Flora & Fauna
Velvet worm slime could be a new bioplastics source
A discovery by international researchers suggests slime produced by Australian velvet worms could underpin new sustainable materials.
Category: Flora & Fauna
Flora & Fauna
Gene-edited cane toads reveal the cost of albinism
The cutting-edge CRISPR technology that’s already revolutionising human medicine and genetics is also being explored by Australian evolutionary biologists.
Flora & Fauna
High-tech cameras capture venomous snake bites in incredible detail
Advanced video techniques reveal exactly how snake bites work and show various snake species have evolved very different strategies.
Flora & Fauna
Colour or camouflage?
While some animals use camouflage to hide from predators, others use bright colour to warn predators off. But which strategy is more effective?
Flora & Fauna
Getting to the heart of the arthropod world
Measuring our own heart rate seems like a straightforward idea, but how would you go about taking the pulse of a grasshopper or a spider?
Flora & Fauna
This seabird prefers to poo while flying
Researchers studying streaked shearwaters were surprised by their own discovery.
Flora & Fauna
A place of refuge… nearly
Victoria’s promised new national parks in the central west are vital to safeguarding forests and the hundreds of rare and threatened wildlife that depend on them.
Flora & Fauna
Whales and dolphins mutually benefit from ‘playing’ together, study finds
A new study has analysed hundreds of interactions between whales and dolphins to better understand a rarely studied behaviour – do they actually ‘play’ together, or is it more of a one-sided relationship?
Flora & Fauna
Cockatoos have 30 different dance moves
From body rolls, to side-steps, to headbangs, Australian researchers have studied the dance repertoire of cockatoos, and investigated why they bust these moves.
Climate
Not all species are fleeing rising temperatures
Global warming creates new ecological hotspots as predators move out and other species move in, study finds.