• Society

    How green was my advertising?


    Christine Parker |  December 4, 2023


    A study of more than 8,000 ads served more than 20,000 times in people’s Facebook feeds found that many green claims are vague, meaningless or unsubstantiated and that consumers are potentially being deceived.


  • Artificial Intelligence

    Our bionic future


    Open Forum |  December 4, 2023


    It might seem like something out of Star Trek, but people controlling so-called ‘smartbrains’ with their own thoughts could happen sooner than you think.


  • Society

    The way of the prokopton


    Sandra Woien |  December 3, 2023


    The Stoics of Greece and Rome believed the practice of virtue is the key to a well-lived life and, at a time of existential threat, internal angst and modern anxiety, this ancient philosophy is enjoying a comeback, particularly among men alienated by political correctness but repelled by thug culture.


Latest Story

  • The network effect

    Open Forum     |      December 2, 2023

    Researchers at the University of Sydney have discovered new structural relationships in complex online and social media networks, such as Twitter and political blogs, that could help explain the digital flow of influence and information.

  • Paper tigers

    Paul Dibb     |      December 2, 2023

    There is no shortage of appeasers in the West who believe that China’s military might renders support for Taiwan futile, but these are the same people who argued against supporting Ukraine faced with the ‘might’ of the Russian army.

  • Meet Viv

    Open Forum     |      December 2, 2023

    UNSW researchers have come up with an AI driven companion to improve the lives of people living with dementia.

  • In defence of free will

    Adam Piovarchy     |      December 1, 2023

    The latest book by Stanford neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky – Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will – has garnered a lot of media attention for its radical contention that we’re biological robots devoid of moral responsibility for what we do, fortunately he’s also entirely wrong.

  • Australian network resilience

    Malcolm Davis     |      December 1, 2023

    There’s no perfect solution to ensure Australia’s resilience in the face of disruption and foreign threats, so the best approach is to embrace diversification and invest in the right combination of communications infrastructure from the ocean floor to the furthest satellite.

  • The great Australian novel

    Nicholas Jose     |      December 1, 2023

    The newly published Cambridge History of the Australian Novel considers the role of Australian fiction at home and abroad, its perspectives on the nation’s history and the ever changing landscape of writing, publishing and reading.

  • Long hot summer

    Open Forum     |      November 30, 2023

    2023 will claim the title as the warmest year ever recorded, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Its provisional State of the Global Climate report shows global temperatures are 1.4 degrees above pre-industrial levels, carbon dioxide levels are up 50% and the sea level rise from 2013-2022 is more than twice the rate recorded from 1993-2002.

  • Battle cry of the unbowed

    Roger Chao     |      November 30, 2023

    Young Australian writer Roger Chao offers an impassioned plea for tolerance and social justice in lyric form.

  • The road to 2050

    Open Forum     |      November 30, 2023

    A new report by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, shows existing technologies will enable Australia to halve emissions by 2030 from 2020 levels, under a rapid decarbonisation scenario led by a renewable electricity sector.

  • Reflections on the Voice Referendum

    Bernie O'Kane     |      November 29, 2023

    The dust has begun to settle after Australia’s contentious Voice Referendum, but amid the accusations of bad faith and ignorance, how many people on either side bothered to read or understand the report which laid out how the Voice would have worked, and the problems it raised or failed to address?

  • Applications open for Youth Parliament 2024

    Open Forum     |      November 29, 2023

    The next generation of youth leaders is invited to apply to participate in the Y NSW’s Youth Parliament program in 2024 with submissions now open.

  • One man, one vote

    Henry Campbell     |      November 29, 2023

    The ‘election campaign’ in Russia has already begun, but in an authoritarian terror state, there’s truly only one man with one vote.