Latest news with #YahooNewsAustralia
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Wild weather to lash Australia as cold front, heavy rain barrels through
A powerful blast of winter weather is bearing down on Australia this week, with heavy rain, strong winds and chilly temperatures forecast to hit several states in the coming days. Parts of New South Wales and southeast Queensland — which are set to cop the brunt this week — are bracing for up to 70mm of rain, large surf and persistent cold southerlies, while Sydney faces a string of dreary, wet days and a potentially intense low-pressure system on Saturday. Meanwhile, Perth and southwest Western Australia are also in for a soggy stretch, with rain expected and cool temperatures to return by the weekend. New South Wales The system kicks off today, with a cold front sweeping through inland NSW and pushing showers towards the coast by early Wednesday morning. "We've got a weak cold front coming through today through parts of NSW, and we'll see showers inland," Senior Meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology Jonathan How told Yahoo News Australia. "The showers will reach the coast of Sydney early tomorrow morning [Thursday], and then the cold front moves off. But then we're stuck with a very persistent southerly wind flow across NSW, all the way to the weekend." That persistent flow will drive widespread showers along the coast from the Illawarra to the Hunter region. In Sydney, it'll barely hit 15 degrees on Wednesday, with much of the rain focused on coastal suburbs. "Up to 70 millimetres of rain could fall in the eastern suburbs," How said. "For most of eastern NSW on Thursday and Friday, we'll have pretty persistent showers, cold southerly winds, and large waves. For Sydney, it's probably mostly just the eastern suburbs." Some areas in the Hunter, Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers could see daily rainfall totals reaching between 50 and 100mm through the weekend. Winds along parts of the northern coastal fringe may also become damaging, with gusts surpassing 90km/h. Snow is also expected to fall across the central and northern ranges at elevations above 1,000 to 1,300 metres, which could impact transport on certain roads due to ice, even outside the usual alpine zones. How said the soggy streak will culminate on Saturday as a low-pressure system begins to form offshore. "There's another low that's developing on Saturday," How said. "So we'll see a low-pressure system off the coast of NSW — and that'll push more widespread rain, strong gusty winds and large waves. Pretty cool temperatures across much of eastern NSW." While the weekend system isn't expected to be extreme, there is potential for flash flooding in coastal pockets. "There is the potential for some pretty heavy falls on the weekend of more than 50 millimetres," How said. "We're probably looking at the Illawarra, Sydney, the Hunter — that pocket." Queensland Further north, Queensland will also feel the chill, though without quite as much rainfall. "On Friday, Saturday, that frontal system moves up the coast to bring a rain band into Queensland down to the Bay, which brings pretty unstable rainfall across southeastern Queensland. Nothing particularly heavy," said How. "Brisbane is in for a pretty cold day — 16 degrees on Saturday — and then colder out west, down to 11 degrees and a pretty cold wind as well." Western Australia The wet weather won't be confined to the east. "There's been pretty heavy rain in Perth and the southwest over the last few days," How said. "Some suburbs have already experienced persistent showers, and will again on Saturday." How said cooler air will trail behind the rain, keeping conditions unsettled heading into the weekend. Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the NT Elsewhere around the country — particularly in South Australia, Victoria, and the NT — weather conditions are relatively settled this week. Tasmania may see some light showers, but no significant systems are expected. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Aussie researchers warn of 'unintended' Starlink issue amid growing adoption
Australian researchers are highlighting a frustrating problem in the skies above us as the growing number of satellites providing high-speed internet connectivity are having unintended consequences, potentially hindering our ability to understand the universe. New research has shown how the satellite technology of private companies like Starlink — increasingly relied upon by Aussies — is inadvertently interfering with the ability of researchers to study the depths of the cosmos. The warning comes after astronomers in Western Australia undertook the world's biggest study of low frequency satellite radio emissions. And it comes at a particularly critical time as construction continues in the state on what will become the world's largest radio telescope — a massive project known as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) that promises to help answer some of the biggest questions in the field. "It's going to be the largest radio telescope of all time, and it's looking for very faint signals from the early universe," PhD candidate and study lead Dylan Grigg told Yahoo News Australia. "And so what we wanted to do was understand the prevalence of satellites at the frequencies that the Square Kilometre Array would be looking over." The researchers essentially took an image of the sky every two seconds for about a month, totalling some 76 million images. "We detected a lot of satellites in the images. The overwhelming majority of those were Starlink satellites," Grigg said. "And what we found was that they're not transmitting at their designated downlink frequency, there's some emissions coming from some electronics on board the satellites." At some frequencies about a third of the images were ultimately impacted, and the disturbance was observed at frequencies that are set aside for radio astronomy. For instance, 703 satellites were identified at 150.8 MHz, which is meant to be protected for radio astronomy. While Starlink, which had more than 7,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit