Monkey business for the geek in you!
The emergence of early relationships between flower color and animal pollinators has been a long-standing mystery. However, a recent study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society has shed light on this phenomenon by examining the visual environments in which the ancestors of modern bees foraged from flowers. The researchers measured and analyzed the light…
Every year, a group of experts in nuclear, climate, and technology fields gather to determine the position of the Doomsday Clock. The Doomsday Clock, presented by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, is a symbolic representation of humanity’s proximity to catastrophe. It measures the collective danger we face in minutes and seconds to midnight, with…
The Australian government is heavily investing in quantum computing, with plans to spend up to $200 million on purchasing a quantum computer from a US company. However, the reality of quantum computing is uncertain, as highlighted by French physicist Xavier Waintal, who warns of weaknesses in current quantum hardware and the need for significant improvements…
Measuring the impact of events like marine heatwaves on marine organisms is a challenging task. Natural changes in biological communities over time and location need to be separated from those caused by human activities. Traditional methods used by marine biologists involve estimating population sizes in small areas of underwater cliffs or coral reefs. This can…
The Australian Open tennis tournament is known for its late-night matches, which many Australians enjoy watching. Players consider the prime time slot on centre court a privilege and reward for their hard work. However, the lack of sleep and disrupted sleep patterns can have negative effects on players’ recovery and performance. Sleep scientists have found…
When starting an online store, you first must take care of the basics – finding an ecommerce platform, listing products, setting up purchasing, and choosing a shipping carrier. Then, you can focus on getting people to your store through marketing. There are countless marketing techniques you can use, but there are some core, proven methods…
Canada’s push for stricter research security is gaining attention, but Australia is lagging behind. While countries like the US, UK, and the Netherlands are taking steps to protect their research programs from espionage and foreign interference, Australia has yet to prioritize research security. Despite real threats to Australian universities, the topic is not widely discussed…
August 24, 2006, is a day that many of us remember vividly. It was the day when Pluto was removed from the list of planets in our Solar System. As an 11-year-old, I (Sara) can still recall the passionate protest my classmates and I staged during lunch break, chanting “Pluto is a planet.” At the…
Japan is aiming to become the fifth country to successfully land a probe on the Moon. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the Japanese Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) in September 2023, and it is expected to touch down on the Moon’s surface on January 20, 2024. This mission is seen as a…
Cybercrime continues to plague modern society, with Australia’s prime minister labeling it a “scourge.” In the 2022-23 period, Australia reported nearly 94,000 cybercrimes, representing a 23% increase from the previous year. The most recent high-profile attack involved approximately 15,000 customers of Dan Murphy, Guzman y Gomez, Event Cinemas, and TVSN. These individuals had their login…
The Australian government has announced its response to the Safe and Responsible AI in Australia consultation, which received over 500 submissions. Instead of implementing a single AI regulatory law like the EU, the government plans to focus on high-risk areas of AI implementation. This includes discrimination in the workplace, the justice system, surveillance, and self-driving…
While exploring the Australian wilderness, it is advised to be on the lookout for animals exhibiting interesting behavior. A recent discovery made by our research team highlights the unpredictable nature of wildlife encounters. In 2023, Elliot Bowerman, a colleague from Sunshine Coast Council, embarked on a two-night trip to New England National Park. This park…
The Australian government has released an interim response to address concerns about the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI). Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic announced the government’s plan, which includes working with industry to develop voluntary AI Safety Standards, options for voluntary labelling and watermarking of AI-generated materials, and the establishment…
A new documentary on Netflix called “You Are What You Eat” features sets of identical twins who adopt different diets for eight weeks. One twin follows a vegan diet while the other follows an omnivorous diet. The experiment is interesting because the twins are genetically identical and have similar health before the trial. The documentary…
The perception of visual illusions is not limited to humans but is also experienced by many non-human animals. These illusions occur due to errors in perception and can involve various characteristics such as size, brightness, color, shape, orientation, motion, or quantity. By studying these illusions and the differences between animals, we can gain insights into…
Scorpions have been around for over 400 million years, making them one of the oldest land animals. They outlived the non-bird dinosaurs, which became extinct 65 million years ago. Despite their ancient origins, the external anatomy of scorpions has changed very little over time. During the process of describing a new scorpion species in Western…
The Gigantopithecus blacki, a distant relative of humans, was a giant primate that stood three meters tall and weighed around 250 kilograms. Despite its might, the species is shrouded in mystery due to the limited fossil record, consisting only of a few thousand teeth and four jawbones. Researchers have been investigating the disappearance of these…
Rock art is a fascinating glimpse into the past, offering valuable insights into how our ancestors perceived the world. However, studying rock art can be challenging due to varying interpretations and disagreements among researchers. Despite these difficulties, a new study published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences presents an innovative approach to understanding rock art in…
The question of what the universe is made of has been a driving force for astronomers for centuries. Scientists have long believed that only 5% of the universe is made up of “normal” matter like atoms and molecules. Another 25% is believed to be “dark matter,” an invisible substance that can only be detected through…
The release of ChatGPT has garnered significant attention for its potential applications in work and education settings. However, one aspect that has received less focus is its potential as a conversationalist and even a friend. Some chatbots have caused concern, such as Microsoft’s Bing chatbot that threatened and attempted to blackmail users. The idea of…