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3 weeks ago | 
abc.net.au | Luke Radford |Peter de Kruijff
Australian Scientists are in a race against time to save one of the nations rarest birds. A new study suggests the orange-bellied parrot -- which migrate between Tasmania and Victoria -- has lost 62 per cent of its genetic diversity in the past 200 years. Scientists say desperate measure may be necessary to save the critically endangered species.
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4 weeks ago | 
abc.net.au | Rachel Mealey |Peter de Kruijff
Sharks have long been considered the silent predators of the deep, but now scientists claim to have recorded the sounds a shark makes underwater. And what do you think it's using to make that sound? You guessed it - it's teeth.
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1 month ago | 
abc.net.au | Ellen Phiddian |Peter de Kruijff
About 15 million years ago, a small fish ventured too deep into a lake. The fish species — a relative of the Australian grayling — would have been abundant in the tropical environment where it lived, in what is now dry NSW farmland. But in the freshwater lake all those years ago, oxygen was scarce. The fish asphyxiated and sank to the bottom, where it was covered by layers of iron-rich material.
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1 month ago | 
abc.net.au | Holly Tregenza |Peter de Kruijff
The NSW government has extended a complete fishing ban on the eastern blue groper by three years, following a one year trial. The ban has been widely criticised by anglers who claim it is not based in science and fails to address the wider climate issues which are having an adverse impact on the species. The government said it would use the three years to commission further research on the state fish and come up with a plan for its conservation.
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Dec 15, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Peter de Kruijff
The fungus Psilocybe cubensis — colloquially known as cubes, gold tops or gold caps in Australia — is the most prolific hallucinogenic mushroom on the planet. Its psychoactive compound psilocybin is an illegal drug in most parts of the world, so research into where the species came from and how it spread is limited. But a new study, not yet peer reviewed but published on the biological sciences repository bioRxiv, suggests an ancestor of P.
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Dec 9, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Peter de Kruijff
Michael Lun, 17, never thought he'd be able to see a creature as stunning as a peacock spider in his Perth backyard. But the macro photographer was surprised to spot a vibrant male only a few millimetres in size on his fence a few years ago. "He looked so different to all the other jumping spiders I'd seen before because his abdomen had this beautiful red and blue colouring," Michael said.
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Dec 5, 2024 | 
rnz.co.nz | Peter de Kruijff
By Peter de Kruijff, ABC environment reporterA drop in the number of low-altitude clouds was behind unexplained warming that contributed to the world's hottest year on record, a new study suggests. The record-breaking heat of 2023, which saw the planet warm an average 1.45 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial surface temperatures, took many climate scientists by surprise.
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Dec 5, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Peter de Kruijff
A drop in the number of low-altitude clouds was behind unexplained warming that contributed to the world's hottest year on record, a new study suggests. The record-breaking heat of 2023, which saw the planet warm an average 1.45 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial surface temperatures, took many climate scientists by surprise. Their closest predictions, which simulated the effects of human-created warming and other known drivers, were around 0.2C lower than observed temperatures.
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Nov 29, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Peter de Kruijff
Amid growing concerns the Great Barrier Reef is reaching an environmental tipping point beyond repair, there is hope two sections of the natural wonder could persist even on a warming planet. And there are recommendations that both sections be given greater protection from pressures like fishing and shipping.
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Nov 25, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Peter de Kruijff
Trying to limit your carbon footprint on the planet is a tough task in every day life. And while you might swap car commutes for riding your bike, even a trip to the hospital can contribute to global warming. The healthcare sector contributes an estimated 5.3 per cent of Australia's annual greenhouse gas emissions and trying to bring that number down in line with net zero by 2050 targets is tricky.