during the period when the study was carried out, isn't doing anything wrong, the devices "just happen to be [emitting] over frequencies that radio astronomers will want to be conducting science with the SKA," Grigg said. Industry and academia clash as space fills up Australians in regional areas have increasingly adopted Starlink's internet services, with the company previously saying it has more than 200,000 local subscribers. While many residents in the bush rely on it for fast home internet, caravan travellers also take it on the road to stay connected at campgrounds and remote spots around the country. The WA astronomers don't dispute the boon the service provides, but hope the research will help lead to solutions to ensure scientists and private business can operate in harmony. "We've had a dialogue ongoing with SpaceX about it. They've made good mitigations in the past for optical astronomy, like they've painted their satellites with a darker paint, and they've put visors up on them. So we're hoping that by doing a study like this, we can continue the dialogue with them and hopefully see if we can get them to make some similar mitigations for radio as well." With Amazon launching satellites in a bid to compete with Starlink, and a raft of other companies launching their own satellites for various networks including emerging direct to mobile technology, low-Earth orbit is becoming an increasingly busy place. "Starlink isn't the only satellite network, but it is by far the biggest and its emissions are now increasingly prominent in our data," Executive Director of the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy and study co-author Steven Tingay said in a statement. New SKA project puts astronomy on 'edge of golden era' Being assembled at more than 500 sites in the Australian outback and due to be finished by the end of the decade, the SKA will be the largest and most sensitive radio telescope on the planet. The international project has been likened to one of the world's biggest science experiments that will be able to peer back into the earliest time of the universe. "It'll be a game-changer," Grigg told Yahoo News. Professor Tingay said it will help answer some of the most important questions we have. "We're standing on the edge of a golden era where the SKA will help answer the biggest questions in science: how the first stars formed, what dark matter is and even test Einstein's theories," he said. "But it needs radio silence to succeed. We recognise the deep benefits of global connectivity but we need balance, and that starts with an understanding of the problem, which is the goal of our work." Their research highlighting the "unintended Starlink broadband emission on radio astronomy" in the SKA bands was published this month in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Yahoo
Thrill-seeking tourists stunned by 'amazing' sight as polar travel booms
Surrounded by a frozen and unforgiving landscape, tourists recently watched on as two polar bears picked apart the carcass of a dead whale floating among icebergs in the frigid Arctic. Stunning images of the "unforgettable moment" were captured from the passenger vessel, with a marine biologist on board telling Yahoo News Australia it was "the best sighting of this kind" in the 18 years he's worked as a guide. "Our guests got to witness two bears near a dead whale floating amongst the ice," marine biologist Mikolaj Golachowski explained. "It was a foggy day, so everything kept coming in and out of view. But then it cleared and we saw a bear (most likely a female) walking close to the ship, heading towards the carcass, then spending about an hour on top of it, feeding. "After that, she left to disappear into the returning fog... It does happen, but in my 18 years of working as a guide in the Arctic, this was the third and by far the best sighting of this kind. Reasonably close and long. "That was amazing!" he said. The moment on July 11 was cherished for how special it was, and it's scenes like this that are seeing more travellers keen to throw some warm clothing into a suitcase and jet off to the ends of the Earth. As a result, Polar tourism is booming as more and more visitors flock to the once out-of-reach environment. But the trend has raised concerns about the potential costs to the environment. "Interest in travelling to the Arctic has grown year on year over the last few years," a spokesperson for Quark Expeditions, a tour company specialising in Arctic and Antarctic travel, told Yahoo News. While the company focuses primarily on tourism around the North Pole, between 14-16 per cent of people exploring Antarctica with the company are Australians, it said. Tourists flock to polar regions as 'sustainability' is questioned Both the Arctic and Antarctica are experiencing booms in tourism, and scientists are urging authorities to focus on sustainability as demand skyrockets. Antarctica While tourism to Antarctica remains exclusive and very expensive, it has slowly started to grow in popularity. Visitors have increased more than tenfold in the last 30 years, according to data from the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. 🐋 Quiet change seen off Australia's coast linked to 'worrying' event 🥺 Emotional decision looms as ancient site faces extreme storm 📚 Backlash over radical climate change plan for Aussie schools Unchecked tourism growth in the southern polar region is cause for concern, scientists say. Approximately two-thirds of Antarctic tourists land on the continent, threatening fragile ecosystems there by compacting soils, trampling vegetation, introducing non-native microbes and disturbing breeding colonies of birds and seals. Darla Hatton MacDonald and Elizabeth Leane, both professors at the University of Tasmania, explained the polar region is already under increased pressure due to climate change, and tourism will only exacerbate the issue, tipping the delicate ecosystems into decline. The Arctic In June, United Airlines commenced direct flights from the US to Greenland to accommodate the growing interest in polar explorations. The 2,200-metre runway recently built at Nuuk airport