Mathematician Hannah Fry has called for tech and data scientists to make an ethical pledge, as medical doctors do. But the same result might be delivered by simply asking people to mind their bias.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Science + Tech – Articles, Analysis, Comment
Displaying 2151 - 2175 of 6524 articles
The Romans were great engineers but they had a terrible number system. It didn’t even have zero.
A real-life experiment to mimic future conditions for soils affected by climate change suggests that some of the biggest impacts could be to ecosystems buried out of sight beneath our feet.
Around the world and throughout history, we find remarkably similar constellations defined by disparate cultures, as well as strikingly similar narratives describing the relationships between them.
Remote Queensland farmers are among the least “digitally included” communities in Australia, according to a new report that documents the impacts of low access, affordability and digital ability for families and communites.
Reconsidering an old ecological conundrum comes up with a new perspective on migration, contact and trade in the Australia and Asia-Pacific region.
New research shows that ocean and air temperatures both contributed to the melting of Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf in the past, but melting from below by a warming ocean became more important over time.
Fossil flies from what is now Denmark reveal some striking similarities between insect eyes 54 million years ago, and our own vision today.
For all their good intentions, accidents happen when fallible humans intervene in complex systems they don’t understand.
Our body knows how it is moving and where it is because of a sense called proprioception, a ‘sixth sense’ that helps your body know where it is in the world. And it works even while you’re asleep.
An entire industry exists to trade on your personal data - everything from your shopping habits to your political views and medical conditions. The results can genuinely harm consumers.
Have you ever walked into a room and realised you can’t remember what you were looking for? We tend to do this more when we are thinking of a few things at once or doing two things at the same time.
We should celebrate the ‘deplatforming’ of the 8chan message board, linked to the El Paso shootings, as a win for the fight against online hate speech. But its removal does not mean the fight is over.
The newly discovered Heracles inexpectatus stood nearly a metre tall. And its fossil bones sat undiscovered on a museum shelf for more than a decade before its hefty status was finally appreciated.
It helps if you imagine the ground here on Earth as a big heater. It keeps us warm, and if you move away from the heater you feel cold.
Artificial intelligence is predicted to contribute some US$15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. A new report looks at issues specific to New Zealand.
Google and Facebook attract plenty of users and advertising dollars in Australia, but the ACCC will have to work with other watchdogs overseas on any effective regulation.
Cooperation or theft? New observations show wild leopard seals sharing food when targeting king penguins in Antarctica.
Under controversial national security laws, parts of your mobile phone data is accessible by federal police and counterterrorism agencies. But in reality dozens of other organisations can access it too.
Matt Agnew is on the hunt for love as star of the new Bachelor Australia series. But whoever he picks (and he already has, apparently) will have to compete with TESS. So who, or what, is TESS?
Australia should be involved in any new mission to the Moon: we have the interest and the expertise so let’s be part of the race.
Today’s the official birthday of all race horses in Australia which means the breeding season is just a month away. It’s about to get very busy for stallions and mares on the stud farms.
If you got too close to a black hole, it would suck you in and you’d never be able to escape, even if you were travelling at the speed of light.
This point of no return is called the event horizon.
Algorithms are only human (well, designed by humans) but we need to trust they’ll do what they’re supposed to do. And that means we need a better way to test them.
The ACCC Digital Platforms Report recommends several ways to revive journalism in the social media age, including A$50m in direct grants to local news services.