AI will match human intelligence by 2062

UNSW Professor Toby Walsh has told the Festival of Dangerous Ideas that Artificial Intelligence is less than 50 years away from matching humans.

Bush plant medicine project set to bloom

An Australian-first research and commercial partnership aims to explore the development of a sustainable agribusiness model for traditional Australian medicinal plants growing in northern Australia.

Giving driverless vehicles the human touch

Can driverless vehicle technology replicate the human rules of engagement between pedestrians and drivers?

Australia should become a leader in strategic space diplomacy

Now that we have a dedicated space agency, we have an opportunity to influence international behaviour through strategic space diplomacy by overtly espousing a non-militaristic approach. The key question is whether the Australian Space Agency’s strategic focus should be on science or on commerce.

A bridge too far?

Cutting-edge technologies are being used to modernise the infrastructure and improve the safety of Australian bridges, helping to create a sustainable transport system for its fast growing population.

We can send people to Venus

While the surface of Venus is utterly hostile, it should be possible to float in its clouds and study a planet which was once Earth’s twin and may hold clues for the future of climate change.

What’s the big deal about digital identity?

New steps towards developing secure digital identities have a lot of potential to make our lives easier, but privacy and security concerns means it must be done right.

Australia probes space mystery

Australian researchers using a CSIRO radio telescope in Western Australia have nearly doubled the known number of ‘fast radio bursts’— powerful flashes of radio waves from deep space.

Sky hopping with Australia’s first space telescope

Australia has entered a new chapter in the exploration and understanding of space by creating a National Space Agency. Now innovative design is combining with new, low-cost nano-satellite technology to build Skyhopper, Australia’s first space telescope.

Industry is too involved in clinical research

An international study of industry-funded research has found the funders are usually involved in every step of the trial, raising doubts about the veracity and independence of their results.

How poor risk communication endangers our health

Some experts explain risks and scientific concepts very well, but sometimes their efforts to communicate fall well short – and this can cause problems. So what does it take for experts to do a good job communicating risks about cleaning up contaminated land to non-experts, and how important is it that they do so?

Why trackless trams are ready to replace light rail

“Trackless trams”, based on technology created in Europe and China, take innovations from high-speed rail and put them in a bus to offer urban transport at a fraction of the cost of light rail.