Rapid development of the coal seam gas industry in Queensland’s Bowen and Surat Basins has led to widespread community concern about the effects of gas extraction.
Better understanding of the groundwater and surface water impacts of coal seam gas production is essential, according to Professor Sue Golding from the University of Queensland, an international expert on coal seam gas and carbon sequestration in sedimentary basins.
The Australian Academy of Science’s primary school education program, Primary Connections: Linking Science with Literacy, increases teacher confidence and student interest in science, new research has shown.
The inquiry-based system – which pairs professional development for teachers with award-winning curriculum resources – enhances students’ inquiry skills, conceptual development and enjoyment of science, according to the Teaching Primary Science report by Adjunct Professor Keith Skamp, of the School of Education, Southern Cross University.
Top scientists from China and Australia are meeting today at the Australian Academy ofScience to examine ways to use the human genome, stem cells and smart technologies toextend life and promote healthy ageing.
Researchers at the ninth annual Australia-China symposium will study ageing, and share thelatest advances in strategies to try to ensure that people live long lives in good health.
Young high flyers in Australian science will gather in Adelaide tomorrow to examine the science behind population issues from all angles, and consider essential questions to create visions for Australia’s future.
To be opened by South Australian Minister for Science and Information Economy, Tom Kenyon, the Australian Academy of Science’s 10th annual Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank brings together more than 60 young researchers from around Australia and its near neighbours and from across a range of scientific disciplines.
Australia is known to have at least 27,500 introduced plant species, a total greater than the known number of native plant species, according to Dr Richard Groves from CSIRO Plant Industry.
About 10 per cent of all the introduced plant species go on to increase their populations naturally and about 400 plant species interfere with human well-being and are classed as weeds.
Invasive plants introduced either accidentally or deliberately as potential pasture plants or ornamentals now cost the Australian economy more than $3.5 billion annually.
The Australian Academy of Science today welcomed the launch of UNCOVER: Searching the deep earth, a visionary new project to unlock Australia’s enormous potential mineral wealth.
Launched by Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson AM MP at the International Geological Congress in Brisbane today, the project arose from the Academy’s 2010 Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank, Searching the deep earth: the future of Australian resource discovery and utilisation.
The Shine Dome will feature internationally-recognised giants of science during National Science Week from 11 to 19 August, talking about their lives, research and inspirations.
Astronomer Professor Brian Schmidt will kick off the series on Saturday morning 11 August, sharing his startling discovery of the accelerating universe and the role of dark energy, which led to his 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Sir David Attenborough, acclaimed broadcaster and distinguished naturalist, will today formalise his election as a Corresponding Member of the Australian Academy of Science.
Sir David was elected as a Corresponding Member of the Academy in 2007 for his pioneering contributions to environmental research, science education and communication. However, his extensive commitments have until now prevented him from taking the final step of signing the Academy’s Charter Book.
The Australian Academy of Science is delighted that President Professor Suzanne Cory has won the Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science.
Professor Cory became the Academy’s first elected female President in 2010. As President she is a passionate advocate for quality science education, for building a scientifically literate community, for strong research funding, for government policy built on scientific evidence and for improving Australia’s international science diplomacy.
Public conservation management cannot fully protect the Australian environment and its diverse habitats, says Dr Michael Looker, Director of the Australia Program at The Nature Conservancy.
Currently two-thirds of Australia’s lands are privately managed, but most protection of our unique biodiversity occurs on public land.
“Over the past 20 years, private philanthropy has increasingly played an important role in nature conservation through such mechanisms as land acquisition and conservation covenants,” says Dr Looker.
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