Thinking like a mountain in the age of AI Click on the article title to read more.

In a sea of opinions about the role of LLMs in academics I offer my own.

Apart from being harmful, exploitive plagiarism machines, LLMs rob us of the opportunity to experience the gift of friction in writing, which changes how we think.

We must not give away that gift.

doi.org/10.1002/fee....

‘Worst thing I’ve ever seen’: CSIRO slashes climate modelling jobs Australia’s science agency is cutting more than 100 jobs in its Environment Research Unit, which critics say will crush our capacity to predict climate change.

CSIRO have now lost more jobs under the Albanese Governmet than under the Abbott Government.

We have to do better on research funding and backing our scientists.
www.smh.com.au/environment/...

Live: Littleproud says government must ensure Iran footballers don't bring values of 'tyranny' Nationals Leader David Littleproud says the government must ensure Iranian footballers who have sought asylum in Australia do not bring values of "tyranny". Follow live.

Anyone supporting National Party that thinks this sort of redneck comment and political stance is ok then you can all get fucked and in the bin.
Go fight an idiots war you truly think Australia is at risk.
Don’t deserve to be here.
#Political #Racism #AusPol

www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...

Bar graph comparing emissions from Grok's fossil-fuelled data centres to avoided emissions from Tesla's products for the years 2023 and 2024.

Comparison of emissions from manufacturing xAI's chatbot responses (5,127,553 tonnes CO2e) versus all Tesla products (1,056,000 tonnes CO2e) with respective analyses.

*New short blog* - finally (with help) got around to getting a total estimate of Grok's climate pollution 🫠

- Once all fossil gas online, = to between half and all of Tesla's ANNUAL GLOBAL avoided emissions

- Currently, 5x the emissions of Tesla's total manufacturing

ketanjoshi.co/2026/03/02/m...

$300 tests spark call for ban of controversial product sold at Bunnings, Coles, Woolworths and Mitre 10 With the government unlikely to outlaw the dangerous product, the retailers have been urged to act.

Initially, many of the owl deaths had appeared accidental, as they had been struck by cars.

But after conducting a series of $300 tests, it became clear a common product sold in supermarkets was to blame.
au.news.yahoo.com/300-tests-sp...

Tracking bait fate: reducing the ‘unknowns’ in baiting programs Mini-transmitters complimented the use of camera traps to monitor bait fate when investigating the success of wild dog management programs. The reduction in ‘unknown’ bait fate was a result of the mi...

Can't bring themselves to use the word 'dingo', because murdering _dingoes_ via poison, as opposed to the deliberate misnomer 'wild dogs', is deemed odious by many.

scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Never mind that 'wild dog' is deeply offensive to First Nations peoples too!

screenshot of my post

Big new blogpost!

My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more.

--> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu...

How much of the observed global warming was caused by humans? Science's best estimate: ALL OF IT

CSIRO 350 job cuts a damning indictment on Government priorities, misses 'golden opportunity' on research The announcement this week that CSIRO are to cut 350 research jobs is another damning indictment on Australia’s ongoing failure to prioritise research and development.

I seriously cannot get over how stupid it is to be cutting back on research right now #ThePoint
thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...

The CSIRO cuts are just the tip of the iceberg for Australia's science funding Australia is known as a country of innovators, but with a combination of brain drain, continuous cuts, and a loss of critical science projects, is Australia losing its edge?

This is why for a long time I've found the Prime Minister's Prizes for Science a rather insulting propaganda exercise

www.abc.net.au/news/science...

CSIRO funding as a percentage of GDP:

1982-83 = 0.17

2024-25 = 0.03

...

Scientific extinction event imminent?

Elevation map of the intertidal zone in Auckland

Photograph of the intertidal zone in Auckland

Photograph of the intertidal zone in Auckland

✈️ Flying into NZ for #FOSS4G @foss4g.org - couldn't help but nerd out on all the beautiful tidal flats that surround Auckland.

Here's a quick #DEAIntertidal tidal flat elevation map of Auckland’s Manukau Harbour, generated using #opensource code + satellite data loaded via #OpenDataCube and #STAC!

A very solid, evidence-informed speech against the Albanese government's cynical push to rush through Labor's deeply inadequate, integrity-challenged EPBC package

Thank you @zalisteggall.bsky.social

Feral pigs are eating 99 out of every 100 lambs on this NSW property Neville Mattick says feral pigs are eating the lambs on his farm in the NSW Central West, with fewer than one in 100 surviving this season.

