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Google must change the way it delivers search results in Europe. EPA/BRITTA PEDERSEN

Google and the European anti-trust deal – what does it mean?

After years in the waiting, Google has finally struck a deal with the European Commission regarding alleged abuses of its dominant position in online search and advertising in the European Union. The Commission…
What’s changed since the ACC report was handed down? Flickr/ hitthatswitch

One year on – the real doping scandals of 2013

A year after the “darkest day in Australian sport” the catastrophic bang has led to an all too predictable whimper. The days after the Australian Crime Commission’s report Organised Crime and Drugs in…
Nanosafety research ensures everyday use of nanoparticles – such as sunscreen – stays safe. Flickr/Eliya

Nanoparticles and nanosafety: the big picture

Nanoparticles — or nanomaterials, as they are often called — are chemical objects with dimensions in the range of 1-100 nanometres (nm). Particles this tiny are hard to imagine, but it may help to think…
The truth is out there. Flickr/J

The truth is out there – so how do you debunk a myth?

Debunking myths requires an understanding of the psychological research into misinformation. But getting your refutation out in front of lots of eyeballs is a whole other matter. Here, I look at two contrasting…
Underneath the floating debris in the Pacific Ocean. NOAA - Marine Debris Program

Ocean debris leads the way for castaway fisherman

The fisherman who washed up on the Marshall Islands last weekend was very lucky to have stranded on a remote beach there. The currents in the Pacific Ocean would have inevitably taken him into the great…
One memorable goldfish. Flickr/ Benson Kua

The goldfish test that can change your behaviour

The average Australian spends more than five hours watching YouTube every month. With such high viewership, it’s no surprise that interest groups are reaching out with YouTube to try to change people’s…
Dealing with those in denial of science. Flickr/carfreedc

Don’t let denial get in the way of a good science story

There was a time when science was seen as a body secure knowledge, given credibility by the scientific method and peer review. Back in the 1970s when I was a young lecturer, the task communicating science…
Bored with science. Flickr/manwithbeard

Why do some people not care about science?

Surveys on public attitudes to science regularly tell us that there are swathes of the public that simply seem to not care about science, despite our best effort to engage them. But perhaps the issue is…
Science or pseudoscience? Flickr/Aff (formerly Odd Bod)

Where is the proof in pseudoscience?

The word “pseudoscience” is used to describe something that is portrayed as scientific but fails to meet scientific criteria. This misrepresentation occurs because actual science has creditability (which…
Sea turtles and climate change are not a good mix. SteFou

Sea turtles will feel the heat from climate change

Last year was Australia’s hottest on record and this year started with heatwaves. Animals feel the heat too – so how will they cope and adapt as the climate changes? Take, for example, sea turtles. These…
One fifth of Neanderthal DNA is found in the human genome … how much is in you? Flickr/suchosch

Neanderthals and humans: an interspecies affair to remember

Research out today in leading science journals firms up estimates of interbreeding between the now extinct Neanderthals and the ancestors of living Eurasians. They also provide new explanations about the…
Stephen Hawking stirs the debate on black holes. But is he right? Flickr/NASA HQ PHOTO

Grey is the new black hole: is Stephen Hawking right?

Over the past few days, the media has cried out the recent proclamation from Stephen Hawking that black holes, a mystery of both science and science fiction, do not exist. Such statements send social media…
Facebook has changed much since the early days but it needs to do more. Flickr/niallkennedy

Facebook isn’t dying but it needs to evolve more

Researchers John Cannarella and Joshua Spechler from Princeton University made headlines last week when they predicted that Mark Zuckerberg’s almighty Facebook would shed 80% of its users by 2017. The…
Owls and birds of prey spew bones and remains, which are extremely useful for determining local extinction patterns. Flickr/Georgie Sharp

Looking forward to the past: what fossils tell us about extinction

The impact of European settlement on Australia was so massive that many mammals disappeared before anyone noticed they were there, but fossils from the past 10,000 years offer excellent evidence of pre-European…
Graphene is an exciting and lucrative new industry – so why isn’t the Australian government funding local commercial development? Hinkle Group

Graphene can pave the way for Australian manufacturing

Australian industries have reached a turning point. With old industries on the way out, the Australian manufacturing sector’s biggest challenge is to move from a low-cost mass production model to one that…
So many people, so much data. Flickr/Fran Simó

Explainer: what is big data?

Big Data, as the name implies, relates to very large sets of data collected through free or commercial services on the internet. This massive amount of data arises from sensors, posts to social networking…
Getting older and slower may just be the result of more experience than younger folk. Flickr/Neil. Moralee

The myth of age-related cognitive decline

The tide is changing in our understanding of old age. For a long time, behavioural scientists have thought that old age is associated with cognitive decline such as memory problems, and difficulties in…
Opportunity trundles along looking for more evidence of water – and life – on Mars. NASA

An Opportunity for life: finding Mars’ most liveable mud

Coinciding with ten years of the NASA Mars Exploration Rover Project, research published today in Science has found some of the oldest evidence of past water on Mars – and confirmed it was ideal to nurture…
Air-breathing fishes such as Polypterus ornatipinnis laid foundations for modern ears. Flickr/lapradei

Now listen: air-breathing fish gave humans the ability to hear

A century-old mystery about how ancient freshwater fishes breathe has finally been put to rest, thanks to a study published today in Nature Communications by me and a team of ichthyologists. The fishes…
It’s easy to see how ‘wexting’ accidents can happen. Flickr/Jonathan Adami

How texting turns you into a walking disaster

For most of us, walking in a straight line at reasonable speed is a simple task. But watch someone texting or reading on their mobile phone and you’d be forgiven for thinking that walking is not as easy…
Much of Rafael Nadal’s success can be attributed to junior practice techniques. Flickr/Carine06

Different strokes: how Rafael and Tiger hit the top of their games

As Rafael Nadal moves into the Australian Open semi-finals after beating Grigor Dimitrov yesterday afternoon, it’s a good opportunity to think about how he reached his champion status and compare him with…
Scrawled or legible, your signature is still important. Losinpun

Is your signature safe? How to avoid forgery

Have you ever had your credit card stolen and used? Did the thief try to forge your scrawled signature, miniaturised on that impossibly tiny and slippery white line on the back of your card? I once had…