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How Australia's supercomputers crunched the numbers to guide our bushfire and pandemic response
NCI Australia, Author provided
As 2020 began, Australia was stunned by the worst bushfires on record. Six months later we are weathering the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe.
Originally published in The Conversation.
Can I trust this map? 4 questions to ask when you see a map of the coronavirus pandemic
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Maps have shown us how the events of this disastrous year have played out around the globe, from the Australian bushfires to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. But there are good reasons to question the maps we see.
Originally published in The Conversation.
Meet the giant wombat relative that scratched out a living in Australia 25 million years ago
Wombats are among the most peculiar of animals. They look like a massively overgrown guinea pig with a boofy head, a waddling gait, squared-off butt, backwards-facing pouch and ever-growing molars.
Originally published in The Conversation.
Latest updates: Apple is trying to reclaim its major innovator status (by making you wash your hands)
Apple
Market commentators view Apple’s announcements at this week’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2020 (WWDC) as one of the company’s most The Conversation.
Giving your details to restaurants and cafes: your rights, their obligations and privacy concerns
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While lockdown restrictions have eased in many places, the coronavirus threat isn’t over yet.
Originally published in The Conversation.
China's disinformation threat is real. We need better defences against state-based cyber campaigns
The Australian government recently announced plans to establish the country’s first taskforce devoted to fighting disinformation campaigns, under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
Originally published in The Conversation.
Facebook vs news: Australia wants to level the playing field, Facebook politely disagrees
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The Australian government is setting out to develop a “bargaining code” to address power imbalances between news media publishers and digital platforms such as Facebook and Google.
Originally published in The Conversation.
Australia is under sustained cyber attack, warns the government. What's going on, and what should businesses do?
Prime Minister Scott Morrison had some alarming news for Australians this morning: we are under cyber attack. He informed the nation the attacks “hadn’t just started”, and that Australian businesses and governments are being widely targeted.
It is unclear why the government chose today to make the announcement, or indeed what exactly is going on.
The attack is described as “state-sponsored”, which means a foreign government is believed to be behind it. When asked who that might be, Morrison said there is a high threshold for drawing that kind of conclusion, but added:
Originally published in The Conversation.
Dinosaur footprints show predators as big as _T. rex_ stomped across Australia 160 million years ago
Shutterstock/Author provided
Perhaps the most iconic dinosaur is Tyrannosaurus rex, a massive predator that lived in what is now North America.
Originally published in The Conversation.
