New fossil studies tell us our ancient ancestors enjoyed a diet of soft, sweet fruits. This would have influenced where they lived and spread to – and even the evolution of colour vision.
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Science + Tech – Articles, Analysis, Comment
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Each year, hungry plant-eating animals do billions of dollars of damage to valuable plants. We need prevention methods that don’t involve killing them.
The technology to link human brains with computers is developing quickly – but the path ahead is full of challenges.
Generative AI is everywhere, including licensed software tools that news media use for their work. Everyone needs to learn more about these features, their risks and benefits.
Online dangers lurk in virtual worlds for children. As more preschoolers immerse themselves in virtual reality, we must manage the risks and keep them safe.
Paying for your parking via an app promises ease and efficiency. But we are entering a bargain with unclear terms around data privacy and public revenue.
Apple’s plan for ‘spatial computing’ may redefine personal computing – and also facilitate trouble new kinds of surveillance.
When it feels like so many people are in need of compassion, how do we decide where to direct it?
Today, these plants are iconic to the Australian bush. But banksias and their many relatives originated in far-away shores 130 million years ago.
Flowers tend to stand out against a natural background. A new study shows this contrast evolved in a key relationship with their most famous pollinators – bees.
The Doomsday Clock is not a precise risk assessment, it’s a flawed but powerful metaphor for the catastrophic risk humanity faces
Quantum computers are proving extremely difficult to build, and there is no guarantee they will live up to their designers’ hopes.
Photogrammetry, a technique where 3D information is extracted from photographs, is reducing the guesswork in counting – and understanding – the world below the ocean surface.
Night matches at the Australian Open are a great spectacle, but sleep disruption is likely to wreak havoc even on professional athletes.
Governments around the world keep filing antitrust lawsuits against the ‘big four’ tech companies. Here’s why that matters for everyone who uses their products.
Australia’s allies are serious about the risk of research espionage - and one way or another, we need to catch up.
When most of us left school there were still 9 planets – but we’ve come a long way since Pluto’s demotion. Here’s what’s next on the space agenda.
Japan’s space agency is landing its first lunar probe this week. This makes the Moon an increasingly busy target for spacefaring nations – with conflicting political stances among them.
In what is colourfully termed a ‘brute force’ attack, hackers use bots to test millions of username and password combinations on different websites – until they find a match.
While regulating some AI applications is a step in the right direction, Australians would be better off with more ongoing expert advice and more regulation.
Antechinuses are tiny marsupials famous for their intense sex lives. Now, researchers have documented another unusual behaviour – the cannibalism of their own species.
The Australian government has finally released a response to last year’s public consultation on the safe and responsible use of AI. Here’s what it entails.
The new Netflix documentary follows identical twins as they adopt different diets. This is a great example of a twin study – a uniquely useful research tool in science.
Fossil traces of the oldest complex ecosystems are found in precious few locations worldwide, including Australia. Newly dated fossils from Wales now join the ranks.
Being susceptible to visual illusions is part and parcel of life not just for humans, but many other species – including bees.