Will your next phone be Fair Trade?
Organic, cage-free or home-grown? We think about our purchasing ethics in many areas of daily life, but not often about technology.
As with any product, though, we should think about the effects of our…
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Analysis and Comment
Why the ‘infrastructure PM’ can’t give Antarctica the cold shoulder
Prime Minister Tony Abbott recently declared that he wanted to be known as the “infrastructure prime minister”. But what of Australia’s iciest infrastructure – that located in Antarctica?
A 20-year strategic…
Is eating DNA safe?
Eating DNA sounds scary but it’s completely safe. I do it every day. Let me explain.
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. The words “acid” and “nucleic” are in the name so it is hardly surprising that…
Autopsy of a space disaster turns failure to success
On September 18 this year, far above the Arctic Circle at Norway’s Andoya Rocket Range, the SCRAMSPACE hypersonic scramjet flight experiment was about to launch. Three and a half years of intense effort…
It’s all about cryptography as Rusbridger faces parliament
Despite all the political blustering that has surrounded Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger’s meeting with the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee this week, the real story in the Snowden affair is cryptography…
To launch Australia into space, we need inspiration
India’s recent launch of a mission to Mars should cause us to contemplate Australia’s potential role, or lack of one, in such ventures.
We presume India mounted this project at amazing speed to give China…
Build a bridge: tips to connect research and policy
In a more perfect world, the big policy challenges of our time would be informed by timely, relevant academic research. There would be a close and effective dialogue between academia and policy.
Alas…
The Golden Mean: a great discovery or natural phenomenon?
What do the façades of the National Gallery in London’s Trafalgar Square and the Sydney Opera House in Australia have in common?
Most people would suggest the two buildings have few similarities – the…
Appy-Land or Geekistan? The open questions of Open Data
Under Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s watch, the way we engage with government agencies is set to go digital by default.
Speaking via prerecorded video at the GovInnovate conference in Canberra…
Selfish gene solves DNA replication puzzle
You were formed from a single cell. To build you, and then keep you alive, the DNA in your cells needs to undergo replication every day to duplicate your chromosomes before cell division. Decades of research…
Comet ISON fizzles … but there’s a sting in the tail
If there is one thing we know about comets, it is that their behaviour is really hard to predict and that they will always surprise us – and sometimes disappoint.
Unfortunately it looks like comet ISON…
Computer crime is on the rise
I received the same email five times in as many weeks informing me of an A$18.60 refund following a “billing error” with a “mobile phone provider”. Not a huge sum, but believable.
I don’t have a mobile…
Higgs boson’s decay confirms physics model works
Last week, the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, showed evidence for the first time that a Higgs boson decays into a pair of tau particles. It is one of the crucial results…
Rare earths and our insatiable appetite for digital memory
This week a dozen protesters travelled from Malaysia to Australia to protest outside the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Lynas Corporation, an Australian rare earth mining company, for the third year running…
How computers changed chess
For his precocity, newly crowned World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen was named “The Mozart of chess”. For his tenacity and comfort with long games he was dubbed “The Nadal of chess”. More prosaically…
Look, but don’t touch: US law and the protection of lunar heritage
With India and China planning lunar surface missions, privately-funded space entrepreneurs competing for the US$40 million Google Lunar X Prize and discussions around lunar mining intensifying, working…
To create a super-intelligent machine, start with an equation
Intelligence is a very difficult concept and, until recently, no one has succeeded in giving it a satisfactory formal definition.
Most researchers have given up grappling with the notion of intelligence…
Encryption ethics: are email providers responsible for privacy?
Ex-National Security Agency (NSA) employee Edward Snowden’s various leaks – the most recent being a slide showing that the NSA infected 50,000 of computer networks with remote-controlled spyware – confirm…
Governments will struggle to put Bitcoin under lock and key
The hearings in the US senate last week were the most high profile public discussions that have taken place on the subject of virtual currencies. The US showed its openness by broadcasting the hearing…
Explainer: what is gene therapy?
Every now and again you might read about gene therapy and efforts to correct serious genetic diseases. But I’m betting that very few readers have had gene therapy, nor have they ever met anyone who has…
Navel gazing: healthy gut bacteria can help you stress less
Striking new evidence indicates that the gut microbiome, the ecological community of microorganisms that share our body, has a huge effect on brain function – much larger than we thought.
It has long…
It is game over for 23andMe, and rightly so
The market for personal genome services is facing a reality check. While the most prominent and innovative company 23andMe has flourished so far, in the past few years many of its competitors have gone…
Getting remote Indigenous communities online
Most remote Australian Indigenous communities have little or no access to digital technology. Last year, three internet-enabled terminals were installed as a trial in the remote communities of Burraluba…
Another Mars mission … but what about the rest of the solar system?
