Biodiversity

Panning for platinum – the prospects are good

The search for the world’s rarest precious metal could get easier, thanks to bacteria.

Species everywhere are on the move

Plants and animals all over the world are redistributing and changing their behaviour in response to warming temperatures. Observing these changes tells us a lot about our changing climate.

What’s the scenario with global biodiversity?

Scenario modelling is a tool used by climate scientists to project what the future might look like based on different scenarios. Now, this same tool is being used to benefit the world's biodiversity and ecosystems.

Capture and captivation: Australia’s moths and butterflies

Moths and butterflies have enchanted naturalists for centuries. Beloved among insects, the Lepidoptera - as they are known in scientific circles - have been collected, curated and classified in their millions.

It’s official: our honey bees are some of the healthiest in the world

According to a new CSIRO survey, Australia can now proudly call itself home to one of the healthiest populations of European honey bees in the world.

A fine balance: saving Australia’s unique wildlife in a contested land

The Brigalow Belt in Queensland is a national hotspot for wildlife, including many species found nowhere else in the world. It is also one of the most transformed and contested areas in Australia. New research looks at the best way to conserve these species, attempting to balance competing uses of the region.

Paris, truffles and extreme weather – it’s all relative

Crocodiles stuck in the mud - researchers are discovering that native species have their limits when it comes to Australia's extreme weather, particularly during El Niño.

From classical to jazz: the rhythms of ocean life are starting to change

A new review of published research into the impacts of climate change on marine animals has provided a big picture view of how important biological processes are changing. Things like migration and breeding times are changing for some marine vertebrates, like whales, shorebirds, turtles and fish.

A Game of Hives: native bees at war

Australian native bees have been discovered engaging in battles with neighbouring colonies, raging for days, with the victor claiming the hive.