Pond snails use things like rocks or the side of their aquarium as their bed, attaching themselves while they sleep. This might not seem very relaxing but their shells do hang away from their body.
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Every festival in Australia sends countless bits of glitter down the drain (and into the ocean). But you can still shine on – in bio-glitter.
Plenty of cafes these days will let you take home some used coffee grounds, to put on your garden. It’s a versatile material with loads of potential uses - as long as you treat it properly first.
February is the riskiest time of the year for blackouts, as the nation returns to work and school and soaring temperatures put pressure on the system.
The urban heat island and summertime blackouts
The Conversation25.6 MB (download)
Today, we're asking why some of the most disadvantaged parts of our cities cop the worst of a heatwave and how you -- yes, you! -- can do your bit to reduce the risk of a summer time blackout.
Fill a tank with water, sugar, and old mobile phones. Add bacteria and stir. Result? Rare earth metals. This is biomining, and it’s the way of the future.
We use our fridges, washing machines and air conditioners every day. That means that we should consider much more than the up-front retail price when choosing to invest in a new one.
Coral reefs in the Asia-Pacific have been deluged with an estimated 11.1 billion pieces of plastic waste, increasing the risk of coral disease more than 20-fold.
The federal government’s new funding aims to spread the net wide in investigating possible ways to protect the Great Barrier Reef’s corals. Winning this battle will require a wide range of weapons.
Imagine being one of the last few people alive. Would that make it ok to destroy the natural world? This thought experiment reveals the true value of nature, beyond the benefits to humans.
Despite persistent buzz, the falling cost of electric cars isn’t enough to guarantee sales in Australia.
Blockchain is now helping to bring much-needed transparency to the global tuna industry, which has been prone to corruption, human slavery and unsustainable fishing practices.
If your New Year’s resolutions include improving your diet, it’s worth thinking about eating healthier for the planet.
Despite Australia being considered the ‘lucky country’, 15% of us still experience food insecurity. Meanwhile, 40% of edible food is thrown away before it even reaches the market.
Australia’s scorching summers aren’t just inconvenient: heatwaves are deadly. Yet new research has found many vulnerable people don’t have a plan for extreme heat.
Everywhere humans go, we take our pets. Fleas are along for the ride, spreading everything from typhus to bubonic plague.
The Australian Open tennis and the recent Ashes Test cricket series show why our sporting stadiums need to be “climate-proofed” to deal with extreme heat.
With 99% of green sea turtles in the northern Great Barrier Reef hatching as females due to changing climate, the future for this species now depends largely on effective global conservation measures.
Last year was a vicious one for climate and energy politics. And with a South Australian election and various other federal decisions in the offing, 2018 looks like being similarly rancorous.
Indigenous ranger programs have now been running successfully for a decade. Given Queensland’s size and large Indigenous population, there’s a strong case for expanding the program in that state.
This is an article from Curious Kids, a series for children. The Conversation is asking kids to send in questions they’d like an expert to answer. All questions are welcome – serious, weird or wacky! Why…
Australians love cooking with gas, but what if you could make your own supply, using leftover food waste? It may be time for more households to embrace home biogas – and stop paying gas bills.
There’s really no such thing as truly sustainable air travel, but you can do some things to reduce your impact - such as flying with airlines with newer aircraft or taking a virtual holiday.
The US was hit by a ‘bomb cyclone’ last week, bringing icy cold and driving snow. These storms develop very rapidly, forming outside the tropics, typically on continental east coasts in winter.
After a month of operation, the Tesla battery at Hornsdale Power Reserve in SA is outperforming expectations - and the model is set to be emulated in Victoria