By James Renwick, Professor of Physical Geography (Climate Science), Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
A burst of early-summer thunderstorms has swept across NZ, fuelled by unstable air and a shifting seasonal pattern. Here’s what it means for summer and beyond.
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By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania
Brendon Hyndman, Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Arts and Education, Charles Sturt University
Tom Hartley, Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania
Cricket’s first Test match was played between Australia and England in 1877.
The next Ashes match, starting at the Gabba in Brisbane on Thursday, will be Test number 2,611.
…
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By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
Donald Trump’s net approval is up a little after a slump to a term low on November 23, as Republicans hold a federal seat at a special election. In Australia, Labor continues to hold large leads in federal polls, but received just 8.3% at the Hinchinbrook Queensland state byelection.
In analyst Nate Silver’s aggregate of United States national polls, Trump’s net approval is -13.5, with 54.8% disapproving and 41.3% approving. His net approval fell from -7.6 on October 20 to a term low…
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By Stella Huangfu, Associate Professor, School of Economics, University of Sydney
Australia’s economy grew by a softer-than-expected 0.4% in the September quarter, slowing from 0.6% growth in the June quarter. It confirms the recovery is tracking forward but without strong momentum.
Still, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth was at a two-year high of 2.1%. That’s just above the Reserve Bank’s estimate of
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Trịnh Ba Tu and Can Thi Theu © 2018 Private Since October 31, Trinh Ba Tu, a Vietnamese political prisoner, has been held alone in a dark cell, denied visitors and even any kind of light. Guards open the door briefly twice a day to deliver meals, the only human contact he is permitted.Why such severe punishment? A few days earlier, Trinh Ba Tu had complained about the moldy, spoiled rice he and other prisoners were given to eat.And in September, he and fellow political prisoners reportedly carried out a hunger strike to demand the “immediate and unconditional…
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By Syed Salman Mehdi
Pakistan has tightened airport screenings to help combat trafficking, but the new measures increasingly trouble lawful travellers, eroding rights, and livelihoods as communities experience profiling, and measures that deepen resentment.
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By Tristan Salles, Associate Professor, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney
Laurent Husson, Earth sciences researcher, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
When we think of coral reefs, we picture bright fish, clear water and colourful corals. But reefs have also shaped the planet in deeper ways.
Our new study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows reefs have helped regulate Earth’s climate and life for more than 250 million years.
They link geology, chemistry and biology into one grand planetary feedback loop. And their rise and fall over hundreds of millions of years set the pace of recovery from past carbon dioxide shocks,…
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By David Masters, Adjunct Professor in Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia
David Lemon, Research Group Leader: Environmental Informatics, CSIRO
Dianne Mayberry, Principal Research Scientist, Agriculture, CSIRO
Sonja Dominik, Research Scientist, Animal Breeding and Genetics, CSIRO
You might know Australia’s dietary guidelines from the famous infographics showing the types and quantities of foods we should eat to have a healthy diet.
Last updated 12 years ago, the National Health and Medical Research Council is now revising them to consider not only how food affects our health but also how sustainable our foods are. At least
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By Daniel Featherstone, Senior Research Fellow, RMIT University
Kieran Hegarty, Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making & Society, RMIT University
In the Cape York community of Wujal Wujal, local service providers used to hold their breath every time a big storm rolled in. Cloud cover could knock out their satellite internet just when they needed it most.
Since installing Starlink’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite service, however, everything from video calls to uploading files has become far more reliable – even in heavy rain. People report there is now no lag, whereas with the previous service, Sky Muster, even cloud cover could cause the internet to stop working.
Reliable connectivity is crucial in an emergency.…
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By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
The industry minister denied Australia’s adopting a ‘light-touch’ approach on AI – and says he’s working to make sure data centres are ‘not a drain on resources’.
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