Latest from the AM Blog
Writing from the frontiers of science, culture and education, as well as all the latest news from the Museum.
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Myth or museum specimen? The animals that are more fact than fiction
Famously featured in George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones franchise, the dire wolf is far more than a popular legend. A recent study in Nature has discovered how genetically distinct this prehistoric carnivore actually was. Read more about the study, and other animals thought to be pure myth.
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A rainforest tree by the sea — Who are the pollinators?
In Australia there are over 40 species of mangroves; despite their key role in coastal ecosystem function, we know relatively little about their reproductive ecology. Learn more about the pollinators involved, in this recent and pivotal study.
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Is a deadly disease impacting amphibians on Vietnam’s highest mountains?
Scientists from the Australian Museum, Indo-Myanmar Conservation and ZSL London Zoo search for frogs and the world’s worst wildlife disease in the mountains of northern Vietnam.
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Australia: home of the (prehistoric) crocs
Opalised fossils help tell the story of a small crocodile that lived among the dinosaurs.
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Welcome new fanged friend: A new species of Fanged Frog discovered in Cambodia
From the forests of northeastern Cambodia, another frog species new to science is scientifically named!
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Why we need to get taxonomy right
Taxonomy and systematics comprise the describing, naming and classifying the natural world. By classifying the natural world, we can understand a species origins and interrelationships. So how do we get it right, and how do we get it wrong? We explore the world of marine invertebrates for more.
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Rare snail species found alive on Norfolk Island after 130 years
The tiny, enigmatic snail was last collected in 1889 and is currently listed as extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). So, we were very excited to find Nancibella quintalae alive on Norfolk Island!
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This month in Archaeology: Aboriginal heritage as ecological proxy in south-eastern Australia: a Barapa wetland village
Dr Amy Way discusses a recently published paper by Pardoe and Hutton in the Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, examining how Aboriginal people traditionally lived in large groups around ecological ‘hotspots.’
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Bridging the Gap: Using DNA from museum specimens to unlock the secrets of the Bass Strait Island Fauna
Did you know that there are over 50 islands in the Bass Strait, the 240 km stretch of ocean that separates mainland Australia and Tasmania? But what of its fauna? Scientists have recently extracted DNA from museum specimens to better understand the evolutionary history of Bass Strait island fauna.
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The lives of creatures obscure, misunderstood, and wonderful: A volume in honour of Ken Aplin 1958–2019
Kenneth Peter Aplin (1958–2019) was one of Australia’s leading vertebrate systematists, well known as an anatomist, mammalogist, herpetologist, palaeontologist, and archaeologist – he was an altogether unique and admired man.
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Meet the spectacular Red Wide-bodied Pipefish: Australia's newest endemic fish species
Australian Museum scientists have identified a new pipefish species under the waves of our biggest city. Australia’s newest endemic fish species was found hiding in plain sight at a popular Sydney dive spot!
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The unique frogs of the Solomon Islands: free from a deadly fungus?
The amphibian chytrid fungus, responsible for causing frog declines around the world, may not yet have reached the Solomon Islands.
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The importance of museums in species discovery: five newly described species
How is a new species described? And what role do museums play? As highlighted by the recent discovery of the Popa langur (Trachypithecus popa), Natural History Museums are essential in species discovery: find out how, and more about our newly described species by AM scientists and associates.
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The FrogID dataset: over 126,000 FrogID open-access records now online!
Just in time for FrogID Week 2020, the second annual release of FrogID data is now available to advance frog ecology and conservation in Australia.
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A virtual event to remember: The Whitley Awards 2020
Every year, The Royal Zoological Society of NSW acknowledges the outstanding publications that significantly increase our knowledge of the fauna of the Australasian region with particular emphasis on its conservation. This year was no exception; however, the awards were held online.