Following India’s maiden Mars probe launch earlier in the month, last week saw the successful launch of the Martian Atmospheres and Volatiles Evolution mission, or MAVEN for short.
With the second spacecraft…
Stopping 23andMe will only delay the revolution medicine needs
Genetic testing is a powerful tool. Two years ago, with the help of my colleagues, it was this tool that helped us identify a new disease. The disease, called Ogden Syndrome, caused the death of a four…
Uranium, plutonium, heavy water … why Iran’s nuclear deal matters
You may have seen yesterday that Iran has agreed to scale back its nuclear program for six months after two years of economic sanctions in an effort to halt, or at least alter the course of, its nuclear…
Personality matters: when saving animals, fortune favours the bold
Your house is full of space dust – it reveals the solar system’s story
Sparkling meteorite provides a glimpse of Martian history
Spotting astrophysical neutrinos is just the tip of the IceCube
Might some of Doctor Who actually be possible?
Research and News
If at first you don’t succeed … part of your brain makes you try again
Perseverance is a quality that plays a large role in the success or failure of many pursuits. It has never been entirely…
Metals in your smartphone have no substitutes
A few centuries ago, there were just a few widely used materials: wood, brick, iron, copper, gold and silver. Today’s material…
Grunt work: unique vocal folds give koalas their low-pitched voice
The secret to koalas' distinctive low-pitched vocalisations has been found, according to a new study published today in the…
Research Briefs
Aerial assault: controlling drones for cyber security
Research into cyber-security has identified a weakness in aerial drones which could allow law enforcement agencies to take…
Typing shown to be an automatic action
A new study has found that skilled typists cannot identify the position of many keys on a standard QWERTY keyboard.
Cognitive…
High-speed robots made with the help of cockroaches
The humble cockroach has provided inspiration for protection of fast-moving robots.
A study from University of California…
fMRI study points to reward centre in dog’s brain
A new study has pointed to a reward centre in the brain of dogs.
The research by Emory University used functional Magnetic…
Crocs are smarter than you think
Crocodiles use strategic moves to lure their prey according to new research by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
The…
Stomach clock tells us when we’ve had a gutful
Researchers have found the first evidence that stomach nerves act as a clock that limits eating to specific times of the…
Flower colour: it’s for the bees
From the Himalayas to the subtropics - it appears flower colour has evolved to attract bee pollinators.
Biologists from…
Marine reserves breed more resilient fish
Beak evolution in dinosaurs
Fruit flies with healthy sex lives live longer
New nano pill means no more jabs
Galaxies in groups running out of gas
Secret behind owls' near noiseless wings
Gone to its head: slugs stab sexual partners
Researchers create magnetic replicas of pollen
Columnists
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connect more
Build a bridge: tips to connect research and policy
In a more perfect world, the big policy challenges of our time would be informed by timely, relevant academic research. There would be a close and effective dialogue between academia and policy.
Alas…
geometry rules
The Golden Mean: a great discovery or natural phenomenon?
What do the façades of the National Gallery in London’s Trafalgar Square and the Sydney Opera House in Australia have in common?
Most people would suggest the two buildings have few similarities – the…
are we close to being open?
Appy-Land or Geekistan? The open questions of Open Data
Under Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s watch, the way we engage with government agencies is set to go digital by default.
Speaking via prerecorded video at the GovInnovate conference in Canberra…
tau spectacular
Higgs boson’s decay confirms physics model works
Last week, the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, showed evidence for the first time that a Higgs boson decays into a pair of tau particles. It is one of the crucial results…
electronic endgame
How computers changed chess
For his precocity, newly crowned World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen was named “The Mozart of chess”. For his tenacity and comfort with long games he was dubbed “The Nadal of chess”. More prosaically…
all your base are belong to us
Look, but don’t touch: US law and the protection of lunar heritage
With India and China planning lunar surface missions, privately-funded space entrepreneurs competing for the US$40 million Google Lunar X Prize and discussions around lunar mining intensifying, working…
maths first
To create a super-intelligent machine, start with an equation
Intelligence is a very difficult concept and, until recently, no one has succeeded in giving it a satisfactory formal definition.
Most researchers have given up grappling with the notion of intelligence…
secure service providers
Encryption ethics: are email providers responsible for privacy?
Ex-National Security Agency (NSA) employee Edward Snowden’s various leaks – the most recent being a slide showing that the NSA infected 50,000 of computer networks with remote-controlled spyware – confirm…
patched genes
Explainer: what is gene therapy?
Every now and again you might read about gene therapy and efforts to correct serious genetic diseases. But I’m betting that very few readers have had gene therapy, nor have they ever met anyone who has…
gut feelings
Navel gazing: healthy gut bacteria can help you stress less
Striking new evidence indicates that the gut microbiome, the ecological community of microorganisms that share our body, has a huge effect on brain function – much larger than we thought.
It has long…
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