The Conversation

Dingoes are not wild dogs, research reveals. Most of the 307 wild animals sampled in this study were pure dingo. Australia’s apex predator deserves our respect after thousands of years on this land. Kylie M Cairns, Research fellow, UNSW Sydney Mathew Crowther, Associate professor, University of Sydney Mike Letnic, Professor, Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Electricity prices are going up again by as much as 25% on July 1. The advice to consumers is to shop around to get the best deal. Yet neither electricity bills nor comparison sites are user-friendly. Lurion De Mello, Senior Lecturer in Finance, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Some 60-100% of cats taken in are strays and at least 50% are kittens born in the preceding six months. Community cat programs focused on free desexing in problem areas are badly needed. Jacquie Rand, Emeritus Professor of Companion Animal Health, The University of Queensland John Morton, Industry Fellow, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

As a sustainability researcher, I know how quickly we could make big changes to reduce plastic pollution. Here’s what we – both individually and globally – should be doing more of, and what to avoid. Pascal Scherrer, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Business, Law and Art, Southern Cross University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

If we put green hydrogen plants next to green iron and steelmaking, we can clean up steelmaking and boost the hydrogen industry. Changlong Wang, Research fellow, Monash University Andrew Feitz, Director, Geoscience Australia Marcus Haynes, Computational Geoscientist, Geoscience Australia Stuart Walsh, Senior lecturer, Monash University Zhehan Weng, Research scientist, Geoscience Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Mungee is a revered teacher to Noongar people with lessons for us all. This mighty mistletoe knows how to prosper in the hostile, infertile, but biologically rich landscapes of southwestern Australia. Alison Lullfitz, Research Associate, The University of Western Australia Jessikah Woods, Emerging artist, Indigenous Knowledge Lynette Knapp, The University of Western Australia Shandell Cummings, Artist, art administrator and educator, Indigenous Knowledge Stephen D. Hopper AC, Professor of Biodiversity, The University of Western Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Landlords don’t think renters will pay more for homes with rooftop solar. But the evidence suggests otherwise. Bjorn Sturmberg, Senior Research Fellow, Battery Storage & Grid Integration Program, Australian National University Lee White, Fellow, Australian National University Mara Hammerle, PhD candidate, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Scientists have detected a 30% slowdown of the deep ocean currents that form in Antarctica, with profound consequences for Earth’s climate, sea level and marine life. Kathy Gunn, CSIRO Matthew England, Scientia Professor and Deputy Director of the ARC Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS), UNSW Sydney Steve Rintoul, CSIRO Fellow, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Potatoes are profitable and in demand. But wet weather and hard-to-control diseases have caused havoc for our growers. Ronika Thapa, PhD Student, University of Tasmania Calum Wilson, Professor, University of Tasmania Robert Tegg, Research Fellow, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

There’s a lot of enthusiasm for wildflower fields and bug hotels. But before introducing these insect-saving measures, we need to better understand when they help – and when they don’t. Rob Cruickshank, Lecturer – Teaching & Administration, University of Canterbury Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The environmental impacts of electric vehicle batteries range from mining, and energy and water use to the hazards of discarded batteries. These issues can be resolved, but there’s no time to waste. Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology Alex Stojcevski, Dean of School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology Saad Mekhilef, Distinguished Professor in Electrical Renewable Energy, Swinburne University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The enhanced partnership could accelerate Australia’s transition from fossil fuel exporter to clean energy powerhouse. But success is far from assured. Wesley Morgan, Research Fellow, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Budget 2023’s investment in public transport will have far-reaching benefits for the climate and for overall wellbeing. But our study shows young people want much more. Kate Prendergast, Post-Doctoral Fellow in Political Science, University of Canterbury Bronwyn Hayward, Professor of Politics, University of Canterbury Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The optimal trade-off between restoring habitat and crop production hinges on pollinators. A new study shows giving pollinators more natural habitat on the farm leads to big increases in production. Sofía López-Cubillos, Postdoctoral research fellow, The University of Melbourne Rebecca K. Runting, Senior Lecturer in Spatial Sciences and ARC DECRA Fellow, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Domestic use of natural gas is a minimal contributor to overall greenhouse emissions. There should be no rush to ban it before better, cheaper options are in place. John Tookey, Professor of Construction Management, Auckland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Victoria’s native forests will be free from logging by the end of the year. That’s big news for our threatened species and fragmented forests David Lindenmayer, Professor, The Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Chris Taylor, Research Fellow, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Acoustic technology allows us to listen to the sounds produced by the creatures in forest soils. A new study shows it’s a reliable way to monitor the biodiversity and health of the soil and forest. Jake M Robinson, Ecologist and Researcher, Flinders University Carlos Abrahams, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Biology - Director of Bioacoustics, Nottingham Trent University Martin Breed, Associate Professor in Biology, Flinders University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

By generating new high-resolution maps, researchers found cocoa plantations were causing far worse forest destruction in West Africa than previously thought. Wilma Hart, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Humans prospered in a stable climate. But conditions are changing. Research out today shows 2 billion people will be pushed out of the habitable zone by 2.7C warming. Why? What does this mean for us? Annabelle Workman, Research Fellow, Melbourne Climate Futures and Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne Kathryn Bowen, Professor - Environment, Climate and Global Health at Melbourne Climate Futures and Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Mangroves and salt marshes pump out methane – but soak up carbon dioxide. Overall, the world’s coasts are a net greenhouse sink – and we must preserve them Judith Rosentreter, Senior research fellow, Southern Cross University Bradley Eyre, Professor of Biogeochemistry, Director of the Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry, Southern Cross University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.