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Life and environmental sciences

Five Sydney researchers honoured by Australian Academy of Science

Australian Academy of Science recognises outstanding work in geosciences, mathematics, solar energy research, biomedical engineering and applied biological sciences.

Tree of Life for modern birds revealed

Working with colleagues at the University of Copenhagen, Australian Museum and Flinders University, Professor Simon Ho and Dr Al-Aabid Chowdhury have found that the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs was a 'big bang' for bird evolution.

How an invasive bee colony defied a genetic bottleneck

In 2007 a single Asian honeybee swarm appeared in North Queensland. There are now more than 10,000 colonies. Dr Ros Gloag has found surprising adaptability despite low genetic diversity, which could be a good sign for species facing population collapse.

02 February 2024

Scammed by 'fake news': animals led by the nose to leave plants alone

Loss of plants to herbivore feeding is a big economic and environmental problem. Most methods to deal with this are unethical, expensive or limited. PhD student Patt Finnerty has developed a new method that relies on animal preferences

07 November 2023

Fieldwork can be challenging for female scientists: 5 ways to make it better

Our recent study revealed broad perceptions and experiences of gender inequality in coastal sciences. We offer five ways to improve the fieldwork experience for women.

25 October 2023

'Uncharted territory': climate scientists sound alarm over Earth's vital signs

This year has likely seen the hottest temperatures for 100,000 years. A global team of scientists, including Dr Thomas Newsome from Faculty of Science, has laid out the numbers.

19 October 2023

Reef-devouring predator survives coral bleaching and feasts on the survivors

Research conducted by marine biologists from the University of Sydney has found juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish can withstand tremendous heatwaves well above levels that kill coral. These starfish then develop into carnivorous predators that devour reefs just as they begin to regrow.

06 October 2023

Brainless organisms can learn - so what does it mean to think?

Jellyfish, coral, fungi, bacteria and famously slime moulds get by perfectly well without a brain. Director of the Sensory and Evolutionary Ecology Lab, Dr Tom White, explores how learning works in different species and what this says about evolution.

05 September 2023

International Centre of Crop and Digital Agriculture opened at Narrabri

With support from the NSW Government, Australian Grain Technologies, Grains Research and Development Corporation and the NSW Wheat Research Foundation, the University is well set to tackle the challenges of 21st century agriculture.

04 September 2023

Health evidence against gas and oil is piling up, environment experts report

Scientists and medical experts have launched a report that demonstrates the many risks of oil and gas development for human health and wellbeing in Australia.