Joshua Ross – The Conversation

Bias in, bias out: many algorithms have inherent design problems. Vintage Tone/Shutterstock

August 22, 2019

A Hippocratic Oath for data science? We’ll settle for a little more data literacy

Lewis Mitchell, University of Adelaide and Joshua Ross, University of Adelaide

Mathematician Hannah Fry has called for tech and data scientists to make an ethical pledge, as medical doctors do. But the same result might be delivered by simply asking people to mind their bias.

Gene drives aim to deliberately spread bad genes when invasive species such as mice reproduce. Colin Robert Varndell/shutterstock.com

March 22, 2018

‘Gene drives’ could wipe out whole populations of pests in one fell swoop

Thomas Prowse, University of Adelaide; Joshua Ross, University of Adelaide; Paul Thomas, University of Adelaide, and Phill Cassey, University of Adelaide

Releasing just 100 mice carrying a faulty gene designed to stop them reproducing can remove an entire population of 50,000, a new study shows, paving the way for new eradication efforts.

Boa constrictors are frequently found at large in Australia, despite being banned. Marcos André/flickr

November 16, 2016

Alien invaders: the illegal reptile trade is a serious threat to Australia

Pablo García-Díaz, University of Adelaide; Joshua Ross, University of Adelaide, and Phill Cassey, University of Adelaide

Keeping non-native reptiles as pets is against the law – with good reason. Alien species traded on the black market can potentially establish themselves in the wild if they are released or escape.

Advances in computing make it possible to model the spread of disease on an individual level, in a population of millions of people. Shutterstock/Maridav

June 6, 2016

Computing helps the study of infections on a global and local scale

Jodie McVernon, The University of Melbourne; Joshua Ross, University of Adelaide; Kathryn Glass, Australian National University; Lewis Mitchell, University of Adelaide; Nic Geard, The University of Melbourne, and Rob Moss, The University of Melbourne

Millions of people die or suffer from infectious diseases each year. Computer modelling can now help simulate the impact of any spreading disease.

Children in particular experience a multitude of viral illnesses during their early years. MIKI Yoshihito/Flickr

July 6, 2015

Health Check: when are we most likely to catch viral diseases?

Jodie McVernon, The University of Melbourne; James McCaw, The University of Melbourne; Joshua Ross, University of Adelaide; Kathryn Glass, Australian National University, and Nic Geard, The University of Melbourne

Viruses cause all kinds of infections from relatively mild cases of the flu to deadly outbreaks of Ebola. Clearly, not all viruses are equal and one of these differences is when you can infect others.

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