Science + Technology – Views and Research – The Conversation

A map of Australia on a digital background

A map of Australia on a digital background

Could an ‘Australian AI’ protect us from being hacked? Cybersecurity isn’t that simple

Curious Kids: does music affect how plants grow?

A person playing violin to plants in a lab.

A person playing violin to plants in a lab.

What does the OpenAI Medicare hack reveal about Australia’s cyber security?

A steel vault door in high contrast lighting.

A steel vault door in high contrast lighting.

An OpenAI agent hacked Medicare. Will anyone be held responsible?

OpenAI logos and a computer with the Services Australia medicare website

OpenAI logos and a computer with the Services Australia medicare website

Earth’s tides are shaped by more than the Moon. And they’re changing as the planet warms

An aerial view of fast-flowing water between a narrow channel.

An aerial view of fast-flowing water between a narrow channel.

Man sitting in front of computer monitors showing text and biological imagery

Man sitting in front of computer monitors showing text and biological imagery

An AI model has found a new ‘CRISPR-like’ biological system. Here’s what it means for science

A group of women in floppy sun hats having a good time at a water park.

A group of women in floppy sun hats having a good time at a water park.

In a culture obsessed with staying young, we ignore the many benefits of ageing

Decoding data centres

Stacked 3D blocks with rockets in the background

Stacked 3D blocks with rockets in the background

What does a good data centre future look like? And how do we get there?

Data centres have existed for decades. So why are they so controversial now?

3D blocks and building cranes on a textured background

3D blocks and building cranes on a textured background

Are data centres actually noisy, and is this bad for our health?

3D blocks with concentric circles at the base on a textured background

3D blocks with concentric circles at the base on a textured background

Unsustainable – or manageable? We don’t yet know how data centres will impact Australia’s environment

Stacked 3D blocks with water and smoke coming out the edges

Stacked 3D blocks with water and smoke coming out the edges

Australia’s data centre build-out carries risks for the economy – and inflation

3D blocks with stacks of money on a textured background

3D blocks with stacks of money on a textured background

Read the full series

More science

Artwork with apocalyptic themes with smoke in the background and a person looking on at the devastation.

Artwork with apocalyptic themes with smoke in the background and a person looking on at the devastation.

How would AI actually kill all humans? Here are the top 5 scenarios

Two people in a car looking at the dashboard screen

Two people in a car looking at the dashboard screen

Worried about your car being hacked? You should be – no matter where it was made

Calls for global regulation of AI are growing. What exactly could it look like?

A 3D rendering of the globe, with landmasses in blue light and connected by digital data points.

A 3D rendering of the globe, with landmasses in blue light and connected by digital data points.

Australia’s vast Nullarbor Plain hides deep caves that can teach us about alien worlds

An orange landscape with a series of holes receding into the distance.

An orange landscape with a series of holes receding into the distance.

Apple’s new watches are always listening

Apple Watches

Apple Watches

We found the hidden force that created two chains of underwater volcanoes running side by side

An aerial view of a small island in the middle of the ocean.

An aerial view of a small island in the middle of the ocean.

Latest science and technology articles

Expert life advice

Why does laundry get smelly if it stays wet? A textile scientist explains how to fix it

Close-up of wet laundry in a front-loading washing machine.

Close-up of wet laundry in a front-loading washing machine.

Why does microwaving fish smell so bad?

A man holds his nose while standing in a staff kitchen.

A man holds his nose while standing in a staff kitchen.

Are jumping castles safe? An amusement ride safety expert explains

An inflatable castle on a grassy field

An inflatable castle on a grassy field

Can you teach yourself to detect AI writing? Maybe

A student at a protest in a red graduation robe and cap holds up a poster with the words who wrote your speech, chat gpt?

A student at a protest in a red graduation robe and cap holds up a poster with the words who wrote your speech, chat gpt?

More life hacks

New research

More than 2 million Indigenous people lived in Australia in 1788: new research

Painting of an Indigenous gathering

Painting of an Indigenous gathering

Was there really a female king in ancient Egypt 5,000 years ago? New study says yes

Close-up of inscriptions in a rough sand coloured surface.

Close-up of inscriptions in a rough sand coloured surface.

Data from more than 600 people shows resting heart rates have their own secret rhythm

An illustration of a purple heart surrounded by wires shaped like rhythm graphs.

An illustration of a purple heart surrounded by wires shaped like rhythm graphs.

Gondwana really was a supercontinent. And it helped kick-start life on Earth

An illustration of a planet, featuring one large continent surrounded by ocean.

An illustration of a planet, featuring one large continent surrounded by ocean.

More new research

Artificial intelligence

A swirl of lines and dots

A swirl of lines and dots

OpenAI claims another huge mathematical result amid fights over credit, ethics and privacy

Big AI wants to slow down AI research. Is it a safety pause or a strategic retreat?

A disintegrating white cube floating in space

A disintegrating white cube floating in space

‘We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans’: if AI labs are so worried about AI doom, why don’t they stop?

Woman standing in space surrounded by digital screens

Woman standing in space surrounded by digital screens

Where is AI headed? Two media theorists from the 1960s can help us figure it out

Image collage showing people in a city with a huge robot looming behind them

Image collage showing people in a city with a huge robot looming behind them

AI is eating website traffic, websites are blocking AI – and reliable information is getting harder to find

Abstract image of a swirling pattern of pixels.

Abstract image of a swirling pattern of pixels.

More on artificial intelligence

Explore the universe

An illustration of a bright red dot with a shining light in its centre against a black sky.

An illustration of a bright red dot with a shining light in its centre against a black sky.

The universe is full of strange ‘little red dots’. A new study shines light on their real nature

China is launching a Moon mission to find water ice. It’s unlike anything NASA has done

NASA’s new space telescope will tackle some of the universe’s biggest mysteries

Illustration of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope against the background of Hubble's 25th anniversary image.

Illustration of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope against the background of Hubble's 25th anniversary image.

Galactic archaeologists find stars in the Milky Way came from another galaxy 12 billion years ago

Two galaxies in the night sky, merging into one.

Two galaxies in the night sky, merging into one.

There are already 16,000 satellites in Earth’s orbit. How will we manage the next 100,000?

More on astronomy

Curious Kids

A light brown spider on water.

A light brown spider on water.

Curious Kids: can spiders swim?

Curious Kids: if our eyes see upside down, how does the brain flip the picture?

Daniel Joyce, University of Southern Queensland

A happy child hangs upside down on monkey bars.

A happy child hangs upside down on monkey bars.

Curious Kids: If you scoop a bucket of water out of the ocean, does it get lower?

Dylan Irvine, Charles Darwin University

A blue bucket and spade on a beach.

A blue bucket and spade on a beach.

Curious Kids: if heat rises, why does it get colder in the mountains?

James Renwick, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

Silhuette of Ama Dablam - a mountain in the eastern Himalaya

Silhuette of Ama Dablam - a mountain in the eastern Himalaya

Curious Kids: what was the biggest dinosaur that ever lived?

Nic Rawlence, University of Otago

Dinosaurs with a volcano in the background

Dinosaurs with a volcano in the background

More Curious Kids articles

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Could an ‘Australian AI’ protect us from being hacked? Cybersecurity isn’t that simple
Niusha Shafiabady, Australian Catholic University

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