Koala's no longer play a significant role in their ecosystem, image via Getty Images
Science

Experts say Koalas are 'functionally extinct'

According to experts, bushfires have killed over 1000 koalas and destroyed 80% of their habitat, making it very unlikely that the species will be able to recover naturally. The animal has been declared 'functionally extinct' as their population no longer plays any significant role in their ecosystem. The fires have also burnt down many eucalyptus trees, the main source of nutrients for koalas.

australia environment koala bushfire habitat

Sun Nov 24 - Forbes

Related Articles

Sea levels could rise more than a metre by 2100, experts say
Science
Sea levels could rise as much as 1.3 meters, report says

According to a recent research report, In the worst-case scenario , with rising emissions and global heating of 4.5C above pre-industrial levels, the study estimates the surface of the world’s oceans in 2100 will be between 0.6 and 1.3 meters higher than today, which would potentially engulf areas home to hundreds of millions of people.

environment world-news sea-level oceans

Fri May 08 - Theguardian
Dozens of pharmaceutical companies are working on a vaccine, image via Getty Images
Science
Australian researchers move one step closer to coronavirus vaccine

Australian researchers have said that they have managed to map the immune system's response to the coronavirus and that it is remarkably similar to the flu. This has allowed them to find what the immune system is lacking to properly fend off the virus. They are now one step closer to a vaccine.

australia china science health disease vaccine illness cure virus contagious coronavirus quarantine immune

Tue Mar 17 - Reuters
Longer summers increase the chances of bushfires, image via Getty Images
Science
Summers in Australia are now twice as long, scientists suspect climate change

According to a new report, summers in Australia are now twice as long as they used to be in the 50s and 60s. The summer has been extended by 31 days in most of the country's capital cities and many suspect climate change is the cause of this drastic change.

australia climate-change air-pollution pollution bushfire air toxic season summer winter

Mon Mar 02 - ABCNews
Scientists find largest explosion since the Big Bang in the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster. Image via Cnet.
Science
Scientists find the largest explosion since the Big Bang

A collaboration of scientists operating telescopes in the US, Europe, India, and Australia have found what they believe to be the greatest explosion in the universe since the Big Bang. The explosion is believed to have been caused by a supermassive black hole in the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster containing thousands of galaxies. The black hole blew a one-and-a-half-million light-year hole in the middle of the cluster.

australia india europe hole scientist black-hole united-states largest researcher explosion big-bang ophiuchus cluster supermassive

Fri Feb 28 - BBC