Topic: Australia

New hybrid sharks discovered: Signs of global warming?

Scientists at the University of Queensland, Australia, have found offspring of two distinct species of shark, the first evidence of hybridization among sharks. 

12 simple ways to go green in 2012

If many people resolve to make their lives just a little greener in 2012 it could make a huge difference.

Quadrantid meteors and 11 other big skywatching events of 2012

What lies ahead sky-wise for 2012? Joe Rao, SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist, selected what he considers to be the top 12 "skylights" for this coming year,

To win the future, heed this ginormous list of amazing (but overused) words

The headline above contains a generous sampling from this year's 'List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness.' Read on.

On the lookout for simple solutions, like cloth diapers

I make a note of simple solutions when I spot them in books or articles. Especially ones that are right in front of our faces. Here are simple solutions to five problems: diapers, energy waste, insufficient retirement savings, archiving of old books, and that perennial, partisanship.

Samoa skips Friday in leap across international dateline

The time jump means that Samoa's 186,000 citizens will now be the first in the world to ring in the new year, rather than the last.

Sea Shepherd anti-whaling ship damaged while chasing Japanese vessel

Though the Sea Shepherd conservation group is down a ship, a rogue wave did succeed in putting a spotlight on Japan’s annual whaling season and the activist effort to put an end to it.

Samoa to skip Friday, lose December 30th 2011 forever

As China’s influence in the Pacific rises, Samoa is planning to cancel Friday, going directly from Thursday to Saturday, to synchronize trade with China.

Dominion over change

A Christian Science perspective.

Stratfor cyberattack adds an exclamation point to ‘Year of the Hack’

The 'hack and extract' attack on the strategic think tank Stratfor will only contribute to the public and media awareness of cybercrime that has grown throughout 2011.

Christmas church bombings put global spotlight on 'Nigerian Taliban' (VIDEO)

The US is pledging to help Nigeria identify those responsible for a series of attacks that left at least 40 people dead on Christmas day.

Good Living Street

An Australian art critic probes the past of his family – Austrian Jews who enjoyed one of Vienna's grandest eras, only to lose it all in the face of World War II. 

Americans are the most generous, global poll finds

Americans are more apt to donate to a charity, volunteer, or help a stranger than residents of 152 other countries.

Fossil find could solve lingering Antarctic dinosaur mystery

Scientists report unearthing a Titanosaur fossil in Antarctica. The continent had been the only one lacking evidence of sauropods – dinosaurs with long necks and tails.

Stock market: Fears ease over North Korea

Stock market futures in US edge up as tensions ease over Kim Jong Il's passing. Asia markets close lower, but stock market in Germany, Britain, and France recover.  

Exclusive: Iran hijacked US drone, says Iranian engineer (Video)

In an exclusive interview, an engineer working to unlock the secrets of the captured RQ-170 Sentinel says they exploited a known vulnerability and tricked the US drone into landing in Iran.

Did walking evolve underwater? 'Walking fish' suggests that it did.

A study of the African lungfish suggests that our evolutionary ancestors first started walking before they migrated onto land. 

Lunar eclipse will turn moon a fire red

Saturday's lunar eclipse promises to make the moon appear supersized and bright red for skywatchers in the Western United States and Canada. 

Fossils show shrimp-like superpredator's eyes had 32,000 lenses

Scientists unearthed 515-million-year-old fossil remains of a pair of Anomalocaris eyes. The superpredator's eyes had 32,000 lenses – all the better to stalk their prey.

Ancient predator had eyes with 16,000 lenses

Anomalocaris, an apex predator that roamed the seas some 500 million years ago, had compound eyes with acute vision, a new fossil discovery shows. 

PepsiCo’s i-crop system could save farmers precious water

I-crop, a web-based program now undergoing tests, helps farmers reduce water waste by combining weather data and underground probes.

What China sees in Clinton's visit to Burma (Myanmar)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says her visit to Burma (Myanmar) Wednesday is to gauge political reforms there. But China is concerned it could be part of a strategic plan to fence in Beijing.

Clinton trip to Burma: a contest to define power in Asia

Burma's regime seeks distance from China by welcoming a Clinton visit. And the US can help bring freedom to Burma (Myanmar), but it must better understand legitimacy in this Buddhist society.

5 invasive species now in retreat

Invasive species are ones that don't naturally occur in an area and may have detrimental effects.  Here are some eradication success stories.

Sources: Global Invasive Species Database, International Union for Conservation of Nature, National Cotton Council, US Dept. of Agriculture

'Swag' joins waste, fraud, and abuse

A presidential order calling for the government to trim spending has cast the spotlight on an old term with a new meaning.