A new species of fluffy longhorn beetle discovered in Queensland, Australia
James Tweed
An entomologist camping with his partner in Queensland, Australia, has discovered what could be a candidate for Australia’s, and perhaps the world’s, fluffiest beetle.
This discovery was made by James Tweed Held at the University of Queensland at Binna Burra Lodge in Queensland’s Gold Coast hinterland during the 2021 Christmas period.
Tweed, who usually studies insects on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific, was emerging from his tent when he noticed what he thought was droppings on a common flax-like shrub. Romandra. However, upon closer inspection, it turns out that it is actually a spectacular beetle, 10 millimeters long and covered in magnificent red and black hairs, with the fur on the upper half of its body being particularly dense.
He quickly realized that it was a type of longhorn beetle (a family of about 36,000 described species), but no other comparable species was known. It has been designated as a new genus and species. Excustra arbopilosa, This means “white and hairy, from the camp.”
“There are quite a few hairy beetles out there,” Tweed said. “But this one is really unique in the length and pattern of the hairs. It’s not unusual for beetles to be hairy, but it’s unusual for them to be this hairy.”
It’s unclear why the beetle is so hairy, but one possible explanation is that its hair looks like it’s infected with a fungus, making it unpalatable to predators, Tweed said.
The specimen he collected is now kept as a model specimen in the Australian National Insect Collection, and is the only one found despite numerous searches around the campsite since its discovery.
Tweed said this is likely to be a relatively rare species. “But while it may be common, we haven’t found out where it lives yet. As far as we know, it’s on trees that we haven’t surveyed. It may be living in.”
When Apple’s first iPhone was released in 2007, all of its apps were created by Apple.
According to his biography by Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs was reluctant to allow apps from third-party developers on the iPhone. He eventually succumbed to pressure with the launch of his App Store in 2008. However, the company wanted to maintain strict control over what was allowed on the platform: email. 2021 release schedule revealed.
The case, which will be heard over the next five months in Melbourne’s Federal Court, will center on Apple’s control over its empire. At the same time, Google, which has prided itself on having a more open ecosystem than Apple, will have its practices tested.
Two cases in Australia’s Federal Court were adjourned in April 2021, pending the outcome of a similar case in the United States. Epic Games, the maker of the popular game Fortnite, has spent the past three years in a global legal battle against Apple and Google, alleging abuse of market power over their app stores.
Fortnite announced a deal with Google in 2020 after Epic Games offered its own in-app payment system that bypasses the one used by the platform and reduced the fees Apple and Google receive on in-app payments. Removed from Apple’s app store.
Epic lost a 2021 antitrust lawsuit against Apple, but won a lawsuit against Google late last year. Although the Australian cases were initially separate, they are now integrated into one monolith. Judge Jonathan Beech decided to hear the two cases and a related class action at the same time to avoid duplication of witness evidence.
David and Goliath?
In an Australian lawsuit that originally began in 2020, Epic Games argued that Apple’s control over in-app purchases and Apple’s actions in banning the Fortnite app were an abuse of market power, and that it significantly reduced competition in app development. He claimed to have lowered it. The company also claims that Google has harmed Australian app developers and consumers by preventing them from distributing apps and choosing in-app payments on Android devices.
As with mobile phone operating systems, the litigation between Apple and Google has many similarities, but there are also important differences. Apple’s iOS and App Store are completely closed and controlled by Apple. This means that if you have an app on your phone and a payment is made through that app, it has to go through Apple.
Similar rules apply to the Play Store in Google’s Android operating system, but Google also allows apps to be “sideloaded,” or installed directly onto a phone without using the app store. It also allows phone manufacturers like Samsung to have their own app stores. Fortnite is still available on Android, but only through sideloading or the Samsung Store.
Companies charge fees for transactions in their app stores. In Google Play, he charges a commission of 15% for the first million dollars a developer earns each year, and above that he increases to 30%. If an Apple developer’s revenue in the previous year was less than $1 million, he would pay a 15% fee, but if it was more than that, he would pay a 30% fee.
Fees are common in the industry, with Epic’s own store charging developers a 12% fee.
