Fresh Science

Csilla Demeter – lead researcher, University of Queensland

Michela Mariani – University of Melbourne The landscape of Tasmania has been shaped by thousands of years of Aboriginal burning practices, researchers at the University of Melbourne have found. Climate change, bushfires and human activities threaten a variety of ecosystems worldwide. For instance, Tasmanian rainforests and moorlands are in danger of severe reduction and extinction…

A changing, less nutritious menu for Southern Ocean marine life could reduce the seafood appearing on the dinner plates of people around the world, according to Tasmanian scientists. Blooms of a gelatinous plankton, known as salp, have been identified in waters south of 60°S, in the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean, by researcher Paige…

A shortage of oxygen, increased by water stress, could lead to grape cells dying, according to researchers from the ARC Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production. “This new knowledge can help us better understand berry ripening and potentially help to select hardier plant varieties, adapting grape cultivation to a warmer and drier climate,” says study…