News: Environmental Science
Celebrating success in the SA Science Awards
![Tahlia Perry SA Science Awards](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-11/phd_excellence_finalist-tahlia.jpg?h=2f83cd36&itok=KiRBMh68)
Congratulations to Dr Richard Lilly and Dr Tahlia Perry who are finalists in the 2021 South Australian Science Excellence and Innovation awards!
[Read more about Celebrating success in the SA Science Awards]
Alien organisms – hitchhikers of the galaxy?
![People wearing protective suits as part of biosecurity. iStock image by D Keine.](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-11/biosecurity.jpg?h=c4dd2c7b&itok=gh8uFzry)
Scientists warn, without good biosecurity measures ‘alien organisms’ on Earth may become a reality stranger than fiction.
[Read more about Alien organisms – hitchhikers of the galaxy?]
Fishing for solutions to the plastic problem
![Lead researcher of the study, Nina Wootton, with some jars of microplastics found in fish](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-11/sa-fish-plastic-nina-with-jars.jpg?h=a1123756&itok=fv04T-kL)
More than 35 percent of fish caught in the waters off southern Australia contain microplastics, and the problem is worse in SA - but many people in the fishing industry aren’t aware that we even have an ocean plastic problem.
[Read more about Fishing for solutions to the plastic problem]
Smuggling bear parts in Australia and NZ
![Asiatic black bear in a cage. The sad reality of the illegal wildlife trade. Photo by yongkiet - iStock](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-11/asiatic-black-bear-istock-530258705.jpg?h=6eb229a4&itok=OzwCakvC)
Australia doesn’t have any native bears, yet our involvement in the illegal trade of bear parts and products is sadly a different story.
Too late for 2050 climate change emissions target
![Professor Tom Wigley](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-10/tom-wigley.jpg?h=a1123756&itok=WqAlBttK)
New research from the University of Adelaide says the 2050 target to reduce climate change emissions is too little and too late.
[Read more about Too late for 2050 climate change emissions target ]
Blasting the zombie out of water-saving tech
![A 'zombie idea' is one that persists no matter how much evidence is thrown against it. Photo from iStock.](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-10/zombie-image-istock-photo-by-leolintang-web.jpeg?h=6eb229a4&itok=xfy1_1Wx)
A team of scientists, including experts from the University of Adelaide, suggest that reliance on modern irrigation technologies as a water-use efficiency strategy is a ‘zombie idea’ – one that persists no matter how much evidence is thrown against it.
[Read more about Blasting the zombie out of water-saving tech]
Student-led STEM research and technology on show
![Faculty of Sciences Communication Award winners, from left, Mistrel Fetzer Boegheim (1st), Vinuri Silva and Sophie Dolling (2nd), equal third Chris Keneally and Julia Pilowsky.](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-10/ingenuity-sciences-award-winners.jpg?h=2f83cd36&itok=G3LhxpCw)
Emerging scientists showcase their research at Ingenuity, University of Adelaide’s annual interactive expo of STEM projects.
[Read more about Student-led STEM research and technology on show]
The illegal wildlife trade has bigger ramifications than you might think
![A vendor display featuring a sulcata tortoise, one of the largest tortoise species in the world, at a reptile trade convention in Florida, USA](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-10/wildlife-trade-tortoise.jpg?h=6eb229a4&itok=mv400uPD)
Scientists have highlighted that the illegal and unsustainable global wildlife trade has bigger ramifications on our everyday lives than you might think.
[Read more about The illegal wildlife trade has bigger ramifications than you might think]
Extinction risk of native bee populations increased by bushfires
![The golden-green carpenter bee (Xylocopa (Lestis) aeratus Female)-Xylocopa, is a species especially vulnerable to fire, with much of its habitat burnt during the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires. Image credit James Dorey.](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-10/james-dorey-the-golden-green-carpenter-bee-xylocopa-lestis-aeratus-female-xylocopa-sp.-f-52p-mpe-3x.jpg?h=6eb229a4&itok=mplGVtL1)
The number of threatened Australian native bee species is expected to increase by nearly five-fold after the devastating Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20, according to new research.
[Read more about Extinction risk of native bee populations increased by bushfires]
New citizen science project to create a buzz in rural Australian schools
![Butterfly image - Insect Investigators](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-09/butterfly-1-image-erinnfg.jpg?h=8268fcbc&itok=1ejFoI2x)
School students will be able to document their local insect biodiversity and potentially discover new species in their area, as part of a new project led by SA Museum and University of Adelaide scientists.
[Read more about New citizen science project to create a buzz in rural Australian schools]