By Kenny Travouillon, Curator of Mammals, Western Australian Museum; Curtin University
Matthew Phillips, Lecturer in Evolutionary Biology and Zoology, Queensland University of Technology
Steve Cooper, Principal Researcher, South Australian Museum; Adelaide University
Terry Bertozzi, Research Scientist, Bioinformatics, South Australian Museum; Adelaide University
A ten-year scientific investigation of museum specimens has uncovered two previously unrecognised bandicoot species, expanded the known range of the iconic quenda (or southeastern brown bandicoot), and reshaped understanding of one of Australia’s native mammal groups.
Our new study examined hundreds of historical and modern specimens from museum collections around the world. The findings have led to the recognition of two additional species and several new subspecies within the genus Isoodon, commonly known as…
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By Margaret Davidson, Senior Lecturer, Occupational Hygiene and Environmental Health, Western Sydney University
A breath of fresh air does wonders for the body and mind.
In some areas, however, the air may not be as clean as it seems. This may be due to pollution or natural hazards such as bushfires and dust storms.
If you’re worried about air quality in your local area, there’s no shortage of apps and websites…
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By Judy Ingham, Newsletter Producer, The Conversation
On the disguise of ‘common sense’, and who actually has private health insurance? Here’s an edited selection of your views.
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By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
As the final week of campaigning begins, most poll trends show the right leading the left. Only one poll upends that picture.
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By Bryn Beeder, Assistant Clinical Lecturer in Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health, Miami University
Restricting access to candy is one way parents try to teach their kids moderation. But this can backfire and harm a child’s relationship to food and eating in the long run.
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By Steve Urlich, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Management, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Hamish Rennie, Associate Professor in Planning and Environmental Management, Lincoln University, New Zealand
As each new environmental assessment shows, the impacts on New Zealand’s natural and urban areas are only compounding.
The government’s most recent national snapshot describes polluted rivers and coastal waters, declining biodiversity, poor air quality in some communities and greenhouse gas emissions that remain high by international standards.
Increasingly…
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By Gento Okawa, PhD student, Linguistics, Simon Fraser University
Lin Lu, PhD student, Applied Linguistics, Concordia University
Mary Grantham O'Brien, Professor of Linguistics; Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, Simon Fraser University
Ryuichi Suzuki, PhD student in Education (Applied Linguistics), Concordia University
People who speak with an accent know it can lead to discrimination. It can cost them in job interviews, at work and in everyday exchanges. But what they usually have to go on is anecdote: their own experiences and those of people they know.
Interestingly, research demonstrates that listeners can often understand accented speech well. Yet those findings rarely reach accented speakers themselves or the practitioners who make important decisions that affect their lives, such as hiring managers.
That disconnect…
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By Logan S. James, Postdoctoral Researcher in Biology, McGill University; The University of Texas at Austin
Jon Sakata, Professor, Department of Biology and Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University
Kendra Oudyk, Master of Library and Information Studies student; Graduate Academic Assistant in Digital Scholarship, University of British Columbia
A new study compares the songs of 367 bird species with song and speech from 52 human languages to reveal shared acoustic patterns.
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By Andrew Nicholas Kadykalo, Adjunct Professor, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability (SERS), University of Waterloo; Trent University
Elizabeth Ann Nyboer, Assistant Professor, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech
Steven J Cooke, Canada Research Professor, Conservation Physiology, Carleton University
Nearly 200 countries recently came together in Armenia for the 2026 United Nations Biodiversity Conference to review progress toward halting and reversing biodiversity loss. Many of these governments will soon convene again in Turkey to discuss efforts to tackle climate change at COP31.
In 2022, parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework aimed…
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By Louis Bherer, Professor, Université de Montréal
Billions of dollars are being spent on research to find a molecule that will cure Alzheimer’s disease. Yet, as Dr. Louis Bherer explains, adopting certain lifestyle habits could significantly reduce the risk of developing symptoms, in some cases by up to half.
Dr. Bherer is a professor in the Department of Medicine at the Université de Montréal and researcher and director at the EPIC Centre, the preventive medicine and physical activity centre at the Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal (Montreal Heart Institute). His work focuses on the impact of lifestyle, physical exercise…
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