A driverless future? Don’t believe the hype

Old fashioned public transport, rather than new business models such as uber or new technology in the form of driverless cars, will remain the backbone of urban mass transport for the foreseeable future.

Future robots will be more R2D2 than C3PO

Researchers from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, have offered a bold glimpse into what the robots of the future could look like – and it’s nothing like C3PO, or a T-800 Terminator.

Why belief in a flat Earth is increasing

The Earth is demonstrably a sphere, and yet belief in a ‘flat Earth’ is increasing. However amusing at first glance, this misapprehension points to people’s increasing preference for ill informed internet bubbles rather than expert analysis or fact based critical thinking.

Insurance companies, advanced technology and you

Companies of all kinds are embracing technology to reduce costs and increase profits, and the insurance industry is no exception. China’s surveillance state gives a glimpse of one dystopian future using AI and exploiting the technology to maximise private profit is another. 

Will China’s moon landing start a new space race?

China’s rise is posing a challenge in space as well as planet Earth for the USA and its allies. However just as competition with the USSR advanced technology in the 1960s, a new space race should generate opportunities as well as threats.

More of the best science stories from 2018

Melbourne University experts share more of their picks of the best research, discoveries and big thinking from around the world in 2018.

The mind-blowing discoveries of 2018

The New Year has begun, but 2018 was a big year for new scientific discoveries. From new exoplanets to the fight against cancer, Melbourne University experts tell us about their pick of the best research, discoveries and big thinking from around the world last year.

The top 10 ‘weird science’ stories of 2018

There were plenty of weird and wonderful science stories in 2018, from octopuses high on ecstasy to a billionaire shooting a car into space.

The top ten science stories of 2018

2018 has been another landmark year in the realm of science, with outrage at claims of genetically modified babies and dire warnings from the world’s top climate scientists balanced by a successful Mars landing.

Why data is king

The more people use Facebook or Google, the more data they collect, and the more valuable the platforms become for both consumers and advertisers, but their ever greater power also raises issues of public concern.

We have a Christmas comet

We’re in for a pre-Christmas treat this weekend, as the cosmos entertains us with two equally exciting gifts: the Geminid meteor shower and the interplanetary comet 46P/Wirtanen.

New Australian institute to explore ethical Artificial Intelligence

IAG, CSIRO’s Data61 and The University of Sydney have announced the creation of a new Institute to research the ethics of artificial intelligence and develop systems which will improve, rather than damage, outcomes for people in Australia.