What does AI mean for Australian democracy? And what can we do about it?
Last week, the head of Australia's election regulator warned the organization "does not possess the legislative tools or internal technical capability to deter, detect or adequately deal with false AI-generated content concerning the election process.....»»
Australian study proves "humans are planet"s most frightening predator"
Australia lacks fearsome large carnivores like lions and wolves, and the relative lack of fear that marsupials like kangaroos and wallabies show to dogs (and other introduced carnivores) has been attributed to a lack of evolutionary experience with l.....»»
Q&A: New book explores how elected strongmen weaken democracy
Joseph Wright's interest in studying dictators and authoritarian leaders began during a concert at a Chilean military academy while he was studying abroad......»»
Study uncovers the hidden motive behind US voters" stance on noncitizen voting
The right to vote is a cornerstone of electoral democracy, but a new study suggests that support for this principle often hinges on the perception of who will benefit. The findings shed light on a hotly debated topic of noncitizen voting rights in th.....»»
Designing a tiny new tool to map and treat children"s brain cancer
Medulloblastoma is the most common cancerous brain tumor in children, and fighting it requires an approach that is delicate, durable, and direct. Now a group of researchers at UQ's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) bel.....»»
Threatened species have declined 2% a year since 2000: Nature positive? Far from it.
The government has great aspirations. It has committed to end extinctions and expand our protected areas to cover 30% of every Australian ecosystem by 2030. This is part of its Nature Positive Plan, aligned with the 2022 Kunming-Montreal global biodi.....»»
Elon Musk’s X dodges Australian order to remove church stabbing video
Elon Musk accused Australia of trying to have "jurisdiction over all of Earth." Enlarge (credit: Apu Gomes / Stringer | Getty Images News) An Australian federal court sided with Elon Musk on Monday, rejecting an Australi.....»»
Protein assembly research shows molecular roll of the dice delivers winning combinations
Australian researchers have shed light on the shape-shifting capabilities of protein assemblies, with results that could revolutionize fields from biomanufacturing to vaccine development......»»
Scientists find ancient, endangered lamprey fish in Queensland, 1400 km north of its previous known range
The Australian brook lamprey (Mordacia praecox) is part of a group of primitive jawless fish. It's up to 15 cm long, with rows of sharp teeth. Surprisingly, it doesn't use these teeth to suck blood like most lamprey species—it's non-parasitic......»»
Saving the Mary River turtle: How the people of Tiaro rallied behind an iconic species
Australian freshwater turtles are facing an alarming trend. Almost half of these species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered......»»
Volunteers rid one Australian river of its privet problem—and strengthen community along the way
Privet is a popular garden hedge. It grows quickly and responds well to being pruned. But in natural areas, privet is a problem......»»
Accountability standards based on rules of democracy needed in times of rising political violence, scholar argues
When a family or group of friends sit down to play a familiar game they've played many times before, they generally don't need to refer to the rules—unless someone breaks them. The values of liberal democracy have been transgressed in numerous form.....»»
What Australia can learn from Latin America when it comes to tackling violence against women
Fifty years ago, Australian feminist Anne Summers denounced "the ideology of sexism" governing over so many women's lives. Unfortunately, sexism is as lethal today as it was then......»»
A Company Is Building a Giant Compressed-Air Battery in the Australian Outback
Hydrostor, a leader in compressed-air energy storage, aims to break ground on a 200-MW plant in New South Wales by the end of this year. It wants to follow that with a 500-MW facility in California......»»
Four things Australian schools should do now to help prevent gender-based violence
There is widespread agreement Australia needs to do better when it comes to gender-based violence. Anger and frustration at the numbers of women being killed saw national rallies over the weekend and a special National Cabinet meeting on Wednesday......»»
Power to the people: Aussies expect more from their local leaders
About two-thirds of Australians believe local governments should have more power than they currently do, according to a new study from The Australian National University (ANU)......»»
Aggressive? Homophobic? Stoic? Here"s what thousands of Australian men told us about modern masculinity
Most young adult men in Australia reject traditional ideas of masculinity that endorse aggression, stoicism and homophobia. Nonetheless, the ongoing influence of those ideas continues to harm men and the people around them. These are some of the find.....»»
One in seven Australian adults admits to workplace technology-facilitated sexual harassment, new study finds
The first national study to investigate workplace technology-facilitated sexual harassment (WTFSH) has revealed 1 in 7 Australian adults surveyed admit to engaging in this form of sexual harassment at work......»»
When does a conductor not conduct? Switching a 2D metal-organic framework from an insulator to a metal
An Australian-led study has found unusual insulating behavior in a new atomically-thin material—and the ability to switch it on and off......»»
Over 100 pilot whales beached on western Australian coast have been rescued, researcher says
More than 100 long-finned pilot whales that beached on the western Australian coast Thursday have returned to sea, while 31 died on the shore, a whale researcher said......»»
Urgent need for logging loophole remedy within proposed Great Koala National Park
A team of conservation and policy researchers have called for a logging loophole within the proposed Great Koala National Park to be urgently remedied to stem the tide of harmful outcomes impacting the South East Australian koala population......»»