Epic argues that it should be able to offer its store as a competitor to Apple’s store, and that it should also be able to offer alternative payment options within its official game store apps.
Google claims to be more open than the Apple App Store, but it was this openness that hurt the tech company in the US lawsuit. The jury found that tying the Google Play Store to in-app payments was illegal and that the company had entered into anti-competitive agreements with some developers to keep their apps on the Play Store.
In the Apple case, the judge took a narrower view, considering mobile game transactions specifically rather than app stores as a whole. The judge found that Apple is not a monopoly and is in competition with Google and other companies. The judge also upheld Apple’s concerns about the security implications of opening the App Store and sided with the company’s pursuit of intellectual property royalties through in-app payments.
Apple is expected to file a similar lawsuit in Australia. The company believes there is little difference between the cases and that the principles underlying Australian competition law are similar to US antitrust principles.
Apple sees Epic not as David the Goliath, but as a multibillion-dollar company seeking more profits at the expense of iPhone users’ safety.
Google claims that it not only offers customers a choice in the app store, but also offers alternative options for developers to sell their content outside of Google Play. It also points to permissions that allow sideloading of apps while maintaining user security, which Epic claims it is trying to water down.
“It’s clear that Android and Google Play offer more choice and openness than other major mobile platforms, and are a good model for Australian developers and consumers,” Google’s Government Affairs statement said. Vice President for Public Policy Wilson White said in a post this week. .
“We continue to have a right to sustainable business models that keep our users safe, grow our businesses in partnership with developers, and keep the Android ecosystem thriving and all Australians healthy. We will vigorously defend it.”
Apple forced to make changes to EU App Store
Initial submissions will last two weeks, followed by three months of evidence from fact witnesses and experts, followed by two weeks of final submissions, ending in mid-July.
Witnesses expected to testify include Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, who is in Melbourne for the hearing, as well as key executives from Apple and Google.
A concurrent class action lawsuit on behalf of Australian developers and consumers will fail if Epic’s lawsuit fails.
The case is unlikely to be resolved by the end of the year, and Beach is not expected to issue a verdict within six months, after which it could be appealed.
Whether or not Epic wins the battle, Apple and Google may ultimately lose the app store war. Apple has been forced to implement changes to its App Store in the European Union, including allowing alternative payment options and marketplaces, under the Digital Markets Act. As a result, Apple last week reinstated Epic’s developer account in the EU.
Epic says Apple’s implementation of these changes is incomplete, but other governments, including Australia, may follow suit.
Several countries, including the UK and Australia, are experiencing a “technical outage” at McDonald’s restaurants. The fast food chain denies any cybersecurity attack.
Affected services are reported in Australia, the UK, Japan, and China, with restaurants, drive-thrus, and online ordering experiencing issues. A global spokesperson for McDonald’s stated they are working to resolve the problem.
The spokesperson mentioned, “We understand that we experienced a technology outage that impacted our restaurant. The issue is currently being resolved. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience. Notably, this issue is not related to any cybersecurity event.”
A spokesperson for McDonald’s UK confirmed that the power outage affecting restaurants in the UK and Ireland has been resolved. The Down Detector site in the UK reported over 600 app outages on Friday morning.
In Australia, a customer mentioned they were unable to make purchases at the drive-thru or online. McDonald’s Australia acknowledged that the issue is impacting their restaurants nationwide.
McDonald’s Japan also faced a “system failure” affecting its stores. An apology was issued on social media, stating service will be restored soon.
According to a spokesperson, many McDonald’s restaurants in Japan stopped accepting orders due to the system failure. McDonald’s in Japan operates around 3,000 stores.
In China, the hashtag “McDonald’s collapse” trended on social media. McDonald’s, with over 5,000 stores, faced challenges compared to their rival KFC with nearly double the number of outlets.
McDonald’s acknowledged and resolved the issues in various regions but encountered some customers opting for KFC instead. Other countries like Germany, New Zealand, and Sweden also reported problems.
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is experiencing significant heat-induced coral bleaching once again, as confirmed by the country’s government on Friday.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, responsible for conservation and protection efforts for the reef, stated that widespread bleaching is occurring due to increased heat stress over the summer.
Scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science reported that this is the fifth major bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef since 2016.
Coral bleaching poses a serious threat to coral reefs worldwide, triggered by abnormal conditions such as high or cold seawater temperatures and increased acidity. When corals expel photosynthetic algae, they turn white, making them more vulnerable to disease.
While corals can recover from bleaching events, frequent occurrences make it difficult for reefs to bounce back. Climate change is causing ocean temperatures to rise, leading to more frequent bleaching events globally.
The current mass bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef is consistent with reports of bleaching in coral reefs in the Northern Hemisphere, exacerbated by El Niño and climate change, according to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
On March 5, researchers observed large-scale coral bleaching at a site in the southern Great Barrier Reef.Renata Ferrari / Australian Institute of Marine Science
The agency, in collaboration with scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science, conducted an aerial survey covering nearly two-thirds of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to assess the severity of the bleaching event.
Further research and underwater assessments are necessary to gauge the impact of the ongoing bleaching event, with plans for additional aerial surveys in other reef areas.
While heat stress has not affected the entire reef, variations exist in the extent of bleaching among different areas, as highlighted by Neil Cantin, a senior research scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
Coral affected by coral bleaching (left), Arlington Reef, Central Barrier Reef, February 27.Grace Frank / Australian Institute of Marine Science
Since the first recorded bleaching event in 1998, with subsequent events in 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020, and 2022, it is clear that coral bleaching incidents are becoming more frequent, posing a significant threat to the Great Barrier Reef.
Efforts are underway to understand the overall condition of the reef and implement effective restoration measures guided by aerial surveys and underwater observations.
David Wachenfeld, the Australian Institute of Marine Science’s research program director, emphasized the urgent need to address climate change to protect the Great Barrier Reef effectively.
“Protecting coral reefs like the Great Barrier Reef from climate change requires global emissions reductions, best practices in local management, interventions to increase climate and reef resilience, and ongoing research and development,” Wachenfeld stated.
MExperts say powerful viral clickbait has taken over Facebook and Instagram in Canada after Meta removed news from the platforms nine months ago. Now Australia could face a similar scenario online, with the company preparing to battle the Australian government over payments to news organizations.
Last week, Meta announced it would no longer make payments to Australian news publishers, prompting the Australian government to consider using its legislative powers to force the platform to negotiate payments with news publishers. Ta.
The controversy could prevent Australian news organizations from posting links to their content on Facebook or Instagram, as Meta did for six days in 2021, and as Canada has done since mid-last year. The possibility is increasing.
Experts say Canada’s ban has done little damage to the social media giants, but it has hurt the news organizations Canada most wanted to support.
In June 2023, the Canadian federal government introduced Bill C-18, which aims to increase revenue for Canadian journalism publishers by requiring Meta and Google’s parent company Alphabet to compensate publishers for hosting and linking content. (Online News Act) was passed.
Both tech companies initially balked at the prospect, but Alphabet ultimately agreed to a deal with the government in November. Under the terms of the deal, Google’s parent company will contribute C$73.6 million (A$83 million) annually to be distributed to Canadian news publishers. Experts said the deal was in part because C-18 targeted link sharing and indexing, key aspects of Alphabet’s business model.
But Mehta is resisting the law’s restrictions, arguing it is “fundamentally flawed”. In response, it blocked all news sharing on its platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. Prior to the ban, Meta also announced it was ending its partnership with the Canadian Press, which had funded 30 reporting fellowships for young journalists starting in 2020.
The ban took effect in August amid the worst wildfire season in the country’s history, but lawmakers feared it would prevent Canadians from accessing the latest news in their communities and prevent evacuations. . The broadcaster denounced the move as “anti-competitive behavior” and said it violated regulations. federal law.
Mehta said in a statement at the time: “The Online News Act is based on the false premise that Meta is unfairly profiting from the news content shared on our platforms, when the opposite is true. We voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to help grow our audience and generate revenue.”
Non-news content created by viral content makers is filling the space left by news articles.
“Real Facebook without news has turned out to be more harmful than I expected,” said Jean Hughes-Roy, a journalism professor at the University of Quebec.
