Posts by Andrea Wild

Eggshells tell story of extinct elephant birds

How many species of elephant birds existed on the Island of Madagascar? The answer may lie in the eggshells they left behind more than 1000 years ago.

Revolutionising environmental monitoring using eDNA

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a game-changer for monitoring biodiversity. New Australian/New Zealand guidelines for working with eDNA will support end-users taking up this exciting technology.

Invasive fireweed detected in New Zealand

Fireweed is a daisy species that is a Weed of National Significance in Australia. We used high-throughput sequencing to construct a family tree that showed it is also present in New Zealand.

Can engineering biology feed more people with fewer resources?

A changing climate, declining arable lands and an increasing demand for more environmentally friendly products is making us think outside the box when it comes to food production and traditional agricultural production. How can we produce more food with fewer resources?

New light on native pollinators

For many decades Australia’s native pollinators have lived in the shadow of the honeybee. In this article, we shine some light on the intricate roles of a group of tiny moths that pollinate boronias.

The evolutionary journey of greenhood orchids

We traced the evolutionary journey of Australia’s greenhood orchids since their origin over 32 million years ago.

Understanding bird flu dynamics in Australia

A new study of bird flu dynamics in Australia’s wild birds has revealed the virus strains present and how they spread.

Connectivity in scalloped hammerheads

Scalloped hammerheads occur in tropical and temperate oceans around the world, but are their populations connected? A new genetic study using whole genome methods has found out.

Preventing mosquito-borne diseases

Australian summers and mosquitoes go together. But a La Niña year can increase the risk of mosquito-borne diseases.