Protected areas of the Australian Capital Territory 2018: Bush Blitz expedition reportΒ summarises the initial scientific findings of the Bush Blitz expedition that took place from 26 November to 6 December 2018. At least 978 species were recorded during the Bush Blitz and 22 of those may be completely new to science (4 wasps, 3 flies, […]
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Spider new to science discovered on backyard bin
When Amanda took a photo of a little brown spider sitting on top of her recycling bin, she had no idea she was about to leave her mark on the taxonomy of rare Australian spiders. If you think you need to go to the depths of the Amazon to find a new species, think […]
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Join the Bush Blitz Scavenger Hunt
This competition is now closed. Find out who won, and see some of their great observations, on our journal post in iNaturalist. To celebrate National Science Week, we have launched the Bush Blitz Scavenger Hunt as part of the Sydney Science Trail. Individuals, groups and schools from across Australia are encouraged to take part in […]
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Bush Blitz teams up with the Threatened Species Bake Off
This competition is now closed. Congratulations to the winner of the Bush Blitz Citizen Scientist Award – Nick Lambert. You can read about Nick on this Backyard Species Discovery journal post. The Bake Off commemorates Threatened Species Day on 7th September 2020 and aims to build awareness in the community about Australiaβs remarkable and unique […]
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A new wasp species, with Alzheimer’s-fighting venom, may be lost to science due to bushfires
A recent WWF report has estimated almost 3 billion vertebrates have been impacted by the recent bushfires, but admits the lack of data makes it impossible to fully understand the impact on our invertebrates. The new species of spider wasp was collected from Namadgi National Park, during the ACT Bush Blitz in 2018, by CSIROβs […]
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What does a taxonomist do?
Imagine if we didnβt have names. How would you refer to your favourite sports person or singer when youβre talking to your mates? How would you introduce yourself to someone when youβre on the phone? If your medical record didnβt have your name on it, your doctor wouldnβt know it was yours and might give […]
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