2022, Roy conducted a simulation He said he conducted a study on what users would see on Facebook if news was banned, but the reality of the ban was worse than the simulation predicted.
“Viral content creators take news content, make it more sensational by adding misleading information or false details, and publish it on their Facebook pages or Instagram accounts. Such content is blocked by Meta. No, but the actual news will be blocked.”
However, the move doesn’t seem to have affected how Canadians use Facebook.
The number of daily active users on Facebook and the amount of time spent on the social network have changed little since the news block began, according to figures from two digital analytics firms shared with Reuters.
Part of Meta’s argument against compensating Canadian journalistic outlets was that links to news articles accounted for less than 3% of Facebook feeds in the country. This was also the argument made regarding Australia’s decision.
Chris Waddell, of Carleton University’s School of Journalism, said Meta is increasingly wary of its position in the news industry.
“I don’t think we’ve lost any advertisers,” he says. “I don’t know if their decisions really made a difference.” [to the company].
“Meta would do that.”I like to get a break from news from other places. It’s hard to imagine that the company really wants to get dragged into the controversy surrounding the impending US election, with AI-generated fake information being posted on Facebook. It’s a real minefield for them. If they’re right, they only make 3% to 4% of their revenue from news, so I can understand why they would bail out of it. ”
News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson told reporters on Monday that Meta’s 3% claim was “obviously a fabrication and an absurd number.”
“So how much discussion is there about the news? If there is a core news, then the latest factual information on Facebook is 100% news. And these are the things Facebook focuses on. We should also focus on our responsibilities to all Australians.”
Most large publications are finding new ways to redirect users to their sites. But Facebook’s refusal to allow links to be shared on its platform has a huge impact on small publishers.
Eden Fineday, publisher of Indige News, an Indigenous-led online journalism outlet, said traffic on the site has fallen by 43% since the ban.
“Facebook is a very indigenous platform,” Fineday told the Toronto Star. “This is a place where a lot of Indigenous communities connect with each other. So it hurts us. Indigenous people are the least considered demographic, especially by corporate America. They’re not just forgotten, they’re also more vulnerable to these changes. It’s sad that companies don’t consider who is being harmed.”
Twenty independent media outlets, including the New Brunswick Media Cooperative, have banded together to try to make up for the loss of traffic. not equipped. The purpose is both to strengthen bargaining positions and to share news more effectively with readers.
Waddell said smaller publishers must do the most to win back readers in order to survive.
“Ironically, those that have been most affected are small start-up publications and publications that have been around for some time that have used Facebook as a promotional tool to reach a wider audience.” he said.
Roy said he is concerned about what the disappearance of news from Meta’s platform would mean for Canadian democracy.
“The latest Reuters Journalism Institute Digital News Report found that 45 per cent of Canadians cite social media as a source of news, and the same percentage is true in Australia. “I’m worried” news doesn’t exist anymore. ”
A former director of Blockchain Global, an Australian cryptocurrency company that went bankrupt and owed creditors $58 million, has been banned from leaving the country.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission secured an interim travel ban in the Federal Court on February 20, claiming director Liang “Alan” Guo was a flight risk.
Mr. Guo, a Chinese national, was ordered to hand over his passport to the court.
The hearing was held in Guo’s absence, so he did not have an opportunity to respond immediately to the verdict.
Mr Guo, along with fellow directors Sam Lee and Ryan Hsu, were referred to ASIC by the liquidator for alleged breaches of company law. ASIC is investigating the allegations.
Mr Lee and Mr Xu were also involved in a cryptocurrency investment scheme known as HyperVerse, which was the subject of a Guardian Australia investigation and which defrauded investors around the world of US$1.89 billion. It is said that Guo is not believed to be involved in the HyperVerse project.
Mr Lee, who currently lives in Dubai, is facing charges in the US for his involvement in the Hyperverse scheme, which the US Securities and Exchange Commission has described as a “pyramid scheme and pyramid scheme”. He has not responded to the charges.
In a Federal Court judgment released on Wednesday, Mr Justice Button said the charges against Mr Guo were “very serious” and agreed to ban him from leaving Australia until August 20.
