the conversation
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How Australia Can Reap the Benefits and Dodge the Dangers of the Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is already all around us. Online devices have become essential in industries from manufacturing and healthcare to agriculture and environmental management, not to mention our own homes. Digital consulting firm Ovum estimates that by 2022 Australian homes will host more than 47 million IoT devices, and the value of the…
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The Shameful History of Nuclear Testing in Australia and the Pacific
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware this article contains the name of a deceased person. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons received its 50th ratification on October 24, and will therefore come into force in January 2021. A historic development, this new international law will ban the possession, development, testing,…
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Magnetism of Himalayan Rocks Reveals the Mountains’ Complex Tectonic History
Breathing quickly in the thin mountain air, my colleagues and I set down our equipment. We’re at the base of a jagged outcrop that protrudes upwards out of a steep gravel slope. The muffled soundscape of the spectacular Himalayan wilderness is punctuated by a military convoy roaring along the Khardung-La road below. It’s a reminder…
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America’s First Vampire Was Black and Revolutionary
In April of 1819, a London periodical, the New Monthly Magazine, published The Vampyre: A Tale by Lord Byron. Notice of its publication quickly appeared in papers in the United States. Byron was at the time enjoying remarkable popularity and this new tale, supposedly by the famous poet, caused a sensation as did its reprintings…