The Great Barrier Reef is set to be named as a World Heritage Site in danger by UNESCO next month. A long-awaited assessment of the reef by UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), released on Friday
Australia’s colonization may have been an organized affair rather than an accident, a new analysis suggests. Some 50,000 years ago, aboriginal human settlers arrived on the continent, but how many people it took to found Australia’s population is unknown. The new study,
Lemuria and Mu are interchangeable names given to a lost land believed to have been located somewhere in either the southern Pacific or Indian Oceans. This ancient continent was apparently the home of an advanced and highly spiritual culture, perhaps
Hate mail from angry New Zealanders is landing on the desk of a Danish MP who ridiculed her Maori welcome. Right-wing politician Marie Krarup dubbed the powhiri an “uncivilised” ritual, and marae a “grotesque” mark of multicultural worship. Krarup, in
He can still smell Iraq. He can even taste it. Iraq tasted like dust, a fine talcum powder which was always on the wind and which eked its way into everything. The smell was of oil, of garbage which was
Cryptic comments seem to have an ambiguous, obscure or hidden meaning. In biology, cryptic species are outwardly indistinguishable groups whose differences are hidden inside their genes. Two University of Michigan marine biologists have identified three cryptic species of tiny clams,
Support for Julia Gillard as Prime Minister has tumbled to a six-month low as the latest opinion poll shows Labor would be thrashed if a federal election was held now. But the Greens have enjoyed a small rise in support
A supervolcano forming north of New Zealand could spell the end of the world – but there is no need to panic, it won’t happen for at least 100 million years. Researchers from the University of Utah have warned of
Less than 100km off the coast of Hawke’s Bay is a deep-water trench that could be the site of a potential megathrust earthquake similar to the 2011 Japan earthquake, says seismologist Kevin Furlong. Despite the Hikurangi Trench’s potential, he said
Outdated laws are forcing doctors to twist the truth to get abortions for their patients, a study has found. The convoluted legal demands of abortion can make the process traumatic for pregnant women and confusing for medical practitioners. An article
Australians will soon be able to own, and use, a slice of military history, as a huge sale of second-hand vehicles kicks off the largest disposal of defence equipment since World War II. A vast range of war fighting kit
Queensland was today in the grip of another extraordinary flood crisis, with three people dead, helicopters rescuing residents from roofs, and cities and towns facing inundation. Dramatic rescues were underway in Bundaberg, where the city’s worst flood on record left
Gun ownership in Australia has soaredsince the Australian Government enacted strict gun control laws in 1996. Although more than 1 million firearms were handed over for destruction during the Howard Governments gun buyback scheme, it has been revealed that gun imports into
Australia‘s heatwave set a new high of almost 50C as authorities warned that large uncontrolled bushfires would continue to threaten areas in the south-east of the country. Meanwhile, in remote Moomba, a gas exploration and processing town in the outback
Firefighters are hoping a cool change will bring reprieve across NSW as they try to contain fires with 100km perimeters. Temperatures hit 40C in the Upper Hunter today, as 94 fires burn across the state, 12 of which are uncontained.
The nation’s northwest coast is bracing for the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Narelle, which continues to track towards the coastline carrying wind gusts of up to 250km/h at its centre. The category-three cyclone is forecast to bring 100km/h gales to
These stunning pictures of five young children and their grandmother huddled together under a jetty in the Tasmanian town of Dunalley were captured by their grandfather Tim Holmes. The family forced to stay in the water for several hours as
Australia’s giant and record heatwave, which is sparking hundreds of bush fires across the land, has forced the country’s meteorologists to redraw their national temperature scales – upwards. In an unprecedented move, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology has extended the
Australia is bracing for days of “catastrophic” fire and heatwave conditions, with fires burning in five states and a search continuing for people missing after devastating wildfires in the island state of Tasmania. Julia Gillard, the Australian prime minister, toured fire-ravaged
Parts of Tasmania’s east coast have been cut off by bushfires as a blaze on the Tasman Peninsula continues to burn out of control. The Tasmania Fire Service has upgraded a bushfire at Forcett southeast of Hobart to emergency warning
Temperatures set to hit 44 degrees Catastrophic fire danger in two states Hobart set to hit 39 degrees Australia is in the grip of an extreme heatwave with temperatures in two states set to soar past 40 degrees today –
The tests were carried out in waters around New Caledonia and Auckland during the Second World War and showed that the weapon was feasible and a series of 10 large offshore blasts could potentially create a 33-foot tsunami capable of
