News: environment
Bringing oyster reefs back from extinction
Oyster reefs carpeted thousands of kilometers of Australian coastline 200 years ago, but were dredged to near extinction within a century of colonial settlement. An ambitious nationwide restoration program now seeks to bring them back. In South Australia, the largest reef restoration in the Southern Hemisphere, Windara Reef, was constructed in 2017 to restore the ecosystem of the native mud oyster, Ostrea angasi, off the Yorke Peninsula.
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Ocean Warming Threatens Richest Marine Biodiversity
Creatures that make their homes in tropical waters have enjoyed mostly unchanged temperatures for the past twenty thousand years. Now, new research from the University of Adelaide suggests that these extremely biodiverse areas will be hit the hardest by climate change-induced oceanic warming – and the wildlife is not ready to adapt.
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The foundation for cereal crops that beat the heat
A project conducted by University of Adelaide and Macquarie University researchers has revealed insights into how an Australian ‘wild rice’ thrives in extreme heat, opening the door for the breeding of new cereal crops that can withstand high temperatures.
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An evolutionary blast from the past
There’s a little gap in the Earth’s history that researchers at the University of Adelaide are looking to unlock – the two billon years of the Earth’s middle age.
Post plastic
The Discovery Pod | Season 2, Episode 2
Our march to sustainable living is gathering pace. With Australia’s environment ministers banning all single-use plastics from 2025, an explosion of eco-friendly alternatives is emerging.
