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Drew Rooke

@drewrooke.bsky.social
359 followers 297 following 14 posts

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

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Reposted by Drew Rooke
Ryan Dunlavey > NYCC table L-24 @ryandunlavey.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
I was just talking to a friend today about Dolly Parton's Imagination Library - new books every month, totally for free, for kids ages 1-5. My son was part of the program - this is a copy of the letter that came with his last book, right after his 5th birthday.
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Drew Rooke @drewrooke.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Science has the answers to life's biggest questions: theconversation.com/who-would-wi...
theconversation.com
Who would win in a fight between 100 men and 1 gorilla? An evolutionary expert weighs in
Beyond the jokes and memes, this silly debate provides an opportunity to reflect on human evolution.
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Reposted by Drew Rooke
Matthew Hodson @matthewhodson.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
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
A square canvas. Only the top corner is filled with Harings distinctive figures, rendered in Lavender, the rest is blank.
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Reposted by Drew Rooke
Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
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...
theconversation.com
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.
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Drew Rooke @drewrooke.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
@deeninis.bsky.social and Konstantinos Michailos with an excellent explainer about the current earthquake emergency in Santorini:
theconversation.com
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?
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Reposted by Drew Rooke
The Conversation AUNZ @aunz.theconversation.com · 31/01/2025
A Traffic Collision Avoidance System – or TCAS – isn’t designed to work at low altitudes.
theconversation.com
Planes have high-tech systems to stop midair crashes. So what went wrong in Washington?
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Drew Rooke @drewrooke.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
abc.net.au
George Pell raped, groped two boys in Ballarat, compensation scheme decides
Two men were compensated after the National Redress Scheme accepted they were abused as boys by the late Cardinal George Pell in Ballarat in the 1970s.
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Reposted by Drew Rooke
Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 26/01/2025
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
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Drew Rooke @drewrooke.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
A speech for the ages:
youtube.com
Bishop confronts Trump on immigration and gay rights: ‘They fear for their lives’
YouTube video by Guardian News
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Drew Rooke @drewrooke.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
Here's one for the tennis fans out there – the science behind the spectacle of the Aus Open
theconversation.com
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’.
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Drew Rooke @drewrooke.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
A great rundown of the tools some other social media platforms have been using to limit access to news.
theconversation.com
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.
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Drew Rooke @drewrooke.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
All of my favourites!
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Drew Rooke @drewrooke.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
@tobycmurray.bsky.social explains how the Australian government's social media ban might actually work:
theconversation.com
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.
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Drew Rooke @drewrooke.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
It's official:
theconversation.com
Australia’s social media ban for kids under 16 just became law. How it will work remains a mystery
The ban won’t take effect for at least 12 months. But key details about it are still missing – including how social media platforms will actually verify users’ age.
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Reposted by Drew Rooke
The Conversation AUNZ @aunz.theconversation.com · 28/11/2024
The experiment involved custom-building a small chamber that simulated hot spring environments on early Earth.
theconversation.com
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.
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Drew Rooke @drewrooke.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
This is an excellent analysis of a horrific problem. Will Australia listen?
abc.net.au
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?
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Reposted by Drew Rooke
The Conversation AUNZ @aunz.theconversation.com · 25/11/2024
The 1989 trial of Desmond Applebee shows the challenge of interrogating novel scientific evidence – a challenge that persists in Australia today.
theconversation.com
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.
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Drew Rooke @drewrooke.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
@profsarahj.bsky.social explains why the federal government's social media ban for under 16s might be unconstitutional: theconversation.com/banning-unde...
theconversation.com
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.
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Reposted by Drew Rooke
The Conversation AUNZ @aunz.theconversation.com · 25/11/2024
We need 750 new supporters, can you help us? tinyurl.com/4zkt459c
A note from the Editor of The Conversation, Misha Ketchell. 

You’re here on social media, so you know that things are looking increasingly shaky for democracy globally. 

Misinformation circulates freely and populist currents are intensifying.

Here at The Conversation, we do things differently. 

We team academics with journalists to deliver 
research-based news and analysis. 

Our stories are accurate, unbiased and free. 

Because we give away our work for free we need your help to secure our team into the future.

This month we need 750 new supporters to join us.

Can you help?
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Reposted by Drew Rooke
The Conversation AUNZ @aunz.theconversation.com · 20/11/2024
A recent summit in Canada tackled the challenge of how science can be more inclusive and better engage Indigenous communities.
theconversation.com
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.
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Drew Rooke @drewrooke.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
theconversation.com/the-governme... @antmandan.bsky.social from @qutdmrc.bsky.social explains what is – and isn't – in the new social media ban bill.
theconversation.com
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.
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Reposted by Drew Rooke
The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 19/11/2024
#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…
washingtonpost.com
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.
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Reposted by Drew Rooke
Terry Hughes @profterryhughes.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
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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Drew Rooke @drewrooke.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Snagged
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Reposted by Drew Rooke
The Conversation AUNZ @aunz.theconversation.com · 19/11/2024
dlvr.it
Bunnings breached privacy law by scanning customers’ faces – but this loophole lets other shops keep doing it
Despite the ruling against Bunnings, Australian businesses can continue to collect your biometric information without your explicit consent by simply putting up signs.
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Reposted by Drew Rooke
The Conversation AUNZ @aunz.theconversation.com · 19/11/2024
👋 Hi! Nice to join you all here on BlueSky. We're The Conversation and we do news and analysis a little differently. Our experienced journalists collaborate with academics to bring you fact-based analysis of the biggest news and issues facing us all. No bias. No agenda. No paywalls.
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