These included allegations of transferring investor funds for personal gain.
“ASIC also revealed that while Mr. Guo was a director, he transferred $2.6 million from the bank account where investor funds were held, with some of the money being applied to his personal mortgage account and personal bank account. “It was also pointed out,” the judgment said.
“ASIC also revealed that Mr. Guo held 23.11 Bitcoins, said to be worth approximately $1.8 million, owned by Blockchain Global and transferred them to a virtual currency wallet controlled by Mr. Guo on December 8, 2019. He also mentioned that he had done so.”
ASIC said Mr Guo was “the only person left in Australia closely involved in Blockchain Global’s operations” given that Blockchain Global’s other directors left Australia shortly after the bankruptcy. He claimed that there was.
“ASIC anticipates that the interviews and interrogations of Mr. Guo will be critical to the progress of the investigation, and as a result, we anticipate that brief evidence may be forwarded to the Director of Federal Public Prosecutions.'' the judgment stated.
According to the ruling, ASIC expects it will take 12 months to investigate and submit a summary of the evidence to the DPP.
Among his reasons, Mr Button commented on apparent delays in the investigation into ASIC, which was launched on January 16 following Guardian Australia’s investigation into HyperVerse.
“It is not clear why an investigation was initiated when Blockchain Global failed. Nevertheless, the investigation, although in its early stages, is progressing steadily.”
ASIC said in a statement that it applied for the travel restriction order “out of concern that Mr. Guo may leave the country while the investigation continues.”
“As the hearing took place in Mr. Guo’s absence, Mr. Guo has not yet had the opportunity to respond to ASIC’s application or the basis on which ASIC asserts that the order is necessary.”
Mr Guo has so far not responded to Guardian Australia’s questions about the allegations against him in the liquidator’s report submitted to ASIC.
genus mouse pseudosyndrome It is one of the few terrestrial placental mammals to have established itself in Australia without human intervention.
The delicate rat of the Pilbara (Pseudomys pyruvalensis). Image credit: Ian Boole.
of Native little mouse (Pseudomys delicaturus)The mouse, also known as the delicate mouse, was previously thought to be a single species that spread across a vast country, from the Pilbara in Western Australia, across parts of the Northern Territory, through Queensland to the New South Wales border. It was getting worse.
“Thanks to new genetic technology, we now identify not one but three species of these delicate mice.”
“Identifying undescribed species and giving them official names will go a long way in ensuring they are properly managed.”
“Although it may be difficult for amateurs to tell the species apart, this discovery is important for the future of this small mouse.”
“The two new species did not receive conservation or research attention because we did not know they were there.”
“For example, we don't know whether population declines were not detected as a result of all three species being assessed as a single unit.”
“This delicate rat was not a priority for conservation, but that's because the distribution of the rat was thought to be three times larger than it actually is. That would allow for a reassessment.”
“Sensitive mice differ from the mice you encounter in your home or backyard in several important ways.”
“Mus musculus, black rats and brown rats are non-native species that have been introduced to Australia since European colonization.”
“Evolutionarily and ecologically, they are very different from native rodents. They compete with our native species for resources.”
“Delicate mice are part of a group of native rodents that have evolved in Australia over the past five million years. They are an important part of Australia's natural environment and ecosystem.”
“The delicate mouse is Australia's smallest rodent. Weighing only 6 grams, it's really small.”
Researchers also discovered that the delicate mice were able to adapt well to their environment, whether it was an arid desert or a forest.
“These three species will now be referred to by common names that reflect their habitat: Western or Pilbara delicate mouse, Eastern delicate mouse and Northern delicate mouse,” they said. Stated.
Paleontologist at Flinders University brian chu and his colleagues described a new genus and species of Devonian tetrapod fish based on several nearly complete skulls and postcranial skeletons.
rebuilding the life of Harajikadectes zumini. Image credit: Brian Choo, Flinders University.
“Tetrapodomorpha “It consists of tetrapods and their closest fish relatives, the oldest records of which are from the Pragians of China,” said Dr Chu and co-authors.
