Prouder than ever to be Australian

Professor Michelle Simmons looks back on her time as Australian of the Year, before handing the baton over to the next award recipient this week.

New analytics platform will help future-proof farms

CSIRO and rural technology start-up Digital Agriculture Services have launched a new platform that combines artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud-based geospatial technology to deliver reliable, independent and robust farm data and analytics.

VR thrill rides need more than technology to sell them

If creators don’t get virtual reality right for thrill rides the concept of VR as entertainment could be set back years; mirroring its habit of riding waves of popularity before falling into obscurity over the past two decades.

‘Ultra” ultrasound could revolutionise technology

A new, more sensitive method to measure ultrasound may improve a wide range of technology from medical devices to driverless vehicles.

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. 

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.