Welcome to the world’s next supercontinent

Just in case you were running out of things to worry about, researchers are now predicting the Pacific Ocean is going to disappear – but not for another 230 million years or so.

The human element

Policy conversations about critical technology usually downplay the human elements of knowledge and ingenuity which make the machines come alive.

Why science works

People love to find patterns in nature and science remains the best way of deciding which ones are true, and which are self-deception.

Rebooting research…again

Labor’s Education Minister Jason Clare has kicked off what could be a major reset of university research funding in Australia.

Into the dark

A kilometre under the ground in Stawell, in the Northern Grampians in Victoria, a team of Aussie scientists have put the final touches on an underground lab that will help us understand the nature of our universe.

Citizen science

We can all channel our inner amateur researcher and make a valuable contribution to science with our eyes – and smart phones.

Smart textiles and soft robots

Smart textiles with artificial muscle fibres which allow them to move and take different forms have been produced by a team from UNSW’s Medical Robotics Lab.

Less talk, more action needed to reform IP

IP laws are supposed to work to aid pharmaceutical innovation in rich nations. Can a new system support treating illnesses rife in developing economies, too?

6 ways for governments to drive innovation

Whereas most innovation now comes from the private sector, governments can encourage innovation and economic growth through creating the right conditions for change.

Turning pollution into plastics for a change

As carbon dioxide levels continue to soar, the emerging carbon capture and utilization industry is developing ways to creating lower-carbon, degradable polymers using CO2 emissions as a feedstock.

Battling the super-bugs

The over-use of antibiotics has reduced their effectiveness against many strains of bacteria, but the medical employment of phages – natural predators of bacteria – could help contain the growth of ‘super bugs’.

Multiverse madness

Fans of Michael Moorcock are well acquainted with the concept of a ‘multiverse’, but a quantum mechanics interpretation can help the less literary inclined comprehend the hypothetical existence of many worlds.