“This group diversified greatly in both marine and freshwater habitats during the Middle to Late Devonian, giving rise to several distinct lineages, including the earliest quadrupeds.”
“Tetrapods flourished after the Devonian limbless fish tetrapods experienced a marked decline in diversity during the Carboniferous, but only survived into the early Permian before disappearing from the fossil record. There were only a handful of representative animals.”
This new species of tetrapod lived about 380 million years ago and was up to 45 to 50 centimeters long.
with scientific name Harajikadectes zuminithis fish is particularly distinctive for its large opening at the top of its skull.
“These spire-like structures are thought to facilitate air breathing at the surface, and modern African bichir fish have similar structures for taking in air at the surface,” said Dr Chew. Ta.
“This feature appears in multiple tetrapomodorf lineages at about the same time during the middle to late Devonian period.”
“In addition to Harajikadectes zumini Large spiracles also appeared from central Australia. gogonathus El Pisto Stegarian from Western Australia Tiktaalik — are the closest relatives of four-limbed quadrupeds. ”
“And it shows up in unrelated places.” Pickeringius Western Australian stingray fin fish first described in 2018. ”
with Dr. Chu Harajikadectes zumini fossil. Image credit: Flinders University.
Professor John Long from Flinders University said: “This synchronous emergence of air-breathing adaptations may have coincided with a period of reduced atmospheric oxygen during the mid-Devonian.”
“The ability to supplement gill breathing with oxygen from the air may have provided an adaptive advantage.”
“We discovered this new form of lobe-finned fish in one of the most remote fossil sites in all of Australia, the Harajika Sandstone Formation in the Northern Territory, about 200km west of Alice Springs. It dates from the mid-Devonian period. Late period, approximately 380 years ago.'' 1 million years old. ”
“It's difficult to pinpoint the location. Harajikadectes zumini sit in this group of fishes because they appear to have convergently acquired a mosaic of specialized features characteristic of widely separate branches of the tetrapod radiation. ”
of findings will appear in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
_____
brian chu other. A new species of pedunculated tetrapod fish that lived in the middle to late Devonian period of central Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, published online on February 5, 2024. Doi: 10.1080/02724634.2023.2285000
A quoll searches for termites in a fallen log.Poor night vision is also part of the reason they have to forage for food in the heat of the day.
kristin cooper
As Australia's temperatures continue to get hotter, the specialized fur that possums evolved to save energy is now putting them at risk of overheating.
possum (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is an unusual marsupial in that it is active during the day, feeding on termites hidden under tree logs and topsoil. Because these insects are low-calorie foods, possums, which typically weigh about 500 grams, have evolved fur that absorbs heat from the sun, saving calories spent on generating body heat.
As temperatures rise, that evolutionary trait can backfire, causing possums to overheat within minutes of feeding in direct sunlight. kristin cooper at Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
Quolls once roamed southern Australia, but over the past two centuries they have fallen prey to cats and foxes introduced by European settlers. Currently, these endangered animals are concentrated in just two small nature reserves in Western Australia.
To increase their numbers, conservation groups are gradually moving the marsupials to areas protected from their native predators. But global warming is making some of these regions even hotter and drier.
“Environmental change is occurring at an unprecedented rate due to anthropogenic global warming, which means that predicting future species distribution and population patterns, protecting and managing them requires environmental conditions “This means it is important to understand the ecological consequences of changes in philip withers researchers from the University of Western Australia write in a paper.
To learn more, the pair used a thermal imaging camera to film 50 wild animals eating termites at different times of the day from 2020 to 2021.
At each site, portable weather stations were used to record factors such as temperature, wind speed, and humidity. They then incorporated this data into a computer program to model how environmental conditions affected the quolls' internal temperatures.
The researchers found that on days of high heat stress, such as in dry environments with temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius, possums overheat within 10 minutes of exposure to direct sunlight. After that, they need to stop eating and hide from the sun until their body temperature drops.
Shade is helpful, but shade is often scarce, and seeking shade limits the termite-hunting territory of possums, Cooper says. The model also suggests that the combination of high outdoor temperatures and radiant heat from the ground can cause possums to overheat even in the shade.