also expands options for tourists eager to travel to the country, without the commitment of flying first to Denmark or Iceland and changing at a remote airport in Kangerlussuaq. However, cruise ships remain the most popular mode of transport, with tourists heading for the Arctic via Norway. More than 1.5 million cruise passengers visit Norwegian ports every year, according to the Norwegian Coastal Administration. Elina Hutton, Arctic tourism researcher, said the influx of tourism is damaging sensitive polar ecosystems. She believes Arctic governments need to put tighter controls on cruise ships to restrict the number of visits, throwing into question whether tourism should be embraced, Reuters reports. "Do we need to be able to travel everywhere? Do we need to be able to fly to Antarctica and cruise to the North Pole? I know it would be fun — but is it something that we need to be able to do?" she said. "It can't be sustainable." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Mercury
17-07-2025
- Health
- Mercury
Tradie's warning after gruesome find in Melbourne home
An Aussie plumber is urging homeowners and renters to get on top of dampness this winter, after discovering some truly gruesome fungal growths inside a Melbourne property. Michael Schulze, owner of leak detection company 1300FINDLEAK, was called to a Brunswick home this week where he found not one, but two fist-sized clusters of mushrooms thriving in the lounge area. The culprit? A long-term, unattended leak from the bath. 'It was very, very wet. On a scale from 1 to 10, it was a 10 for sure,' Schulze told Yahoo News Australia. 'It's not pleasant at all.' MORE NEWS The shocking secret landlords are ignoring Wild reason Aussies mobbed rural ghost town Popular Bunnings plant sparks urgent warning Schulze explained that litres of stagnant water had built up under the bath, causing dampness to spread through the walls and across the property. The result: mushrooms, and the release of potentially toxic spores into the air. 'The tenants didn't seem fussed about it, but most people don't really know the dangers of breathing in mould and being around damp areas. You can get really sick,' he warned. The health risks of indoor mushrooms Mushrooms aren't just a sign of extreme dampness, which can lead to structural damage. They also pose a significant health risk. According to Health Victoria, inhaling mushroom spores can cause respiratory issues and allergic reactions. MORE NEWS: Aussie dad's startling 26kg find Exposure to mycotoxins can even lead to nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Schulze knows this first-hand, having suffered a prolonged illness last year before discovering mould growing under his bed. 'I was just getting sick all the time,' he said. How to avoid a fungal invasion So, how do you prevent mushrooms from turning your home into a fungal paradise? Schulze says there are telltale signs of water build-up to watch out for. 'First signs to look out for would be bubbling paint or discolouration of paint,' he explained. Mould, especially black mould, is another clear indicator. And if mushrooms appear, the situation has likely reached a critical point. 'There's a lot of people out there with leaks, but when people have them, they don't seem to get a leak detector… They just call a plumber… But we look at leaks all day every day.'
Daily Telegraph
14-07-2025
- General
- Daily Telegraph
Popular Bunnings plant sparks urgent warning
A seemingly harmless plant, flogged at Bunnings and nurseries across the country, is now public enemy number one, threatening to unleash ecological chaos across Australia. Sunshine Coast Council issued the alert after a council worker discovered arrowhead vine (Syngonium podophyllum) sprouting in native bushland, highlighting the dangers of dumping garden waste. 'Arrowhead vine is a persistent creeper or climber and once established, it will take root wherever its stem touches the ground,' a council spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia. 'In natural areas, it can overtake native vegetation and throw our unique ecosystems out of balance.' The plant, native to Central America, is considered an environmental weed in Queensland and a 'sleeper weed' in other parts of the country, according to Brisbane City Council. While not prohibited under Queensland's Biosecurity Act 2014, residents and councils have a general biosecurity obligation (GBO) to minimise its spread. 'Arrowhead vine is a persistent creeper or climber, and once established, it will take root wherever its stem touches the ground,' the council spokesperson said. 'In natural areas, it can overtake native vegetation and throw our unique ecosystems completely out of whack!' MORE NEWS Aussie dad's startling 26kg find Aus man forced to live in mould-infested hellhole 'Killing the host': Alien plant takes over major Aus city The plant, a Central American invader, is branded an environmental weed in Queensland and a 'sleeper weed' elsewhere, according to Brisbane City Council. While not yet outlawed under Queensland's Biosecurity Act 2014, residents and councils are legally obligated to wage war against its spread under a general biosecurity obligation (GBO). The Invasive Species Council has revealed a terrifying truth: a whopping three-quarters of environmental weeds were initially sold as pretty garden decorations. 'Over time, they escaped from the confines of gardens and now threaten our natural places, agriculture or, in some cases, human health,' the Sunshine Coast Council spokesperson warned. Dumping garden waste, the arrowhead vine's preferred method of invasion, is a crime punishable by a minimum fine of $333, potentially skyrocketing to $5,007 in court. The council's desperate online plea aims to educate clueless Aussies about the catastrophic consequences of plant dumping. Many locals were aghast to learn of the plant's destructive potential. 'Wow, I have this in hanging baskets and several variegated ones. I had no idea it was an invasive weed. Will make sure it stays in pots!' one stunned resident confessed. Another exclaimed: 'Hectic. This is growing at my place. Good to know, thanks for sharing.'
