Australia’s national AI plan has just been released. Who exactly will benefit?

The new Australian plan prioritises creating a local AI software industry, spreading the benefit of AI “productivity gains” ...

What ancient Athens teaches us about debate – and dissent – in the social media age

In ancient Athens, the agora was a public forum where citizens could gather to deliberate, disagree and decide together. It ...

South Africa needs to rethink how it measures intellectual and developmental disabilities – what’s lacking

South Africa needs to take pragmatic steps to plug the shortcomings in the data that’s collected on people with intellectual ...

Flat Earth, spirits and conspiracy theories – experience can shape even extraordinary beliefs

Conspiracy thinking, supernatural beliefs and pseudoscience can seem impervious to evidence. An anthropologist suggests the ...

Larry Summers’ sexism is jeopardizing his power and privilege, but the entire economics profession hinders progress for women

In 2024, according to the National Science Foundation, 34.2% of newly minted economics Ph.D.s – about 1 in 3 – in the U.S.

Planning life after high school isn’t easy – 4 tips to help students and families navigate the process

Students and their families can’t plan for everything, or know with absolute certainty what the best decision is. But they ...

Google plans to power a new data center with fossil fuels, yet release almost no emissions – here’s how its carbon capture tech works

To reduce emissions put into the atmosphere, Google is using carbon capture and sequestration. But not all CCS projects are ...

Google is relying on its own chips for its AI system Gemini. Here’s why that’s a seismic change for the industry

This hardware sat quietly in the background while most of the attention was focused on algorithms and data. Google’s decision ...

Before trips to Mars, we need better protection from cosmic rays

High-energy particles streaming through space can damage DNA and increase cancer risk, but antioxidants, tardigrades and ...

DNA from soil could soon reveal who lived in ice age caves

Sediment DNA also traces life outside the cave. Predators dragged prey into sheltered chambers, humans left waste behind. By ...

In 1939, a Royal Commission found burning forests leads to more bushfires. But this cycle of destruction can be stopped

After devastating fires in 1939, authorities began burning forests to reduce fuel load. But we now know this creates ...