James Van Dyke

Elodie Camprasse

April 1, 2026

Want to be a citizen scientist? Here are 5 ways to get involved

Miki Perkins, The Conversation

Citizen science relies on people like you. Here are five projects where science lives beyond the lab.

Rob D the Pastry Chef, Shutterstock

November 23, 2023

Moonlight basking and queer courting: new research reveals the secret lives of Australian freshwater turtles

Deborah Bower, University of New England; Donald McKnight, James Cook University; Eric Nordberg, University of New England; James Van Dyke, La Trobe University; Michael B Thompson, University of Sydney, and Ricky Spencer, Western Sydney University

Australian freshwater turtles are a vital part of healthy waterways, but we don’t know enough about them. A new roundup of turtle research aims to buck the trend.

AAP

July 3, 2023

Turtles on the tarmac could delay flights at Western Sydney airport

Ricky Spencer, Western Sydney University; Deborah Bower, University of New England; James Van Dyke, La Trobe University; Michael B Thompson, University of Sydney, and Richard Thomas, Western Sydney University

Turtles could spell trouble for Western Sydney Airport, which is being built in a wetland. But it’s not too late to include turtle-friendly infrastructure such as underpasses and fences.

Shutterstock

April 20, 2022

There’s more than one way to grow a baby

Charles Foster, UNSW ; Camilla Whittington, University of Sydney, and James Van Dyke, La Trobe University

Live birth has evolved independently more than 150 times. The underlying biophysical processes all look quite similar, but new research shows they use completely different genetic tools.

A quail chick hatching. Shutterstock

August 27, 2017

I have always wondered: when do baby birds begin to breathe?

Maggie J. Watson, Charles Sturt University and James Van Dyke, Charles Sturt University

Have you ever heard chicks peeping in the egg? Have you ever wondered how they manage to take their first breath in the shell?

Turtle hatchlings could be released into the Murray River to manage the sudden influx of dead carp. Ricky Spencer

April 13, 2017

Millions of rotting fish: turtles and crays can save us from Carpageddon

Ricky Spencer, Western Sydney University; Claudia Santori, University of Sydney; James Van Dyke, Western Sydney University, and Michael B Thompson, University of Sydney

Millions of dead carp will fill the Murray-Darling Basin after the government releases a targeted virus. Scavengers like turtles and crayfish might help – as long as we protect them.

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