The latest research stories from PEARG

Ann J. Stocker Scaptodrosophila are a diverse group of flies whose appearance is very similar to the widespread and widely studied Drosophila. The genus is estimated to have diverged within the drosophilid lineage during the Cretaceous period about 70 million years ago. It was originally considered a subgenus of Drosophila and called Pholadoris in earlier […]

This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article. Dr Perran Stott-Ross Story Producer: Nerissa Hannink Dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases remain a massive threat to human health and wellbeing. Urbanisation and climate change are likely to increase this threat as established mosquitoes spread to new environments and gain a foothold. Eradicating […]

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This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article. Dr Michael Magrath, Dr Steve Sinclair, Hiromi Yagui, Professor Ary Hoffmann and Professor Michael Kearney Insects in our environment are unsung heroes. These ‘mini-beasts’ are often inconspicuous, but they may have a huge impact on the health of ecosystems that sustain humanity. They pollinate […]

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Original article published in The Conversation The Conversation Perran Ross, The University of Melbourne The whine of the mosquito is unpleasant and often inescapable outdoors on summer evenings. Mosquitoes track you down from tens of metres away by sensing carbon dioxide in the air you breathe out. Within seconds, they home in on exposed skin […]

Ary’s alma mater, La Trobe University, have recognised his achievements with an award and a nice profile article here. There’s also a video interview

Words: Melissa Carew Freshwater invertebrates are the insects, snails, clams, mites, crustaceans, and worms that inhabit streams, rivers, ponds and wetlands. They play an important role in understanding the health of our freshwater environments. The biodiversity of invertebrates present in freshwaters is routinely used by water managers to assess the ecological condition and feeds into […]

Words: Tom Schmidt When researchers want to investigate evolutionary processes like adaptation and dispersal, they frequently make use of population genomic methods. Population genomics uses DNA data from across an organism’s entire genome – that is, across all of that organism’s DNA. This DNA data can be compared with DNA from other organisms, which can […]

Belinda van Heerwaarden, The University of Melbourne and Ary Hoffmann, The University of Melbourne Evidence of declining fertility in humans and wildlife is growing. While chemicals in our environment have been identified as a major cause, our new research shows there’s another looming threat to animal fertility: climate change. We know animals can die when […]

“This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article.” Dr Andrew Weeks and Professor Ary Hoffmann In the critical battle against extinction, conservationists use a variety of tactics to try to save species. One of the most fundamental tools is maintaining the amount of variation of genetic material (DNA) in a group of […]

The loss of fertility in males as a result of climate change, particularly in the tropics, may be a better predictor of vulnerability to extinction by Dr Belinda van Heerwaarden This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article As temperatures rise across the globe, species will increasingly face environmental conditions beyond their […]

This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article. Words: Dr James Camac, Nicholas Bell and Professor Ary Hoffmann We currently face significant challenges to accurately predict the impacts of our changing climate on individual species, as well as their ecosystems. A recent report on the demise of an area of snow gums […]

Words and images: Véronique Paris and Christin Manthey Illustraions: Marianne Coquilleau Doing a PhD in science is a challenge in itself. Developing and managing your own project, learning to be a “real” research scientist rather than a student, working on experiments, collecting data, applying for funding … that’s all part of the deal. However, 2020 […]

Words: Ary Hoffmann Banner image: Natasha Wright, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. In Asia, one of the most damaging pests of rise is the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens. This pest damages plants directly but more importantly it acts as a vector for damaging plant viruses, including the “rice ragged stunt virus” (RRSV). This […]

Words, illustraions and photos: Marianne CoquilleauMarianne Coquilleau With spring coming our way, gardens come to life and with it their many inhabitants. It’s no surprise then to find small caterpillars, aphids and other insects while washing your vegetables and fruits, especially if you source your vegetables locally or pesticide-free sources. You might then also notice […]