For the first time scientists have located the home galaxy of a one-off fast radio burst. Here’s how they did it – and what they learned about the galaxy.
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Science + Tech – Articles, Analysis, Comment
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We go back to the basics and look at what Libra is, how it compares to other cryptocurrencies and whether you should be concerned about using it when it eventually arrives.
Intelligence work is no longer the sole preserve of intelligence agencies. Powerful platforms now allow everyday people to gather intelligence collaboratively – even from opposite sides of the world.
US and Russian tension over power grid cyber attacks is a concern for global stability, but it also highlights our own critical infrastructure vulnerabilities.
Journalists are not happy about a decision of the Supreme Court of New South Wales finding that media companies could be liable for defamatory comments made under news stories on their Facebook pages.
Companies scrutinise our online likes, dislikes, searches and purchases to produce data that can be used commercially. And it’s often done without us understanding the full extent of the surveillance.
We know that social media platforms have an incentive to promote whatever gets the most attention, regardless of its authenticity. We’re more reluctant to admit that the same is true of people.
In just three decades we’ve gone from a very limited internet connection in Australia to now sharing our lives online.
Australians should be concerned about any shift to an intelligence model that is based on the introduction of greater powers on the one hand, and less oversight and governance on the other.
It’s true that here on Earth, if you want to burn something you need oxygen. But the Sun is different. It is not burning with the same kind of flame you would have on Earth if you burned a candle.
We used to think a marsupial mum didn’t know when she was pregnant, but new research shows that’s wrong. And that could help in conservation of endangered species.
For people who aren’t able to spend time in nature every day, exposure to virtual natural environments could be an effective way of improving psychological well-being.
Conspiracy theories help sports fans make sense of unexpected events – like when a whole rugby team becomes sick before a world cup final, or the retirement of Michael Jordan from basketball.
New research shows just how many first people were needed to create a viable population in what is now Australia.
If the right changes are made today, Australia’s living standards could be up to 36% higher in 2060. This translates into a 90% increase in average wages (in adjusted, real terms) from today.
Our increasing connectivity and reliance on information technology is a vulnerability being targeted by two key threats: cyber attacks and the subversion of our democratic institutions.
We asked 252 Australian Greens party supporters and 252 One Nation party supporters to do some simple maths. Their answers changed when we told them it was climate change data.
Heisenberg’s famous Uncertainty Principle is put to the test to see if things really are uncertain in the quantum world.
An Australian company’s plan to mine a fossil-rich site in New Zealand to produce pig food has been described as unjustifiable vandalism. A campaign is under way to protect the site in perpetuity.
Telegram enabled protesters in Hong Kong to evade surveillance, but a DDoS attack and the arrest of a group administrator undermined the ability of protesters to organise and communicate.
Racism online is hurtful and damaging. But it can also spill into the real world with deadly consequences – such as the Christchurch terrorism attack.
There is evidence to show this monster of the ancient sea was a cannibal, feeding on its own kind.
An infestation as a chick leads to enlarged nostrils in the beak of Darwin finches, and that affects their mating call.
As a researcher in unmanned aerial systems, I was asked recently if I would ride on an Uber Air taxi. After a brief ponder, my answer is “yes”.
Dinosaurs ruled the Earth for about 180 million years. But around 66 million years ago, a huge rock from outer space (called an asteroid) smashed into the Earth. Then things got worse for dinosaurs.