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Images released by China’s State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense that it says are three large floating objects in an area where missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 vanished. AAP/SASTIND

Can satellites help find missing flight MH370?

China has released several satellite images its officials say could be wreckage from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with 239 people onboard. If they are proved to be true it shows how remote…
Once you get a taste, it’s hard to stop playing Candy Crush … but why? emi iemei/Flickr

Totally addicted to apps: difficulty makes Candy Crush so sweet

It’s been said that in a city, you’re never more than two metres away from a rat. But it seems more likely that you’re never more than two metres from someone playing the puzzle game Candy Crush Saga…
Singapore Navy’s in the hunt for missing flight MH370 as part of the international search effort. EPA/Republic of Singapore Navy

Air crash investigation: how the search for flight MH370 is run

The longer it takes, the harder it gets to find the lost Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Spotting small objects floating on the surface of the water is a tough task after any air crash. But the more any…
Russia keeps its secrets under its hat, but cyber war’s nothing new. San Diego Shooter/Flickr

Cyber war in Ukraine – business as usual for the Russian bear

In a war – declared or otherwise – bravery and perseverance are not enough. Communications are important. Effectiveness means being able to command your troops and gather information. It also means being…
More than 100 vessels and aircraft from eight countries looking for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared on Saturday with 239 people on board. EPA/Ahman Yusni

Why some air crash investigations remain mysteries of the deep

The missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has some similarities to the disappearance of Pan Am flight 944, which disappeared into the Pacific Ocean almost 50 years ago. Late in the afternoon of November…
Mathematics is everywhere, from national security and genetics to public transport scheduling. Bonita Club/Flickr (cropped)

Optimising the future with mathematics

AUSTRALIA 2025: How will science address the challenges of the future? In collaboration with Australia’s chief scientist Ian Chubb, we’re asking how each science discipline will contribute to Australia…
Volcanoes can help life survive in the cold. Flickr/august allen

Antarctic volcanoes help preserve life in the freezer

Antarctica was once covered in lush, subtropical forests, inhabited by diverse plants and animals including large dinosaurs. That’s going back many millions of years. These days, Antarctica is 99.7% covered…
Looking for flight MH370. EPA/Malaysian Maritime Agency

What could have happened to flight MH370?

The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 – with 239 people on board – is unusual in that two days after the plane lost communication there is no reliable evidence of debris. No radio calls were…
So many questions but few answers for Malaysia Airlines. EPA/AHMAD YUSNI

Clock is ticking on Malaysia Airlines in crisis management

For Malaysia Airlines, every hour counts as it deals with the loss of flight MH370 with 227 passengers and 12 crew on-board. The first 48 hours of a crisis are the most critical for an organisation as…
The inland taipan is world famous for its venom. Stewart Macdonald

Why are some snakes so venomous?

Australia is world famous for its venomous critters, including its many highly venomous snakes. The snake that holds the popular title of “world’s most venomous” is the inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus…
Changing waves and currents can keep fish on the move. Jordan Casey

Oceans in motion: why some fish can’t go with the flow

Have you ever been snorkelling or scuba diving on a windy day when there are lots of waves? Did you notice how much that flow of water against your body affected your ability to swim and control your movements…
Diamonds are the first material to have single atoms removed by a laser. Africa Studio

Using lasers to cut a diamond apart atom by atom

One of great challenges of the 21st century has been to develop ways to manipulate matter on smaller and smaller dimensions. As the great physicist Richard Feynman noted in his famous 1959 lecture, “There’s…
Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area in NSW – rich in ancient history. Steve Bourne

Working with Elders and return of First Australians’ remains

Evidence of the first people to settle in Australia can be found in the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area, in western New South Wales, informally referred to as Australia’s Rift Valley. Hundreds of archaeological…
A team of 30 PackBots – one shown here being used in Afghanistan – will boost security in Brazil during the World Cup. The U.S. Army/Flickr (cropped)

War robots and the 2014 World Cup – defenders off the field

High-tech robots called PackBots will be unleashed during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil to help boost security and examine suspicious objects. The Brazilian government purportedly spent US$7.2 million…
What’s left of homes after bushfires swept through Warrandyte, in Victoria, in January. AAP Image/Joe Castro

Emergency services benefit from a high-speed world without wires

When disaster strikes – such as January’s bushfire in Victoria or the recent cold spell that froze much of north America – it’s vital for emergency services to get the latest information. They need to…
The move to mobile technology has opened up a wealth of metadata, but that information goes deeper than you may first think. The Fuji street shooter/Flickr

Metadata and the law: what your smartphone really says about you

Metadata related to lawful interception has been in the news a bit lately. You may have seen last week the Australian Federal Police (AFP) called for more access to electronic metadata as a Senate committee…
Think of the risks before scanning that QR code. Flickr/ scott_bl8ke

Why we do dumb things on smartphones

Imagine this: you’re surfing the web while out at lunch. You decide to buy concert tickets, so to save having to put your sandwich down you ask a passer-by to log in to the ticketing website for you. As…
Artist’s impression of a microquasar, such as the newly-discovered MQ1 in the M83 galaxy. TD Russell (ICRAR-Curtin) using the BINSIM visualisation code by R Hynes (LSU)

Pocket rocket of the universe: a new ‘fast and furious’ black hole

A black hole with extremely powerful jets has been found in the nearby galaxy Messier 83 (M83) by a team of Australian and American researchers, as we report in the journal Science today. Black holes are…
Move over LHC: the next generation of circular accelerator is being planned. Fotografik33/Flickr

A larger hadron collider? Why bigger is better in particle physics

While the world’s largest circular particle accelerator – the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – will continue operation for the next few years, scientists have already started the conversation to build a much…