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Clear skies and longer lives

August 9, 2022

By Dr Kerry Nice Published on August 9, 2022 As around four billion people around the world shut their doors during the COVID-19 pandemic – cutting their travel by more than half – city skies that were once overcast with air pollution began to clear up. For governments around the world, public health responses early in the COVID-19 pandemic included restricting movement to reduce rates of disease transmission. While these restrictions were effective in dampening case numbers, they also produced significantly lower levels of air pollution.

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I guess she won’t be writing the memoir

August 8, 2022

By Dr Katherine Day Published on August 8, 2022 Depp v Heard followers will be disappointed to learn that this is probably where the drama ends. While a celebrity’s ‘rough patch’ can sometimes provide for a juicy memoir, the outcome for Heard in this highly publicised case indicates that the chilling effect of the threat of defamation is still a very real obstacle for freedom of speech. Fear of defamation has a chilling effect on non-fiction writing.

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Indigenous data governance for the 21st century

August 8, 2022

By Professor Marcia Langton AM Published on August 8, 2022 Justice and equity for Indigenous people will depend increasingly on achieving Indigenous data sovereignty and Indigenous data governance. In Australia, this has developed slowly and in diverse ways, with community organisations, data scientists and researchers addressing the issues in local settings. Indigenous data has critical relevance to how we shape our future. Picture: Getty ImagesIn 2016, Professor Tahu Kukutai and Emeritus Professor John Taylor from ANU’s Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research asked, “what does data sovereignty mean for indigenous peoples, and how is it being used in their pursuit of self-determination?

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How data expertise is fostering endangered languages

August 5, 2022

By Associate Professor Nick Thieberger Published on August 5, 2022 Like many indigenous peoples, the Native American Cherokee Nation want their younger people to speak and pass on their language, but this isn’t easy given the potentially overwhelming influence of English, the colonising language of the US. Like many indigenous languages in the wake of European colonisation, the Cherokee language had been actively suppressed, often by Christian missionaries, but also by an alien education system.

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Who is at fault when medical software gets it wrong?

August 4, 2022

By Dr Megan Prictor Published on August 4, 2022 Doctors are being increasingly encouraged to rely on digital technology to guide care, but who carries the blame if doctors rely on software that makes mistakes, leading to patient harm? Imagine this. A patient has recovered enough from a heart attack to be discharged from hospital. The presiding doctor sorts out the discharge using a hospital computer that has clinical decision support software, which compares the patient’s data with inbuilt algorithms to make recommendations for their care.

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