• Artificial Intelligence

    Welcome to your friendly local chatbot


    Open Forum |  March 29, 2024


    QUT researchers have homed in on AI-powered chatbots in the local government sector to look at their benefits and risks, what they are used for and why, and how users view them.


  • Transport

    Car wars


    Open Forum |  March 29, 2024


    Medical pressure group Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) have called for the cross bench to reject the watered down and delayed fuel efficiency standard proposed by the Federal Government, and urged it to protect the health of Australians by requiring tougher vehicle fleet standards.


  • Energy

    The hidden costs of coal mines’ unquenchable thirst


    Open Forum |  March 29, 2024


    Investors and shareholders in Australian coal mining could feel the pinch as water-related risks increase amid worsening climate change impacts, tighter regulations and growing community opposition.


Latest Story

  • What happens when we look at art?

    Open Forum     |      November 21, 2019

    Rather than judge artworks on their own merits, we are influenced by those around them, highlighting the importance of careful curation in exhibitions and galleries.

  • Does Australia want mobility as a service?

    Open Forum     |      November 20, 2019

    The ever growing consumer adoption of Mobility as a Service – MaaS – could help reduce the increasing traffic congestion on Australia’s urban roads.

  • Everyone can help reduce the cycling death toll

    Marilyn Johnson     |      November 20, 2019

    Deaths and injuries suffered by cyclists are on the rise, and it will take more care by those on the road and in planning offices to help reduce the toll.

  • To bus or not to bus? How culture affects public transport use

    Open Forum     |      November 20, 2019

    Stark cultural differences in attitudes to public transport have been revealed by an international study featuring a University of Queensland academic.

  • How far can you get in 30 minutes?

    David Levinson     |      November 20, 2019

    How many opportunities you can reach depends on where you live and how you travel. A new report maps accessibility for our eight capital cities by car, public transport, cycling and walking.

  • Parcel deliveries aren’t to blame for clogging urban roads

    David Herold     |      November 20, 2019

    A rise in online shopping is often blamed for an increase in the number of parcel delivery vehicles clogging up our busy city roads, but research from Europe suggests they’re a small fraction of the problem.

  • Would you let your car do the driving?

    Open Forum     |      November 20, 2019

    Australians think automated vehicles would great for the elderly and people with disabilities, and would cut accidents allow commuters to multi-task, but the remain worried about malfunctions and hackers.

  • We’re on the cusp of discovering alien life

    Cathal O'Connell     |      November 20, 2019

    The ancient question ‘Are we alone?’ has graduated from being a philosophical musing to a testable hypothesis. We should be prepared for an answer.

  • Will “Space 2.0” lead to conflict in orbit?

    Malcolm Davis     |      November 20, 2019

    The use of cube-sats and other low cost options in orbit could see a range of nation states expand their military options in orbit.

  • The future archaeology of space exploration

    Alice Gorman     |      November 20, 2019

    In a conversation recorded for a new series of podcasts, Alice Gorman discusses the past and future of space exploration, and how it might be regarded by those still living on Earth.

  • Wandering moons may shape distant solar systems

    Open Forum     |      November 20, 2019

    Australian and South American researchers suggest that wandering “ploonets” are unseen actors in distant solar systems.  These moons, once ejected from orbits around gas giant exoplanets, could explain several astronomical mysteries.

  • An ethical role for AI in defence

    Marcus Hellyer     |      November 20, 2019

    While it’s important for Defence to understand and address the ethical challenges posed by AI, it’s just as important to not let those challenges blind it to the opportunities offered by AI and discourage our defence planners from pursuing them.