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Dr Ashlea Wainwright

@ashleaw.bsky.social
122 followers 62 following 18 posts

She/her. Geochemist at University of Melbourne, avid reader, AFL, recent pottery wheel enthusiast. Views are my own.

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Reposted by Dr Ashlea Wainwright
Aruna Chandrasekhar @arunacsekhar.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Summer in Mumbai was brutal and endless. The monsoon's poster child was running out of water. In a dispatch for @equatormag.bsky.social, I wrote about living with extreme heat in a broken city and limits to resilience. With🔥 images by @ishantankha.bsky.social www.equator.org/articles/cit...
equator.org
City of Sweat • EQUATOR
A vision of our overheated future on the streets of Mumbai
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 31/07/2026
Absolutely nuts: Google Earth now has a feature that lets you convincingly fabricate satellite imagery www.digitaldigging.org/p/how-to-pla...
a fakje satellite image of a craterWe take misinformation seriously - every image created with Nano Banana in Google Earth includes the SynthID digital watermark, so if someone is unsure about an image, they can ask the Gemini app or use Lens in Search to see if the image was Al-generated. In addition, we prevent image creation on harmful topics and are continually updating our protections.

One clause in there is checkable tonight, so I checked it. Google prevents image creation on harmful topics. Refugees at a border. A nuclear plant in Iran. A fatal crash on an Amsterdam street. A hospital with a bomb crater in Gaza.

Nothing was refused. No warning, no softened output, no suggestion to try a different prompt.

Now look at the rest of the answer. The watermark is Google’s. The app that reads the watermark is Google’s. The search that reads it is Google’s. Every road out of the problem runs back through the company that built it.

I understand that Google has Google products to run Google checks. Planet Earth is bigger than Google.

I put one of tonight’s clips on X and asked nobody to check it. Hive, one of th
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Dr Ashlea Wainwright @ashleaw.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
The #AFL really does not give a shit about their women's competition. Every year the floating mens fixture screws over the womens games. The lack of respect and desire to truly grow the women's comp is infuriating
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Cyd Harrell @cydharrell.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
an idea's been rolling around in my head about how what we lose with assuming everyone wants "answers" & not search results is similar to what we lose when "route" is the only kind of map we encounter I won't get the academic terms right, but it's some version of skipping an essential abstraction
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Dr swift parrot @teamswiftparrot.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
The most depressing thing about swift parrots is that this same story has been told repeatedly for the entire 16 years I’ve been working on them - same terrible conservation outcomes again and again with no changes to Tasmanian forest management www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07...
abc.net.au
What happened when a rare bird found a place to nest near a logging coupe
It was late 2021 when one of Australia's rarest birds started to arrive in the native forests of Lonnavale. Ecologists had expected it but for a reacting forestry sector, it was "not sustainable".
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Asher Wolf @asherwolf.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Tasmanian gvt signed off on logging of a crucial breeding ground of the highly endangered Swift parrot. Reminder: logging of native Tasmanian forests operates at a financial loss and leans on gvt subsidies to continue. $2.3 billion loss over two decades to 2018 www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07...
abc.net.au
What happened when a rare bird found a place to nest near a logging coupe
It was late 2021 when one of Australia's rarest birds started to arrive in the native forests of Lonnavale. Ecologists had expected it but for a reacting forestry sector, it was "not sustainable".
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Michael LaFrance @mlafrance.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
A livestream of a volcano in the Philippines captured a meteor crashing to Earth today. What are the odds? Mayon Volcano, Location: Albay, Luzon, Philippines
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Professor Amy Roberts @profamyroberts.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Our latest research with the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation is now available! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
7000 Years of Aboriginal Mining at Sugarloaf Hill in the Riverland Region of South Australia
Silcrete and chert are commonly represented in Aboriginal archaeological lithic assemblages across large parts of the southwestern Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). In South Australia (SA), these materials....
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David Fickling @davidfickling.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Obviously Donald Trump is not an expert in refrigerants, but you can be, and understand why these decisions can be hugely consequential for climate change, if you read this quick 🧵:
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Ashley Lynch ✂️🎞️ @ashleylynch.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
I honestly don't know why people aren't more pissed off about AI. They're taking everything and we get nothing.
Trade offer:

I receive:
your data
your photos
your videos
your drinking water
your electricity
your computer hardware
your job security

you receive:
summarized emails
bad artwork
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Greg Jericho @grogsgamut.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
My column today on what really is causing inflation and also how the RBA really don't have a clue www.theguardian.com/business/gro...
theguardian.com
Rising profit margins turbocharged Australia’s latest inflation figures – but something worse is just around the corner | Greg Jericho
Fuel supply shock from Iran – not too many wage rises – will be the driver of higher figures in June
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Greg Jericho @grogsgamut.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
The GDP data was pretty clear on what caused the bump in inflation at the end of 2025 - profits. The RBA had access to this data, and decided, nahhhhh, it's too many people with jobs wanting big pay rises. (hope you all enjoyed that pay rise!) www.theguardian.com/business/gro...
Screenshot:

The most recent GDP figures revealed what was driving inflation (something we were able to estimate in February but can now confirm). In the last half of 2025 the impact of labour costs (mostly wages and superannuation) on annual inflation fell, while the impact of profits rose.

Almost all of the spike in inflation at the end of 2025 came from the increased profit margins:
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Josh Lappen @jlappen1.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Worth reading in its entirety. Lots of implications, but one I keep coming back to is that a generational window of opportunity may be closing for shifting freight back to rail - and winning the huge pollutant, road safety, and energy efficiency benefits that come with that shift. No time to lose!
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Alex Spahn 🌋🌪️☄️ @spahn711.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Episode 43 of the Kilauea eruption is a BEAST. They just zoomed out and uhhh this may be on its way to setting a record for tallest lava fountains. What on Earth. 😍🌋 Cam 2 live: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiyt...
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LouiseMorris @louisemorris.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Public owns the gas under the ground. Royalties are the fees gas companies pay to use this gas. But most gas exporters pay no royalties, and minimal tax. In the past four years, $149 billion worth of LNG was exported from Australia royalty-free. australiainstitute.org.au/post/austral...
australiainstitute.org.au
Australia’s gas policy mess
Gas companies and the Australian government claim that Australia faces gas shortages, while multinational exporters are shipping record volumes of gas out of Australia. The prices that Australians pay...
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Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
📣 Reportedly only 140,000 out of the 480,000 Robodebt class action members have registered to receive additional compensation in the proposed settlement. If you're eligible, you have until 4pm tomorrow to register with Gordon Legal: robodebtsettlement.com.au
robodebtsettlement.com.au
Loading applicant hub...
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John Kostyack @kostyack.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
As the tech industry increasingly turns to onsite fossil fuel power for data centers, what does this mean for nearby communities? A new study evaluates the impacts of fine particulate matter from a VA facility's onsite power system & finds $53M–$99M/yr in health damages.
pecva.org
Press Release: New Study Finds On-Site Power at Virginia Data Center Could Result in $53 Million–$99 Million in Annual Health Damages - The Piedmont Environmental Council
A new independent analysis finds that emissions from the Vantage Data Center’s permitted on-site power system in Loudoun County could result in $53 million–$99 million per year in health-related damag...
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The Australia Institute @australiainstitute.org.au · 23/02/2026
Research from The Australia Institute shows that, after inflation, specialist fees have grown by a whopping 78% since 2010. Read the full piece on The Point: theaus.in/40rxWu0
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 17/02/2026
OKAY BIG ONE FOR YA NEW report out today: I dig deep into how big tech has been muddling tech types and overstating evidence to claim "AI" will make global emissions drop like a stone.... Not only will it not, it seems to be verifiably doing the opposite!! ketanjoshi.co/2026/02/17/b... + 📼+🧵>
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 14/02/2026
Another v v good piece of analysis from @onlyfacts.io here - showing how the shift to uts and SUVs in Australia is a major component of rising transport emissions Remarkable how unassailable this deadly trend is, in Aus onlyfacts.io/newsletters/...
a chart showing Australia's cars shifting towards uts adnd subs
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Dr Ashlea Wainwright @ashleaw.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
New article by our PhD student investigating if Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes can be used to trace the provenance of ochres... Hint they can! ⚒️🧪🌏 doi.org/10.1016/j.ch...
