Need ChatGPT in the car? Crazy vehicle tech at CES 2024
From cars driven by game controllers to vans you can turn into utes, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is giving a preview of an unusual future.
science and technology
Scientists root out the secrets of tropical forests
After decades of work, scientists have discovered tropical forests are not as diverse as once thought.
Record heat fuelling ‘freak’ natural disasters: study
Record heat across the world impacted the global water cycle in 2023, scientists have found, contributing to severe storms, floods, droughts and fires.
disaster (general)
economy, business and finance
environmental issue
housing and urban planning
politics
science and technology
Digital hand for responders after devastating floods
As storms, floods and bushfires wreak havoc on Australia, a little-known company owned by the nation's governments is in demand for its digital intelligence.
Steeper cost of small reactors a blow to nuclear push
A push to add nuclear to Australia's energy mix may be silenced by a steep upward revision of the cost of small reactors by the national science agency.
‘The one to watch’: meteor shower to wow stargazers
Australians will have their best opportunity in years to watch the annual Geminid meteor shower due to a near-ideal combination of conditions.
How smart speakers ‘could detect domestic violence’
Researchers are investigating whether Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri or Google Home speakers should be used to detect violence in homes.
Not fit for purpose: Fitbit fined $11m for false claims
Australia's Federal Court has issued Fitbit with an $11 million penalty for making misleading claims to customers who complained about faulty devices.
computing and information technology
economy (general)
employment
it/computer sciences
job layoffs
science and technology
technology (general)
White collar staff among first to face AI wave: report
Professions likely to feel the early impact of artificial intelligence have been identified by a report that warns training must adapt to fit the technology.
Australia should delay AI laws, productivity boss warns
A business summit has heard Australia should not introduce laws around the use of artificial intelligence or it could risk being left behind other countries.
Climate information integrity threat ahead of summit
The climate crisis is being made worse by an information crisis, with some Australian outlets accused of peddling fake news and adding to confusion and delay.
Australia on track to meet emissions reduction targets
Australia is close to meeting its 2030 emissions reduction targets, but the energy minister won't say how much a clean transition will cost taxpayers.
Call for national testing standard after Qld lab bungle
Queensland's attorney-general has backed the concept of a national standard for forensic testing after years of bungles at a state-run laboratory.
Almost 50 new spider species identified in Australia
A popular former children's TV host dubbed "Ranger Stacey" is among the Australians who have had new species of spiders named after them in a published study.
Pact puts handbrake on ‘defining technology of our age’
A pact on artificial intelligence is intended to protect people from harm without stifling breakthroughs in vaccines, computing and defence.
Fibre up Qld: internet upgrades for more than 500,000
Faster and more reliable internet speeds are part of a federal government upgrade package for southeast Queensland residents .
Millions to eradicate fire ant, devastating super-pest
Hundreds of millions of dollars will be pumped into wiping out fire ants, the tiny invasive insect which poses a huge risk to Australian agriculture.
King honours Australians for breakthrough invention
King Charles III has given the world's most prestigious engineering prize to a group of Australians whose invention has helped slash solar energy costs.
X formerly Twitter fined $610,000 over child safety
Australia's eSafety Commissioner says some of the biggest tech companies aren't living up to their responsibilities to tackle child sexual exploitation.
X, formerly Twitter, fined and may face slavery charges
Australia's eSafety Commissioner says some of the biggest tech companies are not living up to their responsibilities to tackle child sexual exploitation.
Atoms and spider venom win big at science awards
Pioneering innovations in quantum computing and funnel-web spider venom have earned their discoverers Australia's top science awards.
Artificial intelligence to be trialled in Qld schools
Students in Queensland schools will trial new technology to help reduce teacher workloads, with education programs run by artificial intelligence algorithms.
Quantum leap at forefront of Palaszczuk’s state address
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced a $76 million strategy investment to advance quantum technology, embracing a "new frontier".
Nobel Chemistry prize for discovery of quantum dots
A trio of scientists who discovered nanoparticles and quantum dots used in LED-lights, TV-screens and cancer surgery have won the Nobel prize for chemistry.
Nobel Prize in physics awarded for electron study
The Nobel Prize in physics has been awarded to three scientists for 'work that gives humanity new tools for exploring the world of electrons'.
Carbon farm sale lets descendants return to country
A partnership underpinned by carbon farming will enable a big land station to be returned to a local aboriginal corporation in a move described as empowering.
Feds step up funding for Tas power link to the mainland
The federal government will now shoulder a larger share of the financial burden to complete the Marinus Link energy project connecting Tasmania to the mainland.
education
history - arts, culture and entertainment
professional - women general
science and technology
Female scientists overlooked in school curriculums
Australian science subjects place an "inaccurate" emphasis on the work of male, European scientists, prompting calls to rework senior school curriculums.
Warming slows switch between wet and dry in Australia
Greenhouse gas emissions are affecting an air current that determines how much rain and heat Australia gets, and it could mean longer droughts and floods.
Russian mission fails as Luna-25 smashes into moon
In a blow to Russia's space prestige, its Luna-25 mission has failed after the craft crashed into the moon.
‘Urgent’ need to boost monitoring in Southern Ocean
About 300 scientists have issued a statement urging greater investment in Southern Ocean monitoring to better understand changes to Antarctica's ecosystem.