a new study reveals. The fos…
Warming temperatures may cause birds to shrink
Biologists have known for a long time that animals living in colder climates tend to have larger bodies, supposedly as an adaptation to reduce heat loss. However, understanding how temperature affect…
Goodbye Indonesia, I will miss you
Today's Birthday, January 12: Australian drug smuggler Andrew Chan (1984-2015)
Turkey-sized dinosaur from Australia preserved in an ancient log-jam
The partial skeleton of a new species of turkey-sized herbivorous dinosaur has been discovered in 113 million year old rocks in southeastern Australia. As reported in open access journal PeerJ , the …