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Greenpeace International 🌍 @greenpeace.org · 03/02/2026
Winter sport needs snow-not fossil fuels Eni, one of the world’s biggest oil and gas corporations, is using the Winter Olympics to greenwash its fossil-fuelled destruction If you agree that polluters shouldn’t get a podium at the Games, share the video (Proudly human-made. No AI) #WinterOlympics
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Crikey @crikey.com.au · 03/02/2026
Exclusive | The Albanese government is handing access to Australians’ biometric data and ID documents to US agencies like ICE, and not telling anyone. @keanebernard.bsky.social reports.
crikey.com.au
Trump, ICE set to be handed access to Australians' biometric data, ID documents
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Larissa Waters @larissawaters.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Politics is about choices. This government is choosing to spend more on tax breaks for landlords than on social housing, homelessness and rent assistance combined. While you're getting smashed by unlimited rent increases and massive mortgage repayments.
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Matthew Cortland (they) @matthewcort.land · 19/01/2026
Politicians (Pelosi just did it) and institutions routinely misquote MLK on health. "Health" became "health care" (shrinking a systemic indictment to a service delivery complaint) "Inhuman" became "inhumane" (a very different word) "Because it often results in physical death" just disappeared.
patreon.com
They've Been Misquoting King for Decades, and the Changes Are Revealing | Shouldn't Need to Be a Lawyer by Matthew Cortland
Get more from Shouldn't Need to Be a Lawyer by Matthew Cortland on Patreon
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
It was inevitable.
techcrunch.com
Amazon's Ring to partner with Flock, a network of AI cameras used by ICE, feds, and police | TechCrunch
Agencies that use Flock can request that Ring doorbell users share footage to help with "evidence collection and investigative work."
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ARC Tracker @arc-tracker.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Here’s @jsresearchpro.bsky.social reporting on ridiculous new ARC grant time-scales (e.g. 16 months for DPs). The ARC “did not respond to questions about the reasons for the length of the delays or on how the changes will affect researchers’ planning”. I reckon they haven’t thought that far ahead.
researchprofessionalnews.com
New ARC grant timescales ‘completely unworkable’ - Research Professional News
Australian Research Council cites security checks as reason for major delays to grant outcomes
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Osman Faruqi @osmanfaruqi.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Labor is passing laws that are more extreme than what Trump has attempted, on immigration and speech, largely at the behest of the media. But if Trump tried to do it, the same outlets would say they were bad, fascistic overreach. Insanely dumb country.
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Dr Ashlea Wainwright @ashleaw.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
$600,000. A. Day. What the fuck.
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Jason Murphy @jasemurphy.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
This paper is part of a huge surge forward in scientific understanding of disease. We have gone from not knowing EBV causes MS to unlocking **how** EBV causes MS, *like that*. 1/2
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Asher Wolf @asherwolf.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
If you were part of the Robodebt class action settlement, you may be eligible for compensation. Registration for compensation ends in early March 2026. Make sure you’re registered. Contact Gordon Legal if you haven’t received a information document package from Services Australia
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The Cathy Wilcox @cathywilcox.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Grass roots. My @smh cartoon.
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Axel Bruns @snurb.info · 11/01/2026
When you shop at Coles, you’re funding fascism. Good to know. Even better to avoid.
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David Milner @davemilbo.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
If you're scared this tragedy will by weaponised by those pushing hatred, division & control, same. It's a pattern that can change nations. We've already seen Netanyahu claim the Muslim who charged the shooters was Jewish. Empathy, patience and truth. Everything else is unhelpful
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Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
In case you have never seen this.
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benjamin @benjamino.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
“This is complete overkill by Victoria police to designate such a large area for six months... What it means is that a police officer or protective services officer can stop and search anyone, no questions asked, at any time in the CBD and its surrounds.”
theguardian.com
‘Vast overreach’: police allowed to conduct warrantless pat-downs of people across inner Melbourne for six months
Search powers, usually reserved for protests, will be in effect in the CBD and beyond in a move criticised by human rights groups
