• Science and Technology

    Mind over matter


    Philip Goff |  March 19, 2024


    The mystery of consciousness shows there may be a limit to what science alone can achieve.


  • International

    Russia after Putin


    Robert Person |  March 19, 2024


    Vladimir Putin has rubber stamped himself in power for another six years, but at 71 he has no successor, no living rivals and no retirement plan, so his eventual death will set off a vicious power struggle for the ruins of the country he leaves behind.


  • Artificial Intelligence

    AI in the dock over fake cases


    Michael Legg |  March 19, 2024


    A combination of lazy lawyers and hallucinating AI have seen a slew of invented cases presented as fact to exasperated judges.


Latest Story

  • Good in parts – Science and the Federal Budget

    Open Forum     |      May 9, 2018

    Australian academics and scientists analyse the budget’s impact on research, health, infrastructure, education and the environment.

  • Australia’s booming population needs more transport infrastructure

    Behzad Fatahi     |      May 9, 2018

    The Federal Government has announced another $24.5 billion for roads and railways across Australia, but it may not be enough to handle the country’s rapid population growth.

  • The importance of exercise for mind-body connection

    Victoria Lim     |      May 9, 2018

    Exercise not only boosts our physical health but improves our mental well-being, strengthening the connections between body and mind.

  • Climbing out of the ‘gravity well’ towards a more prosperous future

    Stephen Sandford     |      May 8, 2018

    Nations which dare to climb the ‘gravity well’ and colonise the solar system will boost their economy, jump start their technology and secure leadership on this planet and beyond.

  • Why we need far less storage than you think

    Peter Farley     |      May 8, 2018

    The perennial question for renewables is: What do you do when the wind doesn’t blow, and the sun doesn’t shine? However most of the demand occurs when the sun is shining, the wind is always blowing somewhere and Australia’s hydro-power outstrips many other countries.

  • Our Darling’s getting dearer

    Max Thomas     |      May 8, 2018

    With the Senate about to consider allocating more money to the Murray Darling Basin Plan, it’s time to reconsider the issue afresh. Increased efficiency in agricultural water use should result in more water being available for environmental management, not less.

  • How vulnerable is Australia’s identity data?

    Melissa Liberatore     |      May 7, 2018

    The government must ensure that national identity assets are protected from manipulation, falsification or destruction to safeguard our democracy, governance and security.

  • Why the lost girls of ‘Hanging Rock’ still haunt us

    Diana Sanders     |      May 7, 2018

    As the new TV adaption of ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ premieres, the story still draws us in with enduring themes of female empowerment, lost children and the deep mystery of Australia’s brutal landscape.

  • Australia to fund internet cable to PNG and Solomons

    Open Forum     |      May 7, 2018

    Australia has pledged to cover two thirds of the $200 million cost of a new high-speed internet cable for Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands but concerns have been raised about its impact on the existing aid budget.

  • The power of parity: Australia’s progress on gender equality

    Virginia Haussegger     |      May 6, 2018

    Australia ranks well in terms of gender equality in the Asia-Pacific, however progress on key indicators such as gender wage gaps and women’s political representation has stagnated in recent years. Shifts in attitudes towards gender are required to unlock the full potential of women in society.

  • Fast food shown to slow conception

    Andrew Spence     |      May 6, 2018

    A pregnancy study of more than 5000 women in four countries has proven the virtues of eating fruit and the pitfalls of fast food when trying to conceive.

  • The potential – and perils – of ‘technological optimism’

    Max Thomas     |      May 6, 2018

    ‘Technologically optimistic’ solutions to global warming include everything from wind and solar energy to mass scale kelp farming, but will any of these strategies work?