Drew Rooke
@drewrooke.bsky.social
Assistant Science & Technology Editor at The Conversation. Author of A Witness of Fact (2024) and One Last Spin (2018). Ocean swimmer, bird watcher, cyclist and music lover. 🤳 Subscribe to The Conversation's daily newsletter: shorturl.at/Xp6g8
Keith Haring died of AIDS aged 31 on 16 Feb 1990. One of his last works, Unfinished Painting, was deliberately incomplete, reflecting the devastating, unquantifiable loss to the arts due to AIDS. #LGBTplusHistoryMonth
For 7 years we have been studying how rat poisons affect native wildlife. Our initial work focussed on owls, then we found it in reptiles and today we have released our world first study showing it is killing Australia’s threatened quolls and the Tasmanian Devil. theconversation.com/lethal-secon...
Lethal second-generation rat poisons are killing endangered quolls and Tasmanian devils
Second generation rat poisons are so potent that they’re banned for home use in Europe and North America. But here, you can pick them up at Bunnings or Coles.
theconversation.com
@deeninis.bsky.social and Konstantinos Michailos with an excellent explainer about the current earthquake emergency in Santorini:
An ‘earthquake swarm’ is shaking Santorini. It could persist for months
Several thousand earthquakes have been recorded near the Greek island since late January. So why is this happening?
theconversation.com
A Traffic Collision Avoidance System – or TCAS – isn’t designed to work at low altitudes.
Planes have high-tech systems to stop midair crashes. So what went wrong in Washington?
theconversation.com
Just as Zverev is about to speak at the trophy ceremony, a woman repeatedly shouts: “Australia Believes Olya and Brenda! Australia Believes Olya and Brenda!” Broke through the silence. #AusOpen
Here's one for the tennis fans out there – the science behind the spectacle of the Aus Open
Spin has transformed modern-day tennis. Here’s the physics behind it
The physics underlying the effect of topspin and backspin are best explained by what’s known as the ‘Magnus effect’.
theconversation.com
A great rundown of the tools some other social media platforms have been using to limit access to news.
Social media platforms are throttling access to news – with far-reaching implications for democracy
There is still public hunger for reliable and trustworthy information. This should give news media outlets hope – and inspire them to invest in new ways to reach audiences.
theconversation.com
@tobycmurray.bsky.social explains how the Australian government's social media ban might actually work:
How can Australia actually keep young people off social media and porn sites? A new trial will test 3 options
The trial is testing age verification, age estimation and age inference. All three options come with problems.
theconversation.com
The experiment involved custom-building a small chamber that simulated hot spring environments on early Earth.
Minerals in hot springs performed a key chemical reaction for early life on Earth, new study confirms
The experiment involved custom-building a small chamber that simulated hot spring environments on early Earth.
theconversation.com
This is an excellent analysis of a horrific problem. Will Australia listen?
Four unique women shared a common fate. It's our national shame
Eight more Aboriginal women in the Northern Territory are dead this year with barely been a pip in parliament or national media. Have we become desensitised to the violence?
abc.net.au
The 1989 trial of Desmond Applebee shows the challenge of interrogating novel scientific evidence – a challenge that persists in Australia today.
A milestone legal case from 35 years ago holds important lessons for how courts deal with scientific evidence today
The 1989 trial of Desmond Applebee shows the challenge of interrogating novel scientific evidence – a challenge that persists in Australia today.
theconversation.com
@profsarahj.bsky.social explains why the federal government's social media ban for under 16s might be unconstitutional: theconversation.com/banning-unde...
Banning under-16s from social media may be unconstitutional – and ripe for High Court challenge
This bill may well fall foul of the implied freedom of political communication by cutting children out of large parts of social media conversation.
theconversation.com
A recent summit in Canada tackled the challenge of how science can be more inclusive and better engage Indigenous communities.
Science continues to exclude Indigenous communities. Fixing this benefits everyone
A recent summit in Canada tackled the challenge of how science can be more inclusive and better engage Indigenous communities.
theconversation.com
theconversation.com/the-governme... @antmandan.bsky.social from @qutdmrc.bsky.social explains what is – and isn't – in the new social media ban bill.
The government has introduced laws for its social media ban. But key details are still missing
The ban will affect platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. But the bill is vague about how exactly these platforms must comply.
theconversation.com
#DYK that The Conversation gives away all our journalism for free syndication under a @creativecommons.bsky.social license (as well as being available for free on our website)? 100s of news sites and newspapers use our stories each month. 🧵 So you may have read our stories on national websites…
Guest column | I taught rats to drive, but they taught me to enjoy the ride
Unexpectedly, we found that the rats had an intense motivation for their driving training.
washingtonpost.com
Terrible news today: This year, one-third of coral cover has been destroyed in two northern sections of the Great Barrier reef due to anthropogenic heating. Results for the southern sections (which were even hotter) have not been officially released. www.aims.gov.au/information-...
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