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Mitch Marsh has celebrated his Test return with a thunderous century at Headingley, before taking a late wicket to leave the third Ashes match in the balance after day one.

Called in for his first Test since the 2019 Ashes after Cameron Green pulled up sore from Lord's, Marsh hit a-run-a-ball 118 in Australia's 263 before England reached 3-68 at stumps.

Pat Cummins also claimed two scalps for Australia on a day when all 13 wickets fell to quicks, and England's Mark Wood took 5-34 while bowling at speeds of up to 155km/h.

Sent in to bat, Australia were in early trouble at 4-85 before Marsh made a statement with his 102-ball century.

The West Australian set the tone when he cover-drove Stuart Broad (2-58) to get off the mark and later pulled Wood for six.

Marsh hit 21 boundaries in his knock, driving with incredible power, pulling three sixes high over the legside and belting another one down the ground.

Such was the 31-year-old's strike power, the usually free-flowing Head was made to look incredibly slow with his 39 from 74 balls.

Marsh went to 99 by whacking Moeen Ali back down the ground for six and scurried through for a quick single off the next ball to reach his third Test century.

"There are always times when you spend a lot of time away from the game where you think that you might not get back to Test level," Marsh said.

"It's taken a lot of hard work.

"I chose to have ankle surgery and miss last summer to get on this tour, knowing that I was going to be Greeny's understudy. Really proud to be able to get back in this team.

"I feel a part of the squad even though I haven't played a lot of Test cricket over the last couple of years. I feel very much part of it.

"It's a credit to the leadership. That's why we've had a lot of guys come in and contribute at different times and certain guys play unbelievably well."

The allrounder's century will immediately pile pressure on selectors to keep him in the team as Green is expected to overcome a minor hamstring strain before the next Test at Old Trafford.

Marsh and Head's 155-run partnership would also have been of great frustration for the hosts, who had chances to remove Head on nine and Marsh on 12.

But as has been the problem for the hosts all series they were unable to hold onto the regulation chances with Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root the culprits this time.

Marsh was finally taken when he inside-edged a ball from Chris Woakes (3-73) onto his thigh pad that was caught at second slip, sparking a collapse of 6-23.

Wood was the chief destroyer taking 4-4 in 14 balls to clean up the tail after earlier clean bowling Usman Khawaja.

But again England missed the chance to capitalise when Cummins had Ben Duckett out trying to cut a ball close to his body and Harry Brook edge one.

Marsh then capped his day by claiming Zak Crawley's edge on 33, before Root (19) and Bairstow (1) got through to the close for England.

"The game is pretty evenly poised, one or two wickets tomorrow and we're right in it," Marsh said.

England must win this Test to stay in the Ashes. A draw for Australia will retain the urn and a victory secure their first series success in England since 2001.

© AAP 2023

There is a new explanation of why Australia's unique marsupials such as the kangaroo and koala never made it to Asia, whereas other species were successful in travelling from north to south.

Biologists have long described an invisible boundary separating Australia, New Guinea and parts of Indonesia from continental South-East Asia.

Wallace's Line is a hypothetical divider used to mark an uneven distribution of Australian and Asian creatures.

"If you travel to Borneo, you won't see any marsupial mammals, but if you go to the neighbouring island of Sulawesi you will," says Alex Skeels, from the Australian National University.

"Australia, on the other hand, lacks mammals typical of Asia, such as bears, tigers or rhinos."

The uneven distribution of animal species is partly due to a change in ancient plate tectonics dating back 45 million years, ultimately leading to a continental collision, Dr Skeels says.

He is part of a major study led by biologists at ANU and ETH Zurich in Switzerland, providing an explanation for why kangaroos and koalas aren't found in Indonesia, but many groups of animals that originated in Asia, such as goannas, rodents and kookaburras, are in Australia.

"About 35 million years ago, Australia was located much further south and was connected to Antarctica," Dr Skeels said.

"At some point in earth's timeline, Australia broke away from Antarctica and over millions of years drifted north, causing it to crash into Asia.

"That collision gave birth to the volcanic islands that we now know as Indonesia."

The islands of Indonesia served as "stepping stones" for animals and plants that originated in Asia to reach New Guinea and northern Australia, and vice versa.

"Our research shows far more groups of Asian fauna crossed over and established themselves in Australia than in the opposite direction," Dr Skeels said.

But the shifting landforms only partially explain the migration of Asian species to Australia.

When the Great Southern Land made its break from Antarctica, there was a climatic shift leading to a trend of global cooling and drying of the continents, resulting in mass extinction events around the world.

Despite the mass cooling, the climate on the Indonesian islands remained relatively warm, wet and tropical, Dr Skeels says.

Asian animals were already comfortable with such conditions, which helped them settle in Australia.

It was a different story for Australia's unique wildlife.

"They had evolved in a cooler and increasingly drier climate over time and were therefore less successful in gaining a foothold on the tropical islands compared to the creatures migrating from Asia," Dr Skeels says.

The researchers analysed a data-set of about 20,000 birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians to determine which species hopped between Indonesia and Australia, and which ones were able to successfully adapt to their new home.

Dr Skeels says the findings could help predict which species are better positioned to adapt to new environments as climate change continues to impact global biodiversity patterns.

© AAP 2023

Queensland state school students will be banned from using mobile phones and smartwatches when classes begin next year.

Education Minister Grace Grace says the move builds on previous policy under which almost all state schools had imposed some kind of mobile phone ban.

"This statewide ban will provide uniformity, extend bans to break times, and include certain wearable devices like smartwatches," she said in a statement on Thursday night.

Ms Grace said more than 95 per cent of schools had a clear policy banning phone use during class, with the remaining schools restricting usage informally.

Following the implementation of recommendations from the Anti-Cyberbullying 2018 Taskforce, all state schools have been required to outline how they manage mobile phones.

This includes in the context of cyberbullying and distractions in the classroom.

The Queensland government appointed former family and child commissioner Cheryl Vardon to review the current policy, with her report due later this month.

But she has already advised one of the core recommendations is to implement statewide restrictions on access to mobile phones and certain other devices during school hours, with implementation depending on the school.

For example, a small school in the outback may require students to hand phones in to a nominated staff member, while a school with thousands of students may choose to use lockable pouches.

Ms Grace said she would continue talks with other education ministers on producing consistent guidelines across states and territories.

Students will still be able to bring phones to school so they can contact parents or carers immediately before or after school.

Exemptions will also be available in specific circumstances including for health and wellbeing.

© AAP 2023