This week we published a new, high-quality genome sequence of one of Australia’s most iconic animals, the short beaked echidna. The almost gapless genome sequence of this egg-laying mammal helps researchers to track genomic reshuffling events that gave rise to a perplexing  sex determination system. At first glance they may be mistaken for a weird-looking hedgehog.

Brief overview of the Platypus The platypus is a unique, semi-aquatic mammal native to Australia. It is known for its unusual appearance, which includes a bill similar to that of a duck, webbed feet, and a beaver-like tail. Platypuses are also one of the few mammals that lay eggs rather than giving birth to live young. They are primarily nocturnal and feed on a diet of small aquatic creatures, such as insects, crustaceans, and small fish.

Australia is home to a diverse range of bird species, with many of them being unique to the continent. The 20 largest birds in Australia are impressive and diverse, ranging from the flightless emu to the majestic wedge-tailed eagle. These birds play important roles in their respective ecosystems, and many of them are also culturally significant to Indigenous communities in Australia.

A team led by scientists from Monash University have completed a major milestone towards achieving the rescue of the critically endangered helmeted honeyeater.

Are you new to version control and always running into trouble with Git?Or are you a seasoned user, haunted by the traumas of learning Git and reliving them whilst trying to teach it to others?Yeah, us too. Git is a version control tool designed for software development, and it is extraordinarily powerful.

This year’s rOpenSci ozunconf was held in Melbourne, bringing together over 45 R enthusiasts from around the country and beyond. As is customary, ideas for projects were discussed in GitHub Issues (41 of them by the time the unconf rolled around!) and there was no shortage of enthusiasm, interesting concepts, and varied experience.

Just last week we organised the 2nd rOpenSci ozunconference, the sibling rOpenSci unconference, held in Australia. Last year it was held in Brisbane, this time around, the ozunconf was hosted in Melbourne, from October 26-27, 2017. At the ozunconf, we brought together 45 R-software users and developers, scientists, and open data enthusiasts from academia, industry, government, and non-profits.

Local television outlets are essential places for the development and dissemination of local content. However, if you’re in a market that is anything other than America, the capitalist side of the industry has long fought against this – with commercial broadcasters in particular looking at cheap and reliable imports rather than necessarily investing in local productions. Cue another repeat of The Big Bang Theory.

On April 21st and 22nd of 2016, we had 40 members of the R community gather in Brisbane, Australia, with the goal of reproducing the rOpensci Unconference events that have been running with great success in San Francisco since 2014. Like every event organisers ever, we went through the usual crisis: Where will it be? Will anyone actually show up? Is the problem space over venue, date, attendees, catering, sponsors convex?

Liz Giuffre’s earlier blog ‘From Ramsay Street, With Love’ starts with an apology and ends with an assurance that Australians know that long-running soap Neighbours is ‘a bit embarrassing and a bit backward’. As a Scottish fan of the soap, I read her blog with fascination.