Feeding at night is not an option for possums, as they have poor night vision and lack the strength to invade termite mounds at night.
To overcome these problems, Cooper recommends conservation groups move quolls to cooler areas of their territory and provide plenty of shade.
The blue and pink areas indicate vast habitable areas that were once connected to northwestern Australia, but are now underwater.
Kasi Norman
As many as 500,000 people may have once lived on land in what is now northern Australia, which was submerged by rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age.
Kasi Norman Professors at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, have reconstructed the topography of the approximately 400,000 square kilometers of land currently covered by the Indian Ocean, known as the North-West Shelf. The researchers say this is not an uninhabitable place as previously thought, but rather a place where people have thrived for tens of thousands of years.
The study revealed features such as inland seas as large as the Sea of Marmara in Turkey and vast freshwater lakes with gorges, rivers and cliffs, such as those currently found in Kakadu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory. became.
Mr Norman said this large area of flooded land had long been known from oil and gas exploration, but the Australian Institute of Geosciences recently released detailed sonar data with pixels down to 30 x 30 metres. It is said that he did. “This is high enough resolution to tell us about landscape features that are important to people,” she says.
Research has revealed that the inland sea existed in a stable form from 27,000 to 17,000 years ago. A nearby 2,000 square kilometer freshwater lake remained stable from 30,000 to 14,000 years ago. The lake is thought to have been an important refuge for people fleeing south from the arid Australian continent during the Ice Age.
By modeling these geographic features, the researchers estimate that the area could have supported a population of 50,000 to 500,000 people.
“This vast landscape that no longer exists would have been very different from what we see in Australia today,” Norman said. “It's incredible to have a freshwater lake of this size next to an inland sea, and people would have lived on the other side of that lake. This is a lost landscape that people were using. is.”
However, at the end of the last ice age, sea levels began to rise dramatically. Initially, sea levels rose at about 1 meter per 100 years, Norman said, but from 14,500 to 14,100 years ago, the rate increased to 400 to 500 meters per 100 years.
If things had continued, people would have seen sea levels rise and be forced to move inland to escape flooding.
He said the region had never before modeled how many people it supported. peter bess The research, from the University of Western Australia, was made possible thanks to new detailed paleogeographical data available to the team.
Australia and New Zealand face the same challenges as other technology companies. Valuations are falling, early-stage funding is rising, and investors want their companies to focus on sustainable long-term growth and a clear path to profitability.
All articles on TechCrunch+ are available to members only. Use discount code TC Plus Roundup Save 20% on a 1-year or 2-year subscription.
But Australia and New Zealand’s isolation from the rest of the world creates a sense of urgency to build global products. After all, “doing more with less isn’t hard; it’s the norm,” writes TechCrunch’s Rebecca Bellan.
Check out what Australian and Kiwi investors are thinking about venture capital in these regions right now.
AI may not replace humans at everything, but it is taking over some tasks in the name of speed and efficiency. Believe it or not, one of those tasks is looking through the pitch deck. Making your pitch deck machine readable is not difficult. And the good news is you don’t have to sacrifice creative design or a good story.
VC has a terminology problem, this is how to solve it
Image credits: Nick Lowndes/Getty Images
It’s not a big deal to have technical conversations between engineers. It’s the quickest way to get your point across. But when talking to customers or people who aren’t familiar with the terminology, being direct is a better strategy, writes North Zone principal Molly Alter.
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Securing generated AI across the technology stack
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According to Forgepoint Capital VP Connie Qian, the rapid pace of AI innovation is creating “new considerations around cybersecurity, ethics, privacy, and risk management.” As the regulatory landscape evolves, startups must focus on ensuring their interfaces, applications, and data layers are secure.
Ask Sophie: I work on H-1B at OpenAI. How can I explore immigrant independence?
Image credits: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch
Dear Sophie
I signed OpenAI’s letter threatening to resign unless the board resigns. I’m his AI engineer on his H-1B. PERM passed and EB-3 I-140 was approved. However, my priority date is not current yet. If Altman can’t return home, how can he stay in the U.S. and start exploring new opportunities at AI startups?
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