Great white sharks grow a whole new kind of tooth for slicing bone as they age
A great white shark is a masterwork of evolutionary engineering. These beautiful predators glide effortlessly through…
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Red flowers have a ‘magic trait’ to attract birds and keep bees away
For flowering plants, reproduction is a question of the birds and the bees. Attracting the right…
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Yes, feral cats and foxes really have driven many Australian mammals to extinction
Where cats and foxes are abundant, there should be fewer native mammals. Lethal control is, unfortunately,…
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4 shark bites in 48 hours: how what we do on land may shape shark behaviour
Beachgoers in Australia are on high alert following four shark incidents in New South Wales in…
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Social lives of whales and dolphins shape the spread of infectious diseases
Dolphins, whales and seals are highly social animals. Many live in groups, form long-term relationships, and…
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Native pollinators need more support than honeybees in Australia – here’s why
Late last year, the New South Wales government announced an additional A$9.5 million in funding to…
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A centuries-old debate on how reptiles keep evolving skin bones is finally settled
Our bones did not begin deep inside the body. They started in the skin, not long…
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Pets suffer in extreme heat. An animal welfare expert explains how we can help them
The multi-day heatwave conditions have arrived this summer, with temperatures soaring past 45°C in some regions….
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As Australia bakes through an extreme heatwave, even insects aren’t immune to its impact
Australia is baking through another extreme heatwave, with temperatures forecast to reach above 45°C for multiple…
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The ‘hobbits’ mysteriously disappeared 50,000 years ago. Our new study reveals what happened to their home
About 50,000 years ago, humanity lost one of its last surviving hominin cousins, Homo floresiensis (also…
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Friday essay: I was enthralled by Crime and Punishment at 14. Rereading it after 60 years, I’m still awed
Sonya makes the only reply possible: “But that louse was a human being!” It was nearly…
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Impacts of colonisation on dingoes are ‘written in their bones’, new research finds
Dingoes are no ordinary dogs. They trace their roots back to an ancient Asian lineage and…
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The Roman empire built 300,000 kilometres of roads: new study
At its height, the Roman empire covered some 5 million square kilometres and was home to…
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Hundreds of genes act differently in the brains of men and women
Differences between men and women in intelligence and behaviour have been proposed and disputed for decades….
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Whale and dolphin migrations are being disrupted by climate change
For millennia, some of the world’s largest filter-feeding whales, including humpbacks, fin whales, and blue whales,…
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And then there were none: Australia’s only shrew declared extinct
For many years the Christmas Island shrew prospered. When European naturalists first visited Christmas Island in…
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Experts unpack ‘quadrobics’, the fitness trend that claims leaping around on all fours will make you fit
Recently, we’ve seen a growing number of social media users, particularly young users, posting their own…
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Birds all over the world use the same sound to warn of threats
Language enables us to connect with each other and coordinate to achieve incredible feats. Our ability…
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Many animals can reshape and shed their teeth – and now scientists have traced this ability back 380 million years
The first evidence of teeth in any vertebrate (back-boned animal) is in primitive armoured fishes called…
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You’re likely not as immune to scams as you think – here’s why
What do Tiger Woods, Ben Stiller, Australian pensioners and dating app users have in common? Despite…
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Warn, hide or stand out? How colour in the animal world is a battle for survival
The animal world is incredibly colourful, and behind this colour palette is a constant game of…
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Fish ‘fingerprints’ in the ocean reveal which species are moving homes due to climate change
Species across the planet are on the move. Climate change has already caused more than 12,000…
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Court rulings increasingly demand scientific certainty – but that’s not always possible
Last month, courts on both sides of the Atlantic delivered a clear verdict: when classifying titanium…
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3D printed mini-placentas offer a new way to study pregnancy complications
Since then, scientists have grown organoids from a wide range of human organs by taking stem…
