Australia has already spent over $100 million dealing with Varroa mite. Here’s what we can do next
The honeybee mite, Varroa destructor, finally breached Australia’s biosecurity defences 4 years ago, and is here to stay. Even more concerning, our standard treatments – such as specialised pesticides – are already failing. What does this mean for Australians, and what can we do about it?
Does paraquat cause Parkinson’s? Here’s what the evidence says about this common weed killer
Ian Musgrave. Paraquat is one of the world’s most widely used herbicides. It’s also highly toxic and some research points to a link with Parkinson’s disease ... Let’s see what the evidence says about paraquat’s toxicity and any link with Parkinson’s disease.
Koala numbers crashed across Australia 100,000 years ago. Global glacial cycles are likely to blame
Toby Kovacs. As my new study published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution shows, koalas experienced a population crash about 100,000 years ago. This finding rewrites our understanding of the genetic history of koalas in Australia – and overturns previous theories about what caused their decline in ancient times.
How much water and power will AI data centres use in Australia? Ironically, we don’t have the data to know
Michael Vardon. Australia’s data centre rush now rivals the mining boom. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman last week said Australia could become a “data centre capital of the world”. This would come at an environmental cost ... Before committing fully, we need granular detail on how much water and energy these centres use.
‘We need more staff!’: regional employers are hiring, but we are closing the door to skilled migrant workers
Claire Higgins, Louise Olliff. Regional Australia has long struggled to attract skilled workers away from urban centres. In the years since the pandemic, however, the labour market in country areas has tightened even further. Unemployment across regional Australia is at historically low levels, meaning many job vacancies are going unfilled.
