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Duane Hamacher

Associate Professor, The University of Melbourne
Duane Hamacher is Associate Professor of Cultural Astronomy in the ASTRO-3D Centre of Excellence and the School of Physics at the University of Melbourne.

His research focuses on the role of astronomy in history, culture, and society. Born in the United States, Duane earned a degree in physics at the University of Missouri before moving to Australia to complete a Masters degree (by research) in astrophysics at UNSW, followed by a PhD in Indigenous studies at Macquarie University with a thesis on Australian Aboriginal astronomy. He was awarded a DECRA Fellowship to work for Meriam Elders in the eastern Torres Strait to document their star knowledge and from October 2022 to July 2023 worked as a CAPAS Fellow in the Käte Hamburger Centre for Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Studies at Universität Heidelberg in Germany. He authored the book "The First Astronomers: how Indigenous Elders read the stars" (Allen & Unwin, 2022) with six Elders. 100% of author royalties go to charity.

He is President and Founder of the Australian Association for Astronomy in Culture, Vice President of the International Society of Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture, a member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). He serves in the IAU Working Group on Star Names, is an associate editor of the Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage, and appeared on documentaries with Morgan Freeman, Warwick Thornton, Clive Oppenheimer, and Werner Herzog.

‘The ghost has taken the spirit of the Moon’: how Torres Strait Islanders predict eclipses

Mar 25, 2024 05:05 am UTC| Insights & Views Life

Its eclipse season. The Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned so its possible for the Earth and Moon to cast each other into shadow. A faint lunar eclipse will occur on March 25, visible at dusk from Australia and eastern...

Economy

Dollar Rises Amid Trade Deal Uncertainty, Yen and Franc Strengthen

The U.S. dollar edged higher Friday, rebounding from earlier losses as markets reacted to mixed signals from President Donald Trump on trade talks and monetary policy. The greenback has swung sharply this week, falling 1%...

Asian Tech Stocks Climb on Alphabet Earnings and AI Optimism

Asian stock markets mostly advanced on Friday, driven by a rally in tech shares after Alphabets strong earnings and bullish AI outlook. The U.S. tech giant beat earnings expectations and reaffirmed its commitment to...

Oil Prices Inch Up but Face Weekly Loss on OPEC+, Geopolitical Developments

Oil prices edged higher early Friday but remained on track for a weekly decline amid rising supply prospects and mixed signals on global demand. Brent crude futures rose 5 cents to $66.60 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas...

AI Stock Rally Lifts Futures as Alphabet Leads Tech Surge

U.S. stock index futures rose Thursday evening, driven by strong earnings from Alphabet Inc. and renewed investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI) and tech stocks. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) jumped nearly 5% in...

BoJ Rate Hike Odds Rise as Tokyo Inflation Surges Beyond Expectations

Tokyos consumer inflation surged in April, reinforcing expectations that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) may raise interest rates sooner than anticipated. According to ING analysts, a sharper-than-expected rise in Tokyos core...

Politics

Marcos Orders Probe Into Alleged Chinese Interference in Philippine Elections

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered a full investigation into alleged Chinese interference in the countrys upcoming May elections, following alarming reports from top security officials. Presidential...

Moon Jae-in Criticizes Prosecutors Amid Bribery Indictment

Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in accused the countrys prosecutors of political bias and abuse of power following his recent indictment on bribery charges. Speaking on Friday during a meeting with National Assembly...

Pentagon Removes Advisory Members Amid Strategic Shift

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed several members of Department of Defense advisory committees following a comprehensive 45-day internal review, according to a statement released Thursday by Pentagon...

Russia Uses North Korean Missile in Kyiv Strike, Killing 12

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed that a North Korean ballistic missile was used by Russia in a deadly airstrike on Kyiv, killing 12 civilians. The missile, identified as a KN-23 (KN-23A), hit a residential...

Trump Urges Putin to Halt Kyiv Missile Strikes Amid Peace Talks

At least 12 people were killed and 90 wounded after Russia launched its largest missile and drone attack on Kyiv this year, devastating buildings and sparking fires across the Ukrainian capital. The assault drew a rare...

Science

Kennedy Sets September Deadline to Uncover Autism Causes Amid Controversy

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to identify the cause of autism by September 2025. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Kennedy declared a global...

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible − but standardizing and organizing it across fields won’t be easy

Ice cores in freezers, dinosaurs on display, fish in jars, birds in boxes, human remains and ancient artifacts from long gone civilizations that few people ever see museum collections are filled with all this and more....

Technology

Intel Sees Surge in Older Chip Demand Amid U.S.-China Trade War Fears

Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is experiencing a rise in demand for its older-generation PC and server chips as the U.S.-China trade war intensifies, executives revealed after the companys latest earnings release. Economic...

Baidu Launches Advanced Ernie AI Models to Compete in China’s Growing AI Race

Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) has launched upgraded versions of its Ernie artificial intelligence models, intensifying its push in Chinas fast-evolving AI landscape. At a developer conference held in Wuhan, CEO Robin Li introduced...

South Korea Flags DeepSeek for Unauthorized Data Transfers to China and U.S.

South Koreas Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) has accused Chinese AI startup DeepSeek of transferring personal user data and prompt content without consent during its app launch in January 2025. The PIPC...

Adobe Expands Firefly with AI from OpenAI and Google, Launches Mobile App

Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) is expanding its Firefly generative AI service by integrating image-generation models from OpenAI and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL), while also making the app available on mobile devices. This move...

Nintendo Switch 2 Sees Surging Demand with 2.2 Million Lottery Applications in Japan

Nintendo has revealed that over 2.2 million people have entered a lottery for the new Switch 2 console in Japan, signaling overwhelming demand ahead of its June 5 launch. The company admitted it cannot fulfill all orders...