The Federal government has announced that $50 million will be put towards Koala conservation as the marsupial population continues to decrease amid the after affects of the 2020 bushfires. According to the Australian Geographic, there has been a 30 per cent decline in the Koala population with figures estimated to be between 32,000-58,000 nationally. Prime…
Earlier this week it was announced by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk that there would be an inquiry into the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC). The recommendation came from the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee (PCCC) after fraud charges on several Logan City councilors in 2019 failed in prosecution. Amid the controversy CCC chair Alan…
Plans are underway to create an ‘artic elephant’ using the DNA of extinct woolly mammoths and modern day Asian-elephants to produce a new species that would be cold-resistant. Harvard Geneticist George Church has launched a company called Colossal where research will focus on trying to “de-extinct genes” of the woolly mammoth which was last seen…
Spotify’s top podcaster Joe Rogan has responded to claims about spreading misinformation amid Neil Young and Joni Mitchell taking down their music from the streaming service. In a nine-minute video posted to Instagram, Rogan commented on the controversy by both defending his podcast and saying that he will take on recommendations to ensure that his…
A 6.0 magnitude earthquake in the Indonesian Banda Sea sent an aftershock throughout Darwin earlier this morning with many locals woken up by shaking beds and windows. Roughly 320km north of Darwin an earthquake struck at a depth of 126 kilometres however the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has said that there is no threat of…
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that aged care workers will receive a first of two payments beginning this month amid increasing pressure on workers from the effects of COVID-19. Over 200,000 workers in aged care and government subsidised home care will receive two payments of up to $400 each with one bonus this month…
Video game developer Bungie will be brought by Sony for approximately $5 billion (AUD) with the Halo creator to still remain an independent studio and developer. Sony announced yesterday that the developers behind the Destiny and Halo gaming series will become a part of the PlayStation family with President and CEO of Sony Entertainment Jim…
The Chinese New Year has begun today with the lunisolar festival entering into the Year of the Tiger for 15 days’ worth of celebrations and festivities. In the Chinese zodiac, the tiger is a symbol of “bravery, stubbornness, outspokenness, playfulness, enthusiasm, impulsivity and fearlessness” according to the University of Sydney while the Chinese New Year…
Pregnant New Zealand journalist Charlotte Bellis is stranded in Afghanistan after the NZ government denied her request for an emergency managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) allocation. Ms Bellis had been working in Afghanistan for news outlet Al Jazeera but was based in Doha, Qatar when she found out she was pregnant which was “surprising” as…
The Australian government recently revealed that $68 million will be invested into a national agricultural traceability program which will help Australian farmers increase their export value. Agriculture traceability, to put in simple terms, is the journey of produce from paddock to plate. NewsCop talked to Dr Shoufeng Cao, an expert in blockchain agriculture traceability and…