Research

Henry Tan discusses with ARR.News his project to identify effective food safety and biosecurity risk controls in the production, and processing of chicken meat that will result in a reduction of consumer exposure to Campylobacter, the leading cause of foodborne illness in Australia.

Sea urchins play an important ecological role on reefs in the Lord Howe Island Marine Park (LHIMP). They graze on seaweed, and sometimes completely clear it, creating unique habitats known as ‘barrens’ which are instead covered in encrusting algae and coral.

A new model of Thylacoleo, Australia’s once-fearsome carnivorous marsupial lion, was unveiled at the Victoria Cave visitor complex at the World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves ... The updated fossil model, a new installation at the Caves’ Megafauna Experience, features for the first time the missing tail bone and other anatomical features of the backbone revealed by Flinders University Palaeontology researchers in recent years.

Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin on Christmas Day 50 years ago. By  dawn, on what is supposed to be a joyous day, at least 50 people were dead, 17 were lost at sea, hundreds injured and about 45,000 people were homeless ... Fifty years on, the night of hell on Earth remains with many survivors still alive. They will never forget their houses exploding into pieces as they tried to shelter from the cyclone. Christmas has never been the same for them.

Qld and WA farmers reported improved optimism heading into the end of the year, while sentiment was more subdued in other states, the latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey has found ... on a national basis farmers were becoming increasingly cautious about the outlook for the agricultural economy, with nearly half (47 per cent) attributing their concerns to dry seasonal conditions, while rising cost pressures are also a worry.

Forestry Australia has welcomed a new study published in  Australian Forestry  peer-reviewed journal by the former chief research scientist at the CSIRO, Dr John Raison. The paper, titled "A review of the impacts of sustainable harvesting, non-harvest management and wildfire on net carbon emissions from Australian native forests", investigates the science behind claims that timber harvesting increases greenhouse gas emissions.

Dr David Ward. The tongue of experience has the most truth. Old Arab Proverb ... a pair of interesting scientists, Valerie Densmore and Emma Clingan, both from DBCA , and both with actual practical experience in fire fighting and lighting ... have found that, at least on the Swan Coastal Plain, Carnaby's feathery friends may have more food where the bush is burnt frequently, with light and patchy fires every few years, rather than roaring wildfires after decades of fuel accumulation.

One hundred and fifteen sites within the Bellingen-Coffs Harbour LGAs were surveyed by the Canines for Wildlife detection dog team for koala scats between June 2020 and January 2024. Over 700 koala scat locations were recorded, and 155 samples were collected. The samples were processed to have the DNA extracted from koala epithelial cells attached to the external surface of the scat.

Herd contraction in the world’s four largest beef-producing nations – the US, Brazil, China and Europe – is expected to lead to the first reduction in global beef supply since the Covid-19 pandemic, altering trade flows in the year ahead, Rabobank says in a recently-released research report. In its latest (Q4) Global Beef Quarterly, titled Navigating declining global production, uncertainty in 2025 … Brazil and the US are likely to lead declines in beef production next year.

In this interview with ARR.News, Churchill Fellow Kelly Lees shares insights from her experience with the intitial attempt to eradicate Varroa destructor, a parasitic mite of honeybees, and a little of her passion and vision for their successful management in Australia by our beekeepers who, as described by Kelly, are hard working, resilient and resourceful.

Regional Australia is the nation’s ‘destination of choice’ according to the latest Regional Movers Index (RMI) report, with data showing that while city dwellers are continuing to relocate out of metropolitan areas, regional Australians are increasingly staying put. Regional Australia Institute (RAI) CEO Liz Ritchie said data from the September 2024 quarter report shows city-to-regional relocations are now sitting at 19.8 per cent above the pre-Covid average...  

Vic Jurskis. No matter what the cost of the Great Koala National Park it’s a scam and NSW’s Environment Minister has real numbers which prove it. Unfortunately, the numbers will no longer be politically dangerous once the Park has been legislated and the renewable timber industry has been destroyed to appease the Greens.

A new RaboResearch report expects milk supply growth from the biggest exporting regions in the second half of 2024. Growth is expected to continue into 2025, with gains anticipated in all major regions for the first time since 2020.

The Rural Applied Drug and Alcohol Research group (RADAR) will tackle the prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse in Western NSW, which is higher than most other parts of NSW ... Core priorities of RADAR include addressing the specific, geographical issues those afflicted by substance misuse in western NSW often experience.

MS Australia is bringing together the nation's top researchers to unlock the complex link between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS); with the potential to revolutionise how we treat, prevent, and ultimately cure MS. The EBV in MS National Collaborative Platform, launched today at MS Australia's inaugural Frontiers in MS Research Symposium at the University of Sydney, aims to unify and strengthen Australian research efforts into EBV and MS.

As key players in the food supply chain set targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Australia’s dairy sector is grappling with how to best transition to lower- emissions production, and how the cost will be borne, Rabobank says in newly-released research.

Churchill Fellow Dean Gilligan discusses with ARR.News the conservation of Edgbaston Springs in the Great Artesian Basin, key threats to springs ecosystems, such as invasive pest fish, and how he hopes his research in Ash Meadows in the USA and Cuarto Cienegas in Mexico will inform the management of Australia's endangered springs ecosystems.

A new study has revealed there may be a significant underestimation of a specific type of  PFAS ‘forever chemical’ in the environment. Researchers from UNSW Sydney found that branched perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was more prevalent than expected in firefighting foam.

New research commissioned by the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) shows the number of city-dwellers looking to relocate to the regions has doubled over the past 18 months, demonstrating an urgent need for solutions to regional pressure points. The results of a nationwide survey shows 40 per cent of capital city residents are considering a move to regional Australia – up from 20 per cent in May 2023.

Australia has the opportunity to cement itself as one of the key beef suppliers into South- East Asian markets – as the appetite for beef continues to grow among the region’s consumers, according to agribusiness specialist Rabobank.

GrainGrowers has called on the federal government to work with industry to ensure Australian growers can tap into biotechnology developments and deliver timely access to innovative crop genetics.