a man stands in water holding a plastic container

UQ researchers estimate there could be up to 7000 tonnes of microplastics polluting vital ecosystems in Brisbane’s Moreton Bay.

25 March 2024
Dark coloured beetle covered in white hairs sitting on green leaf. Image: James Tweed.

A researcher from The University of Queensland has discovered a remarkable new genus of fluffy longhorn beetle while camping within rainforest in the Gold Coast hinterland.

21 March 2024
A close up of a large snake head on green grass, with some of the snake body in the background.

A team of scientists on location with a film crew in the remote Amazon has uncovered a previously undocumented species of giant anaconda.

20 February 2024
Colourful coral on the ocean floor, surrounded by small fish and blue water in the background.

UQ-led research has shown there is more coral reef area across the globe than previously thought, with detailed satellite mapping helping to conserve these vital ecosystems.

14 February 2024
A photo of a murky body of water with black tadpoles in it.

UQ researchers have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that allows tadpoles in cold environments to mitigate the detrimental effects of ultraviolet radiation.

19 January 2024

Nature photographers posting to social media are helping improve biodiversity conservation mapping in South Asia, and the method could go global.

17 November 2023
a small tuft of leaves sits in a round glass plate under bright lights

A process similar to that used to store human embryos is being used by scientists at The University of Queensland to save native Australian plants under threat from the invasive fungus, myrtle rust.

24 October 2023
An orange orangutan swinging on a branch in thick jungle

University of Queensland research has found despite considerable conservation efforts, the illegal killing of critically endangered orangutans on Borneo may be an ongoing threat to the species.

11 October 2023
An underwater photo of a coral reef showing algal overgrowth.

UQ researchers are developing a web-based management program capable of mapping ocean water pollution almost as it happens.

4 October 2023
An artist's impression of a Tasmanian tiger, a marsupial with a wolf-like face and body and brown fur with black stripes across its back

A University of Queensland study has found that, though they looked like wolves, the extinct Tasmanian tiger – or thylacine – had brain cells like other carnivorous marsupials.

1 August 2023
A drone flying over a flock of birds floating in the ocean at a beach. Tree-covered hills are in the background.

The alarming impact of drones on one critically endangered shorebird species has been revealed in research led by The University of Queensland.

14 July 2023

Exploding populations of wild pigs and macaque monkeys in Southeast Asia are threatening native forests and disease outbreaks in livestock and people, according to research led by The University of Queensland.

30 June 2023
A grey bottlenose dolphin reaching it's head above the surface of the water

University of Queensland researchers have found bottlenose dolphins in Moreton Bay off Brisbane could be teaching other dolphins to ‘beg’ for food from recreational fishers, with the behaviour creating short and long-term risks.

23 June 2023
Green seedlings grow in soil in a black plastic tray, the photo is taken from above.

University of Queensland researchers have shown Australian tobacco plants could be used as ‘biofactories’ to manufacture medicines on a large scale.

1 June 2023
a whale breaching out of the ocean about to land on its back with a hilly coastline in the distance

A University of Queensland study has found humpback whales sing louder when the wind is noisy, but don’t have the same reaction to boat engines.

11 May 2023
Ten wind turbines on grass hills at sunset

Australia will need to triple the National Electricity Market’s power capacity by 2030 to be on track for net zero by 2050 – requiring a rapid rollout of wind and solar power, transmission, storage, electric vehicles, and heat pumps as it replaces...

19 April 2023
a closeup of a crab on a patterned white surface with pink dots in front of it

University of Queensland scientists have identified natural predators which could help fight outbreaks of the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) on the Great Barrier Reef.

5 April 2023
a pile of brown and white cardboard food boxes and bags

University of Queensland researchers are analysing compostable takeaway food packaging for potentially polluting chemicals.

4 April 2023
Koala joey in tree

Mortality rates of orphaned koala joeys could be greatly reduced by a non-invasive stress test kit being trialled by University of Queensland researchers.

20 March 2023
A brown and cream hawk sits on the branch of a gum tree.

Australia’s rarest bird of prey - the red goshawk - is facing extinction, with Cape York Peninsula now the only place in Queensland known to support breeding populations.

27 February 2023