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Dr Ashlea Wainwright @ashleaw.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Just outrageous!
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Tim Baxter @timinclimate.naruresearch.com.au · 18/11/2025
4BC is out here with the hard-hitting investigations! 500 Australians are apparently at the UN climate summit in Brazil, and that's costing taxpayers $2 billion! So for some quick maths that's $4 million per person for a two week trip to Brazil. Unbelievable stuff! 😛
4bc.com.au
Climate junket exposed: Australia sends 500+ to COP30 in Brazil - 4BC
It’s been revealed that more than 500 Australians are travelling to Brazil for COP30, costing taxpayers up to $2 billion. Jason Matthews on 4BC Mornings questions the value of the Paris Agreement and ...
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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
so @matteowong.bsky.social & I wrote on data centers: arguably the most important buildings in the world & are, in a way, holding the economy hostage. Byzantine financial instruments, private equity, depreciating tech, hype, $trillion valuations. it’s all there. an ai crash prob starts here.
theatlantic.com
Here’s How the AI Crash Happens
The U.S. is becoming an Nvidia-state.
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
The most insanely frustrating thing about the #ClimateCrisis is how the breakthrough we so clearly need isn’t technological. It’s just a collective willingness, a determination even, to change in ways that would clearly be SO MUCH BETTER than the clear and obvious consequences of NOT changing.
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Claire G. Coleman @clairegcoleman.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Monster: Ed Gein, a thread Ed Gein was schizophrenic and had mummy issues, he was extremely unwell but he was NOT trans by any acceptable definition of the word and would not have been considered trans by any medical professional. He was not a trans woman he was trying to be/become his mother. 1/
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Dr. Genevieve Guenther (she/they) @doctorvive.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
Lots of talk about solar geoengineering (SRM) in climate circles over the past few days. As you try to decide what you think about it, please keep two things in mind: 1) Once it begins it would need to be maintained without a break for thousands of years, effectively forever, until… 1/3
A picture of a sun over a horizon, dimmed into orange by smog.
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Jommy Tee @jommytee.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Text of Aust/US critical mineral deal. www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-st... No 3 looks like an attack on requisite permits (probably environment)...the old red/green tape reduction trick.
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Joannes Laveyne @jolaveyne.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
It may have escaped your attention, but the Belgian energy system has quietly passed an important test. During the weekend of 4-5 October 2025, our consumption was almost entirely covered by renewable energy. And yet the system ticked like a Swiss watch. /
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The Australia Institute @australiainstitute.org.au · 08/10/2025
The Government justified a clamp down on freedom of information requests by claiming an increase in malicious and automated FOI attempts. Only problem is, there's no evidence of such a thing. Our research showed that the number of FOI requests has not increased, but processing time has. 🔗⤵️ #auspol
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Pat Simons @patsimons.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Victoria's big batteries have broken a record, charging up with enough electricity to power over 2 million homes, after soaking up half of the state's rooftop solar capacity reneweconomy.com.au/victoria-bec...
reneweconomy.com.au
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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 27/09/2025
Women and children were seen screaming and rushing for shelter after an Israeli attack landed close to an Al Jazeera crew as they interviewed a displaced Palestinian mother in the al-Shati refugee camp near Gaza City.
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Australian Unions @australianunions.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
A world first win. Unions in Australia holding Uber to account ✊
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Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
The success of the far right is not only measured in votes and seats but in its impact on rhetoric, policy and ideology. The fact that a (nominally) social democratic head of government with a huge majority choses to say and do this is maybe the biggest success of the far right in Europe yet.
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The Australia Institute @australiainstitute.org.au · 16/09/2025
We've signed onto this open letter coordinated by the Gun Safety Alliance. The NSW Conservation Hunting Bill threatens public safety, risks poor animal welfare outcomes, undermines conservation efforts & erodes Australia’s globally respected firearm laws. australiainstitute.org.au/report/submi...
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