Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Hundreds plunge in Chicago River for first official swim in nearly 100 years

admin — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 15:24:42 +0000

Group participates in previously unthinkable mile-long swim after US made key progress to clean polluted rivers

Hundreds of people plunged into the Chicago River’s chilly waters on Sunday as part of the first organized swim in the river for nearly 100 years, a previously unthinkable act in what was once one of the most befouled waterways in the world.

Canavan claims Coalition ‘on the cusp’ of abandoning net zero as Ley urged to follow Dutton’s voice referendum tactics

admin — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 04:05:27 +0000

Queensland Nationals senator tells Cpac conference ‘last rites being administered’ and praises Andrew Hastie for threat to quit frontbench over policy

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DNA from old ants reveals a hidden insect apocalypse in Fiji

admin — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 00:45:02 +0000

Insects are essential for ecosystems, but mounting evidence suggests many populations are collapsing under modern pressures. A new study used cutting-edge genomic techniques on museum specimens to track centuries of ant biodiversity across Fiji. The results reveal that nearly 80% of native ants are in decline, with losses intensifying in the past few hundred years as human activities expanded.

‘It’s resurrection’: 1,000-year-old seeds could grow ancient plants in England’s ice-age ghost ponds

admin — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 05:00:05 +0000

An expert team are resurrecting ice age ponds and finding rare species returning from a ‘perfect time capsule’

If you glanced into a green field and saw a yellow digger tearing into the turf, you might assume it was another site for new houses. But the two circle-shaped scars of dark soil on a Norfolk pasture are ghost ponds being brought back to life by an innovative and cheap form of nature restoration.

Louisiana reports five deaths from flesh-eating bacterium in coastal waters

admin — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 18:34:30 +0000

Officials say deaths from Vibrio vulnificus exceeding average amid warning over climate-linked case increase

Five people in Louisiana have died in 2025 from a flesh-eating bacterium found in warm coastal waters, substantially exceeding the annual average on such deaths, state officials have said.

Labor has good reason to sweat over its 2035 climate target – but the dishevelled Coalition response rings hollow | Tom McIlroy

admin — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 15:00:48 +0000

The scale of the government’s ambition heightens the stakes for all sides of politics and will probably determine how Albanese’s second term plays out

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Red squirrel population thriving on Isle of Wight and could almost double, study finds

admin — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 12:00:50 +0000

Researchers mapping how red squirrels would fare under climate breakdown scenarios found ‘a natural ability to adapt’

Red squirrels are thriving on the Isle of Wight where they have enough food and a suitable habitat to support a population that could almost double, a study has found.

Ministers tell Environment Agency to wave planning applications through

admin — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 10:30:12 +0000

Exclusive: Officials say they have been told to do as little as legally possible to prevent approvals for housebuilding in England

The Environment Agency has been told by ministers to wave through planning applications in England with minimal resistance as part of a regulatory shakeup designed to increase economic growth and plug the government’s financial hole.

Kenya’s Turkana people genetically adapted to live in harsh environment, study suggests

admin — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 09:21:37 +0000

Research which began with conversations round a campfire and went on to examine 7m gene variants shows how people survive with little water and a meat-rich diet

A collaboration between African and American researchers and a community living in one of the most hostile landscapes of northern Kenya has uncovered key genetic adaptations that explain how pastoralist people have been able to thrive in the region.

Sussan Ley says she ‘misspoke’ after comments that Coalition doesn’t believe in setting climate targets

admin — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 07:28:53 +0000

Liberal leader later clarifies she doesn’t support setting targets while in opposition

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