News: School of Biological Sciences
How do we detect the impact of rising sea levels?
![Soil sulfur isotopes Emily Leyden](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-07/news-emily-sulfur-soil-9004.jpg?h=c4dd2c7b&itok=B2P49xNg)
Scientists have come up with a simple new test to analyse sulfur isotopes which can be used to help investigate chemical changes in water.
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Engineering a virus: What is gain of function research?
![Genetics lab](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-07/genetics-lab-22873_UoA.jpg?h=2f83cd36&itok=KxOBDkmv)
Interview with researcher A/Prof Michael Beard about gain-of-function research, a technique used in virology and genetics to alter the function of a virus.
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Time to wake up to the illegal trade of sleepy lizards
![Smugglers attempt to disguise shingleback lizards as other freight to the detriment of the animals health and wellbeing.](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-07/news-lizard-shingleback-1183-wa.jpg?h=2f83cd36&itok=EmRx2DZt)
Australian reptiles face serious conservation threats from illegal poaching fuelled by international demand and the exotic pet trade.
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Scientists unearth secrets about the evolution of soil-burrowing cockroaches
![A giant burrowing cockroach (Macropanesthia rhinoceros), a species commonly bought as a pet that can reach up to eight centimetres long and weigh 30 grams. Image by Yi-Kai Tea](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-07/soil-burrowing-cockroach-Macropanesthia_rhinoceros.jpg?h=26ecbb49&itok=dnaAw6FJ)
Evolutionary biologists have assessed the phenomenon of parallelism in soil-burrowing cockroaches for the first time.
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Optical imaging and battery technology focus for Laureates
![Professor Kishan Dholakia (left) and Professor Zaiping Guo](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-07/news-Kishan-Dholakia-Zaiping-Guo.jpeg?h=eae728d5&itok=Cj0N-Tga)
Two University of Adelaide scientists have been awarded prestigious Australian Laureate Fellowships by the Australian Research Council.
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Improving vaccine allergy tests
![Allergy test - Credit: MajaMitrovic/Getty Images](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-07/allergy-test-getty.jpg?h=c4dd2c7b&itok=A3p6cLF9)
South Australian researchers have been studying ways to improve tests for allergies to vaccine ingredients.
Coronaviruses have been hijacking human genes for 20,000 years
![Coronavirus graphic. Image by Gerd Altmann, from Pixabay.](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-06/news-corona-5174671.jpeg?h=e5aec6c8&itok=AQrN5lej)
Humans have been exposed to coronaviruses for more than 20,000 years, according to new University of Adelaide research.
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New standards to assist conservation and decision-making
![TERN fieldwork](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-06/tern-fieldwork-10.jpg?h=c4dd2c7b&itok=na5OroCD)
University of Adelaide and TERN researchers have partnered with the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) to standardise both environmental monitoring and data systems for improved decision-making.
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DNA tracking of timber to increase forest sustainability and integrity
![A teak tree is sampling in Laos - Photo by Double Helix Tracking Technologies](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-06/teak-sampling-laos.jpg?h=a1123756&itok=5apjhoUH)
University of Adelaide scientists have created a DNA fingerprint map to link teak timber back to its plantation of origin and help reduce the $40 billion illicit trade of timber in the Asia Pacific region.
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The Federated States of Degradia
![Carbon Neutral, a Perth-based carbon offset provider, has planted 30 million native trees and shrubs since 2008. Their ambition is to plant a 200km highway of trees across Western Australia’s Wheatbelt, as shown in this image taken using a carbon neutral drone by photographer Russell Ord.](/sites/default/files/styles/ua_landscape/public/media/images/2021-06/Federated-States-of-Degradia-Article.jpg?h=f7c3c15a&itok=GI5tfHE5)
With almost a third of arable land classified as degraded, what can we do to reverse the rapid pace of degradation and can we do it in a way that benefits us?