Is now a good time to talk about how many lambs are killed in different parts of Australia by foxes and feral pigs as opposed to dingoes?

Oh, and what kills foxes and feral pigs, and helps to reduce their activity? Rhymes with bingo.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...

I have been developing techniques for the automated assessment of fire events across Australia using NAFI (firenorth.org.au) data. These are the top 10 largest across Australia so far this year. 3 of them are > 1 million hectares (Terra-Fires, 100x mega fire). The year is not over.

🚨 Launched: State of Wildfires Report 2024-25

The Americas felt the harsh reality of what it means to live on a more fire-prone planet, with extreme #wildfire episodes made 2-3 times more likely by #climate change.

🔥 Full details via our brand new website: stateofwildfires.com/latest-report/

We need your help to deliver a new Federal Environmental Protection Agency that enforces the law and protects our incredible natural environment. Tell the Senate to pass the EPA:… | Murray Watt | 11... We need your help to deliver a new Federal Environmental Protection Agency that enforces the law and protects our incredible natural environment. Tell the Senate to pass the EPA: https://alp.org.au/...

Seriously?!

It was actually your own party and Anthony Albanese that scuttled the EPBC reforms last time around, to appease your W.A. Labor colleagues and mining interests!

And now you're asking us to lobby to pass legislation we haven't even seen the details of?!

www.linkedin.com/posts/murray...

I really hope that the environmental & conservation community has learnt their lessons from the safeguard mechanism fiasco. Those that should have known better were played by Labor, & threw many of their own under the bus. Now we're seeing the consequences. Let's not do the same with EPBC reforms!

Absolute must idea.

Having charged Richard Boyle for 66 offenses, tied up the courts for 6 years, spent $339,703 on external legal fees, chilled whistleblowing - with the Court refusing to convict - it’s mind-blowing the CDPP still thinks his prosecution was in the public interest. 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️ #auspol

However resilient country can be built, fuels at scale can be managed. Fund the tools to monitor fuels, fund the rangers on country. Watch these fires, especially their behavior related to previous burning, on the NAFI Moblie app.

of course, just send me an email at calum.cunningham@utas.edu.au

It doesn't just *feel* like wildfires are becoming more catastrophic, they actually are. Led by @calxcunningham.bsky.social at Univ of Tasmania, this is a paper we started nearly 10 years ago, now in @science.org. Press release from @ucmerced.bsky.social here: news.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/wi...

Climate-linked escalation of societally disastrous wildfires Climate change and land mismanagement are creating increasingly fire-prone built and natural environments. However, despite worsening fire seasons, evidence is lacking globally for trends in socially ...

Published today: our new paper showing a 44-year trend of increasing global wildfire disasters (fatalities and economic losses) due to climate change-induced extreme weather. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Costly and Deadly Wildfires Really Are on the Rise, New Research Finds

Excellent articles in the NYT (with comments from @brian-j-harvey.bsky.social) www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/c...

and the Guardian
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Climate-linked escalation of societally disastrous wildfires Climate change and land mismanagement are creating increasingly fire-prone built and natural environments. However, despite worsening fire seasons, evidence is lacking globally for trends in socially ...

Out today in @science.org, we show wildfire disasters have surged in the last decade, as climate change intensifies fire weather and exacerbates other vulnerabilities.

📄 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

With @pyrogeog.bsky.social @climate-guy.bsky.social

It's bizarre. I can think of at least 3 scientific publications that predict (i.e., model) the uncontrolled explosion of deer across Tas. None of them were referred to in the report. weirdddd

congrats Eamonn!!

Guess where former defence ministers are? 👀

The revolving door is a real obstacle to good governance and it should be SHUT.

Gov reaffirming salmon farming expansion in Mac Harbour shows appalling disregard for the natural environment. Obsessed with appeasing big business, they’d rather offer hollow apologies later for driving the Maugean skate to extinction than take real action now. #auspol #politas

Stop the Aussie gas scam petition TRUST. INTEGRITY. LEADERSHIP.

It’s time to stop the Aussie gas scam.

Let’s put our people & industries first.

Sign my petition: www.davidpocock.com.au/prrt_petition